The Kowree Naracoorte-Tatiara Football League kicked off its 2025 season last Saturday with four competitive contests throughout the day.
The match of the round was a replay of last year’s elimination final between Bordertown and Border Districts, and the game lived up to the hype. The Eagles had the better of the first half as they built up a 17-point halftime lead. The Roosters responded in the second half and pushed the Eagles all the way. Border Districts held their nerve and recorded a five-point victory to get across the line with a valuable win on the road. Samuel Smith kicked three goals in the victory to lead the way in scoring for Border Districts. Smith was helped out by teammates Mark Quinn and Joshua Richards, who kicked two goals each in the victory. The Eagles’ best players were Joshua Richards, Josh Cother and Zac Richards. Billy Hayes was the main threat in scoring for the Roosters as he kicked three goals. Bordertown’s best players were Sebastian Trenorden, Thomas Worthley and Campbell Will.
Keith had a hard-fought win against Lucindale, recording an eleven-point victory. The Game was close at each change and went down to the wire, where the home side found enough to get the season off to a winning start. Ben Simounds and Riley Wilsdon were stars in front of the goals for Keith, with three goals each. The Crows had many contributors to the victory, but Billy Wade, Seb Schreiber and Jordy Hall were judged to be the best three. Lucindale fought hard all game and had success in front of the goals as they got three goals from Tom Logan and two from Tom Fisher in fighting efforts. The Roos’ best players were Tom Fisher, Riley Mcfarlane and Anthony McCarthy.
Mundulla started their title defence with a strong 67-point win against Naracoorte. The Tigers kicked seven goals to nil in the first quarter to set up a foundation for the victory. Naracoorte regrouped and showed some fight in the second quarter and were able to win the quarter by five points. The Tigers were in control of the second half to run out winners and get their season off and running. Mundulla’s Billy Wiese had a field day in front of the goals by slotting six majors. Jacob Pedlar and Nathan Studham each helped out with three goals each in the victory. The best players for Mundulla were Dylan Mosey, Billy Wiese and Elliot Jaeschke. Naracoorte look like they will be far more competitive than last year, and to be able to win a quarter against the reigning premiers is a big bonus. Matthew Maney put in a good performance with three goals to lead the Demons’ scoring. Naracoorte’s best players were Jack duRand, Matthew Maney and Matt Willson.
Kingston kick-started their season with a strong performance against Padthaway. The Saints and the Lions both had plenty of the football in the first quarter but were separated by Kingston’s accuracy in front of the goal. The Saints opened the game up in the second quarter with a six goal to one effort that put the visitors up by 47 points at half time. Kingston continued to work hard in the second half to grind out a 64-point victory. The Saints had some great contributors in front of the goals, with Todd Lockwood and James Siviour kicking four goals each. Coach Alex Barns put through three goals in a great first game for the Saints. Mackenzie Slee, Alex Barns and Ben Kennedy were great for the Saints during the victory. The Lions found it tough to kick straight when they had chances to score. Tobin Cox was the only Lion to be able to kick multiples, with three goals for the afternoon. The Lions’ best players were Riley Faehrmann, Jordan Hooper and Tom Moyle-Read.
Round two this weekend in the Kowree Naracoorte/Tatiara sees Kybybolite kick off its campaign to try and get back to the grand final again. The Tigers have seen some changes in their lineup in the offseason. Local star players Jack Trengove and Andrew Bradley have departed the club. The club will be looking to Ex-AFL player Billy Stretch and William Limbert to come in and make an impact in covering the losses. The Tigers face a tough task first up, with Keith being the opposition. The Tigers and Crows had some great battles last season. This one shapes up to be another great contest. The Crows coach, Lewis Hender, would have been pleased to have got a win in round one in a close contest. I think Keith will be the slight favourite as the Tigers might be a bit rusty first up. The Crows by a couple of goals.
Kingston hosts Bordertown, and the Saints couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season. Winning on the road is always tough, and the Saints put in a solid performance first up. The Saints have recruited strongly in the offseason, and it has made the list deep. Signing former North Adelaide star Alex Barns as the 2025 Kingston coach has allowed James Siviour to play the majority of the game in the forward fifty. Barns put in a strong showing in the ruck in the first game of the season. The Saints’ other big signings in Harry Tunkin and Ben Kennedy slotted in nicely into the Saints midfield.
Bordertown didn’t do much wrong in their contest against the Eagles. The Roosters will be hoping that if the contest is close with Kingston, they kick straighter in the fourth quarter than against the Eagles. Josh Dodd had a good debut for the Roosters, while Billy Hayes continues to play consistent football whenever he pulls on the Roosters outfit. Both teams will still be a bit rusty and ironing out a few kinks, and both should be optimistic that they will be better in the second week. The Saints were impressive last weekend when they got their running game going and will start as favourites at home.
Mundulla will play their first home game of the season when they welcome Padthaway to Mundulla on Saturday. The Tigers will be keen to put on a show at home and put away another four points. The Lions look to bounce back and try and find some more cohesion as their recruits look to gel. Padthaway looked good at times against the Saints but couldn’t maintain the pressure and form for four quarters. When they had the majority of the play, they didn’t kick goals, and they can’t afford to do that against the better teams. Troy Menzel was quiet in his first game for the Lions, but you would expect he would be keen to bounce back this week. Tobin Cox, Brad Ficken and Menzel need to be at their peak if they are to trouble Mundulla. The Tigers have stars everywhere, and they are led by Jake McGrice, Dylan Mosey and Nick Mosey in the midfield. Jacob Pedlar was impressive in his Tigers debut as he kicked three goals. The Tigers at home should be too strong for the Lions.
Lucindale will host rival Naracoorte in a game that should be a good battle. The Demons put on an improved showing from last year against Mundulla after a slow start, The Demons held Mundulla to eight goals after quarter time while they kicked six. The Demons are a young team, and a small win like holding the Tigers to eight second-half goals, would be pleasing for coach Sam Logan. Matthew Maney, Kai Schmid, Riley McMullan and Lucas Leehane are a part of the bright future for the team. Veterans Matt Willson and Nic Lacey will look to use all their experience to try and guide the young team in getting better and closer to a win. Lucindale had an impressive first week as they took it up to Keith. The Roos had troubles keeping their best team on the park last season and will be hoping they have better luck this year. Tom Logan keeps on providing great service for the Roos. The ex-AFL star kicked three goals in round one, and the 39-year-old keeps putting in quality performances when he can play. The Roos have many quality players. Tom Fisher, Riley McFarlane and Henry Gould are standouts that the Demons have to stop to have any chance of victory. The Roos will go in as favourites and will be confident they can get the victory at home. The Demons need to start strong and stay with the Roos from the start to have a chance of victory. Lucindale should be too classy and strong at home.
Photo provided by https://www.acecootephotography.com/