THE 2021 NAB League season rolled on into Round 7 amid the current Victorian lockdown, with a quartet of country regions back in action after a fortnight away. Two fixtures took place in Ballarat and Echuca respectively, with the Geelong Falcons and Bendigo Pioneers picking up wins. Check out the key figures and stats in our weekend snapshot, with Scouting Notes to follow in the evening.

GWV REBELS 4.10 (34) def. by GEELONG FALCONS 8.8 (56) IN A SENTENCE: The Geelong Falcons upset the Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels amid heavy fog to pick up their first win of the season, powering away with four goals to nil in the final quarter. TEAM STATS:

• GWV Rebels won the handballs (99-84) and inside 50s (42-38)
• Geelong Falcons won the kicks (157-143) and marks (47-41)

KEY PLAYERS:

• Nick Hodgson (GWV Rebels) 26 disposals (19 kicks), 13 tackles, 7 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s
• Sam Butler (GWV Rebels) 20 disposals, 4 marks, 9 tackles, 1 inside 50, 2 rebound 50s
• Josh Rentsch (GWV Rebels) 6 disposals, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50, 8 hitouts, 3 goals
• Blake Reid (Geelong Falcons) 24 disposals (21 kicks), 4 marks, 5 inside 50s, 5 rebound 50s
• Noah Gribble (Geelong Falcons) 21 disposals, 4 marks, 6 tackles, 4 inside 50s
• Mitch Knevitt (Geelong Falcons) 20 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 2 rebound 50s, 2 behinds

DC MEDAL VOTES: 5 – Nick Hodgson (GWV Rebels) 4 – Blake Reid (Geelong Falcons) 3 – Cooper Whyte (Geelong Falcons) 2 – Jhye Clark (Geelong Falcons) 1 – Sam Butler (GWV Rebels) NEXT UP:

GWV Rebels vs. Northern Knights | Mars Stadium | Saturday June 19, 11:30am Geelong Falcons vs. Sandringham Dragons | Mars Stadium | Saturday June 19, 2:00pm

MURRAY BUSHRANGERS 8.5 (53) def. by BENDIGO PIONEERS 12.12 (84) IN A SENTENCE: Bendigo Pioneers led at every break, piling on scoreboard pressure throughout the contest to come away comfortable 31-point victors against the Murray Bushrangers. TEAM STATS:

• Murray Bushrangers won the handballs (181-136), marks (91-80), and rebound 50s (42-25)
• Bendigo Pioneers won the kicks (206-188), inside 50s (54-34), tackles (82-68), and scoring shots (24-13)

KEY PLAYERS:

• Charlie Byrne (Murray Bushrangers) 33 disposals, 7 marks, 2 tackles, 10 rebound 50s, 1 goal
• Kade Chalcraft (Murray Bushrangers) 29 disposals (22 kicks), 7 marks, 5 tackles, 5 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s, 1 goal
• Josh Rachele (Murray Bushrangers) 21 disposals, 5 marks, 7 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50
• Hugh Hamilton (Bendigo Pioneers) 23 disposals, 7 marks, 3 tackles, 6 inside 50s, 3 goals
• Harvey Gallagher (Bendigo Pioneers) 22 disposals, 2 marks, 11 tackles, 3 inside 50s
• Caleb Ernst (Bendigo Pioneers) 15 disposals, 6 marks, 3 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 3 goals

DC MEDAL VOTES: 5 – Hugh Hamilton (Bendigo Pioneers) 4 – Charlie Byrne (Murray Bushrangers) 3 – Caleb Ernst (Bendigo Pioneers) 2 – Noah Long (Bendigo Pioneers) 1 – Oliver Hollands (Murray Bushrangers) NEXT UP:

Murray Bushrangers vs. Tasmania Devils | RAMS Arena | Saturday June 12, 12:30pm Bendigo Pioneers vs. Tasmania Devils | RAMS Arena | Sunday June 20, 12:00pm

Image Credit: Martin Keep/Getty Images via AFL Photos