TONGALA's Northern Territory star Cam Ilett will certainly be in the right frame of mind when he lines up for the opening round of the Murray Football League against reigning premier Nathalia at Nathalia this Friday.
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Ilett’s club Nightcliff won a sensational Northern Territory Football League grand final against St Mary’s recently to notch its third successive premiership.
The game went into extra time after scores were locked at the final siren following Nightcliff’s late comeback from 19 points down.
It was a staggering eighth senior premiership in the competition savored by Ilett who was also involved in a three-peat of flag wins with St Marys from 2013-16.
Veteran football writer at the Northern Territory News Grey Morris has long viewed Ilett as a human-shaped blind-spot to many a short-sighted AFL recruiter.
“I continue to scratch my head on why an AFL club never picked him up a dozen years ago,” Morris said.
‘‘He is the most composed footballer I have seen in almost 30 years of writing on the Top End game.’’
Ilett’s Tongala teammate Jack Hammond was also in the winning side alongside Picola’s Tom Boyd and former Shepparton United players Daniel Bowles and Brodie Filou.
Former Tatura and Goulburn Valley League ruckman Brandyn Grenfell was in the St Mary’s side.
Redbacks dominate cricket comps
●Kyabram cricketers have done their bit to uphold Kyabram’s reputation as the sporting capital of Victoria’s smaller country towns.
When Kyabram Cricket Club’s B grade side claimed the flag in Cricket Shepparton on Saturday, it became the second flag the club has won this season and the fifth cricket flag to end up back in Kyabram for the season.
Kyabram Cricket Club’s D grade side won the flag the previous week while the Kyabram Fire Cricket Club recently claimed three of the four premierships in the Goulburn Murray Cricket Association, including the A grade flag.
National titles on the Murray
●Swan Hill Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club will stage the National Seniors Tennis Championships in January next year.
It comes as a consolation for having its popular Country Week tournament cancelled in January at the last minute when a five-day COVID-19 lockdown was ordered by the State Government.
Shepparton is hosting Country Week in early 2022.
Top recruit debuts for Magpies
●Kyabram premiership footballer Sam Sheldon made his debut for Moama in its Murray League opening round clash last Saturday.
But another of Moama’s Kyabram recruits Josh Pell missed the game against Deniliquin through injury.
My spies tell me Sam played a serviceable game on the ball and up forward but like many of his new teammates faded in the second half and were overrun by their Deniliquin Ram rivals.
It was a one-off game to start the Murray League season which officially kicks of this Easter weekend.
Newman third in vote count
●Kyabram Cricket Club’s Paul Newman has finished third in Cricket Shepparton’s Haisman Shield Lightfoot Medal for the best performed player of the 2020-21 season.
The master batsman finished with 12 votes behind Numurkah’s South African import Michael Eckard with 16 votes and last year’s winner, Northerners Joel Brett, with 15 votes.
Eckard joins Mark Brown (2012-3) and Liam Gledhill (2017-18) as the only other Numurkah players to win the top award.
Newman also made the association’s Team of the Year.
Kyabram’s D grade premiership player Matt McDonald also scooped some association awards, claiming the Steve Winnett Medal for the best and fairest player of the year, the bowling average and missing by just nine runs to claim the batting aggregate.
Kyabram’s Barry Parson was also an award winner, taking the Jim Evans most improved umpire accolade.
Great goal - for the other side
●Up at Blighty they are still talking about Jack Bunnett's barnstorming goal in a recent practice match.
The defender snatched the ball at a centre bounce, charged to the 50-metre mark and let go with a deadly kick which split the goals.
Confused when no teammates arrived to congratulate him the penny dropped - he had run the wrong way and the goal he had kicked ended up being listed as a behind for the opposition!
Still a good effort, Jack.
Highway of near misses
●Sporting teams from towns on the Cobb Highway in NSW north of Moama had experiences they would rather forget in their recent season-deciders.
Mathoura Bowls Club qualified five teams for premiership showdowns in the Campaspe Valley Bowls Association - and they all had to be content to be runners-up.
Further up the highway at Deniliquin it didn’t get any better.
The local Deni Rhinos Cricket Club went through the season in Murray Valley Cricket Association’s A grade competition undefeated till the decider when beaten by Cobram.
Tiger star zooms in on country champ
●Legendary Benalla footballer John ‘Shorty’ Martiniello got a surprise Zoom call last week.
The call was from Richmond Football Club great Jack Reiwoldt, and was made as part of the Tigers Community Series with John taking the call on behalf of the Martiniello family for its contribution to both football and netball.
Martiniello, who is a Richmond supporter, is the best ‘oldest’ footballer I have seen play in the Goulburn Valley League.
He played 316 games for Benalla, won the club’s best and fairest award six times and was inducted into the Ovens and Murray League Hall of Fame in which Benalla played before switching to the GVL.
Both his sons James and Will have been club stalwarts for Benalla.
Shorty had had a big health scare a few years ago when goal umpiring for the Saints in a game at Rochester when only the quick action from a Rochester official familiar with using a defibrillator saved his life.
Reserves medal honours Fleming
●Deni Rovers and Picola Football and Netball League stalwart Michael Fleming is to have the honour of the player adjudged best on ground in the reserves grand final receiving a medal named after him.
This news was revealed at the league’s launch last week in which Fleming, who has spent 38 years on the league’s board, was also presented with an AFL Victoria Country Service recognition medal for his services to his club, league and the sport.
In his time at Deni Rovers, Fleming has served as president, senior and junior vice-president and treasurer.