General News
7 August, 2025
Mellington reprimanded for second time this season
BEARS Lagoon Serpentine star forward Josh Mellington has copped his second reprimand this season from the match review panel. Mellington was reported for rough play against Newbridge and took the early guilty plea. The former Fremantle Docker last...
BEARS Lagoon Serpentine star forward Josh Mellington has copped his second reprimand this season from the match review panel.
Mellington was reported for rough play against Newbridge and took the early guilty plea.
The former Fremantle Docker last season beat a charge at the tribunal. He sits within two games suspension of being rubbed out of the game.
A RUCK master class from Bears Lagoon Serpentine veteran Nathan Twigg highlighted his team’s 128-point win over Newbridge on Saturday.
Twigg’s brilliant tap work put the ball on a platter for his midfielders, and he also pushed forward to kick two goals.
Otherwise, the Josh Mellington show was in full swing as the Bears spearhead kicked 11 goals – and could almost have doubled that tally.
Mellington kicked five goals in the first quarter as he was too powerful for Jack Teasdale initially, and then Andrew Padbury, who moved onto him after he booted the first three.
It was a typical Mellington outing – marking strongly, snapping around the body, scrapping with opponents, complaining to umpires, and feeling for his dodgy hamstring.
Hard-working Padbury was named the Maroons’ best despite Mellington kicking eight goals on him, and he was part of a bizarre encounter in the last quarter.
Mellington was involved in a scuffle with Hugh McGillivray, who hit the deck.
Padbury pulled the Bears’ full-forward away as he stood over the fallen defender and made a comment about “one more report”.
This appeared to be a reference to Mellington’s disciplinary record, which sees him just two matches away from a lifetime football ban.
Mellington responded incredulously: “I’m on report?” before clarifying the situation with one of the central umpires.
He was not on report, but he was on fire in the first term before his radar went awry and a series of shots on goal either missed or fell short after he invariably kicked across his body on his left off one step after marks.
And Mellington, as ever, was the centre of the action.
In the third quarter he poleaxed Newbridge defender Dylan Lloyd with a hip and shoulder after Lloyd kicked out after a behind.
A free kick was paid as Lloyd spent several minutes on the ground getting his breath back.
By the last quarter, Mellington was limping quite heavily, and when at one point he tripped over his own feet in the goal square, he clutched at his hamstring.
At times he sat on the fence behind the goals, chatting amiably with spectators and the goal umpire while the ball was at the other end of the field.
Just another day in the colourful footy life of Josh Mellington.
His goals put him among the Bears’ best players, while last year’s Harding Medal winner Justin Laird was also outstanding, along with winger Nash Kemp and Twigg.
Undermanned Newbridge battled out the game, with Jed Zimmer, Ben McKinley and Lloyd among the standouts.
The consistent Billy Schilling kicked three of the Maroons’ four goals.
Newbridge will end the season at home to Marong, while Serp will travel to bottom side Calivil.
- GARY WALSH