Kingston remains the only unbeaten team in the Kowree Naracoorte/Tatiara Football League after defeating Kybybolite in round 7.
Kingston started the game strong and had a 19-point lead at halftime. The Saints should have been further ahead, but didn’t use the ball as well as they could have. The Saints proved far too strong in the second half as they ran away and recorded a 62-point victory. The victory was soured by a potential season-ending injury to James Siviour. James injured his lower leg when going for the ball during the game. Hagan Wright led the leading scorers for Kingston with three goals for the victors. Kingston’s Alex Barns, Ben Kennedy, Thomas Matsouliadis and Todd Lockwood each kicked two goals to help get the Saints over the line. Kingston’s best players were Ben Kennedy, Campbell Watts and Orestis Gambranis. Kybybolite managed four goals during the game, and all were single-goal kickers in Ben Phelan, William Shepherd, Billy Stretch and Thomas Taheny. The Tigers’ best players were Callum Masters, Billy Stretch and Jamie Bettoncelli.
Keith recorded their fourth straight victory after they defeated Border Districts by 74 points. The Crows are getting on a roll now and playing some great high-scoring football. Crow’s gun forward Ben Simounds led the scoring with seven goals to take his season total to 34. Riley Wilsdon was also prominent in the victory with four goals. Will Schreiber, Riley Wilsdon and Ben Simounds led the Crows’ best players list. Border Districts found it hard to get multiple goal kickers, with Joshua Mothersole the only player able to kick two goals. The Eagles’ best players were Joshua Richards, Fraser Adams and Dylan Auciello.
Lucindale overcame inaccurate kicking to post a strong victory on the road against Mundulla. The Tigers started the game well and held a 16-point quarter-time lead. Lucindale fought their way back into the game over the next three quarters to record an 18-point victory. William Gould and Henry Tregoweth fired for the Roos with three goals each in the victory. Lachie Jones, Tom Fisher and Slade Laubsch were Lucindale’s best players and important contributors to the victory. Mundulla’s leading goal kicker was Billy Wiese with three goals. Darcy King tried his hardest to get the Tigers over the line with two goals. The Tigers’ best players were Elliot Jaeschke, Nathan Studham and Daniel Noll.
Bordertown recorded their first win of the season when they defeated Naracoorte by 80 points on Saturday. The Roosters have had a few chances to get a victory this season with some close losses, but on Saturday, it clicked, and they had a strong victory. Sebastian Trenordan and Thomas Worthley stood out in the victory with four goals each. Troy Blackwell, Thomas Worthley and Joshua Dodd led Bordertown’s victory charge by being named as the best players. The Demons didn’t have many goal kickers, but Alex Ridding kicked two goals. Naracoorte’s best players were Nicholas Lacey, Ryan Zerk and Xavier Mitchell.
Round Eight in the KNTFL this weekend, and as the ladder starts to separate the finals contenders from the non-finals contenders, every game becomes important to each club’s chances of making the major round.
The game of the round this weekend is between Mundulla (5th) vs Keith (2nd). What a history these two clubs have had of playing in big finals games against each other in the past 4 years. Mundulla has been trying to get their best team on the ground, but has done a good job of staying in contention while they wait for troops to be back. Nathan Studham, Daniel Noll and Darcy King have been consistent performers to start the year for the Tigers. Billy Wiese has been putting through goals and being a constant threat for Mundulla in the forward line. The Tigers will have to be at their best to stop a rampaging Keith team that is flying. Ben Simounds has been kicking bags of goals for the Crows in the first half of the season. Riley Wilsdon, Alex Schiller and Lewis Hender are others that you have to plan for when thinking defensive setups. Aaron Young and Cameron Craig have added SANFL experience to the team, and the Crows get great service from them. Crows’ brothers Will and Seb Schreiber always work hard and provide run and carry for the team, and add more versatility to the side. Even though this game is at Mundulla, and it is always hard for a visiting team to get the win there, I would expect Keith to continue their winning ways and score a solid victory.
Lucindale (3rd) vs Kybybolite (4th) shapes up as a cracking contest. Both teams have been consistently putting up good performances and getting wins to start the season. The Roos’ only losses have been close to Keith and Kingston. Kybybolite had their first loss of the season against Kingston on Saturday. The Tigers would be hoping to have a near full team available as the Roos are looking very strong across the board. Billy Stretch has added class to the Tigers team in his first season. William Shepherd and Thomas Taheny have been trying to hold down the scoring load for the Tigers until they can get Stephen Craig and Charlie Hillier back into the team. Jared Deep will also be a welcome addition back into the lineup for Kybybolite. Billy Laurie is another Tiger who didn’t play on Saturday, and everyone knows how dangerous he is in the forward line. On the other side of things, Lucindale would be happy with their recruits, as Ryan Kemp and Harry Hogan have slotted into the lineup nicely. Henry Gould, Lachie Jones, Alexander Pitt and Jack Yates have been other players who have been important to Lucindale’s strong start to the season. This game looks like a great contest and is likely to be a close result. Lucindale looks like the favourite at the moment as they might have the more settled team on Saturday.
Border Districts (6th) vs Padthaway (8th) is a must-win for both teams as a loss would put both teams too far behind the top five, even at this early stage of the season. Both teams have poor percentages, and that is the same as trying to have to make up an extra game just to have a shot at a second-half of the season run. Joshua Richards, Grant Cother, Fraser Adams and Chase Bower have started 2025 in good form for the Eagles. Samuel Smith and Joshua Richards have tried to keep the scoreboard ticking over in games by providing good focal points. Mark Quinn is a proven match-winner, and the Eagles will have to stop him if they are to have any chance of victory. The team the Eagles face, the Lions, are coming off a victory and will be full of confidence. Troy Menzel has found form after round one, as he has kicked 13 goals in his past three games. Tobin Cox, next to him, forms a deadly duo capable of kicking nine or ten goals between them and taking this game away from the Eagles in a hurry. Riley Faehrmann, Job Colwell and Brad Ficken have been getting better as the season has gone along. This contest on paper looks like it will be a hard close game. The Eagles play well at home and will be expected to win, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Padthaway get the win.
Kingston (1st) vs Naracoorte (10th). Kingston will win. The question is, what will the margin be? The loss of James Siviour might hurt the Saints’ scoring power in the long run, but it shouldn’t be a problem in this game. Kingston’s Todd Lockwood, Alex Barns, Jack Harding or Tyler Baker could kick a bag of goals this week coming out of the square. The Saints will be force-feeding the forwards with their midfield. The Saints have a lot of midfield options to get the ball forward and will set up lots of scoring chances. Naracoorte will have a hard time scoring as Kingston has the best defence in the league to date. The Demons will look to be competitive. The loss of Matt Willson for the season was a huge blow to the Demons’ experienced ranks. The Demons have had some consistent performers in Lucas Leehane, Nicolas Lacey, Taylor Lawrie and Blake East. Matthew Maney has been a good target in the forward line with 11 goals so far for the Demons. Aaron Slorach and Alex Ridding have also tried their best to hit the scoreboard for the Demons. The Demons just have to keep fighting and building, and it will turn around, just won’t happen this week. Kingston by a big margin.
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