Jack Reiter put Lockington-Bamawm United on his back in their match-up with Colbinabbin, leading his side to a dominant victory in round 16.
The Cats found some magic on Saturday that has been lacking for most of the season, getting back to what coach Stacey Fiske descibed as ‘LBU’s brand of footy’.
Coming out of the gates strong, the Cats tallied three maximums and four behinds to open their account while locking down the Grasshoppers, who could find only one goal and five behinds in the first period.
LBU looked like the club’s teams of old in the second quarter, kicking a staggering seven goals and three behinds to blow Colbinabbin out of the water.
Meanwhile, the Cats’ defence shut down any possibility of the Grasshoppers kicking a goal, limiting them to a trio of behinds to end the half.
LBU pumped the brakes in the third term, managing a sole goal and behind for the quarter, while Colbinabbin couldn’t capitalise on the cruising Cats side, with the Grasshoppers only bagging a pair of goals and four behinds.
LBU shut down any possibility of a Colbinabbin comeback, returning to form to add six goals and one behind to their total, with the Grasshoppers producing their most efficient quarter of the game with three goals.
Ultimately, the Cats claimed the day, winning by 63 points and foiling a side looking to move up the table in preparation for finals.
The final score was LBU 17.9 (111) to Colbinabbin 6.12 (48).
Fiske was happy to walk away with a convincing win in round 16 and emphasised that when his side is in form and can play the whole game, it can go toe to toe with anyone in the HDL.
“We know that our best footy is good enough, and we’ve been working on just putting together four quarters of quality play,” he said.
“If we can play for a whole game, we will be able to compete against anyone, and I think we showed that against Colbinabbin.”
Fiske also highlighted what he thought his team did well and put a spotlight on the Cats’ player of the match, Jack Reiter, who kicked a whopping eight goals in the game.
“I think our contest around the ball and clearances has been fantastic. Our ability to continue to win at the source has been great to see,” he said.
“(Jack) has been building really well for the last few weeks since returning from a severe injury.
“What he provides up front is something we have been missing for most of the season, so it’s been nice to have someone as a focal point for us.”
While LBU cannot make finals, they will spend the remainder of the season building confidence and chemistry to start strong in 2025.
HDNL
Lockington-Bamawm United couldn’t do enough to stop the flying Grasshoppers in round 16 of the HDNL.
Colbinabbin netted 14 goals in the opening period, doubling LBU’s score to take a seven-point lead at quarter-time.
The Cats scored only three goals in the second period, while the Grasshoppers went from strength to strength, scoring 13 goals before half-time.
Colbinabbin scored a staggering 19 points in the third term, blowing out the Cats, who only produced eight. The difference increased to 28 goals heading into the final frame.
Ultimately, Colbinabbin won the day convincingly, defeating LBU by 31 points, with the final score being 61 to 30.
The Cats will now travel to play fellow bottom feeders, North Bendigo, in what is predicted to be a tight contest before finishing their season third-placed Elmore.
The Game
Scores
LBU: 3.4, 10.7, 11.8, 17.9 (111)
Colbinabbin: 1.5, 1.8, 3.12, 6.12 (48)
Goals
LBU: Jack Reiter 8, Brayden Hull 3, Stuart Taylor 3, Brodie Collins, Jesse Collins, Thomas Leech
Colbinabbin: Jed Brain 2, Ned Morgan 2, Jai Carn, Alex Van Ruiswyk
Best
LBU: Jack Reiter, Elijah Bruns, Jacob Gardiner, Brayden Hull, Jesse Collins, Brodie Collins
Colbinabbin: Angus Martin, William Lowe, Nathan Basile, Connor Aldous, Julian Bull, Nick Knight