Round three of the Kowree Naracoorte/Tatiara season was played on the weekend, and across the board, the games were played in the spirit of the ANZACS, as most matches were hard fought and great contests.
The round kicked off on Friday, where traditional rivals Naracoorte and Kybybolite faced each other in their annual ANZAC Day game. The Tigers, as expected, had a solid win over the rebuilding Demons team. The Tigers won by 80 points, but the Demons worked hard all game. Naracoorte could have kicked more goals, but only put through a wayward 2 goals, 11 behinds from their entries inside the forward fifty. Kybybolite kicked 15 goals, 13 behinds in the win. A big positive for Naracoorte was that they held Kybybolite to 103 points in the game. In last year’s two meetings between the two teams, the Tigers scored over 200 points. The Tigers shared the goals around in the victory, with Oscar Clark being the leading goal kicker with three goals. The best players for Kybybolite were Liam Hoy, George Malone and Callum Masters. Naracoorte’s wayward shots towards goal had them end up with two goal kickers, as Matthew Maney and Alex Ridding were the only ones who were able to put through kicks through the big middle sticks. Naracoorte’s best players were Nicholas Lacey, Blake East and Jack Edmonds.
Lucindale shrugged off a persistent Padthaway in a close contest to record a victory over the Lions by 22 points. The Roos couldn’t kick straight in front of the goals for the majority of the game, but found enough shots to get the victory in the end. Lucindale kicked 11-20 in a wayward offensive display despite the victory. Ryan Kemp kicked five goals in the victory for Lucindale. Harry Hogan, Ryan Kemp and Anthony McCarthy were Lucindale’s best players for the game. Troy Menzel led Padthaway’s goal kickers list with four goals. Troy seems to be adapting to the league better with every game he plays. The Lions’ best players were Riley Faehrmann, Willo Brown and Nathan Jones. Riley, in particular, has started the season in red-hot form for his new club.
Mundulla won a close contest against its arch rival, Bordertown, at Bordertown last Saturday. The Tigers put in a strong performance to withstand the Roosters’ attacks throughout the game and eventually pulled out the victory. Mundulla’s Jack Guy kicked four goals in the victory. Darcy King kicked three to also be an important factor in Mundulla’s victory. The Tigers’ best players were Jacob Pedler, Nathan Studham and Dylan Mosey. Billy Hayes put in a masterclass for Bordertown in front of the goals by kicking seven majors. Billy tried his hardest to keep the home team close all game. Coach Thomas Whittlesea helped out with two majors during the game. The Roosters were best served by Billy Hayes, Sebastian Trenorden, and Thomas Worthley, who led their best players list.
Kingston continued their strong start to the season as they improved their record to 3-0 after they won a tough encounter with Border Districts at Apsley. The Saints won by 19 points despite wasting chances in front of the goals during the afternoon. The Eagles pushed the Saints all the way and made it hard for the visitors to gain the four points. Kingston’s James Siviour enjoyed another strong performance in front of the goals for the Saints with four goals. Ben Warner was the only other Saints player able to kick multiple goals as he put through two straight kicks during the game. The Saints’ best players were Thomas Rogers, William Watts and Jack Tapfield.
Round Four in the league this weekend has many interesting contests again.
The Match Of The Round will be the Mundulla vs Border Districts contest. In the past two years, these two teams have had some great contests. These are the last two KNTFL premiership clubs, and on Saturday, it looks like this contest will be another close encounter. Mundulla are undefeated so far in 2025 despite missing some key players. The Tigers have been able to find ways to get wins in close contests in their past two games and would be hoping they get some players back soon to help the premiership defence. Mundulla premiership players such as Nick Mosey, Tom Gaden, Reagan Tink and James Hinge haven’t pulled on the Tiger outfit yet in 2025. That is an impressive list of four players to come back into any team. Mundulla will be hoping they can get a few more victories on the board before those players are back in the lineup. Border Districts opening to the season has been a positive one. The Eagles have added some recruits, and it takes time for any recruit to be comfortable with a new team. Eagles star Zac Richards has started the season in great form again after winning the past two league medals. Zac’s brother Joshua has also begun the season with lots of great form. The Eagles are getting lots of help from ball winners Josh Cother, Fraser Adams and Mark Quinn to help set up chances to get victories. Joshua Mothersole has fitted in the side great in the ruck and gives the Eagles a different look at that position. The Tigers will be the favourites at home, but the Eagles have a good chance of getting the victory.
Lucindale are at home to Bordertown, and The Roos would be confident that they are finding their way into the season after two strong victories. Ryan Kemp has been a great recruit so far. The Roos would be happy with Kemp’s 14 goals so far this season. Tom Logan and William Gould have both been good as well in front of the goals as the Roos look to get multiple avenues to the goals each week. Henry Gould, Harry Hogan and Anthony McCarthy have been consistent performers in Lucindale’s three games so far. The Roosters will be keen on shutting down Lucindale’s prime movers. The Roosters also need to find more ways to score, as having Billy Hayes kicking seven goals and being the only multiple goal kicker won’t win you many games. I’m sure Bordertown coach Tom Whittlesea knows this and will be thinking up ways to get an even spread to give the Roosters a chance of victory. Bordertown have been getting some great football from the likes of Sebastian Trenordan, Ben Jarrett, Billy Hayes, and Joshua Dodd. They will need to continue their good form across the four quarters to take it up to the Roos on their home ground. Lucindale looks set to chalk up another victory at home. I feel the Roosters will make them fight for it before the Roos’ stronger depth gets them across the line in a close game.
Kybybolite head into their clash against Padthaway full of confidence that they can add another victory to their start to the season. The Tigers have been dominant in their two games so far and look to claim another scalp on Saturday. The recruiting looks good at Kybybolite with Billy Stretch and Liam Hoy looking like they were great additions to the team. Add those two players to a team that already contained great players such as Billy Laurie, Stephen Craig, and Jared Deep and suddenly the off-season losses don’t look as bad with the replacements. The Lions will have to be at their best to try and get the victory. Troy Menzel is finding form, and Riley Faehrmann has been a great addition to the team. Lions players such as Tobin Cox, Brad Ficken and Danny Juckers have to find their scoring touch to help Padthaway stay in contact with the Tigers. Padthaway’s last two games have been close contests without getting the victory. The Lions will need a four-quarter effort if they are to upset Kybybolite. The Tigers should get the victory after pulling away late against the competitive Lions team.
Keith will be fresh and raring to go this Saturday when they face Naracoorte at home. The Crows will have had three weeks off due to the bye last weekend and the Easter weekend by the time the ball is bounced on Saturday. The Crows will be keen to get back to some strong form again after they faced a red-hot Kybybolite team in their last game. The Crows have been missing some key players early in the season, with the likes of George Johnson and Jacob Graetz yet to play in a game this season. The Crows should have too many ways to score against the young Demons. I expect Naracoorte to put up a fight throughout the game as they have won at least one quarter in two out of their three games so far in 2025. The Demons have got great service from the likes of Lucas Leehane, Nicholas Lacey, Taylor Lawrie, Jack Edmonds and Zach Boston so far in the season. Matthew Maney and Aaron Slorach have given the Demons a target to aim for near the goals. Veteran Matt Willson adds much-needed leadership to the team as they rebuild. The Crows will be keen on a percentage-boosting victory and will most likely get it.
Photo provided by https://www.acecootephotography.com