Andrew Gaff stars as North Warrnambool, Congupna and Dunnstown remain unbeaten

As Andrew Gaff made a brilliant return to country footy, question marks have been raised about the future of interleague as other ex-AFL names made their mark. See our country footy wrap.

Joshua Murphy starred for Ovens and Murray in its win over Goulburn Valley. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

There were plenty of talking points from another dramatic weekend of country footy.

From a one-sided interleague contest, to milestone matches and ex-AFL stars dominating, it had it all.

Here are the talking points.

Gaff has still got it

He might have not played a game of footy in nine months but former West Coast Eagle Andrew Gaff showed why he played more than 280 games in the AFL.

The two-time All Australian played a one-off match for Bonnie Doon against King Valley and impressed, kicking a goal and being one of the best players on the ground as the Bombers won by 75 points.

Andrew Gaff with the Ovens and King umpires before he played his first game for Bonnie Doon. Picture: Bonnie Doon Football Netball Club.

Gaff played for the Bombers to join his mates who he went to school with.

He was also part of a sportsman’s dinner and junior clinics. Gaff became the second ex-AFL player in the Ovens and King to play for a club after Dane Swan played for Millawa earlier this season.

Half century club achieved

We’re not even a third of the way through the season and already some players have cracked the 50-goal mark.

Bright’s Cooper Thomason was the first to hit the milestone after kicking 11 goals against the Benalla All Blacks on Saturday in the Ovens and King league. He now has 52 for the year.

Thomason was joined by former AFL player Aaron Mullett who is now on 51 goals for Wandin in the Outer East.

He kicked seven goals on the weekend against Officer to bring up the magic number.

Where to for interleague

It wasn’t pretty on Saturday as Ovens and Murray smashed Goulburn Valley by 77 points in interleague to secure the Ash-Wilson Trophy.

At times it looked like the GV might lose by 100 before a few late goals saved them further embarrassment.

Ovens and Murray players celebrate the win. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

The one-sided contest should have people worried, especially after the previous contests were close since Covid. Interleague only works if you get buy in from everyone involved.

The fact Goulburn Valley didn’t have one player picked from Echuca, the reigning three-time premiers, is concerning. Hugh Byrne was set to play but injured his shoulder in the lead-up.

To not have any other player selected from the Murray Bombers is strange, especially when there are plenty of players in contention to be selected.

This isn’t a knock on GV or Echuca and there could be reasons behind it, including the club’s injury crisis, but the loss does raise a few questions.

Is the concept receiving the full support of clubs? Is the concept receiving the full support of the leagues? Is it time we made changes like other interleague matches and change the age to under-23s?

These are all questions that need to be answered and quickly.

You don’t want to see another interleague contest like this next year, you want it to be the pinnacle of country footy like the previous years.

Then there was one

Dunnstown remains the only team unbeaten in the Central Highlands league, winning its seventh straight match with a 58-point win over Buninyong. Last round, the Towners beat the reigning premiers, Daylesford, to send a statement Right now, the competition could be won by several teams. It’s the closest competition in country footy with one game separating second to 11th. With eight teams making finals there are going to be some unlucky to miss.

Don’t write off the Doggies

Sandhurst might be the premiership favourite in the Bendigo league but Gisborne showed on Saturday it won’t be out of the fight either this year. The Bulldogs 12-point win ended a seven-game winning streak by the Dragons, stretching back to last season. Gisborne got the jump early, leading by 12 points at the first break, before using the third quarter to break the game open. Gisborne kicked six goals to two to open up a 25-point lead and held on despite a final term comeback from Sandhurst. Pat McKenna kicked five goals for Gisborne.

Grenfell in another premiership chase

Brandyn Grenfell playing for Marong in 2022. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

Is Brandyn Grenfell the secret to premiership success? Colbinabbin might have lost to North Bendigo on Saturday in the Heathcote District league by 22 points but the Grasshoppers are right in the hunt, with help from Grenfell. The key forward has been a star of country footy for the past few years, kicking more than 100 goals in 2022 and 2023. He’s also won premierships with Marong (twice) and Nyah Nyah West over the past three years. Wherever he goes success has followed. Can he make it four in a row with Colbinabbin?

Congupna continues charge

It’s going to be hard to stop Congupna going back-to-back in the Murray league. The Road won its seventh straight match on Saturday with a 104-point win over Cobram. The reigning premiers have been dominant this season, winning five matches by more than 100 points and currently have a percentage of 582 per cent. The smallest win was by 65 points over Numurkah in round five.

Eagles can end their drought

Is this the year North Warrnambool finally prevails in the Hampden league? In the past four seasons the team has lost in the grand final. In three of those, they’ve lost by less than a goal. The Eagles continued their strong start to the season with a 20-point win over Koroit to remain unbeaten. North Warrnambool is 7-0 and have beaten other contenders South Warrnambool and Portland in the first few rounds. When you consider Michael Barlow and Steven Motlop, who have both signed to play, have combined to play one game this season, the Eagles are in a strong position. The Eagles have never won a Hampden league premiership since entering the competition in 1997.

Celebrating in style

Wickliffe Lake Bolac’s 150th birthday ended in the perfect way beating the SMW Rovers by 13 points in the Mininera and District league on Saturday. The Magpies, founded in 1875, celebrated the historic match by wearing Bombers guernsey’s, in honour of the history of Lake Bolac. Wickliffe Lake Bolac led all contest and survived a late challenge from the Rovers to win. Liam Travaglia kicked five goals for the Bombers with Lewis Crichton adding three.

Williamson helps Ararat wins

If this is the final game for ex-AFL player Tom Williamson, for the time being, he ended it on the right note for Ararat. Williamson kicked two goals for Ararat in a 20-point win over Minyip-Murtoa. The former Carlton player, who played 44 games for the Blues, nominated for Wednesday’s mid-season AFL draft last week. He will now have to wait and see if an AFL club will give him a second-chance this year.