How every NFL Division 3 club has fared in the first seven rounds of 2021

With the last two rounds cancelled we’ve reached the halfway mark of the NFL Division 3 season. Check out how every club has fared and vote for the premiership winner.

NFL Division 3 mid-season report cards.

We’ve reached the halfway mark of the 2021 NFL Division 3 campaign.

Losing the last two weeks has been incredibly disappointing but it has allowed us to take stock of the season so far and assess each club’s performance.

We’ve looked at each club’s big win, big loss and leading performers in the opening seven rounds.

Read our analysis below and have your say on who’s going home with the premiership.

Ben Muscat in action for South Morang. Picture: Andy Brownbill

SOUTH MORANG

Ladder: First (7-0, 218.78%)

Leading goalkicker: Josh Lansfield, 18 (No.3)

Leading Coaches’ MVP votes: Tye Hall, 30 (No.3)

Big win: Sitting 7-0 is a massive win. Tipped by some to slide this season – including this so-called journalist – the Lions have blitzed the field in the opening seven rounds. South Morang didn’t make a single recruiting move, instead relying on the club’s enviable youth development program, and it’s paying off handsomely. The return of tenacious midfield Tye Hall has also been a massive boost.

Big loss: Not a lot has gone wrong for the Lions this season. However, they would do well to learn from Laurimar’s 2019 campaign when the Power started 13-0 before collapsing in the finals.

Big surprise: South Morang have used just 28 players this season. That’s the lowest number in the entire Northern Football League. But what is surprising is the age demographic. Of the 28 players used 12 played under-19s in 2019 and one even played under-15s. With the high volume of collision and soft tissue injuries this year, it’s a credit to South Morang’s strength and conditioning program.

LAURIMAR

Ladder: Second (5-2, 170.36%)

Leading goalkicker: Josh Williamson, 25 (No.1)

Leading Coaches’ MVP votes: Josh Williamson, 18

Big win: Josh Williamson missed the second half of 2019 through injury and Laurimar weren’t the same without him. The star forward has played five of the opening seven games this season and booted 25 majors. Despite playing two fewer games he’s five goals clear on top of the goalkicking charts. Will play a major role in the Power’s promotion hopes.

Big loss: Take out the 0.2 (2) conceded to Reservoir and the Laurimar defence has given up almost 70 points a game this season. That’s up from 58.8 a game in 2019. If the Power can improve the defence then it certainly has the offence to beat any side in the competition.

Big surprise: After earning Division 3 Team of the Year honours and finishing third in the league medal in 2019, Michael Brennan has played just two senior games this season. While he’s seemingly fallen behind Josh Leather as the Power’s No.1 ruckman he’s still got he quality to make an impact and the club will be hoping he can have a big second half of 2021.

Michael Brennan in action for Laurimar. Picture: Andy Brownbill

KILMORE

Ladder: Third (5-2, 167.72%)

Leading goalkicker: Chris Ryall, 12 (No.8)

Leading Coaches’ MVP votes: Chris Ryall, 38 (No.1)

Big win: Chris Ryall was already one of the best players in the competition but has taken his game to a new level this year. The former Caulfield midfielder is on top of the Coaches’ MVP votes – despite playing one less game – and also has 12 goals from midfield, double his nearest rivals Masaki Miki and Tye Hall.

Big loss: Inaccuracy in front of goal has been a major issue in both the Blues’ losses this season. Kilmore had one more scoring shot but lost by four points to Laurimar in Round 1 and then kicked 5.11 in a 44-point loss to South Morang in Round 3. In only two of seven games has the team kicked fewer than 10 behinds, something that will need to be cleaned up.

Big surprise: Not so much a surprise as an opportunity lost. Melbourne’s COVID lockdown meant Kilmore’s home game against South Morang was cancelled, robbing the Blues of a rematch against the undefeated ladder-leader. Kilmore is a far more challenging proposition at Clancy Reserve and it would have been a big test for both clubs.

HEIDELBERG WEST

Ladder: Fourth (5-2, 139.31%)

Leading goalkicker: Alex Hywood, 16 (No.5)

Leading Coaches’ MVP votes: Masaki Miki, 35 (No.2)

Big win: Started the year with big wins over Old Eltham and Mernda before what Hawks coach Michael Missen labelled “big boy month”. His team only beat one of three finals contenders but the 14-point win over Laurimar was a breakthrough result for a club trying to end a finals drought stretching more than two decades. West got blown out by Kilmore but only lost to South Morang by 16 points, which will give it confidence.

Big loss: Such was Allan Young’s impact since crossing from Watsonia he was made a vice-captain without playing a game. The dangerous forward started the season strong, kicking 12 goals in the opening four games before injury struck. His absence was keenly felt and the sooner Young is back in the line-up the better off the team will be.

Big surprise: The Hawks sit fourth on percentage, equal on points with Laurimar and Kilmore in second and third. Few would have predicted that and, while there’s still a long way to go this season, coach Michael Missen and his team must be extremely pleased with the first seven games. The key now is to maintain the rage and end the club’s finals drought.

Masaki Miki kicks under pressure from Edward Mills.

OLD ELTHAM COLLEGIANS

Ladder: Fifth (3-4, 101.33%)

Leading goalkicker: Fraser Cloney, 12 (No.8)

Leading Coaches’ MVP votes: Jeremy Murphy, 17

Big win: Jeremy Murphy might be one of the recruits of the season. Arriving at Eltham College after a premiership season with Sunbury Kangaroos, Murphy has delivered in spades. The classy midfielder had a slow start to the season but soon found his feet and leads the club’s Coaches’ MVP voting after best-on-ground performances against Reservoir and Kilmore.

Big loss: It’s been a season of “so close” for Old Eltham. The Turtles have had a number of honourable losses, pushing South Morang for a half, coming within 19 points of Laurimar and nine points of Kilmore. Turning one of those results around and jagging a season-defining win will keep the NFL’s newest club building in the right direction.

Big surprise: Turtles coach Matt Sleeman knew he was getting a key player when Niall McDonagh signed on. The former Irish international has played just the four senior games so far but has earned Coaches’ MVP votes in every appearance, which is a remarkable achievement. Likely still building match fitness after a late start to pre-season, he could be even more valuable in the second half of the year.

MERNDA

Ladder: Sixth (2-5, 83.30%)

Leading goalkicker: Bryce Kimuliatis, 17 (No.4)

Leading Coaches’ MVP votes: Edward Mills, 16

Big win: Craigieburn premiership player Bryce Kimuliatis has made the biggest impact of Mernda’s group of experienced recruits. The star forward kicked multiple goals in the opening five games of the season before injuring his hamstring in the Round 6 loss to Kilmore. Should be fit again after three weeks off and will have a big say in Mernda’s season.

Big loss: The 2021 season has been disappointing for a club that was half a game away from finals last season. Loses to Heidelberg West and Old Eltham Collegians have seen Mernda slip down the ladder. There’s time to turn it around but the Demons will need to beat more than Lalor and Reservoir to have a shot at the top four.

Big surprise: The Demons had a big influx of experience following the 2019 season but its been the club’s youth that has done much of the heavy lifting. Edwards Mills and Josh Mazzarella lead the club in Coaches’ MVP voting and Mazzarella has been named in the best in six of seven appearances. Josh Coe, Will Crouch, Riley Vincent, Riley Edwards, Kyle Yankos and Chris Roussos were all under-19s in 2019 and have played every game this season.

Riley Vincent is tackled by Jack Marris.

LALOR

Ladder: Seventh (1-6, 65.52%)

Leading goalkicker: Sam Rexhepi, 20 (No.2)

Leading Coaches’ MVP votes: Louis Hill, 15

Big win: The win-loss ratio doesn’t tell the whole story because there’s been significant improvement at Lalor so far in 2021. The Bloods’ averaging losing margin is down from 65 points in 2019 to 56 in 2021 with two losses by seven points. Points against remains steady but points for are well up, from an average of 54 per game to 70 this season. Nathan Smith is providing solid secondary scoring to support star forward Sam Rexhepi.

Big loss: While things have improved the Bloods have still copped two 100-point defeats this season. The next step in the club’s rebuild is stopping rival momentum and big runs of goals. If it can sure up the defence then Lalor has enough offence to pinch a couple of extra wins in the second half of the season.

Big surprise: It might have been against Reservoir but Lalor’s 21.25 (151) was the club’s biggest score since 2011, when it managed 30.22 (202) against Thomastown. The surprising factor was Sam Rexhepi only kicked a single goal in the match. Jacob Duson and Nathan Smith were the main destroyers with four majors each.

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RESERVOIR

Ladder: Eighth (0-7, 22.79%)

Leading goalkicker: Nick Gregson, 11 (No.13)

Leading Coaches’ MVP votes: Nick Gregson, 15

Big win: Nick Gregson’s arrival was big news for the Mustangs and its clear to see why coach Jason Hamilton was excited to have him onboard. The impressive ruckman has polled Coaches’ MVP votes in four games, including a pair of six-vote performances despite not winning a game. There were nervous moments when a clearance was lodged but the club is adamant he’ll be back from Tasmania after lockdown lifts.

Big loss: Life’s hard enough when you’re a rebuilding club stuck at the bottom of the ladder. It doesn’t help when injuries hit en masse. Reservoir have used a NFL-high 43 players this season as it battles to keep players on the park. Just five players have played all seven games.

Big surprise: Such has been the injury curse, even 48-year-old coach Jason Hamilton was forced to pull the boots back on at one stage. Hamilton trotted out in the Round 3 clash against Heidelberg West. It might not be the last time we see him this season.