AFL

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.

Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong Lions went head to head with the Narrandera Eagles over the weekend in a tough Riverina Football League round 14 game, which was also the Wiradjuri round. The Lions won by a whopping 137 points made up of 22 goals and 11 behinds, bringing the final score to 22.11 (143).

Viv Markham. No matter how many lattes are sipped in Main Street, the true, beating heart of Maldon lies up at the Bill Woodfull Recreation Reserve - it’s the Maldon Football Netball Club (MFNC). One of Maldon’s best-loved institutions, the MFNC celebrated its 150th anniversary in style last weekend.

On Saturday 8th July a small group of Nhill Auskick registered kids were invited to play at Marvel Stadium; during the halftime match between St Kilda and Melbourne ... Every child was smiling and playing just like their adult idols and you could see the determination on their faces to mark, collect and control the ball and kick to their teammates.

After a scare last week against Tumbarumba, Cudgewa wreaked havoc on a hapless Corryong on Saturday with the much vaunted Blues’ key forward setup of Drew Cameron, Adam Prior and Josh Bartel posting 24 of their 35 goals in a 203-point demolition. With Darcy McKimmie, Mitch Pynappels and Drew Carey running riot from the first bounce the Blues attack feasted on the delivery to rack up 20 goals by the long break to the opposition’s one.

This week’s local living legend of league football is Chris Waterson. Chris played Reserves for Fitzroy in 1988-1989 before playing Seniors ... Highlights? ... "First Senior game at Windy Hill in 1990 was a massive highlight. My first opponent was Bomber Thompson, who later captained Essendon and coached Geelong to AFL premierships. "

Relationships, social support, physical fitness and a sense of belonging are key elements for positive mental health, and being part of a sporting community like the Birchip-Watchem Football, Netball and Hockey Club ticks all these boxes ... Following the headspace round, the National Centre for Farmer Mental Health also jumped on board and provided funding from its flood recovery program "Building Farm Spirit" ...

In recent weeks headspace Swan Hill has actively partnered with twenty-four local sporting clubs to deliver important mental health messages and strategies in three leagues across the North Central and Mallee communities.

The Raiders had their fifth tough match in a row facing Woorinen on Saturday. It was a big ask for the Raiders to chalk their first win of the season against the Tigers on their home turf, and they now head to a bye for the next round.

Cudgewa has put the rest of the competition on notice that it is the team to beat this season after racking up another percentage builder against Corryong on Saturday ... Cudgewa’s potent attack proved unstoppable with Ben Hall atoning for a poor effort from round one with seven goals which was matched by star recruit, Adam Prior, who also booted seven majors...

Peter Argent. Two-time Yorke Peninsula Mail Medal winner Murphy Short made his SANFL league debut for Port Adelaide on Sunday, May 1. Short took to the ground for the second annual Russell Ebert Tribute Match against West Adelaide at Loxton Oval.

Congratulations to the Mundulla Women’s Football Team, who won the premiership on Sunday, which included a number of Local Kaniva girls Mel Maddern, Renae Feder, Lisa Hawker and Zoe Hawker. Final score Mundulla 6. 8. 44 def North Gambier 2. 5. 17...

Donald’s footballers had their one and only practice hit-out leading up to North-Central’s 2023 season at Swan Hill last Saturday, fielding a team that combined plenty of youth and experience.

Collingwood Football Club (CFC) players returned to Tennant Creek this week as part of its Community Camp, the first since the Covid-19 pandemic. After the footy team worked up a sweat working out at the Barkly Regional Council’s Fitness and Wellness Centre on Tuesday, they headed to Purkiss Reserve to meet local children and Collingwood fans at a free Community BBQ hosted by AFL Barkly.

Jeff Hanson. Saturday's Riverina Football League (RFL) grand final at Narrandera Sportsground lived up to expectation, with the Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong (GGGM) Lions and Collingullie-Glenfield Park (CGP) Demons engaging in a low-scoring and finals-like slugfest. In a game dictated by momentum swings, both sides had their chances, but the Lions kicked away to score three majors in the final quarter, setting up a 6.12 (48) to 4.7 (31) victory, giving the club their first premiership in 11 years.

A cold and windy day with fleeting glimpses of sunshine set the stage at the Nullawil Football Grounds for the Golden Rivers Finals. The action was hot and so too were some tempers as passions ran high ... Murrabit walking away as A Grade netball premiers in the ’22 Golden Rivers Football Netball League season.

The Lake Nash Bats could be kicked out of the AFL Mount Isa competition after officials and fans assaulted umpires on Saturday. The violence escalated after the final siren of the grand final, won by the Tigers in an upset, however the trouble was brewing well before then.

Kendall Jennings. Football and netball finals were held on the weekend, with mother nature delivering sunny skies for winter. It is an achievement for any team to make finals and that fact alone needs celebrating. Saturday, the Raiders Under 16s netball hit the court at Woorinen for the qualifying final to face Kerang. Raiders’ fans gathered courtside to support the girls with club colours, streamers and cheers for outstanding play.

The Toyota AFL National Inclusion Carnival is set to be played for the first time since 2019 ... Angaston Football Club in the Barossa will host the carnival, the first time it will be held in SA ... "We're thrilled the AFL is bringing this event to regional South Australia for the first time. It's a great opportunity for our community to join in the spirit of competition and celebration that is synonymous with the Carnival and hopefully encourage those people in our own local community with an intellectual disability to get involved in the future": Mayor Bim Lange.

It’s not often that locals get the chance to rub shoulders with footballing legends, but this is what happened when ex-Geelong players Matthew Scarlett and Darren Milburn came to MFNC training last Thursday night.  They were generous with their time and gave sound advice to both junior and senior footballers. Both defenders, Matthew and Darren were outstanding players at a time when Geelong was one of the best teams in the competition.