Round 2

Rovers record their first win against Wang at Norm Minns in 12 years.

Keeping the flag fancies goalless in the first term and holding on with elite pressure all evening (resulting in 8.10 from turnover), they’ll be happy their own first term inaccuracy didn’t cost them in the end, with 3.6 letting the Maggies off the hook.

Having been freed up by the arrival of his carbon copy Kieren Parnell, Sam Murray’s move into the midfield coupling with Lachie O’Brien straight from the AFL was impressive, and Will Christie seems at home shouldering the burden of the go-to big man.

They’ll be hungry for a solid percentage boost this weekend at home to Corowa-Rutherglen.

Tim Oosterhoof slots 4 but misses 2 sitters in front of goal, costing Lavi another narrow loss to the Raiders. Billy Glanville massive for Lavi with 39 touches, 19 contested & 11 clearances, while Cam Ellis-Yolmen did his thing with 35 touches, 17 contested & 2 goals.

The Roos picked up where they left off as ruthless Tiges return to their brutal best in a rude welcome back to footy at John Foord. Lachie Tiziani & Jacob Conlan bobbed up with 4 goals apiece, being well fed by Jeff Garlett, Jay Hillary & Kolby Hiener-Hennessy. Corowa appear to have some serviceable players with their boys from Karingal in Connor Leslie, Scott Jansen & Darcy Hope’s coupling with Sam Dunstan, and young Tom Forrest looks a likely sort, but the gulf was too big.

Yarra opened the flood gates after halftime, having also been held goalless in the opening term, to blow Wodonga out of the water with 8.5 to 0.3 in the 3rd term. Michael Gibbons (hammy) & Leigh Masters (knee complaint) looking at a few weeks each with their respective niggles, while Charlie Morrison held Leigh Williams goalless. Wodonga finished with a miserly total of 38 points from 18 scoring shots.

North worked themselves back for the W after getting jumped by the Saints, who opened with the first 4 goals of the game. North coach Tim Broomhead had 40 touches & 9 tackles, while the Saints Josh Minogue & Ben Fulford combined for 7 goals between them.

6 players open the season with 4 majors, but Raiders Tom Bracher’s move forward sits him atop with 5.

🎧️ O&M Live - Round 1

Gus MacLeod and Blake Panda Escott review the opening round of the SS&A Ovens and Murray!

The long wait continues for the Hume. None-the-less, still plenty happening.

Backtracking on last week, apparently there’s another way (bar boxing on with your players) to get the arse on the eve of the season.

Surely it was only a matter of time before the committee at Brock-Burrum made the call to part ways with now former coach Brendan Roberson. When you bring an Olympic grade trampoline to training, have players practicing marking with wool bags and employ some mob from Melbourne to record games with nifty sounding AI cameras, that time has to come.

Not saying it impacted their departures or ability to attract talent, but…It probably did.

Sometimes, there’s just no room in this modern world for an old bloke and his eccentric ideas.

The departure of dual Azzi and ever reliable big man Peter Hancock has left Howlong searching for a replacement, which’ll be easier said than done after failing to lure Tim Hanna to the Spider’s web. But import Isaac Bunge from the NSW Central Coast looks a likely sort to chop out Marcus Reid, who was solid when filling in last year and will be looking to make the spot his own. Jarred Lane could also pinch hit if desperately needed, but one hears he’s hoping to take the veterans approach to sit forward and bag a few lazy snags.

Another team with a tough draw, the Spiders will need to be at their best in the jostle for another finals birth.

Lockhart are looking to build on last year’s hard work of pulling the club from the brink of folding. Having come from zero wins in ‘22, the Dees found themselves out of luck late in season ‘23 owing to injuries and unavailability. Boasting the reigning Azzi Medallist in Abe Wooden and Coach of the Year, Tom Keogh, Lockhart have set their sights on cracking the top 6 after keeping their losses to a minimum and enticing the return of Jordy Harrington (playing assistant) after an impressive stint with DMB.

With a far friendlier draw than other contenders, it might be a possibility. But those same contenders have onboarded multiple serious players, whereas it’s been reasonably quiet by comparison out north. Which begs the question, are they up to it?

🎧️ Highway to Hume 

Robbie Mackinlay takes a look ahead to the season opener alongside Mark Beale, with Holbrook’s Josh Jones in the Coaches Corner and Georgia Smith talking all things Hume Football Netball League.

Round 1 continues in the TDFL after a lacklustre Good Friday opener at Wahgunyah.

It smells like another long season down at the Lion’s Den, after a 98-point drubbing at the hands of Rutherglen.

The late call up of Damian Cupido was never going to influence the result, but judging by the limited game time, his influence is probably best measured in dollars per minute.

You’ve got to be worried when a premier backman in DVB rolls forward to put 3 sausage rolls on the board, and 6 other teammates bob up with multiple.

Beechworth face the tough assignment of taking on an arguably stronger Chiltern outfit that has taken out the last 2 flags. Whilst they still boast the reigning Barton Medallist Cam Fendyk & one of the comp’s better tall forwards in Lachie Armstrong, they’ve seen more retirements than is ideal. It’ll be a tough ask as Chiltern chase down their chance at a 3-peat.

Mitta will look to take advantage of Barny’s disastrous past fortnight when they open their campaign. Sacking the coach on the eve of the season is far from ideal, couple that with the huge loss in experience of McNeill, Woodall & Star and things are not too bright down at Tigerland.

Jarrod Hodgkin will be licking his lips to reunite with old Raider’s teammate Shane Munro, but the Mountain Men’s departures also leave questions over their season ahead.

Tallangatta face off with DMB, who have been dealt some stinging blows over the off season with the departures of premier midfielder and assistant coach Jordy Harrington, gun defender/skipper Josh Cable & dangerous forward Cody Hewat’s 49 goal season.

The Bughouse has kept their list together well, added depth to a stingy defence and a revamped forward line, they’ll be looking to open with a win.

Thurgoona have had one of the league’s most impressive recruiting sprees, as they look to return as a finals force. Incoming coach Dan McAlister knows what success looks like and can book this weekend in against perennial whipping boys Wodonga Saints, before setting the Dogs for fellow improvers Rutherglen, then big tests in Yak & Chiltern.

Saving the best for last, last year’s top 2 of the home & away go head-to-head on Saturday under lights at Coulston Park. KSC handed Yak their only loss of last season, with their only other slip up a draw vs Chiltern.

Yak have lost Barton Medallist Lee Dale to up north, but with the class of skipper Ben McIntosh & Zack Leitch, a rock-solid backline & imports Mitch Exton & Bailey Annett to draw some attention away from Nick Donaghey, the Roos look primed.

KSC have added to arguably the best list in the league, with the Raiders Alex Daly slipping into the certainly the league’s best defence, while appointing their 2015 tormentor Zac Fulford as coach will add the sort of nouse that takes a team to the promised land.

This one shapes as a genuine cracker, and it’ll take a brave punter to try split the two.

Milawa escaped an early scare to shake their hoodoo at Whitfield, having been jumped by the opening 4 goals to King Valley.

Lead by Braydon Kerns, Aiden Bihun and Michael Batey, the Dees fought back in the 2nd, before a tussle in the 3rd and finally breaking the Roos back in the last to get away with a 7-point win.

It may well have been a greater margin if not for inaccurate goalkicking, with Milawa recording 9.16 for +7 in scoring shots.

They face a genuine test of their credentials this weekend, coming up against a Bright outfit that dismantled Tarra by 182 points.

No great surprise in any of the other results, but some big hauls as would be expected.

Last year’s leading goalkicker, Bright’s Cooper Thompson heads the pack with a bag of 10, followed by Doon’s James Law on 8 and ex-Panther turned Blue, Cody Crawford with 7.

Sad to see the All Blacks failing to field magoos after reaching last year’s Granny. A sorry state of affairs at Benalla following their ‘22 senior triumph.

Whorouly & North Wang will be hoping to open their seasons with a win this weekend against Benalla & Moyhu respectively, where Goorambat start off with a much tougher assignment away at Greta.