A defensive masterclass was in full flight at Pioneer Park on Saturday, as Bright kept Bonnie Doon to their lowest score of the year in a convincing 63-point win.

Whilst their home deck wasn’t at its free-flowing best, with the week’s rain taking its toll and cool air temperature, the Mountain Men still did their fair share of scoring in the 13.8 (86) to 3.5 (23) victory.

A win was needed to keep pace with the Ovens and King league’s ladder leaders Whorouly, and the first two quarters were a bit of a grind as Bright forced their way forward of centre without cashing in as much as they would have liked, with a couple of chances to increase the margin wasted.

Then again, it was a glass half-full result for Michael Quirk’s men as they managed a 27-point half-time lead.

Riley Bacon was dangerous with two of the first three goals of the game and finished with three within the first 40 minutes of the match, while spearhead Luke Quirk chimed in with his first, before ending the match with his fourth consecutive bag of four majors.

The home side were met by an energised Bonnie Doon after the main break, who scored two of the third term’s opening three goals to reduce the gap to 21 points, but Bright turned up the heat to kick the last seven goals of the contest to push it out to a 10-goal win.

Captain Sam Dalbosco, rising star Jack Thomson and the returning Clay Cambridge-Dillon got their hands dirty between the arc, while ruck Joe Crawley and utility Levi Young continued their outstanding seasons.

Bright remain in second spot after win eleven in 2026 and are equal on points with Whorouly but are almost forty percentage points behind the Lions, which could make a difference when the minor premiership is decided.

The Mountain Men will host Goorambat this Saturday, while Whorouly and North Wangaratta meet in a heavyweight clash in the league’s NAIDOC Week Round.

Another bitter-sweet result went against Bright today as they narrowly missed out on a monumental win against reigning premiers Bonnie Doon in Ovens & King A grade netball last Saturday.

The 44-51 loss was a match that went begging for the home side who sit four wins outside the top five, but took it right up to the Bombers, especially in the final three quarters.

Bright’s six-goal quarter-time deficit was ultimately too much to reel in, despite only trailing by five goals with a quarter remaining after a 10-7 third term.

Jess Carnes (32 goals) was a major contributor, along with Ash Grimes and Ash Farmer, who excelled in goal attack and goal defence respectively after quarter time.

Kate Buckley returned to the court with limited minutes in her customary shooting role after an extended absence.

Goorambat (third) have won four matches in a row and will provide another stern test for the seventh-placed Bright in their round 15 encounter this Saturday.