MGFNL Season 2026 - Round 13 Review

Round thirteen of the MGFNL senior footy saw some incredibly lop-sided results and perhaps affirmed the view that he top three sides might just be in a league of their own with Foster, Fish Creek and Yinnar winning by a combined 343 points. And sure Foster, the top side, played the bottom team but Fishy and Yinnar both played sides that were in the top six entering the round.

The upside of a lop-sided ladder where three teams have cleared out on top is that the battle for finals spots four through six will be enormous in the run home. We now have a ladder with only a single game separating sides fourth to eight.

The next month of footy promises to be action packed, but back to the most recent round first.

Thorpdale v Fish Creek

Second placed Fish Creek headed to Thorpdale on Saturday to do battle with a side only two spots below it on the ladder yet ran out resounding winners 7-7-49 to 20-9-129.

In a quirk we are unlikely to see again Fish Creek kicked five goals, two behinds in three of the four quarters. Only the third quarter saw them register a different score when they kicked five goals, three behinds. I guess that’s what you might call a consistent four quarter effort?

One player who definitely put in a consistent four quarter effort was Fishy’s Charlie Wilson. Wilson led all comers booting eight for the day including the first and last of the game.

The first came around four minutes in. Levi Cocksedge found the little big man on the lead and his set shot from thirty set the tone for the day for both player and team alike.

At the other end Matt Powell and Kieran Albanese missed gettable shots for the home side and after gaols to Tom Cameron, Mitch Hicks, best on ground Jacko Wiedemann and Wilson (again) Fishy went to their huddle on a high with Thorpy having plenty of thinking to do. 

Albanese was in everything up front for Thorpy, but it was a one man effort for them while Fishy had contributors galore with Stefani, Gavenlock, Hicks and Mitchell seeing plenty of the footy.

Whatever coach Daniel Taylor said to the Thorpy boys at the break got a response with the home side having the majority of the play early in quarter two. Gav Low started to get over Rhett Wiedemann in the ruck, Anthony Rosato came into the game as did Ayden Ramm and Shannon Pickering.

In fact it was Pickering who opened the goal scoring account for Thorpy in his 250th game and it seemed, for an instant, that the locals were up and about.

Enter Jacko Wiedemann- his mark and goal from fifty gave Fishy the immediate response. Wiedemann then went on to set up three more goals in the second term- all for Wilson- before finishing the term with his second major. And truly, it all seemed so effortless.

On the other hand for Thorpy everything was hard work. Their second goal came when Trav Pattern found  Ayden Ramm alone in the front half. Ramm sent the ball toward Albanese who was unable to mark but buttered up with a sensational banana kick to slot his second. Thorpy’s other goal of the quarter came courtesy of Powell. He presented well all day did Powell but in only registering the single major you’d have to argue Tom Valenta got the better of that dual.

At the main break it was Fish Creek by forty-three and try as Thorpy did the only interest now was in the margin and the damage that margin would do to Thorpdale’s percentage.

The third term saw Stefanni injected into the ruck by Fishy in an effort to negate Low’s increasing influence and defender Daneil Holt given the task of putting the clamps on Wilson in Fishy’s front half.

But as if it was legislated it was none other than Wilson who opened proceedings to start the second half.

Shaun Falla, who had come into the game throughout the second term responded for the home side but his shot from the boundary was immediately countered by Jacko Wiedemann at which time any remaining jam was well and truly removed from Thorpy’s donut.

An Oscar Bright snap started celebrations early for Fishy and these were only matched later in the game when Jack Hayes worked forward to kick an all too rare goal.

As if to highlight how hard Thorpy had to work for their majors Albanese had to win a one on one contest twice after dropping a mark he would normally have swallowed to kick his third for the day and to give the home side something to cheer about as they trotted to the three quarter time huddle near enough to ten goals down.

With Fish Creek’s returning skipper Kairon Dorling not taking the field after half time and Jacko Wiedemann sitting out with what looked like a nasty shoulder injury (thanks to the traveling Fisch Creek players for confirming this at Officer KFC on their way home) after a marking contest with Anthony Rosato there was some hope the home side could put a dent in the margin as the last quarter started.

Alas Charlie Wilson was not done and kicked his seventh and eighth goals to counter an early goal from the ‘Dales Mitch Gorman.

Aside from the odd melee, which amounted to not much more than a push here and a shove there the last quarter was played out without too many highlights before the better side on the day headed to their rooms to sing the song.

Shannon Pickering led his defeated side off the park to the applause of a strong home crowd while Jarrod Walker led his side off safe in the knowledge their best footy is as good as anyone’s in the comp.

Jacko Wiedemann (four goals and thirty-five touches in three quarters!) and Charlie Wilson (eight goals) headlined the better players for Fishy with honourable mentions to Mitchell, Williams and Gavenlock.

For Thorpy Low was good, Ramm very good, Pattern played well and Rosato, Harris and Holt cracked in. 

Post game Fish Creek coach Jarrad Walker was much less focussed on the win than he was on his club honouring the passing of one of its favourites.

Walker said “There was a lot of emotion with the passing of Damo Scully during the week” who Walker noted was a 2023 premiership player but more importantly “an all-round great bloke”. Walker continued “to see our whole club front up and for the team to put our best performance of the year on display was a real show of character and unity”. 

Yinnar v Newborough

When Mick Geary kicked Yinnar’s third goal of the game nearly fifteen minutes into the opening term the last thing anyone was expecting was a near on 100 point win for the Pies over Newborough. But that is exactly how things played out as Yinnar ran away with a monster win 22-11-143 to the Dogs’ 7-9-51.

After early goals from Grinstead-Jones and skipper Van Der Meer the Geary goal more or less signalled the beginning of the end for the tri-colours. The Geary goal was followed up by the first of Nixon Hall’s four and when Hall turned provider for Zac Brown to kick his first senior goal for Yinnar teammates came from everywhere to celebrate.

Newborough responded to the late flood of goals by sending an extra behind the ball but with Harry Mc Coll and Sam Walh already in everything this left Tom Robertson free for Yinnar and the trio set about rebounding and setting up goals for the remainder of the day.

The second term started better for Newborough with Peter Ainsworth slotting the first of his three for the day but Grinstead Jones, who had Liam Fitzpatrick for company, answered almost immediately. And when Will Robertson turned on a bit of magic with a snap over his head the Newborough lads had to have been thinking today was not going to be their day.

With Yinnar imposing a full ground press simply moving the ball became a battle for the Dogs and it was no surprise their next goal came on the back of a pair of fifty meter penalties that saw Josh Pearce get the first of his two goals for the day. 

But as if affronted by allowing their opponents to score Yinnar got the quick reply with firstly Grinstead-Jones doing some handy work at ground level to set up Van Der Meer for his second and then the young gun Harvey McKay got his hands dirty with a terrific smother that saw Will Roberstron get another.

And by half time the only issue was the margin as the Pies led by an even fifty points.

Newborough managed the first of the third term after some classy ground level work led to Josh Pearce slotting his second but with the Dogs only other goal for the quarter coming 15 minutes later and Yinnar piling on seven of their own it was slim picking for the visitors.

As if the Pies needed another forward option Lachlan Pratt came into the contest after the half booting three of his six goals in the third term alone. He first saw the big man crumb the pack, the second was set up by best on ground Nixon Hall and the third a set shot from 40. Throw in the last of Van Der Meers three and an extra one to Grinstead Jones and it was all one way traffic.

For the Dogs Kyle Jennings was excellent but every time he went into the middle Sam Walsh followed him and was able to exert his influence on the game as well.

The last term started as a real arm wrestle with Newborough finally breaking the drought after thirteen minutes but as if the game was following a script as soon as the Dogs slotted one Yinnar answered. Firstly, Pratt marked from a McColl pass to goal before he turned provider setting up Hall for another. And when

Grinstead-Jones ended the goal kicking for the day it was an emphatic win to the Pies.

Hall, Walsh and McKay were named as best for Yinnar with half a dozen Pies managing multiple goals.

For the Dogs it was Nathan Whieldon, Pat Charles and Peter Aisnworth, who kicked three, named as best afield.

After the win Yinnar coach Sam McCulloch said of the game “it was a consistent four-quarter performance, with every player making a valuable contribution”.

Asked what he liked most about the performance McCulloch responded that he was “particularly pleased with the way we connected and moved the ball across the ground” before finishing up with how he was “pleased to head into the bye on the back of a good win”.

Tarwin v Hill End

A five goal to one second term was the catalyst for Tarwin’s 15-11-101 to 8-5-53 victory over Hill End in a game that might well shape the finals more than we realise in a month’s time.

Indeed, in the after game Tarwin coach Lachie Jones was quick to point out the importance of the win describing the victory as “a crucial one today, that keeps our season alive”. While keeping half an eye on St Kilda taking care of Port Power Jones said “I was very happy with our first half, we stuck to our plans and structures, and we had twenty one contributors”

Asked about his side seemingly lighting things up in front of goal Jones said “we were able to kick a big score today because of our ball movement and our pressure” adding that “Mahoney and Harley were excellent again in our forward line”, the duo kicking four each.

With Tom Johnstone being in great form all year for Hill End in the ruck Jones commented that “ Ricky O’Loughlin and Harrison Cumming as a one-two punch in the ruck did their best to nullify Johnstone who I thought stood out for them”.

As they have done all year Hill End changed things up when trailing and slotted four goals in a row after the main break to get back within just thirteen points at one stage. On the comeback Jones said “the third quarter they came at us really hard but we responded with three quick goals late and maintained that healthy margin for the most part of the game”.

In terms of individuals Jones noted “Callum McLeod was superb off half back” before adding “I was really happy with the game from our wings today in Tom Francis, Nick McKenzie and Lucas Harmer”.

His opposite number Tom Hallinan, the Hill End coach summed things up rather succinctly when he labelled his team’s effort an “underwhelming performance”.

Hallinan continued that his side came up against “a well drilled team, up and about understanding the significance of the four points on the line”.

Hallinan said, “it was Tarwins half back line that provided first point of attack for a multi focal forward line”.

On the third quarter come back Hallinan acknowledged that “we made some half time adjustments and it paid dividends. Ashton Hermanus kicked three in the third and we strung together four goals to get within two goals before Tarwin settled with the last couple of goals before three quarter time”.

Echoing Jones’ thoughts on his performance Hallinan too heaped praise on his ruckman Tom Johnstone saying “overall Tom Johnstone was outstanding” before also noting the efforts of Seth Calway on ball and Darcy Paul and Zach Mills who “held solid down back on a disappointing day for the club”. 

Mirboo North v Stony Creek

In a round highlighted by some big margins and even bigger scores Mirboo North and Stony Creek played out a dour, low scoring, match with Mirboo North claiming the win 5-5-35 to 2-8-20. It took the Creek until the twenty-two minute mark of the third term register their first major and even then they were only three goals down such was the nature of this battle.

Post game winning coach Damien Turner referenced the low scoring noting “a tough breeze coming up the ground early didn’t make it a spectacle for the spectators” before adding “our endeavour and fight was there, we just needed to capitalise.”

A sentiment shared by Stony Creek coach Troy Shepherdson who said injuries to his side were compounded by being “inaccurate in front of goal” with his side registering the same number of scoring shots as Mirboo North in defeat.   

Shepherdson was quick to praise Mirboo North and Turner saying we “played a Mirboo side who were hungry for the contest, credit to Damo for how his side played” before adding “we look forward to playing them again in a few weeks”.

For Mirboo North it was two goals each to Hudson Kerr and the seemingly not yet retired Josh Taylor. In terms of better players, the coach offered up the following “Nathan Skewes, Beau Peters and Oli Budd held strong in defence. Our engine room led by ruckman Lewis, Chila, Kerr and the Woodalls again showed great support to each other”. 

For the Creek it was singles to Luke Firth and Cody Loughridge with Troy Sinclair, Liam Harrington and Tully Bernaldo their best contributors.     

MDU v Morwell East

MDU did what they needed to do when taking care of Morwell East 16-8-104 to 10-8-68. It wasn’t all one way traffic for the Demons though with East taking a slender lead to the quarter time huddle in a quarter were both sides managed five majors.

Goals came in bunches with East getting the first of the game before MDU slammed home five in a row only to see East kick the last four of the term to earn their single point margin.

It took until after the fifteen minute mark of the second term for MDU to find the lead again, one which they wouldn’t give up for the rest of the day.

A last quarter surge saw MDU increase their ten point three quarter time margin to the final one of thirty-six points, or a neat six goals.

Nick Nagel and Tim Harris did the majority of the scoreboard damage with five and four goals each. For their efforts they were joined in the best by Josh Schelling and Trent McRae.

MDU coach Rhett Kelly said after match that “it was great to get back on the winner's list” adding that it was “a solid contest against Morwell East, who really challenged us at different stages of the game”.

Asked about the final quarter that saw MDU put a margin on East Kelly noted “the biggest positive for us was finishing strongly. We played a really good last quarter, which allowed us to come home with the four points and build some momentum”.

For East it was two goals each to Birchall, Darby-Lock and Mangion. Birchall was joined in the best by Frank Marks and Bailey Galante.

Post game East coach Ben Marks said “We had a very tough game against a taller MDU”. He continued that “the boys fought tough all day but fell short again before adding on a positive note that it “was good to see more thirds boys get senior exposure”.

Foster v Toora

Top of the table Foster asserted themselves after a down week last round booting 30-23-203 to Toor’s 5-2-35. Coach Jake Best slotted ten in his return and commented after the game that he was “really happy with our four quarter performance.” Shaun Chaseling booted seven with Bailey Angwin joining Lachy Rathjen and the irrepressible Jack Weston in the wining sides best players.

For Toora Chris Baker, who starred against Boolarra two weeks ago, was again best on with Josh Halsall and Jared Bent. It was all singles in terms of goal kickers for the Pies.

Boolarra had the bye.