Leopold has maintained its vice-like grip on South Barwon, overcoming a slow start to post a resounding 74-point win over last year’s grand final opponents.
The 19.14 (128) to 8.6 (54) not only put the reigning premier in the box seat to start its final campaign out of a qualifying final, but it was also the Lions’ sixth-consecutive victory over the Swans during outgoing coach Garry Hocking’s tenure at Memorial Park.
Trailing by ten points at quarter time, Leopold reduced that margin to one point by the main break.
“I want to give credit to South Barwon; they certainly came and tried to punch us in the face early,” Hocking said.
“3.1 to 1.3, they certainly had the better of the game and just looked a lot cleaner and shifted the ball with a little bit of speed, and I was a bit worried there in that first bit.
“They made us a little bit fumbly, put great pressure on us, and we were only a point down at half-time.”
South extended its lead to seven points when big man Ben Kellett goaled early in the third quarter.
Then the Lions ran riot.
They kicked eight consecutive goals to end the third quarter to open up a 40-point buffer.
However, Leopold wasn’t finished, extending that streak to 14 goals with a six-goal final term.
“We made a couple of positional changes, which certainly helped to get us back into the game,” Hocking said.
“The second half was clinical, really. We certainly got going and had better connection.
“The forwards were a bit clunky – our tall forwards were running into each other a little
“But we ended up getting ten goals out of the three of them.”
Jake Pitt led the trio that also features Max Annandale and Connor Giddings. Pitt finished with five goals, Annandale three and Giddings two.
Captain Marcus Thompson and fellow midfielder Tom Feely were standouts for Leopold, which faces struggling trio St Albans, North Shore and Newtown & Chilwell in September.
Despite the relative ease of their fixture, Hocking is taking nothing for granted.
“St Albans, two weeks ago, did a job on Newtown,” he said.
“We will go into that game, not taking it lightly and doing all the preparation work as if you were playing first or last.”
Kellett and key defender Rowan Gough did all they could to keep South competitive in the second half.
The Swans find themselves four points behind fifth-placed Colac and needing to beat Bell Park next week to avoid the potential of being two games out with two rounds to play.
GFNL: SCOREBOARD – ROUND 15 (PART 2)
Bell Park has opened up a two-game buffer on South Barwon after being pushed to the limit by Lara at Bisinella Oval.
Leading the lowly Cats by one point at three-quarter time, the Dragons produced a seven-goal final term to record a 17.11 (113) to 11.8 (74) result.
Spurred on by a vocal home crowd featuring members of the club’s 1994 senior and reserves premierships, Lara did all it could to make life uncomfortable for the visitors.
Tom Gunther continues to prove there will be life after Mitch Day.
He finished with four goals to take his tally to 18 in the past five matches.
Lachy Peck kicked six goals, and Dion Johnstone and Harry McMahon contributed five apiece as St Mary’s produced a 203-point hiding of North Shore at Anthony Costa Oval.
The Saints kicked 11 goals in the first and third quarters on their way to a 36.14 (230) to 4.3 (27) win.
However, a fractured clavicle suffered by Sam Dobson will sideline the star forward until finals.
Will Milsome kicked two goals for the outclassed Seagulls.
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