Sport
KDL | Gallery | Crawford begins life at Ardmona, Avenel end losing streak against Nagambie
All eyes were on Ardmona Recreation Reserve on Saturday as the Kyabram District League season kicked off.
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AFL legend Shane Crawford was at the helm of Ardmona for the first time as the Bush Cats welcomed premiership fancies Violet Town.
It might not have been the prettiest scoreboard at the final siren, but the signs were there that Ardmona is a different outfit to the one supporters saw in 2019.
Ardmona trailed by six points after a close and tense opening term, only for the Towners and their star forward Josh Mellington to run away with a comfortable win.
In front of a large crowd, Mellington slotted 12 goals while teammate Ollie Ford shined across all four quarters.
For the Bush Cats, ruckman Charles Jackson and Damien Carmody led the way with strong performances.
● Meanwhile, a goal in the dying stages of the match has ended Avenel's losing streak to rival Nagambie.
The Swans sang the team song against Nagambie for the first time since 2016, after playing coach Kasey Duncan slotted a goal with less than 10 seconds on the clock.
It was a remarkable win for Duncan's charges, with the Swans fighting back after trailing by 35 points at half-time.
Down by two points inside the final minute, Duncan had a chance to put his side in front with a set shot.
Unfortunately the kick pushed wide for a behind.
But the 2016 McNamara medallist soon found the ball back in his hands after the kick in and banged home the goal that delivered his side a 13.7 (85) to 12.8 (80) win.
“To come back from being five goals down, it's one of the best wins I've ever been a part of,” Duncan said.
“There was such a buzz around the club after the win.
“It was one of the biggest crowds I've seen at an Avenel game.
“It was a ripper win against a classy opponent in Nagambie.
“I couldn't be prouder of the effort from the boys.”
Former junior Todd Lawrence was a standout in the ruck, while Dan Clarke oozed class off half-back.
And Braydon Avola was busy around the contests with his tackling prowess, while Max McLean found plenty of the ball.
Mitch Lusted was Nagambie's standout, along with former coach Anthony Haysom, who banged home five majors.
● Around the KDL grounds, two former Picola District league foes played out a gruelling match at Central Park Reserve.
Dookie United and Shepparton East went hammer and tong for four quarters, with United finishing on top 12.6 (78) to 9.11 (65).
Kyle Tapscott slotted four goals for the Thunder, while Jacob Crow and Pat McMullan (three) contributed strongly in the win.
● Elsewhere, Lancaster walked away with a narrow 7.11 (53) to 7.2 (44) win over Girgarre.
Windy conditions made life difficult for both teams as they battled for control of the match.
The Wombats’ Sam Spedding and Tom Davies recorded strong outings, while Tom Walsh and Ash Hughes were important for Girgarre.
● At Undera Recreation Reserve, Darron Batties kicked his coaching tenure off in stellar fashion as the Lions ran out 12.11 (83) to 5.5 (35) winners over Rushworth.
Dylan Moncur (three goals) registered a classy performance for the home side, while Rushworth's Kieran Malone mailed home three goals of his own.
● Lastly, Merrigum and Murchison-Toolamba enjoyed big victories over Tallygaroopna and Longwood respectively.
The Bulldogs saluted by 132 points over Tally, with Jacob Martin and Rhys Shannon the standouts for the victors.
And the Hoppers drummed home a 258-point win over Longwood, with Jordan McGregor (seven goals) and Ash Cashion (eight) the stars on the day.
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