Nullawil prepare for their first match in North Central Football League

Nullawil will be the newest team in the North Central league in 2023 but its making sure their rivals don’t take them lightly. Here’s how they plan to turn heads.

They might be the newest and smallest team in the North Central Football League but it hasn’t stopped Nullawil from aiming high this season.

This weekend will be historic for the Maroons as they play for the first time in the North Central Football League.

Nullawil joins after dominating the Golden Rivers Football League (GRFL) over the past five years, winning premierships in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

After trying to make the move at the end of the 2021 season the club got its wish to move last year, becoming the ninth team in the league.

“There’s absolute excitement,” Nullawil president Grant Kelly said.

“There’s a massive vibe around the club, everyone is excited, there’s a really good feeling about the club.

“We just thought (it was) in our best interests for recruiting and to keep us going was to move into the North Central and we recruit a lot from Bendigo and Melbourne and that was the closer way for us to go.

“We get along well with the Golden Rivers, all the clubs, they were terrific to us.

“We have no problems with them whatsoever.”

Nullawil is the smallest town in the competition with just 92 people living there according to the last census.

It hasn’t stopped the team from making sure its voice is heard.

The club has chosen to battle last year’s premiers, Birchip Watchem, aiming to show the competition it is ready to take on the giants.

“It was a request made by us, not by me (the president), I’d much rather play someone else,” Kelly revealed.

“We get to play the reigning premiers so we’ll see where we are standing.

“We have to play them at some point so why not first.

“I don’t know if it was a real good idea at all, we’ll soon find out.”

Former Richmond Tigers player Mitch Farmer has played a major part in Nullawil’s rise. Picture: Sarah Reed

The club has almost half a dozen recruits for the new season to compliment the team who won last year’s premiership.

Most of last year’s grand final team is returning including former Richmond and Port Adelaide player Mitch Farmer who led the Golden Rivers league goalkicking with 87.

He is joined by 2021 Golden Rivers best-and-fairest, Matt Quigley, who remains after helping the team to the premiership last year.

But Kelly doesn’t know how their form and the new recruits will go in the competition.

He’s quietly confident but doesn’t know what will happen until the season starts as the club has no gauge over the other teams.

“To be honest with you it’s a bit of an unknown,” he said.

“I fully expect us to be competitive with the top three sides (Birchip Watchem, Sea Lake and Donald), which are terrific teams.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to beat a few other sides and be competitive with everyone else.

“Some of our players have never played out of the Golden Rivers.

“So the North Central should be a step up, it will be faster and harder.”

Nullawil players Tom Fawcett, Jordan Humphreys and Daniel Watts played in last year’s premiership side. Photo: DANNIKA BONSER

Nullawil said the expectation will be to finish inside the top-four and find their way in the competition.

To them this is the competition they want to be in for years.

And Kelly is confident of building good rivalries with opposition teams as the Maroons find their feet.

“I don’t think we’ll have to create some, there will be already some there,” he said.

“The Wycheproof-Narraport boys and the Nullawil boys have always been very close together and there will be a fierce rivalry there I’m sure.

“And again with the Birchip boys too.”

The Maroons will battle the Bulls on Saturday at 2.30pm with the club to host St Arnaud the following Saturday, April 22, in their first North Central match at home.