CHFL R4 2024 review: Daylesford reinforces rise as leaders set hot pace

Daylesford again delivered with a hard-fought win over Learmonth, while Gordon showed it is hot on the trail of another premiership.

LADDER: BUNGAREE 16 premiership points, 229.61%; DAYLESFORD 16, 187.96; NEWLYN 14, 240.13; GORDON 12, 133.33; BUNINYONG 110, 110.55; SKIPTON 8, 203.92; HEPBURN 8, 124.26; DUNNSTOWN 8, 115.38; Carngham-Linton 8, 103.99; Learmonth 8, 99.68; Rokewood-Corindhap 4, 82.07; Clunes 4, 70; Creswick 4, 64.11; Waubra 4, 55.13; Ballan 4, 50; Springbank 0 77.93; Beaufort 0, 33.27

Daylesford has produced a disciplined defensive last stand to hold Learmonth at bay and remain unbeaten in the Central Highlands Football League.

The Bulldogs made it four wins on end by holding on by 17 points at Learmonth on Saturday.

Learmonth threw everything at Daylesford in the last quarter, with the game almost exclusively played in the Lakies' 50m arc.

They twice closed the margin 10 points, but Daylesford stood firm with repeated stoppages to deny the home team.

With Learmonth having kicked the only goal of the term in the opening minutes, Daylesford finally replied with the sealer with just a few minutes left on the clock.

Bulldogs coach Hamish Jarrad was relieved as much as anything to get away with the win.

He said with up to nine of their best 22 missing they had been forced to change their approach.

Jarrad said knowing Learmonth had the superior leg speed, the Bulldogs were well aware they would not be able to go with the Lakies in a full-on transition contest.

"We were confident we could beat them at the contest though and from their control the ball.

"It took us a while to get that sorted, but at half-time (with Daylesford up by one point) we felt confident and did it by getting the game we wanted in the third.

"Then it was all about contested football in the last. Everyone was disciplined. We didn't get drawn into the contest. We kept numbers on the outside and that forced them to hack the ball without any system, allowing us to pick it off."

Learmonth coach Jake Dunne said it had been a learning curve for his side.

He said while disappointed to lose, there were some good signs from what was a young group still growing.

Dunne said it came down to the Lakies not executing as well as they needed to.

He said their quick ball movement and foot speed had made them look dangerous at times, but was not sustained for long enough.

Daylesford and Learmonth each went down a player early with injury.

Jarrad strained a calf and Learmonth veteran midfielder Brenton Powell suffered what is suspected to be an ankle issue.

Powell collapsed to the ground as he was taking a kick in the second term and had to be assisted from the ground. He was taken for x-rays.

Daylesford also had key forward Sam O'Brien yellow carded at the start of the second term.

Learmonth added three goals while the Bulldogs were down to 17 players, but ironically it was O'Brien who put them back on track by kicking a goal moments after he returned to the field.

Daylesford ruckman Ben Jones was unstoppable.

He controlled the ruck contests and dominated around the ground with a marking display - many of them intercepts - which had to be seen.

Veteran defender Trent Nesbitt also played a massive game.

Daylesford 3.2 5.6 10.8 11.10 (76)

Learmonth 1.3 5.5 7.8 8.11 (59)

GOALS: Daylesford: C.Molivas 3, S.O'Brien 2, T.Lee 1, T.Dean 1, J.Schroder 1, A.Lambert 1, J.Cummings 1; Learmonth: M.Rowe 3, D.Folkes 2, D.Anderson 2, J.Crilly 1

BEST: Daylesford: C.Molivas, J.Schroder, M.Dean, B.Jones, T.Nesbitt, A.Boyse; Learmonth: W.Green, M.Rowe, A.Hare, T.Mitchell, C.Kimber, J.Crilly

Gordon once again proved how tough it is going to beat as it pursues a third consecutive premiership.

The Eagles claimed the scalp of a third fellow finalist from last year in defeating Carngham-Linton by 20 points at Gordon.

Gordon has had one of the toughest draws to start the season and despite being well below full strength has accounted for Dunnstown, Springbank and now the Saints in its only three appearances.

Carngham-Linton went into battle off two impressive wins, but were shown there is still much work to be done.

The Saints showed plenty of fight to get back on terms at half-time after a slow start, but did not have the answers up forward when they needed them most.

While Carngham-Linton did not have a multiple goalkicker, Gordon veteran Brendan Suttcliffe continued what has been a great start to the season with a second consecutive haul of five goals.

Gordon coach Brenton Payne said it had been Eagles best performance for the season, especially given they still had a significant number of players out.

"We had a hot start, stopping their run. Then we ramped up the pressure late when the game was there to be won."

The undefeated Gordon had an 11-point lead at the last change and then ensured victory with the first two majors of the final quarter.

Payne said once the margin was opened up the Eagles were able to shut down Carngham-Linton.

Saints coach Clayton Scoble said they had not used the ball as well as they needed to in attack.

"We had enough entries, but didn't execute well. We didn't look dangerous enough."

Veteran and two-time premiership Tye Murphy was a late inclusion for Gordon for his first senior appearance of the season.

Gordon 5.2 5.5 8.9 10.13 (73)

Carngham-Linton 2.0 6.2 7.4 8.5 (53)

GOALS - Gordon: B.Sutcliffe 5, J.Gorman 2, B.Frazer 2, R.Ranieri 1; Carngham-Linton: C.Lloyd 1, J.Foley 1, N.O'Brien 1, M.Picken 1, D.Wynd 1, J.Pound 1, T.Scoble 1, T.Clark 1

BEST - Gordon: E.Crackel, B.Veale, R.Clampit, G.Clifford, M.Griffiths, M.Nolan; Carngham-Linton: K.Raven, N.O'Brien, T.Raven, A.McPherson, C.Lloyd, T.Clark

An eight-goal third quarter set up a rewarding day for Dunnstown at Dunnstown.

The Towners had their second win, defeating Creswick by 71 points - highlighting how far teams such as the Wickers still have to go.

Needing a tall target up front, Tom Wardell stepped up with four goals for Dunnstown, while Jordan Crone what an important asset he is proving to be in defence.

Dunnstown joint coach Glenn Wilkins described it as the Towners' first genuine four-quarter performance of the season.

Summing up a tough day for Creswick, coach Paul Borcher said the Wickers "did not turn up".

He said he was disappointed that some of his players had dropped their heads when things did not go their way.

"We missed chances and were out-worked."

He indicated more players needed to take a leaf out of books of the likes of hard-working Branden Sternberg and Geoff Lovett

Dunnstown 4.2 7.4 15.7 17.8 (110)

Creswick 0.4 3.5 5.8 5.9 (39)

GOALS - Dunnstown: T.Wardell 4, J.Leonard 3, D.Simpkin 2, B.Collins 2, F.Stevenson 2, L.Hodgins 1, M.Henderson 1, P.Tuddenham 1, R.Adams 1; Creswick: J.Anagnostou 3, G.Lovett 1, L.Ryan 1

BEST: Dunnstown: J.Crone, C.Tangey, P.Tuddenham, M.Tuddenham, W.Henderson, F.Stevenson; Creswick: B.Sternberg, G.Lovett, J.McIntyre, J.Anagnostou, D.Whitfield, M.Hottes

Bungaree made it four wins from four matches with a comfortable 55-point victory over Rokewood-Corindhap at Rokewood.

As so often happens, the Demons needed just one burst to break open the game.

That came in the second stanza with 8.1 to the Grasshoppers' two goals.

It was relatively even from there, but Bungaree had the encounter safely in its keeping.

Bungaree coach Ryan Waight said while he felt the Demons dominated the second and third terms, they were still searching for a full four-quarter performance.

He said there had been plenty of upside.

Dallas Martin again showed his value in the ruck for Bungaree and James Lukich showed how valuable he is going to be with five goals.

Grasshoppers coach Shaune Moloney said he was proud of the effort and the way they played.

He said despite the loss they were playing a better brand of football and had importantly played out the game.

Michael Lockyer came to life late for the home team to finished with six majors for Rokewood-Corindhap.

Lachie Thornton might be in doubt for Bungaree's next assignment against Dunnstown, with x-rays required for a foot issue.

Bungaree 4.2 12.3 17.6 18.8 (116)

Rokewood-Corindhap 2.2 4.4 5.5 9.7 (61)

GOALS - Bungaree: J.Lukich 5, J.Mahar 3, T.Elliott 2, J.Murphy 2, I.Quick 2, D.Murphy 2, S.Mewett 1, B.Willian 1; Rokewood-Corindhap-: M.Lockyer 6, S.Carr 1, W.Hamer 1, R.Aikman 1

BEST - Bungaree: T.Wakefield, J.Lukich, B.Dodd, D.Murphy, D.Martin, A.Browning; Rokewood-Corindhap: M.Lockyer, C.Long, D.Cassidy, C.Jeffrey, B.Ferguson, K.Hayes

An inaccurate Buninyong managed to do enough against a gritty Ballan at Ballan - winning by 39 points.

There was a lot the Bombers could have done better, but they were happy get back in winning form and bank the premiership points.

A goalless last quarter in which its kicked 0.7 highlighted Buninyong's struggle to convert.

The Bombers opened up a 19-point lead in the second term and that margin proved enough in a low-scoring affair.

Ballan coach Harley Bongart continues to be encouraged.

He said a highly experienced defence was working well, but a young attack was yet to get it together.

Bongart said a return to Ballan's small ground was working to to the Blues' favour.

Buninyong 1.6 4.10 7.15 7.22 (64)

Ballan 1.0 2.3 3.5 3.7 (25)

GOALS: Buninyong: J.Ottavi 3, L.Stewart 3, L.Cullen 1; Ballan: J.Kurzman 1, H.Bongart 1, A.Hine 1

nBEST: Buninyong: J.Robertson, B.Marchant, L.Stewart, A.Ebery, J.Marshall, H.Donald; Ballan: R.Bongart, A.Tanner, B.Colley, D.Velden, H.Bongart, T.Van Leth

Andy McKay went on a goalkicking spree as Hepburn outclassed Waubra at Hepburn.

After playing second fiddle to Izaac Grant, McKay was back in the limelight in a double act with Mitch Banner, who will have gained some confident out bagging four in the 98-point win

The Burras started full of running with nine majors in the first quarter and did not look back.

While it was expected, the win reinforced Hepburn is back on track after coming up empty in the opening two rounds.

For Waubra, it was another lesson learnt against a well-credentialed outfit.

Hepburn joint coach Shane Fisher said the Burras were happy with the way the season was now coming together.

As one-sided as the scoreline was, Fisher was full of praise for the way Waubra had approached the game and stuck to its task.

Waubra coach Trav Ford said as hard as it was to be on the end of such a big loss, there had been some good signs.

He said he was pleased with the resolve shown by the Roos.

With late changes to the selected side, Hepburn took the opportunity give Nathaniel Lowe up from last year's under-18s and Des Leunig (under-18s) their senior debuts.

Lochie Johns was also called up for a second senior appearance after Wiliam Ward, Quade Butt and Ned Johns withdrew.

Hepburn 9.4 13.9 20.12 22.19 (151)

Waubra 2.1 4.3 6.5 8.5 (53)

GOALS - Hepburn: A.McKay 8, M.Banner 4, S.Tighe 2, B.Mckay 2, N.Lowe 1, T.Brown 1, M.Mckay 1, I.Grant 1, D.Dennis 1, J.Cook 1; Waubra: L.McLeod 2, S.Buck 1, J.Parker 1, T.Hall 1, G.Ross 1, B.Colligan 1, D.Jenkins 1

BEST - Hepburn: R.Ferraro, J.Grant, I.Grant, S.Tighe, A.McKay, J.Wallesz; Waubra: H.Roscoe, D.Jenkins, J.Knights, L.McLeod, R.Petrascu, A.Clark

Rhys Monument had a day out with 10 goals for Skipton as they downed Beaufort by 185 points at Beaufort.

The young Crows were hapless to stop Beaufort, which burst away with 10 majors in the second term.

The Emus did not have passengers with 10 goalkickers, also including Jack Wilson (5) and Matt Cullinan (4).

A strong response to its loss to Newlyn, it puts Skipton in a big middle pack on two wins.

Skipton coach Chris Banwell said he had been particularly pleased with the way the Emus had moved the ball.

He said it was also an opportunity to see a new midfield combination featuring the likes of Declan Phillips, Aden Nestor, Jacob Maddock, Tom Cullinan and Mitch Walsh in the absence of Daniel Kilpatrick, Mitch Gilbert and Pat Graham.

Skipton 6.6 16.10 21.19 29.25 (199)

Beaufort 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.2 (14)

GOALS - Skipton: R.Monument 10, J.Wilson 5, M.Cullinan 4, A.Pitson 3, A.Nestor 2, B.Meek 1, D.Phillips 1, L.Stranks 1, M.Walsh 1, J.Maddock 1; Beaufort: T.Haase 1, D.Wenn 1

BEST - Skipton: R.Monument, A.Nestor, J.Wilson, J.Maddock, J.Draffin, S.Romeril; Beaufort: R.Luke, C.Mahony, T.McKenzie, T.Haase, L.Harris, L.Cox

Newlyn continues to do what it has to do.

While the Cats' biggest tests to gauge whether it is a genuine top four side, it is doing what a team wanting to be a premiership needs to - putting away rivals down the table in a big way.

They did it against Waubra in round two, winning by 111 points.

This time it made it look easy with an 83-point win over Clunes at Newlyn.

Despite finishing eight last year, Newlyn only once topped 100 points and it has already done it twice in three completed games.

Coach Jarrett Giampaolo will not be getting carried away and neither will his players, but it is all heading in the right direction.

Newlyn will get its next big test against Hepburn in round eight.

The Cats brushed Clunes aside with a six-goal second quarter to set up a 45-point lead and that was basically game over.

Then just for good measure, they repeated the dose in the third.

Ruckman Tom Carey was again instrumental for Newlyn as were the consistent Sean Willmott and Chris Giampaolo, who is revelling under his brother's leadership.

Mitch Phelps was again among the goals with four and young tall Mitch McGrath capped off his game with three.

Clunes coach Luke Davidson went as far as to label aspects of the Magpies' performance as "embarrassing".

He said it was a return to "old school" Clunes - a long way short of his expectations.

Newlyn 2.4 8.8 14.8 17.9 (111)

Clunes 0.2 1.5 2.7 3.10 (28)

GOALS - Newlyn : M.McGrath 4, M.Phelps 3, S.Willmott 2, D.Fishwick 2, K.Collins 2, T.Carey 2, L.Hoy 1, J.Lee 1; Clunes: M.Kasparian 1, D.Bulluss 1, N.Clarke 1

BEST - Newlyn: T.Carey, C.Giampaolo, M.McGrath, J.Labbett, S.Willmott, D.Wehrung; Clunes: N.Clarke, J.Thomas, A.Riches, J.Radlof, J.Robertson, M.Ryan