Storm Guthrie suited up for her 100th senior game, while fellow Bulldog stalwarts Rebecca Laino and Sarah Lange-Richards saluted 50 each at Tatura Park in round seven.
It’s a trio of milestones that deserved a banner result, and with their first back-to-back wins since 2024, it’s fair to say the Bulldogs delivered.
Tatura claimed a stylish 68-point win over the Swans as Maddy Andronaco continued to establish herself as one of the competition’s premier full forwards, booting a second consecutive four-goal haul to move equal-second on the league goal-kicking with 14.
Courtney Smith and Shannon and Hayley Cadel spearheaded another flawless shut-out and the fifth-place Bulldogs, winless in 2025, now find themselves nipping at the doorstep of the top four with a 3-4 record.
“It’s been good to see the efforts of the girls over the past few years,” Tatura coach Sam Green said.
“Their skills are improved and we can see that in the outcomes on the field.
“It shows we have a bit more depth than we’ve had in the past. Courtney Smith, who’s come to us this year, has been a cool head in our forward line and reads the ball well.
“Sarah Lange-Richards is a playmaker for us, and she hasn’t slowed down at all.
“Storm Guthrie played her 100th senior game on the weekend so there’s lots of experience there, but then we had Alycia Bagley in her first game who kicked her first goal.”
Tatura comes up against fellow finals contender Mansfield under lights this Friday evening as a mid-table jostle begins to emerge.
The Eagles remain fourth with a game in hand after defeating Rumbalara by 42 points, while third-place Nathalia crossed the border on a mission to quell a red-hot Moama.
Claudia Moore hit the scoreboard late for the Purples, but the second-placed Pies continued to pepper away in their own arc for the majority of the game, earning a 3.11 (29) to 1.2 (8) win on the back of a best-on-ground performance from Shaleah Cooper.
Shepparton United’s unbeaten start stretched to seven games as Payten Johnston (two goals), Kate Dixon, and Paige Baksh lifted the reigning premiers to a 6.11 (47) to 1.1 (7) triumph that keeps the Demons comfortably perched atop the ladder.
Meanwhile, Moama’s Youth Girls are right in the finals mix alongside their senior counterparts.
Undefeated after five games, the young Pies cohort reached an unblemished half-dozen with a 46-point win over Nathalia, with Chloe Ryan firing off five goals and Ruby McLeod three.
A blistering first quarter at Deakin Reserve saw Shepparton United set up a 9.13 (67) to 2.3 (15) victory against Cobram, with Meagan Garner, Jamasyn Bilney, and Lynn Rutten showing the youth Demons will be ones to watch as the season eclipses the halfway mark.
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