A look back at the weekend’s results from Round 7of the Northern Football League’s junior competition.
In the Under-18 Girls competition, Greensborough won a shootout against Mill Park to claim its second win of the season. The Boro kicked nine of their 14 goals in the first half to take a 42-point lead into the main break, before kicking five goals to four in the second half. Zoe Welch was named best for the winning side. The other Round 7 winners were Montmorency, Hurstbridge and Epping, while Diamond Creek Women’s had the bye.
In Under-17 Blue, Eltham produced a big final quarter to come-from-behind against Diamond Creek at Coventry Oval. Trailing by 15 points at the three-quarter time, the Panthers kicked 4.4 to record a six-point win on the back of a best-on-ground and four-goal haul by Patrick Lipinski. Montmorency and South Morang also recorded wins in Round 7, both getting strong victories over Greensborough and Research respectively. The Lions’ win keeps them atop the ladder.
Epping recorded a nail-biting win in the Under-17 Red competition, defeating Whittlesea by just four points. Trailing by that margin at the final break, the Pingers held the Eagles to a single goal for the final term and kicked 2.2 themselves to win in front of their home crowd at Epping Recreational Reserve. The win sees Epping go to equal top on the table with Whittlesea, although the Eagles hold a percentage advantage. South Morang also recorded a tight win, holding off a last quarter surge from Thomastown to win by six points. After leading by 33 points at the final break, the Bears kept the Lions to just two points for the final term but weren’t able to get over the line. Wallan was also able to get onto the winners’ list, recording a win over Hurstbridge at Ben Frilay Oval.
The Under-16 Blue competition saw South Morang maintain its unbeaten run, beating Diamond Creek at Coventry Oval. On the back of five-goal hauls from Nathan Viotto and Ahmad Ahmad, the Lions extended their lead at every change to clame their seventh win of the season. Epping also recorded a big win over West Preston-Lakeside whilst Wallan won on the road at Yarrambat, a result which propelled the Magpies up into third place on the ladder.
Mill Park produced a dominant performance in the Under-16 Red competition to beat Montmorency at Redleap Reserve. Connor Fitzgerald kicked four goals in the win, while Jadyn Kondinski was named Mill Park’s best player. In other Round 7 results, Research remained on top of the ladder following an away win against Greensborough at Beale Reserve, while Eltham also won on the road against Bundoora Park.
Following a close lose in Round 5, Montmorency got back on the winners list in the Under-15 Blue competition, recording a tight 10-point win over Laurimar Black. The Power led at the first break but a four-goal to one second term was the catalyst behind the Magpies’ win, helped by a best-on-ground performance Braedyn Gillard. Greensborough also recorded a tight win, beating Wallan by 17 points at Wallan Recreation Reserve on the back of a four-goal from Lachlan Agnew. South Morang and Eltham also able to record wins over Whittlesea and Mill Park respectively.
Laurimar Teal and Lalor produced a thrilling draw in the Under-15 Red competition. The sides couldn’t be separated at the final bell, with the scores tied on 6.9 (45) apiece. The Power held an eight-point advantage at the final break, but the Bloods were able to come from behind to tie the game. That was as close as the results got, as West Preston-Lakeside, Epping and Research all recorded big victories in Round 7.
In the Under-15 Girls two games were decided by under two goals, with Wallan overcoming South Morang by 10 points at Mill Park Lakes Reserve, while Eltham held out Mill Park by seven points at Susan Street Reserve. The round’s other winners were Diamond Creek Womens Blue, Greensborough, West Preston-Lakeside and Epping.
