Cats claw into second final with dominant win

Both sides kicked five goals in the first term, with Lockington taking a 33-31 lead into quarter-time.

Jayden Howe’s team booted 5.3 again in the second quarter, as it continued to score freely.

At the other end, the Cats started to slowly stifle Heathcote, which added only three majors to its total during the second period, Lockington up 10.6 (66) to 8.4 (52) at half-time.

LBU had already started to pull away, but the third term would be where it created an unassailable advantage.

Midway through the quarter, the Cats pushed their lead out to five goals, kicking that number over the period, which it won 37-12 to lead by 39 points heading into the fourth.

Howe’s side didn’t let up, at one stage pushing its advantage beyond 50, with a couple of late Heathcote majors cosmetic in the overall picture.

Such a dominant win for the Cats, 18.15 (123) to 13.6 (84), was a shock given the sides played out much closer contests in the regular season.

Lockington seems a different proposition with Thomas Leech in the line-up, the key forward being the equal-best goal-kicker on the ground with five on his return from suspension.

The Cats will now face North Bendigo at Toolleen Recreation Reserve in another elimination game on Sunday, August 23 at 2.15pm.

Like the Heathcote match-ups, Lockington split its regular season meetings with the Bulldogs.

North Bendigo enters the game off the back of a surprise 21-point qualifying final loss to Colbinabbin.

It also has a greater goal of going one step further than it managed in 2025, having lost the grand final to Mount Pleasant.