Cats race Blues to reach decider

LOCKINGTON Bamawm United will race Mount Pleasant to reach the Bendigo Bank Heathcote District Football League’s senior grand final first.

The Cats and Blues meet in Saturday’s second semi-final at Gunbower.

At stake for the winner is a place in the 3 September grand final to be played at Huntly’s Strauch Reserve.

This season’s meetings between LBU and Mounts stand at two-nil in favour of the Cats.

In round six, LBU beat Mounts by 31 points at Toolleen and then won by 23 points at Lockington in the 15th round.

Mount Pleasant won last Saturday’s qualifying final against Colbinabbin at Lockington by 26 points.

The Darren Walsh and Adam Baird-coached Blues led 54-21 at half-time and then added 3.3 to 1.2 in the third to take a stranglehold on the contest.

Ruckman Chris Down was best afield as Billy Mahony, Jesse Tuohey and Bryce Hinneberg starred in the 94-68 win.

A classy attack includes Ben Weightman, Travis Baird and Jesse Tuohey.

A 15-1 record meant the Brodie Collins-coached LBU finished the home and away series on top of the ladder and earned a week’s rest.

Key players for the Cats include ruckman Tyler Phillips who won last season’s Cheatley Medal as league fairest and best, along with Jarod and Nathan Bacon, Jesse Collins, Anthony McMahon and Rhys Woodland.

Colbinabbin will aim to keep premiership hopes alive when it meets White Hills in Sunday’s first semi-final at Toolleen.

The Julian Bull-coached Grasshoppers have won both showdowns with the Demons by margins of 65 and 34 points.

Best for Colbo in the qualifying final against Mounts were Ben Barton, Todd Clarke, Tom Hill and David Price.

A talented line-up for the Grasshoppers includes James and Jed Brain in attack, ruckman Hadleigh Sirett, Matt Riordan and Stephen Tuohey.

Colbinabbin will be wary of a White Hills line-up which ended North Bendigo’s season by scoring a 91-75 victory in last Sunday’s elimination final at Colbinabbin’s M. J. Morgan Reserve.

The Demons overcame a 14-point deficit at half-time as coach Jack Fallon, James Davies, Bayden Fallon and Blake Hogan led the way.

Leading goalkickers for White Hills were Davies with six, and Matt Sawyer on three.

It was a superb effort for the Demons who had been fighting to stay in contention for the finals across the past month.

White Hills has the experience of Gavin Bowles, Brady Childs and Mitch Dole to put the Hoppers under pressure.