AFL

Defending premiers Cudgewa will start as favourites when the 2024 Upper Murray season starts on Saturday. The Blues have retained the bulk of last year’s team that went undefeated through the 2023 season including a 94-point demolition of Bullioh in the grand final.

The Nhill and District Sporting Club are super excited to announce new football recruit Peter Politis. Peter arrives in Nhill off the back of a season with the Nightcliff Football Club in Darwin. He played in their Premier Grade Grand Final.

Remember that old saying, “You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl”? Peta Credlin AO, host of the “Credlin” program on Sky News Australia, columnist with News Corp, and former Australian Liberal Party dynamo, amongst many other accolades, made a flying visit to Wycheproof over the recent long weekend.

Perth born Kirby Bentley, former player for the Fremantle and Carlton clubs in the AFL women’s comp, visited Wilcannia Central School on Thursday 22nd Feb., to socialise and throw a few balls with the students from both schools. Sponsored by Lifeline through a Regional NSW grant, Kirby’s aim was to promote "How’s Ya Mate?", mental first aid for kids.

Congratulations to Kaniva Leeor United’s Mitch Dickinson who has been selected in the u/18 centre for excellence squad for the 2024 season for West Adelaide Football Club in the SANFL. Matches will begin at the end of March and he has already been attending preseason with the club.

In front of a packed F.E. Logan Hall at Clifton on Saturday night Wattles Warriors captain Ty Gardner joined the list of club ultimate achievers when he was presented with the prestigious Clifton Courier Shield as player of the year for the 2023 season.

Narrandera-born footballer Matthew Flynn has now joined the West Coast Eagles after the completion of his move from Greater Western Sydney. The 26-year-old joins the Eagles as an unrestricted free agent, heading west on a three-year deal after the paperwork was formalised.

Lachie Neale is unstoppable. Born in Naracoorte, the AFL superstar won his second Brownlow Medal in Brisbane on Monday night. Known as the Lion King of AFL, the Brisbane co-captain has become the 16th player in VFL-AFL history to win the League’s biggest and most prestigious award multiple times.

Jamie Cox. The Maldon FNC are extremely proud of all their juniors’ efforts for the 2023 season in both football and netball, especially the under 17.5s football team who are the 2023 Premiers. Score Maldon 10.5-65 def Carisbrook 7.2-44.

Despite less teams being involved in the Riverina Football League grand final at Narrandera Sportsground on Saturday the gate was up $4000 on last year. The crowd paid $25,378 at the gate to watch Turvey Park win their first senior premiership in 21 years.

The 2023 Golden Rivers grand final took place against a beautiful natural backdrop as fans of football and netball gathered at the Murrabit Recreation Reserve on Saturday to witness the teams battle it out for the premiership ... On the football field, in a game of keepings off, the Lions demonstrated their fitness to play in the heat and confidence in ball handling skills.

Eighteen home-and-away rounds, a second semi-final, and a grand final, and Sea Lake-Nandaly Tigers have remained undefeated in North-Central League’s 2023 senior football season.

On page 15 of North-Central League’s giant-sized grand final “Recorder”, distributed at Boort on Saturday, is a list of 25 people who, since the resumption of football after World War II, have given outstanding service to the development of the game in this part of the State. Among them is Donald’s Frank O’Shea, widely recognized for his coaching of junior teams, and for his newspaper reporting of North-Central football.

Dre Jackson from Elliott and Duqarn Foster from Tennant Creek were chosen to represent the NT at Australian School Sport Australian Football Championships held in NSW. The cold conditions had all the players making sure their beanies and scarfs were in great use off the field.

Nhill and District Sporting Club hosted a successful Preliminary Final on Sunday, with record numbers through the gates. The crowds at Davis Park on Sunday for the preliminary final were confirmed by the League to be the biggest finals crowd in 2 years bar last year’s Wimmera League Grand Final.

On Saturday they will play off for North-Central Football League’s highest honour, the 2023 premiership – in both seniors and reserves! And  in case you’re new to North-Central clubs within the Buloke Shire, they’re the Sea Lake-Nandaly Tigers and the Nullawil Maroons.

Over the weekend we had Under 14.5s have an impressive win for the semi-final against Trentham - which sets them up nicely for the next finals clash … The Club encourages its supporters to head over to Princess Park this weekend and support both our junior footballers and netballers. 

Cudgewa had Saturday’s grand final against Bullioh sewn up by quarter time in a lopsided affair. Cudgewa underscored its mantle as the 2023 Club of the Year on Saturday when the Blues claimed four premierships from the seven grand finals they contested.

The ‘Council Cup Clash’ was held on Saturday 26 August at the Katherine Showgrounds between the Beswick Bears, representing Roper Gulf Regional Council and the Timber Creek Lions, representing Victoria Daly Regional Council in a showdown game of AFL. This initiative aimed to foster collaboration, unity, and sportsmanship within the vibrant communities represented.

Peter Argent. One-time Central Yorke Cougars junior Luke Ivens is spreading awareness of the long-term effects of concussion. Ivens, who played 194 games for North Adelaide in the SANFL between 2000 and 2013, is now an ambassador for the Concussion Legacy Foundation Australia.

Charlton has hosted Wycheproof-Narraport in round 17 of North Central Football, playing for the Mount of Prevention “Respect” Cup, an annual event to raise awareness of domestic violence and the “It’s Never OK” campaign. Survivor and campaign organizer, Kim O’Reilly, was on hand to address the crowd and present the Cup to winning captain, Charlton’s Tim Hill.

Bullioh’s finals campaign will continue after the Dogs comfortably accounted for Corryong in the 1st semi-final on Saturday by a massive 145 points. After a testing and winless season, the Demons offered little resistance as Bulliohs scored at will, piling on 29 goals in the demolition.