Sport
13 June, 2026
Drama and turning fortunes on Woodies’ milestone day.
WHEN tough Bears Lagoon Serpentine defender Tyler Miles was sent off in the second half on Saturday, the Bears were right in touch with the red-hot Blues.
WHEN tough Bears Lagoon Serpentine defender Tyler Miles was sent off in the second half on Saturday, the Bears were right in touch with the red-hot Blues.
Serp was threatening to rain on Inglewood’s parade – the standalone Loddon Valley match in commemoration of the club’s 150th anniversary.
Miles was in an incident involving young Inglewood forward Mitchell Pickering when he copped the card.He walked from the field, went up to the timekeepers’ box and asked when he would be able to return from his 20 minutes in the sin bin.
The news he got wasn’t what he wanted to hear: “There’s 17 minutes left, so you won’t be back on this quarter.”
In the time that Miles was cooling his heels, the birthday boys kicked five goals, and despite mounting injury worries, established a winning lead and went on to win their sixth game on the trot.
The vocal Inglewood crowd, full of ex-players from the club’s football and netball past, had earlier gone silent when young star Gabe Nevins landed on his neck after a marking attempt went wrong late in the second term - just over a minute left before the siren.
Nevins, who had been his usual polished self off half-back, was taken from the field by stretcher and an ambulance was called to take him to hospital with suspected concussion as well as concerns about his neck but was out of hospital and at the club’s gala celebrations that night.
Centre half-forward Ben Morgan, another with a liking for high-flying, injured his ankle and was off the ground, and then Aaron Lister was assisted to the bench after copping a big hit to the ribs that left him gasping for breath.
With only one on the bench in the last quarter, the Woodies booted another three goals to the Bears’ two to win by 42 points.
Not that Serp didn’t have its own manpower problems.
The reserves team had to borrow some Inglewood players just to field a side, and three of the players who appeared in that 191-point loss had to back up in the seniors. Serp also roped in reserves from other clubs in the region not playing on Saturday.
For a fourth week in succession, the Bears dropped away alarmingly in the second half.
The team has kicked just seven goals in eight quarters after the main break in big losses to Newbridge, Pyramid Hill, Mitiamo and now Inglewood.
With Marong to come after Saturday’s bye, things aren’t going to get any easier, although the club is still banking on the return of star goalkicker Josh Mellington, who has not played a game this year.
Inglewood’s impressive midfield brigade, led by Bregon Cotchett and Liam Marciano, dominated the clearances, with ruckman Tom Kennedy battling hard against Nathan Twigg and getting his share of the hitouts.
Key forward Dan Godden has impressed since his first game for the Woodies in round five and kicked another three goals in a willing contest all day with Serp coach Jake Wilkinson.
Bears forward Farran Priest looked like winning the game off his own boot in the first quarter, kicking all of his side’s four goals, but he was well held from there onwards as Serp’s scoring woes returned.
And for Pickering, in his first season of senior football, he finshed Inglewood’s milestone day with two goals to his name to hit 13 for the season.
Read More: Bears Lagoon, Serpentine