River Murray Football League match reports round 14: Jervois beats Mypolonga, stays top

He narrowly missed being drafted three times, now this former SANFL star kicks goals for fun at local level. See all the action from the league.

Ten years ago Josh Scott was the name on the lips of every AFL recruiter and had the footy world at his feet.

And while he never quite reached those lofty heights, he’s made a name for himself as an SANFL star and current River Murray Football League behemoth.

The Jervois star has been in a rich vein of form since returning from hamstring injuries earlier in the year and has booted 34 goals in his last five games.

Scott was also victim of a crude punch behind play that saw him miss one more game and the perpetrator suspended for four matches.

Moving on from the hit, Scott’s form has seen him leap into the lead of the league’s goal kicking table, edging fellow spearhead Johnny Boras.

Josh Scott (Glenelg) was an SANFL powerhouse before joining Jervois. Picture: Calum Robertson

Coming into round 14 Scott trailed Boras by two goals, but six majors against Mypolonga – and Boras being blanketed against Imperials – saw him claim the lead in a battle that has now spanned three seasons.

Scott’s RMFL dominance – he averages more than five goals per game across three seasons – came on the back of SANFL stardom with Glenelg over 99 games across six seasons.

And before that he was unlucky not to land on an AFL list in his draft year after talking to every club and winning the TAC Cup’s Morrish medal while playing for Gippsland Power.

Despite the heartbreak he returned to the combine the following year only to miss out again.

“I went to the national combine twice and met with every team the first year,” he said.

“I think I missed out because when I was 18 I was 193cm tall but only about 70kg.”

Josh Scott has averaged five goals per game since joining Jervois in the RMFL. Picture: Dylan Coker

Scott said, reflecting on his AFL chances, there were moments that could have gone another way and he might have ended up on a list.

“You always look back and you go, ‘you d***head’,” he said.

“I won the best and fairest (at Glenelg) in 2016 and then at the rookie draft it came down to me and Brett Eddy for a spot at Port Adelaide.”

Port opted for Eddy who ended up playing three games and being delisted at season’s end.

But Scott has not let the missed chances get to him and is more than happy making the most of his time in the RMFL.

“I hadn’t been around country footy while I was playing rep and SANFL so wasn’t sure what to expect going out (to Jervois), but I love it,” he said.

“We’ve got a good side, we’re going for three flags in a row and it’s bloody handy having players like Taite Silverlock and Peter Zarantonello kick you the ball.”

JERVOIS 15.11 (101) d

MYPOLONGA 8.16 (64)

Jervois kept its place at the top of the ladder with an impressive performance at Mypolonga on Saturday.

The Bluds booted four goals to one in the second term, and six goals to one in the final term to achieve a one-sided 37-point victory.

The visitors had to show some resilience in defence and through the middle in the third and fourth quarters, with the Tigers clawing their way back in the game by the final break, only trailing by 11 points heading into the last.

Reigning back-to-back premier Jervois’ experience was on full display through the fourth quarter, Peter Zantonello leading the way on the ball with two goals in the game, while star forward Josh Scott had a bag of five.

MENINGIE 11.11 (77) d

MANNUM 9.12 (66)

Fourth-placed Meningie pulled off a remarkable win against fifth spot Mannum away from home, scoring only one behind in the opening quarter before bouncing back to win by 11.

The visitors struggled to gain an advantage out of the middle in the opening quarter, but found inspiration from star defender Peter Reichelt in the contest and captain Sam Sanders up front to boot five goals to two in the second term.

The hosts hit the front again at the final break, leading by six heading into the fourth, but Meningie again bounced back with another five to two goal term to seal the win.

Reichelt was best on ground for the visitors and Sanders finished with four majors.

Peter Reichelt (back) playing in the Northern Territory against former North Melbourne player Shannon Motlop.

IMPERIALS 10.18 (78) d

RAMBLERS 9.4 (58)

Imps came back from 25 points down at quarter-time to grab a hard-fought 20-point victory over bottom-placed Ramblers and keep its place in the top two.

A four goal to one behind start had the Roosters up and about at home, but the Blues slowly got back in the game through the second quarter, with Harley Montgomery and Sam De Michele putting in strong shifts in the middle and up front for the visitors.

Imperials would have been frustrated by their goalkicking, kicking 7.10 to 8.4 by the final break to see scores drawn.

While this trend continued in the final quarter, a 3.8 term was enough to see out the Roosters, who had little impact out of the middle and could only register one major in the term.

Montgomery and De Michele were the standouts for Imps, while Jaiden Mole kicked three of the team’s 10 goals.