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CHAMPION Golden Square skipper Jack Geary led his Bulldogs side to an emphatic 64-point opening round BFNL victory over Kyneton on Saturday.
In his 200th game for the Square Geary sparked a first quarter blitz by the home side at Wade Street, with six of their 12 goals for the match booted in the opening 25 minutes.
Geary was assisted by high-flying on-baller Hamish Morcom, who pulled in a mark-of-the year contender in the first 15 minutes, along with mids Ricky Monti, Terry Reeves and Tom Toma, and key defender Liam Duguid.
In attack Joel Brett (four goals) and Jayden Burke (two) stretched the Tigers' defence .
The Tigers didn't register a major until the halfway mark of the second term when flanker Tom Quinn nailed an around-the-corner snap.
Quinn ended up with two of Kyneton's three goals for the day as Square ran out winners, 12.17 (89) to the Tigers 3.7 (25).
The home side's midfielders kept pumping the leather forward in the opening term. Monti was unstoppable and constantly belted the ball into attack where Brett and Burke finished off the drives.
Morcom was on target for the Dogs' fifth goal as rain started driving across the ground and then with 90 seconds to go, Monti snapped a great goal for the Square.
The lights were on for the start of the second quarter with Morcom again on target with an around-the-body snap at the Wade Street end.
Finally, the Tigers broke their duck when Quinn made the most of a free kick and goaled from deep in a forward pocket.
The two Iudicas, Lucas and Jordan, tried hard to keep the ball locked in Kyneton's forward half, but the Square defence rebounded strongly as the rain poured down.
And when the ball was pumped into attack Brett and Burke finished off the downfield work with majors for the Square.
By half-time the Bulldogs were set to celebrate Geary's major milestone as they held a 59-point advantage.
Ethan Foreman did boot a major for the Tigers early in the third term. He'd been awarded a free kick on a half-forward flank at the Wade Street end and rammed home Kyneton's second goal.
The Dogs had plenty of responses, though. Brett made no mistake with a Maple Street end set shot and Brodie James nailed a fine, running shot as time-on loomed.
And then before the three-quarter time siren, Kyneton's Quinn marked and drilled his second goal - and the Tigers' third.
The last term was a point-scoring feast, but not a single major was landed.
The Dogs booted seven minor scores and the Tigers three. Closest to the big sticks was Burke's early shot which scraped the post on the way through.
Morcom hauled in another mark but was off-line, and Ryan Hartley's shot was punched through in the time-on period.
It was his second point for the term, but the scoring was only academic - the Bulldogs had the match wrapped up by half-time.
MORE BFNL ROUND 1 MATCH REPORTS:
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