While West Coast FC and North Melbourne FC played what many referred to as the Harley Reid Cup on Sunday, the prospective number 1 pick in this year's AFL draft spent his Saturday running around the Echuca South Recreation Reserve.
Reid took the field for his home club Tongala FNC as they faced off against Murray FNL rival Echuca United FNC. After a solid display which included 30 disposals and 3 goals, Reid was named Tongala’s best player, helping his home side to a convincing 45 point win, 13.10 88 to 6.7 43.
Next weekend two leagues will enter their 2023 final series with semi final action taking place in both the Omeo & District FNL and the Upper Murray FNL. Cudgewa FNC look unbackable to take home the Upper Murray FNL flag and break a 7 year drought ending the regular season undefeated and 6 games clear on top. Across in the Omeo and District FNL it looks a lot harder to predict the premiership favourite with Swifts Creek FNC finishing on top only separated by percentage to second placed Omeo Benambra FNC. Each side also defeated each other during the regular season.
It took a while and after coming close with a draw earlier in the season, the Waubra FNC won their first game for the season with a 14 point win over Ballan FNC in their Central Highlands FNL match. This weekend also saw fellow Central Highlands FNL club Bungaree FNC suffer their first loss going down 3rd placed Gordon FNC by 38 points. Another club losing for the first time for the year was Diggers Rest FNC from the Riddell and District FNL who had a 45 point loss to Riddell FNC.
Across the state there were big scores a plenty with this weekend having the highest average winning margin across all games, cumulatively of 67 points. Five leagues had average winning margins of over 100 points. The biggest was in the Millewa FNL (156 pts), followed by the Tallangatta & District FNL (145 pts), Ovens & King FNL (131 pts), Omeo & District FNL (115 pts) and the Maryborough Castlemaine District FNL (102 pts). Just under the 100 point winning margin was the Ballarat FNL who had a 99 point winning average this round as well.
The big scores may have been connected to another big weekend in front of the big sticks by forwards right across the state, where 16 players kicked bags of 10+ goals. None were bigger or more impressive than the haul of 24 by Buchan FNC’s Reagan Kyle in his side's 255 point demolition of a depleted Swan Reach FNC in the Omeo & District FNL. This makes it the largest individual tally of goals for the season so far. Next best for the weekend was a bag of 14 by SMW Rovers FNC’s Jake Carr and two bags of 13, one by Maldon FNC’s Brodie Leonard-Shannon and the other from former Richmond and Hawthorn FC player Tyrone Vickery, who was playing his third game for Coleraine FNC in the South West District FNL.
While another 16 players reached the 50 goal milestone for the season after this week's round of games, the race to be the first to kick 100 is well and truly going to be in play this coming weekend. Last weekend Alvie FNC forward Dominic Dare only needed 4 goals to be the first to 100 in the state, and after coming off a bag of 18 last week, this seemed assured. Falling agonisingly short, Dare could only manage 3 goals to draw level with Marong FNC’s Brandyn Grenfell, who was stuck on 99 for the weekend while his club had a bye in the Loddon Valley FNL. Sitting in third place behind Dare and Grenfell on 96 goals, is Mitta United FNC’s Ethan Redcliffe. Incredibly this time next week we could be celebrating 3 players all bringing up the magical 100 goal milestone.
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Image from Tongala FNC Facebook.
