After a hot start in the first half, Lockington-Bamawm United took its foot off the gas against Colbinabbin in round three of Heathcote District Football League.

The Cats hosted the Grasshoppers and celebrated the club’s Men’s Health Day with a full slate of games, dinner, music, a fundraising auction and were treated to a talk by Western Bulldogs premiership winning player Tom Boyd.

With this monumental day for the club happening in the background, the expectation was on LBU to perform.

And it did, at least for the first half.

Coming out of the gate red-hot put the Grasshoppers on the back foot early with the Cats drilling five goals in the first quarter.

Colbo managed to pull it back a fraction in the second period, essentially levelling the output in that time, with both sides kicking a pair of goals each.

This still gave LBU a healthy 25-point lead at the major break.

The third term was the point in which the wheels began to fall off for the Cats as fatigue began to set in.

The hosts could manage just two behinds in the third quarter and with the door ajar, the Grasshoppers busted it wide open, kicking 4.2 to roar back into the game.

With just a single point separating the two sides for the final quarter, both knew that whoever could hold on the longest would emerge victorious.

Unfortunately for LBU, that wouldn’t be it.

The home side kicked just 1.1 to finish its day, while Colbo ran away with it, bagging 4.8 down the stretch to claim an unlikely 24-point victory.

The final score was LBU 8.7 (55) to Colbinabbin 11.13 (79).

LBU coach Jayden Howe reflected on the match and his disappointment that his side couldn’t hang on to a win despite starting well.

“It was pretty disappointing to be honest, we had a really impressive first half, we were up in the first two quarters, holding on in the third and then run over in the fourth,” he said.

“It was clearly evident that the process and structure would be good enough, we just have to be able to do it for fourth quarters.

“I think fatigue was our biggest reason, we have many young kids on our side, and you can’t always lean on that, our fatigue meant we lacked good decision-making which caused turnovers.

“We know that the time to get these wins will come if we stick to our processes and structures, but there aren’t any pictures on the ladder, you either win or you lose.”

Ever the optimist, Howe reflected on the positives he saw out of his side not just in round three but to start the season.

“It’s exciting to see that we are good enough, but we have to be able to do it for a full game,” he said.

“Our ball movement and defensive structures are really good and the youth in our team is fantastic.

“To look at the depth we have in our squad is great and is something I’m excited to keep exploring and seeing the capabilities of our younger guys.”

Howe also highlighted how successful the Men’s Mental Health Day was for Lockington-Bamawm United as a whole club and thanked Colbinabbin for contributing to its success.

“The Men’s Mental Health Day was wonderful, we are truly grateful to Colbinabbin for swapping their home game and allowing us to do that, that was a really cool thing for them to do,” he said.

“There were many blokes around and Tom Boyd spoke really well, and it was fantastic for him to lean into our small community and let everyone know its okay to seek help if you need it.

“We have an excellent community club in Lockington and there are plenty of other great clubs in the Heathcote and District league, which is exciting.

“We raised $6,000 in the auction and Nick Evans shaved his head and raised $15,000 for Echuca Regional Health which is incredible.”

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Sunday, 20th July 2025

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