The Northern Football Netball League season is underway and I’m very excited about what might happen throughout the season. Here’s some of my takes on what happened around the grounds across the weekend…
DIVISION 3 RACE IS ALIVE AND WELL
Most of the talk around the Northern Football Netball League is around how close division 2 is expected to be, and with good reason. It feels like every game is an eight-pointer – more on that later.
But I’m also low key excited about how division 3 might shape up throughout the course of the season.
We’re still yet to see expected premiership favourite Ivanhoe, who have been impressive in taking down division two teams Old Paradians and Northcote Park, and rightfully have earned that status as favourites.
However, I feel that Laurimar are the next best team, and especially so after it took Watsonia apart in the second half.
Laurimar didn’t do as much recruiting as Ivanhoe but it made the right moves for a win-now team – continue building through the midfield, boost the bottom six – with the likes of Jesse Donaldson and the Waldron brothers, Liam and Janus, coming in straight away.
Mernda took longer to eventually get going but they also took away four points and now look ahead to Laurimar in what shapes as a huge meeting between the two teams.
As a Mernda life member and someone who’s also helped out Laurimar’s sporting community across the journey, it’s the game I most look forward to every season.
Under Brent Marshall, the Demons’ youthful lineup was very impressive when push came to shove on Saturday, and I think that bodes well for the season ahead.
Kilmore was extremely impressive in dispatching of Kinglake, and I certainly think they are also a threat. Corey McCall knows what it takes to win premierships in division 3, and he certainly has this Kilmore team up and about.
I expect Reservoir and Heidelberg West to compete for a spot in the finals – Reservoir very impressive on Good Friday against Lalor and have a good midfield mix.
Heidelberg West had to work hard to beat a new-look Old Eltham – who I think can surprise and take a couple of victories with a youthful lineup, and they are a chance this week against Kinglake; but the Hawks nevertheless got it done.
THE NEED FOR SPEED IN DIVISION 2
What a competition this is going to be.
Every game is worth so much in such a tight competition, and you just don’t know where to look.
Whittlesea have established itselves as favourites with its impressive win over South Morang. The Eagles’ running game is supreme and I think with the addition of Bailey Robinson, it makes an imposing midfield even tougher to beat. First hand, I got to see a refreshed Taidhg Bland not have to worry as much about a hard tag, Tom Falls is going to be good once again.
The kids are alright. Caden Allen kicked five – I’m impressed with what kind of footballer he might become.
South Morang had moments, and no doubt they will adjust as they have a lot of newer players coming in, plus a new coach in Matthew Penn.
They do have arguably one of the two best forwards in the competition in Joshua Lansfield – Macleod’s Darcy Barden is the other – so supply and demand will be better as the season goes on for the Lions’ spearhead.
There were two eight-point wins on the weekend – both of which shaped my expectations a little bit.
St Mary’s beating Macleod was noteworthy. What a great initiative by both teams to play for the Autism Awareness Cup – to raise $3000 was an excellent achievement.
I wasn’t sure what to make of the Burra after last season, but they are in the frame – Macleod maybe not so much now, but we’ll see how they do this week at home against Whittlesea. They will surely not want to start 0-2.
Northcote Park and Fitzroy Stars was an unbelievably fast-paced game, and it was just so exciting to see how both teams moved the footy.
I almost took the best local footy photo of the year in round one, but unfortunately, Fitzroy Stars’ Patrick Farrant dropped this attempt…
Either way, both the Cougars and Stars are in the frame. How you can fit eight good teams into five, I don’t know. I think the Cougars make it (they can finish top three in my opinion), the Stars just miss out, but an excellent return to division 2 regardless.
Another team in my reckoning is Old Paradians. What an impressive win first up against Lower Plenty. They did the hard work staying up, recruited well over summer, and they’re good enough to play finals.
Thomastown and Panton Hill are expected to fight for relegation, but we will learn more about both clubs this week. In the meantime, the Bears took a big win to start the season. Panton Hill are a different prospect at their home deck, and it will be interesting against the fast-moving Northcote Park.
SURPRISING DIVISION 1 SEASON START
What a weekend. I don’t think anyone expected a few of the results to go the way they did.
Of no surprise is Heidelberg flexing its muscle. They’re still the best team in it. North Heidelberg fought very hard on the weekend, and it was only 15 points in it midway through the third, but from there it was 10 goals to one. Clinical.
Everything else is a lotto. Did anyone expect Diamond Creek to take two points away from Montmorency? I certainly didn’t. I had Montmorency as my best challenger to Heidelberg. But now, who knows? Diamond Creek should have won that game. They had Monty on the ropes for a lot of it but kicked 4.13.
This was also against a team which boasts Kamdyn McIntosh, he of ex-Richmond fame, for the first time.
Confusing matters even further was West Preston keeping up with Hurstbridge.
The Bridges got the job done by five goals, but many expect Darren Bewick’s side to struggle greatly this year. Jaylon Thorpe was a nice late inclusion for the Roosters, who is probably battling to stay alive in the top division, as they have done for 30 years.
Bundoora need to win tight games after losing so many last year and finally got one to go its way against Banyule, winning by a point.
