A highlight of the match was Josh Allison's courage in running with the flight of the ball into a barrage of oncoming Buninyong opponents. This typified Hepburn's focus on the ball on Saturday.

As the youngster was picked up from the ground by his teammates, Allison showed that even in the dying minutes of the game, and with a lead in the vicinity of 15 goals, Hepburn was not prepared to allow their opponents an easy kick.

The game started after both clubs stood as one for a minute's silence as a mark of respect for Buninyong player Rhys Marshall, whose life was tragically cut short.

The local football community's thoughts are with Buninyong and Rhys' family at this terrible time.

After an emotional start in what was clubman Gary Byers' 150th senior game, it was Buninyong who kicked away early and held a three-goal lead in the first 10 minutes before Jack Douglass put Hepburn on the board.

It wasn't long before Burra supporters were cheering Lee Cox as the star forward started taking his trademark grabs _ kicking two goals inside a minute.

Cox was to play another fine game, but this time playing second fiddle to new recruit Ash Wedding. Wedding's mercurial skills were on show in the tricky breeze, bagging nine goals straight.

After gaining the ascendancy in the last half of the opening term, the Burras wanted to stamp their authority on the game.

Outscoring their opponents as they kicked into a strong wind, Hepburn carried on in the third quarter with some of the best football the club has produced in a long while.

Slick handballs out of packs by Cimera, Purtell, O'Halloran and Daniel James were damaging as the fleetfooted on-ball brigade carved up the opposition on the spacious Buninyong Oval.

The man wearing number 12 was again superb, racking up huge possessions around the ground, with a game being incomplete without an Andy McKay ``speccie'' this time bringing the crowd to their feet on the member's wing.

Before the game Buninyong pinpointed Hepburn's weakness _ the inexperience in the ruck division.

They may have been right, but at the game's end Sam Conroy, the under-18s captain, walked off with best-on-ground honours.

Hepburn 21.8.134 defeated Buninyong 6.11.47. Goals: A. Wedding 9, L. Cox 4, A. McKay 3, M. Peake 2, D. O'Halloran 2, J. Douglass 1. Best: S. Conroy, A. McKay, M. Peake, A. Wedding, B. Shepherd, J. Comelli.