The Bulldogs sit at the top of the league ladder and were favourites to win, but the Redeyes started off strong by showcasing their skill and pressure in the first quarter.
The fit Strathmerton outfit quickly had the better of them however, scoring 15.2 before the first siren.
Strathmerton dominated play for the rest of the match, earning 10 majors in the second, 12 in the third, and eight in the fourth.
Final score: Strathy 45.12 (282) def Blighty 1.1 (7).
Seniors coach Brad Haines said Strathmerton are ‘‘the team to beat this year’’.
He credited his players for their hard work despite the challenging match.
‘‘Our boys stuck out the game as best they could with passages of good play and pressure.’’
Rugby imports Staci Richardson, Owen Whyman and Zak Thomson stepped up to fill gaps left by players who were stuck in COVID-19 hotspots in Victoria.
Haines said he would continue to work with his players at training to improve the skill behind their endeavour.
‘‘It’s obviously not the result we wanted, but our focus now moves onto training and preparing for next week’s game,’’ Haines said.
Captain Benjamin Littman (full forward), best on ground Anthony Street (wing), and Sam Singleton (ruck) led with consistent example.
Best Players: Anthony Street, Staci Richardson, Owen Whyman, Sam Singleton, Zak Thomson.
It was a tough day for the Redeyes’ reserves as well, with George Reid scoring Blighty’s only goal, beautifully set up by Jhi Dudley.
Final score: Strathmerton 22.15 (147) to Blighty 1.1 (7).
Rhys Holden (ruck) — in his last game for the year — performed well across the match and coach Marcus Jackson wished him luck with his next chapter.
Star player Staci Richardson was called up last minute to the seniors which saw U17s Henry Michael doubled up to play in reserves and bringing solid play.
Thirds coach Matt Dudley was expecting a ‘‘tough game’’ against Strathmerton, and he wasn’t disappointed.
Final score: Blighty 4.7 (31) lost to Strathy 20.6 (126).
‘‘We started the game strong with Max Caruso kicking the first goal of the game,’’ Dudley said.
Blighty couldn’t match their pace in the second quarter and the Bulldogs kicked away to a good lead.
The Redeyes endeavoured a comeback in the second half with some ‘‘fantastic football’’, but Strathmerton were stronger overall.
Charlie Waters was best on ground with great support from Bede Orr, Dean MacDonald, Ethan Mcleish, Henry Michael and Angus Bain who also received awards.
Blighty’s fourths had a slow start on a chilly Saturday morning, allowing Stratmerton to kick away ‘‘quite easily’’ according to coach Tim Brown.
But the Redeyes responded well to the challenge:
‘‘They restricted the flow a little bit in the second half of the game, but to Strathy’s credit they are a very quality side and were very hard to stop,’’ Brown said.
Final score: Blighty 2.0 (12) lost to Strathy 21.13 (129).
Brown congratulated his players for their hard work, adding persistence would pay off against other top sides.
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