From Ballarat Courier
Reported by Melanie Whelan
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THIS truly was about pride.

North Ballarat pulled off a one-point win against the reigning premier and competition benchmark Port Melbourne at Eureka Stadium on Saturday.

The Selkirk Roosters fronted up knowing their finals hopes had been extinguished in a Bendigo win the night before and that this season would be the first since 2003 the Roosters would not play Victorian Football League finals.

For the past two weeks, the Roosters had marked this match – regardless of finals chances – as one to play how they want to be seen.

They wanted to do the City of Ballarat, the region’s football and their supporters proud.

From Bendigo Advertiser
Reported by Luke West
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BENDIGO Gold coach Hayden Skipworth slept well on Friday night after his team ticked three key boxes with its 19-point VFL win over the Box Hill Hawks at the Queen Elizabeth Oval.

Firstly, the 17.11 (113) to 14.10 (94) win guaranteed the Gold their place in the finals as they shut the door to any chance the ninth-placed North Ballarat had of climbing into the eight.

And it’s just as well the Gold won , because had they lost, the Roosters would have snatched eighth spot after beating Port Melbourne by one point on Saturday.

Secondly, the Gold returned to form as the victory ended a five-game losing streak that saw them tumble from top-four contenders to their finals hopes hanging by a thread entering the last round.

And finally, Bendigo snapped its QEO hoodoo.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 1
VFL 1st Elimination Final
Williamstown vs Bendigo Gold at Northport Oval 2:10pm (ABC1TV)
Development League 1st Elimination Final
Box Hill Hawks vs Sandringham at Trevor Barker Oval,Sandringham 11am
VFL 2nd Elimination Final
Sandringham vs Box Hill Hawks at Trevor Barker Oval,Sandringham 2pm (3WBC,VFL Radio-Aussie Digital)

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2
VFL 2nd Qualifying Final
Port Melbourne vs Geelong at Northport Oval 2:10pm (ABC1TV)
Development League 2nd Elimination Final
Coburg Tigers vs Casey Scorpions at Casey Fields 11am
VFL 1st Qualifying Final
Casey Scorpions vs Werribee at Casey Fields 2pm (VFL Radio-Aussie Digital)

From www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Patrick Lane
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COBURG Football Club will welcome bumped senior coach Adam Potter back to the top job in 2014.

Coburg president Bill Balakis said Potter, who has been advised he will not be senior coach in 2013 when AFL affiliate Richmond takes control of the coaching structure, has been offered the job as Development League coach in the interim.

Coburg and Richmond will end its alignment at the end of next season, with Richmond to field an independant reserves team in the VFL in 2014 and Coburg to stand on its own in the state league.

Balakis has previously stated the decision to demote Potter from the senior job was due to "financial constraints", but on Sunday told Leader the club had offered Potter the senior position in 2014 after a year in a lesser role. "If he doesn't take the development role, there will be a position available for him," Balakis said. "He's been offered the senior job (in a year's time) as well."

From www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Paul Amy
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IT had been a grind for Port Melbourne in previous weeks. On Saturday it was a gallop.

Led by another best-afield performance from John Baird, the Borough gave a splendid performance to defeat a Bendigo Gold team replete with Essendon players by 53 points at North Port Oval.

Surface water covered the ground, but Port made light of the slippery conditions to double up the visitors, 16.19 (106) to 8.5 (53).

Only two goals split the sides at half-time, but the Borough kicked clear in the third quarter and in the end won comfortably, their most impressive effort for weeks.

FRIDAY AUGUST 24
Bendigo vs Box Hill Hawks at Queen Elizabeth Oval,Bendigo 7pm(3WBC)

SATURDAY AUGUST 25
Geelong vs Williamstown at Simonds Stadium 1pm
Collingwood vs Werribee at Victoria Park 1pm
Casey Scorpions vs Sandringham at Casey Fields 1:10pm(ABC1TV)
(Development League match Casey Scorpions vs Box Hill Hawks at 10am)
North Ballarat vs Port Melbourne at Eureka Stadium 2pm(VFL Radio-Aussie Digital)
(Development League match at 11am)
Northern Blues vs Frankston at Visy Park 2pm
(Development League match at 11am)

SUNDAY AUGUST 27
(Development League)Sandringham vs Werribee at Trevor Barker Oval,Sandringham 11am

VFL Bye-Coburg Tigers
Development League Byes-Williamstown,Coburg Tigers

From www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Simon McEvoy
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FEROCIOUS tackling was behind Frankston's stirring 18-point win over the Coburg Tigers on Saturday.

The relentless Dolphins laid 93 tackles to wear down a Tigers side that contained 12 Richmond players.

"The pressure for the whole day was excellent," Frankston coach Simon Goosey said. "We had 93 tackles for the day and if you are up near 80 you are doing a pretty good job, so to have 93 was outstanding."

The win, which ended a six-game losing streak, continued the Dolphins' remarkable recent record against Coburg.

Frankston's five wins in the past three seasons have all been against Coburg.

Is Coburg the Dolphins' bunnies? Yep, you'd have to say so.

From www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Patrick Lane
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COBURG legend Phil Cleary has condemned the club's decision to bump senior coach Adam Potter to a development role next year.

In his Inside Football column last Wednesday, Cleary said the VFL club would be coached by a Richmond identity for the last year of Coburg's alignment with the AFL Tigers and Potter had been offered the Development League coach's role.

The AFL club and its VFL affiliate originally planned to maintain their alignment until the end of 2014, but have mutually agreed to bring forward the termination of the agreement.

Richmond will field a stand-alone side in the VFL in 2014, following the likes of Collingwood and Geelong, while Coburg will again stand on its own in the state competition and revert back to the Lions.