Weekly Wrap | This weekend saw the crowning of the first 2024 premierships, with the Upper Murray FNL Grand Finals taking place which also provided the first major grand final upset.
Reigning premiers Cudgewa FNC entered as red hot favourites on the back of a 28 game winning streak spanning the past two seasons, however someone forgot to tell Bullioh FNC. Trailing by 11 points at half time, they stormed home kicking nine second half goals to two, running out 35 point winners, 13.13 91 to 7.14 56 to claim their first flag since 2019.
This upcoming weekend sees our next Grand Finals taking place in both the Millewa and the Omeo and District FNL’s. In the Millewa FNL decider Bambill FNC go in as the favourites and are looking to win their third premierships in a row and sixth of the leagues last nine flags. Up in the Omeo and District FNL after only losing one game for the season, Omeo Benambra FNC are hoping to win their first flag since the 2007 season, while Swifts Creek FNC are hoping to snare back to back premierships.
We now have every league, bar the Geelong FNL, entering finals series after the weekend's matches. In the final Home and Away games in the Ovens and Murray FNL, 4 clubs were vying for three positions within the top 5, and for the first time since the 2008 season the finals will be played without Albury FNL featuring due to their shock loss to Myrtleford FNC by 14 points. A win would have seen them displace Wodonga FNC by percentage, after the Bulldogs lost to fourth placed North Albury FNC, who now see themselves in the finals for the first time since 2015 after being wooden spooners just two years ago. In the Geelong and District FNL, Belmont FNC won their first final since 2007 with a commanding 50 point win over Werribee Centrals FNC in their Qualifying Final.
The weekend's wild weather played havoc with plenty of finals matches, particularly on Sunday. In the Maryborough Castlemaine District FNL, they suffered the same challenges as the AFL did on Friday night, with both senior finals having to vacate the ground due to lightning. In the game between Carisbrook FNC and Maldon FNC, lightning stopped play two minutes into the first quarter. Despite the horrendous weather and ground conditions, which resembled a lake after the storm, Carisbrook FNC won 8.12 60 to 5.3 33. During the other final which saw Dunolly FNC take on Newstead FNC, a lightning break extended three quarter time to close to half an hour. Dunolly eventually won 6.7 43 to 3.7 25 after leading 4.4 28 to 3.7 25 before the extended break.
In the Heathcote and District FNL, it was the Leitchville Gunbower FNC with a 2 point win in their Semi Final match against Heathcote FNC which was also impacted by the weather conditions. Leitchville Gunbower led by that 2 point margin, 7.8 50 to 7.6 48 during the third quarter, before a dramatic ending to the game. As a result of lightning and the ground conditions after heavy rain and hail during half-time officials made the call to abandon the match. Play had also been suspended during the second quarter due to lightning. Even though play had resumed in the third quarter, during which Heathcote kicked two goals, the ground conditions were deemed too unplayable which resulted in the match coming to an early end. There was a more conventional thriller in the Mid Gippsland FNL Elimination Final between Morwell East FNC and Newborough FNC which saw a one point result going the way of Newborough FNC 8.11 59 to 7.16 58, with wayward kicking costing Morwell East the chance to progress.
Some long winning streaks came to end this week, with the aforementioned Cudgewa FNC losing fo the first time in 28 games, while East Point FNC in the Ballarat FNL lost for the first time in 14 games and in the East Gippsland FNL side it was league leading Boisdale Briagolong FNC going down for the first time in 11 games to second placed Lucknow FNC. Boisdale Briagolong FNC now must defeat Wy Yung FNC in the Preliminary final, the side they lost last year's Grand Final to, in order to progress to the leagues Grand Final.
In the Wimmera FNL, Dimboola FNC broke through for their first win in the last game of the year, breaking an 11 game losing streak, with a 6 point over Minyip Murtoa FNC, while the holders of the fourth longest losing streak of 39 games Melton South FNC, have had their members officially vote to end a 27 year involvement with the Ballarat FNL. They are now looking to find a new home for the 2025 season, with the Riddell and District FNL appearing to be the most likely destination.
On the goal kicking front, the only forward left with a reasonable chance of getting to 100 for the season, Congupna FNC’s Kyle Mueller managed 8 goals in his side's 146 point win over Echuca United FNC but it wasn’t enough, leaving him on 95 goals for the season. There were still four forwards who managed to claim double digit goal hauls, headed by former North Melbourne FC Ben Cunnington who kicked 10 for Warrnambool FNC in their win over Hamilton Kangaroos FNC in the Hampden FNL. This also enabled him to win the Hampden FNL Goal Kicking Award, finishing on 67 for the season, two ahead of South Warrnambool FNC Shannon Beks who managed 9 goals himself in his team's 128 point win over Portland FNC.
