Almanac Footy: Western District Football Wrap 31/5

 

Hampden FNL – Round 8

 

If there was any doubt before the weekend as to the ability of league power houses North Warrnambool and South Warrnambool to make it three Grand Finals in succession it was erased on Saturday afternoon. A few weeks back I commented that we may already be able to say this season was down to a race in three, and thought later I may have gone a little early with that comment as it’s a long season as we know! Yes, a week can be along time in football, but whoever plays off in September is going to have to get past these two teams. North Warrnambool and South Warrnambool are clearly the teams to beat.

 

South at home on the weekend showed the Portland Tigers that they still have a way to go to compete at the pointy end of the competition, handing out a lesson to lead all day and run out comfortable winners 14-10-94 to 6-4-40. Best player for the second week in a row for South was Carlton VFL listed player, Archie Stevens. Stevens has racked up possessions at will in his games for South this season, coming off a 41 possession game the week before against the Hamilton Kangaroos. Captain, Harry Lee, and vice-captain, Jed Henderson were also amongst the better players for South. Portland was best served by playing coach, Lachie Huppatz and young key position player, Charlie Piergrosse for a second week in a row. Portland’s Northern Territory mid-season recruit, Adrian Scott, is yet to feature amongst the goals or better players in his two games with the club.

 

It will be back to the drawing board for Portland who have improved significantly this season after not winning game in 2024 and competed so well against North Warrnambool a few weeks ago only to let themselves down badly against Warrnambool and now South Warrnambool. In their favour is they still sit third on the ladder

 

North Warrnambool really exerted their authority on the weekend also, defeating Terang Mortlake who many pundits had tipped as premiers in the pre-season, 11-9-75 to 8-10-58. It was a home game for Terang Mortlake and with boom mid-season recruit Trent West (ex-Geelong and Brisbane Lions player) coming out of retirement and playing his first game for the club, they couldn’t get over North, who ran the game out better kicking 4 goals to 1 goal in the last quarter. Ex Fremantle and Gold Coast Suns player, Michael Barlow, playing his second game for the season with North racked up 56 disposals based on the league statistics provided by Knight Vision Analysis. It still wasn’t enough for him to be named best player with that honour going to Harry Keast. Best player for Terang Mortlake was Jack Fowler.

 

North Warrnambool debuted two young players in this game, in Edward Northeast and Jess Kenna. Northeast is still under 17s, and Kenna is under 18s, a great effort by both to break into an undefeated major league senior team.

 

Elsewhere the surprise packet of the season so far for mine, Warrnambool defeated Koroit at Koroit, 10-14-74 to 7-7-49. Amon Radley was amongst the goals again for Warrnambool kicking 4 and being named in the best players, with the experienced Sam Cowling being named best player. Best player for Koroit was Mac Petersen. The run of Koroit joint coach, Sam Dobson, kicking 5 goals a game ended on the weekend when he kicked two goals after having kicked five in each of the three previous games.

 

Cobden at home got their first win of the season downing Camperdown, 12-12-84 to 5-11-41 with Michael Koroneos kicking 5 goals and being named best player along with Patrick Smith, whilst Joshua Place was named best player for Camperdown.

 

At Melville Oval in Hamilton the home town Hamilton Kangaroos couldn’t get the win in front of a past players and premiership reunion crowd going down to Port Fairy, 18-16-124 to 11-10-76. Recruit, Lucas Edmonds, kicked 5 goals for the seagulls and was named in the best players with Jett Hopper named best, whilst young Will Povey stepped up in the absence of usual key forwards Darcy Russell and Hamish Cook and kicked 6 goals for the Kangaroos.

 

This week see’s the league reach the half way mark of the season and North Warrnambool sit on top of the ladder undefeated, one game clear of South Warrnambool who have a two game break on Portland and Warrnambool. Whilst there is still a lot of footy left in the season, and we’ve already seen clubs who know they need something to help them in their premiership quest out there recruiting, those two top teams are going to take some tossing come September.

 

Warrnambool small forward, Luke Cody, leads the league goal kicking with 32 goals from 7 games played.

 

 

South West District FNL – Round 7

 

Round 7 saw some big bags of goals kicked and the Dartmoor forwards had a field day at home against Heathmere where they kicked 35-18-228 to 2-2-14 to run out big winners. Recruited to the club this season from Kingston in South Australia, Ethan Murdock kicked 10 goals, whilst another South Australian recruit this season in Dale Bachmann kicked 6 goals along with Christian Howlett. Murdock was named best player for Dartmoor and Jordan Heinze was named best player for Heathmere.

 

In the clash of the two top teams at Cavendish the home side remained undefeated running out winners by 20 points, 9-11-65 to 7-3-45. This game was played in front of a large crowd with Cavendish hosting premiership reunions on the day and Will Baulch was named best for the home team with Marcus Rhook named best player for Coleraine. Coleraine forward, Kieran Barker, was held goalless for the second week in a row and has now been over taken as the leagues leading goal kicker to date this season. A winning margin of 20 points is certainly not insurmountable, although Cavendish did have double the scoring shots, and gives Coleraine plenty to work with moving forward if they are to challenge Cavendish come September.

 

Branxholme Wallacedale boom recruit and to this stage of the season the recruit of the year in the league, Brandon Newton, continued his hot run of form kicking 6 goals and leading them to an away victory over Westerns, 16-4-100 to 10-8-68. Utility player, Newton, recruited from West Gambier in South Australia, has now kicked 27 goals for the season and leads the league goal kicking. He was also named best player again and is certainly the early favourite for the League Best and Fairest.

 

Noah Knight was named best player for Westerns.

 

In the final game Heywood away defeated Tyrendarra 12-10-82 to 7-8-50 with Joziah Nannup named best player for Heywood and Lachlan Kirk named best player for Tyrendarra. Tyrendarra’s Jordi Withers kicked five of this teams seven goals.

 

The Tyrendarra versus Heywood game was played for the ‘Say No To Family Violence Shield’.

 

With 8 teams in the league all teams have now played each other once and Cavendish sit on top of the ladder undefeated; two games clear of Dartmoor now. Last season’s premiers, Tyrendarra, sit sixth on the ladder two games behind Branxholme Wallace dale in fifth. Finals are a final five format.

 

 

Mininera & District FNL – Round 7

 

Undefeated top of the ladder Ararat Eagles continued on their winning way at home downing Moyston Willaura 26-20-176 to 5-11-41. Recruit this season, Jack Wilson, kicked seven goals for the victors and was named in their best players with Thomas Cousins named best player. Benjamin Skubnik was named best player for Moyston Willaura.

 

Lismore Derrinnallum away defeated Tatyoon by 16 points 13-13-91 to 11-9-75 despite kicking 8 straight points in the last quarter. Henry Walsh, ruckman and brother of Carlton’s Sam, was best player for Lismore Derrinallum with league leading goal kicker Lachie Constable, and Blake Scott kicking four goals each. Joe Thomson was named best player for Tatyoon.

 

Penshurst at home took on neighbours Caramut in the battle for the Mustons Creek Shield and exerted their authority early to run out 114 point winners off the back of a nine goal haul by assistant coach and key forward, Josh Rentsch. Coming off 93 goals for the season last year, Rentsch who won a Morrish Medal with the GWV Rebels and played with Sturt in the SANFL has started a little quieter this year with 17 goals from 6 games played. Fourteen of those goals have come in the last two games, and he was also named best player on the weekend. Declan Barbary was named best player for Caramut.

 

Woorndoo Mortlake away got back onto the winners list defeating Hawkesdale Macarthur 11-10-76 to 10-6-66. James Coghlan West kicked five goals for the victors with recruit Otto Opperman named best player. Benjamin Reid, recruited from Terang Mortlake this season, was named best player for Hawkesdale Macarthur for the second game in a row.

 

Elsewhere Wickliffe Lake Bolac at home defeated Great Western 17-18-120 to 9-3-57 with Mannon Johnston and Liam Zavaglia kicking five goals each, and Josh Arkell being named best player for Great Western.

 

Glenthompson Dunkeld got back onto the winners list at home defeating SMW Rovers 12-14-86 to 7-5-47. Jacob Hill kicked 6 goals for Glenthompson Dunkeld and was named in their best players. Jarrod Stone was named best player and for SMW Rovers Joel Moriarty was named best player.

 

After seven rounds Ararat Eagles sit on top of the ladder undefeated one game clear of Lismore Derrinallum with the two sides scheduled to meet in a few week’s time, their only game against each other in the home and away season. There are twelve teams in the competition and sixteen games played in the home and away season with a final five. Game of the round this week will be the undefeated Ararat Eagles traveling to take on third placed Woorndoo Mortlake, who have recruited significantly this season and were tipped to be big improver. This will be a real test for Woorndoo Mortlake who were very disappointing two weeks ago against second placed Lismore Derrinallum.

 

Lachie Constable of Lismore Derrinallum leads the goal kicking with 35 goals from 7 games played.

 

 

Note: I’m still following up on my PlayHQ query from last week – its important for the integrity of player data that these records are accurate.

 

 

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