Round 10

"Our boys were very good early, but then we stopped, their midfield got on top, they peppered the goals and you have to give credit where it's due"

O&M coach Damian Sexton on where things went wrong

The O&M looked likely to continue their stranglehold early in the piece, pushing a 16 point lead at the first change out nearly 5 goals after Josh Mathey & Lucas Conlan majors to start the second - but that's about where the good news ends.

The men in purple took control from the 5 minute mark, bobbing up with 8 of the next 9, all while keeping the O&M goalless in the 3rd and the better half of the last to take home the chocolates for the first time since 2010.

Kyabram Bombers spearhead and the GV's leading goalkicker Anthony Depasquale led all comers with 3 goals, while Collingwood VFL and Mansfield winger Harry Mahoney took BOG honours.

In this week's return matches, North & the Saints will be looking for massive scalps against the rebounding Yarra & Rovers, Wodonga are out to stretch their winning run when they take on the Panthers, while Corowa will rue the news out of Birallee that former Carlton & Brisbane bull Mitch Robinson will don the red & the blue this weekend.

Match of the Round

Albury v Wang

The Tiges & Pies face off in a crunch match, neither in a position any would have expected at the start of the season - a spot in the 5 up for grabs.

Despite toppling the premiers, the Tiges have been unconvincing with the talent they have and the excellence we've come to expect, while the Pies have battled one of the more concerning injury lists in the league.

With so much on the line, rest assured, it'll still be the blockbuster predicted.

"(Mitchell) went to run off after it but just collapsed onto the ground. He was in a state of shock and was in and out of consciousness. He was only five metres away from the boundary line but the trainers didn't want to move him and we decided to call half-time early"

Umpire Ken Wright on Pie Reilly Mitchell's injury

Henty have fallen out of the top 6, jumped by the Giants, Dees & Power following their 71 point loss to Jindera.

Lockhart overcame a big 7 goal 2nd quarter by Howlong to overrun them, jumping back into the 6 in the process and all but ending the Spiders season.

Meanwhile, the Power have just held their spot in the 6 after conceding an 8 pointer against the Giants, as there looks to be plenty to play out between 3rd to 8th.

Murray were forced to battle through adversity, having been jumped by the Saints 5 goals to 2 in the first.

The Maggies clawed their way back to near enough level pegging in the latter half of the second quarter, when standout Pie Reilly Mitchell fell forward in a tackle, trapping an arm underneath himself & suffering a horrible break.

Half time came early, with the game threatening to be the third abandoned this year due to extended ambulance wait times. However, play resumed an hour later around 4pm with shortened quarters, where the Maggies ran away with a 14 point win.

Goalkickers

🏉 Osborne evidently didn't miss spearhead George Alexander, paving the way for Hugh Schmetzer to unleash with 7, while the Tiges spread the love with 11 goalkickers in their 30 goal win over the Lions.

🏉 Jindera's Trent Castles snatched the lead of the League's goalkickers with a handful, now 3 ahead of Alexander on 33.

🏉 Brooker Luke Gestier still holds down 3rd with his 4 against the Crows,  while the Dees relied on Jordy Harrington & Tom Keogh sneaking forward with 3 apiece to overcome the Spiders.

The Good - Matt Grantham's shift forward proved a match winner, with 3 of his 4 sausages coming in the last quarter - including a nice snap to steal the lead for the Giants.

The Bad - The Power in front of goal. Had plenty of opportunity to put the game beyond the Giants, 10 shots up early in the last for a paltry 10 point lead.

The Ugly - 15 weeks! That's what you'll cop for intentional contact with an umpire - as one 17 year old Crow found out this week after being red carded in the second term of their loss to the Brookers.

Match of the Round

Osborne v Lockhart

Lockhart need a big scalp to prove themselves contenders and separate from the logjam developing in the middle of the ladder.

It's a massive ask up against the Tiges, but if they can reproduce the first half effort they put in against Holbrook for a full 4 quarters, and Pat if Killalea can stop Alexander, then things will be interesting at the least.

"The stakes were high for both clubs in regards to finals and my question to the playing group pre-match was 'how much do we want this?"

Dan McAlister on geeing up the Doggies before their hitout with the Hoppers

The top 4 proved why they're in those positions with some genuine thumpings over the bottom teams - the exception being Beechy over Barny.

The Bushies are unlucky to have given up top spot to the Swans, despite a fairly comprehensive win over the Tiges - only problem being Chiltern picked up over 40% in their win.

Rutherglen ended Wodonga's 3 match win streak, skipping away in the second while limiting the Saints to 2.3 combined in the 2nd & 3rd.

The opening quarter at the Bughouse was the battle we were promised, but the game quickly gave way to a Thurgoona demolition job, setting themselves inside the 5 in Daniel Kannenberg & Ewan Hampton's 150th.

The Doggies smashed 22 goals through in the following 3 quarters to leave no doubt about their finals aspirations, captain Tom Rake in his 100th & big forward Jake Bruce feasting out with 6 each, while Tyson Neander turned in a best on performance with 4 himself. 

Thurgoona now have a game and healthy percentage buffer in 5th spot.

Goalkickers

🏉 Hopper James Breen snapped up 5 majors, despite being yellow carded for umpire abuse in the final term. He's now a genuine sniff to crack the tonne with a second crack at the bottom 5.

🏉 Swan Mark Doolan had a field day against the Lions, bagging 12 and jumping to second in the goalkicking stakes on 32 - still some 15 off Breen's pace though.

🏉 Yack had over half the Roos bob up with a snag in their thumping of the Mountain Men, Ethan Patrala heading all comers with 5.

The Good - No secret the Bushies lost plenty of experience over the off-season, but their generals - Barton Medallist Cam Fendyk & Connor Stone are still leading the way.

The Bad - The Saints second quarter. Kicking a point while the Cats slammed through 6.3 certainly took the wind out of their sails in one they'd have given themselves a real shot at.

The Ugly - Speculation is rife about the future of Wahgunyah after president Darryl Hore called time on his tenure - coinciding with coach Chris Willis' absence during the 4th match this season in which the Lions have conceded 200+ points to the Swans, and doubt around his return.

Match of the Round

Barny v Tallangatta

The Tiges & Hoppers will be desperate for the 4 points to stay in touch with the top 5, as they - in addition to the Dogs - face similar runs home.

A Tigers win would set up a mouthwatering clash with the 5th placed Dogs in round 11, while a loss would likely put them 3 games off the pace.

A Hoppers loss and they fall 2 games behind with a tough fortnight against the Bushies & Roos to follow, so a win is just as imperative to their chances.

Season defining stuff.

“You have your coaching structures and things for those tight last quarters but at the end of the day it's your James McLounan’s and Josh Bell’s who get the job done”

Greta coach Chris Dube on the Blues statement win

Bonnie Doon remain the only undefeated team, claiming top spot with 7.3 to a solitary behind in the opening term against Whorouly.

Tarra notched up their second win of the season against Benalla, and have the opportunity to make it two in a row with a matchup against the Lions.

North Wang are making their play for a finals berth, touching up King Valley to sneak into the 6 ahead of their matchup with Doon - but their contenders in the Roos & Hoppers also have tough matches against Greta & Bright respectively.

A scintillating 7 goal to 4 first quarter saw the Blues open up a 21 point lead, setting themselves up to end the Mountain Men's unbeaten run in the process.

As would be expected, the match devolved into ebbs & flows, both teams managing a further 9 goals each for the margin to remain relatively similar at the final siren.

Jimmy McClounan put in another standout performance with a bag of 4, dominating from the guts with Des Kelly & Lachie Kennett also chuffed with service of big man Mark Wettern.

The Blues snatched 2nd spot from the Mountain Men with the win, setting up a grudge match in just over a month.

Goalkickers

🏉 Duane Haebich is making his move, jumping to 2nd on the goalkicking table after bagging 9 in the Bats 57 point win over the Hoppers.

🏉 The battle of the big forwards saw Bright's Cooper Thomason & Greta's Frazer Judd end in a stalemate, snaring 5 each. Thomason cracked the half tonne, retaining the lead on 52 - but is likely to slide after accepting 2 weeks on the sidelines for striking.

🏉 Bonnie Doon had 8 multiple goalkickers, headed by Jimmy Fox with 4 as the Bombers handled the Lions with little concern.

The Good - The battle of the top 3. Nothing is guaranteed, and it looks like anyone of them could take out the other on their day. Not to forget the Bats and Dees, who could well add some spice in the mix.

The Bad - Harsh to be critical of the Panthers, but too few contributors. No backup for Chelton Orchard & a young Sam Cox, consistently in the best.

The Ugly - King Valley's inconsistency. Competitive in round 1 against Milawa, dropped the next week to Tarra and just got away with W's against Moyhu, Whorouly & Benalla. Came up against a Hawks outfit also battling for the last spot in the 6, and were outclassed from go to wo.

Match of the Round

Milawa v Goorambat

The hype factory vs the surprise packets.

4 against 5 with 5 wins apiece, less than 2% separating them.

The Bats still have a bye to make up on the Dees, so will be keen to establish a lead on them - particularly when they face the Mountain Men, Blues, Hawks & Bombers in their near future, while Milawa have the Panthers, Roos & Dogs over the same period.