Sport
16 August, 2026
Full-strength Dogs rampant
AN UNDERMANNED Macorna picked the wrong time to put in its worst performance for the Loddon Valley football season.
AN UNDERMANNED Macorna picked the wrong time to put in its worst performance for the Loddon Valley football season.
The 95-point loss to Pyramid Hill, with a rampant Bridgewater waiting in the last round, put the finals appearance that seemed inevitable for the Tigers all season into jeopardy.
They have been in the top five all year but now have to beat Bridgewater – or at least minimise the scale of a defeat – and hope Maiden Gully does not have a big win against Calivil.
Macorna was missing key players against a Bulldogs outfit that brought back eight senior players as it tuned up for a serious premiership assault.
Top goalkicker Dimitri Fasoulis, the league’s premier ruckman Matt Colak, and coach Fergus Payne were all absent as the Tigers could manage only three goals at home, two of them to Alex Cockerell, who has just returned to the seniors after a stint in the reserves.
Pyramid Hill, bristling with stars including midfielder James Sala, who slotted back seamlessly into the side after a month in Europe, was always in control.
Jhye Baddeley-Kelly, who brought up his century of goals against Bears Lagoon Serpentine a week earlier, kicked another six to move to 108 for the season.
Veteran Zach Alford returned after a week being rested, and he was among the best players along with captain Ben Knight, Lachlan Sidebottom and Gavin James – an indication of the vast experience the Bulldogs can call on.
Key defender Josh Whittle battled hard for Macorna, while the three Whinfield brothers – Toby, Sam and Laing – also stood out. Toby has re-signed for next season, along with Hunter Anset, Seb Erharter and Kieran Foley.
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