Big man flies: Gisborne's Tom Waters soars over his Kyneton opponent to take a screamer. Picture: Shawn Smits
NO MATTER where they are on the ladder, local rivals Gisborne and Kyneton always put on a good contest in the Bendigo Football League.
It was no different at the Kyneton showgrounds on Saturday.
Although the scoreboard shows a one-sided result in favour of Gisborne, which won 22.13 (145) to 4.3 (27), it was always a struggle.
Click on the image below for our gallery of the big game.
The 118-point win took the Bulldogs to the top of the ladder.
Gisborne coach Luke Saunders said he was pleased with the win, but was surprised by how well Kyneton played the contested ball.
"They were really great at locking the ball in at stoppages and we weren't planning for that.
"They were able to do that the whole game and it was something that we had to think about during the game.
"Once we were able to get the ball out of the contest, our spread allowed us to break away and run forward."
Saunders said the Bulldogs' forward line was functioning well. Darren Farrugia was named best on ground after kicking seven goals.
"This has been his best season for a couple of years, which is a huge thing for us since he has been here for 10 years" Saunders said.
"We have a well-functioning forward line, with different players stepping up each week."
Tigers co-coach Nathan Thompson said his side took some real positives out of the game.
"It was a disappointing result and you never get used to losing like that.
"We tackled really well and were able to hold them up for periods throughout the game.
"When we play well we win the contested ball and that's the strong part of our game.
"The difference between being competitive and a score like we had this week is 10-15 bad decisions.
"We take a lot out of the game."
Thompson said the Tigers would continue to work on the defensive side of their game.
He said Kris Davis was best for the side in the ruck and gave the team first use of the ball.
Zackary Boyer and Rhys Ellis were also among the best.
Kyneton wasn't helped by injuries, Thompson said.
"When you're a bottom side you can't afford to have injuries. We had two players go off before half-time, which affected our midfield rotations."
Thompson said he hoped to be among a number of players the Tigers would get back this week when they face Castlemaine.
"I had a slight calf tear and if I had played on Saturday I would have torn it again, so I gave it another week.
"Last time we played Castlemaine, we were in the game until the last five minutes, so we are hoping to have a good team in for a pretty good game."
Gisborne faces Sandhurst this week.