Shining light: Powerful Merrigum coach Jaydon Stiles was forced further up the ground against Longwood to provide a link into attack as three of the Bulldogs key midfielders were missing on the weekend.
Merrigum has the most difficult assignment in Kyabram district league football this weekend, a round 11 match with ladder leading Shepparton East.
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For the first time this year, however, the Eagles (which have a 9-1 win/loss record alongside Nagambie and Murchison-Toolamba) are coming off a loss — beaten by 26 points against the latter of those teams.
The Bulldogs have a tough run home, playing Shepparton East not once but twice in the final six rounds of the season. The teams meet again in the final round of the season on August 19.
Without three of its stars this season — Brodie Easton, Josh Stiles and Connor Cowley — the Bulldogs were in the hunt against Longwood at half-time, but couldn’t haul in the much improved Redlegs and lost 12.13 (85) to 9.7 (51).
Longwood has now won four games for the season, after being the perennial cellar dweller and could have another two wins to come if things go as expected.
Merrigum, on the other hand, faces top team Shepparton East, then fifth ranked Stanhope and Murchison-Toolamba (third) in successive weeks.
The Bulldogs sit ninth on the ladder, with four wins, remaining three wins outside the top six.
They had two players appearing in the tri colours for the first time this year — James Wild and Reece Blake, while Jordan Easton and Charlie Angley was playing just their second games with the club.
Jarryd Pertzel was again the outstanding individual, taking his tally of goals to 18 with three majors and alongside coach Jaydon Stiles (31 goals) have been the only consistent forward options.
Brodie Easton has missed the last fortnight of football, but in his five matches this season he has never been out of the team’s best half dozen.
Josh Stiles, younger brother of coach Jaydon, has been consistent in his eight matches this season and Cowley’s work in the midfield has also impressed.
Indigenous round: Wearing the specially designed guernsey Jordan Easton was one of four Merrigum players who had played one of two games for the 10-week-old Kyabram district league season as the Bulldogs plugged holes and eventually lost by 24 points to the success story of the season, Longwood.
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