Weekly Wrap | For most Victorian country leagues we’ve now hit the halfway point of the season and as we start the road towards the finals there is still plenty of action ahead of us and lots of news coming out of this weekend's round of matches.
Several former AFL players laced up their boots to make appearances across all parts of the state. In the Central Highlands FNL former Geelong FC and Gold Coast FC star Gary Ablett Jr kicked two goals as he helped Creswick FNC to their second win for the season with a 23 point win against Ballan FNC. In the Goulburn Valley FNL it was former Fremantle FC and Gold Coast FC midfielder Michael Barlow in action for his old club Shepparton United FNC in their game against Seymour FNC. Whilst Barlow was named in the best players, his efforts were not enough as the Demons suffered a 49 point loss against the equal league leaders.
Staying north it was a trio of former AFL players in Jason Akermanis, Harley Bennell and Jarrod Brennan who came together to try and help Wahgunyah FNC in the Tallangatta and DIstrict FNL break a 31 game losing streak against Thurgoona FNC. With Brennan and Bennell named in the best two on the ground and the trio combining for 7 of Wahgunyah FNC’s 11 goals, the efforts were not quite enough as the Lions went down by 28 points. Whilst it was not a win, it’s the clubs closest loss so far in a season where they have an averaging losing margin of 184 points. In the Mininera and District FNL it was former Essendon FC player Nathan Lovett-Murray who pulled on a Penshurst FNC jumper for the clubs first ever First Nations day. Penshurst celebrated the day with a 29 point win over the top of the ladder Tatyoon FNC, which also happened to be their first loss for the season.
Tatyoon FNC weren’t the only club to lose for the first time in season 2023 over the weekend. In the East GIppsland FNL, Wy Yung FNC suffered its first defeat going down to third placed Boisdale Briagolong FNC by 18 points while across in the Heathcote and District FNL, it was fourth placed Mount Pleasant FNC inflicting North Bendigo FNC’s first loss, 10.12 72 to 9.7 61. Staying in the HDFNL, Huntly FNL emerged victorious for the first time since round 17 2022 when it recorded a 27 point win over Elmore FNC. This weekend in the Gippsland FNL, Drouin FNC were first time winners for the season with a 27 point win over Bairnsdale FNC, their first win since round 15 last year.
Whilst everyone was lauding the Sydney Swans FC for their cricket score against the West Coast Eagles FC, they wouldn’t have even made the top 6 scores from across country footy this weekend. In a weekend of big results the leaders were Strathmerton FNC who piled on 43.22 280 against Berrigan FNC in the Picola and District FNL, followed by Yackandandah FNC 36.29 245 (Tallangatta & District FNL), Mulwala FNC 37.18 240 (Murray FNL), Gol Gol FNC 34.35 239 (Millewa FNL), Harcourt FNC 36.23 239 (Maryborough Castlemaine District FNL) and Cudgewa FNC 35.15 225 (Upper Murray FNL) who all kept the kids manning the scoreboards busy.
The big scores also meant some big bags of goals were kicked. Jack Sutherland from Mulwala FNC snagged 17 majors, while Stramerton FNC’s Time Looby added 15 of his own. These bags aided both to hit the 50 goal mark for the season with Looby on 64, Sutherland on 56 and a further 3 more hitting the 50 goal milestone this weekend. In the North Gippsland FNL Dean MacDonald from Yallourn Yallourn North FNC kicked 5 to reach 54, Lucas Anderson from Torquay FNC in the Bellarine FNL added to 2 to now sit on 50 joined by Daniel Campbell from Katunga FNC in the Picola and District FNL who has also reached the same mark after this weekends round of games.
Our overall goal kicking leader continues to be Marong FNC’s Brandyn Grenfell who after kicking 8 on the weekend has now moved to 67, followed by Looby who has rocketed into second with 64, equal with Carisbrook FNC’s Anthony Zelencich who reached the same mark with a bag of 9 from his match on the weekend.
