Weekly Times | VICTORIA’S country football leagues proved their mettle against metropolitan football’s might yesterday in the inaugural AFL Victoria Community Championships.
This year’s interleague contests matched five metropolitan competitions against country leagues and the boys from the bush proved more than a match for their city counterparts.
The Geelong league staked its claim to the title of top community league in Victoria with a four-goal win against the Eastern league, and the Mornington Peninsula Nepean team — including players from the Peninsula and Nepean leagues — toppled the Northern league by five goals.
Two other games won by metropolitan sides were decided by less than a kick, with the Essendon District league edging out the Goulburn Valley team by four points, and the Western Region league side defeated the Ballarat league by three points.
The Southern Football League blitzed the Ellinbank and District league by 49 points.
Geelong league coach Jeremy Dyer, who coached Geelong last year when it retained the No. 1 ranking among the country leagues, said it was it was good recognition for the league and players to claim the No. 1 title yesterday.
“With the concept of playing against the metro leagues, you never knew what was going to happen ... whether you get done by 12 goals and have that big gap between them, or they’re going to be competitive, or have a win,” he said.
“It was just good to have a win and the players get some recognition of being the No. 1 side in, they say country Victoria, but now you can justify saying throughout Victoria.”
Campbell Floyd, a 19-year-old player with Colac, was named best-on-ground for Geelong for his job in the backline.
● THE Ovens and Murray representative side once again proved an unstoppable force for the Hampden league yesterday in the AFL Victoria Community Championships.
The two sides met in the AFL Victoria Country Championships in 2012 and 2014, and yesterday the Ovens and Murray, captained by Albury’s Joel Mackie, claimed a third win in as many outings, 20.14 (134) to 9.14 (68).
Albury’s Elliott Powell was named best-on-ground and former AFL player Daniel Cross, who is also playing with the Tigers this season, won the league’s Norm Minns Medal.
● THE Mininera and District league has pulled off a three-goal win against the South West District league.
A five-goal haul from Hawkesdale Macarthur’s Lachlan Glare and big performances from Lismore Derrinallum’s Beau Ketchen and Glare’s teammate Trent Harman helped Mininera to a 11.14 (80) to 9.8 (62) win.
Coleraine player Darcy Russell kicked four goals for South West District.
● THE Central Murray league has ended a five-year losing streak in representative football with a 14-point win against the North Central league.
Central Murray led at every change and, despite North Central closing in from a 22-point three-quarter time deficit, held on to a 11.11 (77) to 9.9 (63) win at Swan Hill.
Central Murray playing coach Troy Coates was one of three players in his side to kick two goals and Donald’s Brody Haddow was named best-on-ground for North Central.