Jack Hickman was best-on-ground in Mount Pleasant’s win.
The reigning senior premier had a big win in an otherwise tight round of Heathcote District Football League action, Mount Pleasant advancing to 2-0 in the young season.
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The Round
Mount Pleasant 14.21 (105) d Huntly 9.6 (60)
North Bendigo 13.12 (90) lt Colbinabbin 14.11 (95)
White Hills 13.12 (90) d Lockington-Bamawm United 12.15 (87)
Leitchville-Gunbower 9.13 (67) d Heathcote 8.8 (56)
Elmore bye
The Mounts did a mountain of work early in the contest at Toolleen Recreation Reserve, blowing Huntly away in the opening term with a 7.6 (48) barrage.
The Hawks had to wait until the second period to find their first goal and it was only Mount Pleasant’s inaccuracy in front of the sticks that prevented the lead blowing out even further.
The margin stayed steady at 45 into the main break, but the Mounts put the result beyond doubt with another impressive showing in the third, adding 3.7 (25) to Huntly’s 1.1 (7).
The foot came off the gas a touch in the final period and the Hawks were able to eat into the deficit, but Mount Pleasant still walked away with a significant 14.21 (105) to 9.6 (60) victory, a massive 35 scoring shots the story in the overwhelming performance.
A balanced Mounts attack was led by Brodie Leonard-Shannon’s three goals, while Xavier Carter, Ben Weightman and Joel Wharton each added two.
Jack Hickman headed up the best on list, joined by Carter, Deklan Wille, Jett Nicholas, William Wallace and Joey Bell.
The reigning premier sits atop the table, while Huntly is winless.
North Bendigo v Colbinabbin
Brandyn Grenfell kicked four in a Colbinabbin win.
In a clash of two of the best sides of 2025, Colbinabbin managed to narrowly edge out North Bendigo 14.11 (95) to 13.12 (90) at North Bendigo Oval.
Colbo got the jump on proceedings in the opening period, finding four majors to the Bulldogs' two to begin the game with a 29-16 lead.
The Grasshoppers kept the scoreboard ticking over through the middle periods, but North Bendigo continued to chip away at the lead and, by three-quarter time, scores were level once more at 65 points apiece.
Both sides found four majors in the final period, but it was Colbo that had more opportunities in the forward 50, able to add six behinds to its total, while the Bulldogs managed only one, resulting in a five-point Hoppers win.
Colbo’s Dylan Grenfell and North’s Dylan Klemm led the way for their respective attacks, each kicking four goals.
Nathan Basile and Isaac Carracher made prominent contributions for the Hoppers, topping the best-on list.
Colbinabbin has started the year in good touch, 2-0, while last year’s grand finalist North Bendigo has fallen to a surprising 0-2 early on.
White Hills v Lockington-Bamawm United
Tyler Phillips kept LBU in the contest with a game-high six goals.
White Hills Recreation Reserve was the venue for another tight battle, the Demons prevailing by three points over a game Cats, sealing the result with a fourth-quarter goal blitz.
It was a tale of two halves, with the first tightly-contested, neither side able to break free of the other.
LBU took a two-point advantage into the main break, but after the interval the momentum would swing wildly between the sides.
The third was all Cats and Locky threatened to break beyond reach as they executed a five-goal-to-one term, opening up a 28-point lead.
However, the Demons would respond in kind in the fourth and, in fact, bettered the Cats with six majors to one down the stretch, allowing the 2024 premier to sneak home 13.12 (90) to 12.15 (87).
Reigning league medallist Tyler Phillips carried LBU’s hopes, booting six goals as the Cats' only multiple goal-kicker.
White Hills instead relied on the two-pronged threat of Tom Conlan and Jake Thompson, both finding the centre sticks five times.
LBU falls to mid-table with a 1-1 record, while White Hills looks to be back on the upswing after a down 2025, starting 2-0.
Leitchville-Gunbower v Heathcote
In the remaining match-up of round two, the Bombers proved too strong for Heathcote, getting home 9.13 (67) to 8.8 (56).
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Leitchville, which, after building an early lead, was back within a few points at three-quarter time, the Bombers able to recover in the fourth for their first victory of the campaign.
Elmore had the bye.
This week’s matches will be on Sunday due to the Anzac Day holiday, with Colbinabbin to host White Hills, Mount Pleasant to travel to LBU, North Bendigo on the road at Elmore and Huntly at home to Heathcote.
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