By Cameron Noakes
NATHALIA continues to demolish everything in its path in its campaign for a third consecutive premiership in the Murray Football League.
The Purples flattened Moama by 97 points on the weekend and sit on top of the ladder, undefeated and are short-priced favourites to claim the big prize again this year.
Nathalia star forward Brendon Parker’s rich vein of form is also continuing, booting seven against Moama to take his season tally to 62 goals from nine games.
Mulwala is second on the ladder after defeating Finley by 35 points and is seemingly the only real chance of stopping the Purps from winning its third flag.
Mulwala has lost only one game this year in round four and that was against Nathalia, but little separated the teams despite the 26-point final margin.
In the Northern Football League, Montmorency came from behind to pinch the points from North Heidelberg.
Montmorency trailed at half time and three-quarter time but piled on nine goals in the final stanza to win 22.6 (138) to 17.12 (114).
Darren Cuthbertson (six goals) and Derryn Stanley (five) did the damage in Momorency’s front half to help their team move to fourth on the ladder.
North Heidelberg is clinging on to second spot with two losses this year while reigning premier Heidelberg is on top and undefeated.
The premiers smashed Greensborough on the weekend by 80 points and - with a team jammed-pack full of stars – there seems little that will get in the way of their journey for consecutive flags.
However, last year’s runner-up Bundoora will want to have a say in that matter and are sitting third after defeating the winless Diamond Creek by 26-points.
In the Peninsula division of Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League, Mount Eliza booted six goals to one in the opening quarter to set up there 23-point win against Mornington yesterday.
Mount Eliza is last year’s runner-up and has moved into fifth spot, leap-frogging (ex-Saint) Justin Peckett’s Karingal.
Karingal is sixth after his team blew reigning premier Chelsea out of the water, winning by 56-points, 21.9 (135) to 12.7 (79).
Justin Oakley booted six goals for the premiers who are struggling this year with just two wins.
Frankston YCW, Seaford and Edithvale-Aspendale hog the top three spots, all with just one loss this year and Bonbeach is fourth after it was touched up by Frankston, 6.5 (41) to 14.8 (92).
In the battle of the cellar-dwellers, Pines notched up its first win of the season against Hastings, 14.11 (95) to 9.12 (66). Hastings is now alone on the bottom of the ladder and yet to break its duck.
Article first appeared: The Age, 17 June 2007
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