BRIDGEWATER coach Lachlan Sharp kicked 11 goals against Mitiamo on Saturday, but it seemed that only the first two really mattered.
Two goals a few minutes into the match took the Mean Machine star to 100 for the season and cued the traditional ground invasion.
A set shot on his trusty left boot from about 25 metres out brought dozens onto the field, many of them shirtless Bridgewater reserves players.
Some brandished confetti poppers – we are assured they were bio-degradable – briefly turning Sharp’s celebration into a kind of bizarre kids’ party.
His children, Tige and Rumi, came onto the ground with their grandmother and posed for pictures after Sharp had emerged from the joyous scrum of teammates and supporters.
Sharp told the Loddon Herald the milestone was “fun when you do it, and at the same time you want it over quickly.
“We have got bigger things on the horizon.”
Sharp’s second successive century in his two years with Bridgewater highlighted another bag for the classy forward.
He has kicked 34 goals in the past three matches and enters the final series in scintillating form.
In an ominous sign for teams facing the Mean Machine in the finals, Sharp’s teammate Oscar McKinley booted 10 goals against Mitiamo in the 148-point win.
McKinley, who is based on the Gold Coast, has only played eight games for the season but has kicked 38 goals as part of a dynamic two-pronged attack.
He is expected to be available for all of Bridgewater’s finals, beginning this week against Pyramid Hill.
McKinley’s emergence as a goal kicker is a significant point of difference with last season, when few were able to add meaningfully to Sharp’s 138 goals.
Bridgewater’s eight first-quarter goals led to another 11 in the second term and an 88-point half-time margin as the out matched Superoos struggled to hit the scoreboard.
But the Mitiamo players never gave up and, in the end, managed to kick eight goals to end a much-improved season.
Coach Luke Lougoon took responsibility for Sharp early on and finished as one of his side’s best players with Zach Morrison, Matt Gilmour and Seth Wright.
Sharp and McKinley were understandably among Bridgewater’s best, along with Ben Derrick and Harding Medal fancy Luke Ellings.