MUCH has been happening at Trafalgar Football-Netball Club.
Teams have been moving through the season, which is now right into the throws of winter.
The Waterloo Shield was recently retained over old foe Yarragon.
As has become a recent trend against Yarragon, the senior football match in Round 7 was closely fought, with the Bloods eventually doing enough to win by 17 points.
A four goal opening term allowed the side to control the match, and they held around a two-three goal lead at every change from there.
Brad Hoffmann was best, followed by Matt Devon and Maclan McInnes, who are both enjoying breakout seasons. Dylan Farrell played a strong captains game, while the experience and youth inside 50 shared seven goals between them, with Matt Swenson booting four and Isaac Caroleo again showing much promise with three.
Reserves got back on the winners list, extending their dominance as the match wore on. The Bloods broke the game open in the second term, booting four goals while keeping their opponents to one behind. It was a similar story later in the day, as the final quarter saw Traf do all the scoring.
Angus Templeton kicked four goals in a best-on-ground display. Others to play well were Brett Cameron, Nelson Minichiello, Blake Zimora, Zeke Brown and Kynan Noonan.
Thirds played Buln Buln for the second week in a row, and had another win by a similar margin. The Bloods got up and running in the second quarter, on their way to a 37 point win.
Jordy Chapman was best, along with Jamie Buch, Toby Radford, Josh Mills, Toby McCabe and Junior Smithy, Liam.
Fourths had a big win, getting up by 72 points over Yarragon. Ryan Davis and Matt Kersten kicked 10 goals between them, with the former booting six.
Both players were named in the best, as was Brodie Gauci, Mitch Dastey, Will Mills and Wesley Scott.
Over on the netball court, A Grade went down in a close encounter, losing 54 to 49. Ellie Farmer put in a good performance, as did Tillie Manfield during B Grade’s 47-30 victory.
C Grade got the result they were after, winning 36-25, led by Jordyn Albert in a best-on-court display.
Juniors saw two wins, those going to the 17s and 15s. The 17s won a nail-biter by one, while the 15s had a less stressful game, virtually doubling their opponents score.
Best players for the respective grades was Tillie Manfield (17s), Jorja Burslem (15s) and Lace O’Brien (13s).
Since the last report, the biggest talking point has been arguably the mooted move of the Bloods’ traditional rival Newborough out of Mid Gippsland and into the Ellinbank District league.
However, it is understood Ellinbank District clubs have voted against allowing the Bulldogs to affiliate.
Meanwhile, Mid Gippsland and North Gippsland clubs held preliminary discussions last week regarding the future of both leagues.
While there is a lot to play out, it is appearing more and more likely the two will eventually reach a stage where the only option is to merge and operate under a promotion/relegation system.
Whoever would have thought you’d be talking about Traf and Newborough playing in the Ellinbank league.
Back at Traf, what a historic moment it was recently, as the Noonan brothers, Jackson, Connor and Kynan all lined up in the seniors.
While two sets of brothers in the one team is fairly common, to have three has only ever happened three times previously in Trafalgar FNC history.
The last time was in the 1990 Grand Final when Brett, Scott and Justin Cant all played together. Others belonging to this exclusive club are the Lincolns (Occa, Bags and Steve) and the Thorpe brothers (Alister, Vern and Henry) way back in 1955.
The Bloods of today were able to defeat Nyora by 31 points in Round 8.
There was further cause for celebration, as club favourite Brett Cameron also made his senior debut.
Traf needed a decent final term effort to stave off Nyora, kicking three goals while keeping their opponents scoreless in the last. Brad Hoffman was best, followed by Jace Butler, Jordyn Baker, Dylan Gauci, Brayde Bosman and Maclan McInnes.
The reserves won by some distance. Zack Brown kicked as many goals last week as he took wickets in the Grand Final, while Blake Zimora, Nelson Minichiello, Owen Zimora, Oscar Robinson and Denis Dyke all played well.
An interesting name on the team sheet also appeared – Rhys Holdswortj (that’s how it’s spelt on PlayHQ).
Thirds faced strong opposition, but fought back well in the third term, before well and truly falling apart.
Josh Mills, Brock Gill, Toby Radford, Jamie Buch, Will Mills (three goals) and Toby McCabe battled hard.
The Fourths played Buln for what seemed like the fourth week in a row, and were defeated by 44 points. Beau Tipping was one who could hold his head high.
Over on the netball courts, there was one less game, as A Grade got to put their feet up with a bye.
B Grade won by 10, led by Taylah Summersgill, while C Grade was also victorious, thanks to the efforts of Finley Dempsey.
Juniors had a clean sweep, with best player awards going to Maisie Manfield (17s), Alah Collins (15s) and Hannah Kolody (13s).
Round 10 saw Darcy Brock celebrate his 150th senior game.
The Bloods gave him a milestone to remember, with a 10 goal victory over Catani, going on their way from a six goal opening term. Ever the professional, coach Tom Hallinan still gave the side a burst at three quarter time after the team had dropped three goals to one.
Matt Devon continued his breakout year, booting four goals in a best-on-ground display, while Luke O’Neill proved his capabilities lie not just in bowling a two piece white ball. Ben Cunico was also industrious, as was Klay Butler, Brad Hoffman and Jace Butler.
Reserves made it four wins in a row, getting up by 28 points. Best players were Brett Cameron, Jacob Matthews, Brodie Malady, Blake Zimora, Drew O’Brien and Chace Struth coming back from injury.
Thirds lost by 21 points, although the scoreboard flattered them considering Catani posted a total of 5.13 (43). Toby Radford, Juddson Ryan, Toby McCabe, Will Cuthbertson, Oliver McQualter and Andrew Daly did their best in defeat.
Fourths travelled to Longwarry, and recorded a solid victory to the tune of 36 points. In a high-scoring game, the Bloods kicked 10 goals to six in the second half to win. Brodie Gauci had a big say in the result, as did Hudson Grujic, Wes Scott, Matt Kirsten, Tait Kirsten and Coen Jennings.
Netball action was highlighted by B Grade and the 15s making it four wins in a row.
B Grade got the job done 45 to 30, thanks to a good game from Lateisha Edwards, while the 15s won a competitive match 34-28 with Lucy Coulthard best-on-court.
A Grade had a strong 58-36 victory, spearheaded by Ellie Farmer. C Grade unfortunately suffered the opposite fate, although Calli Koch played well.
The 17s were also defeated, although the 13s had a big win, giving their percentage a nice boost in the process. Best players for the respective teams were Keeley Lewis-Ryen (17s) and Willow Rantall (13s).
In Round 11, the senior side recorded a gritty 13 point win over Nilma Darnum. The Bloods looked well on their way with four goals to two behinds in the first term, before the margin was just five points at the main break.
Traf did what was required in the third term, and then played smartly in the last to ensure the points. Liam Coulthard was best, followed by Klay Butler, Jackson Noonan, Brayde Bosman, Bailey Webb and Ben Cunico.
The win sees the seniors with a 5-5 win-loss record, making today’s clash all the more enticing.
Reserves hit a stumbling block, failing to build on their halftime lead, eventually going down by 12 points.
Josh Moore was best, while Tom Sampson, Jacob Matthews, Chungas Claridge, Olly Hennessy and Ryan Dyke did well.
Thirds had a big win, highlighted by bags of eight and six from Isaac Caroleo and Archie Fraser. Toby Radford found plenty of touches, as did Gus Carlson, Charlie Wilson and Josh Mills.
Nilma Darnum was too strong in the Fourths, winning by 31 points. Wes Scott, Brodie Gauci, Mitch Dastey, Olly White, Ryan Davis and Tait Kersten could hold their heads high in defeat.
An absolute credit to Nilma Darnum for fielding two junior sides. Such a sight would have been common in a previous generation; in today’s world however, it is nothing short of a minor miracle.
Over on the netball court, B Grade were the sole senior winners on the day.
B Grade won a good contest 36 to 28, thanks mainly to the efforts of Taylah Summersgill, making it five wins in a row for the side.
The same name but with different spelling featured in C Grade’s 40-31 loss, with Tayla Kleeven best-on.
A Grade went down, but not without a fighting effort from Lauryn King-Church.
Juniors enjoyed a clean sweep, highlighted by the 17s winning by a single goal.
Lena Blackshaw was best, while in the 15s, who won 32-19, Izzy Nardone played well. The 13s won 21-13, with Amelia McIntosh collecting best-on-court honours.
