Northern Football League claims Community Championships crown against Geelong Football League
The Northern Football League is the community football champion of Victoria after disposing of the Geelong Football League in a clinical display on Saturday.
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The Northern Football League is the community football champion of Victoria.
A rising power in suburban football, the NFL defeated the Geelong Football League by 24 points on Saturday to claim the No.1 ranking.
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It was the third straight AFL Victoria Community Championships win for Northern, while Geelong has now lost back-to-back title games.
After a slow start, Northern kicked six unanswered goals in the second quarter to take control of the match.
Leading by 35 points at the last change, two quick goals put the game to bed and the NFL ran out 12.14 (86) to 8.14 (62) winners at Queens Park in Geelong.
What. A. Mark.
— Northern FNL (@northernfnl) May 18, 2019
How good was this grab from Justin White #AFLVChamps pic.twitter.com/Ro70O46PH8
Coach Garry Ramsay said it was a special day for the players involved.
“It’s a really special occasion, especially because a lot of the boys have been on this journey since we were ranked fifth,” he said.
“There’s a lot of high achievers in this team, we played to our potential, and the whole day there was an even spread of contributors.
“We dominated the second quarter — kicked six goals in a row I think — and that was on the back of some really good pressure, tackling and forcing turnovers.
“We moved the ball very quickly and Patty Fitzgerald was able to get on the end of a few.”
Montmorency spearhead Fitzgerald finished with five goals in the win, the NFL’s only multiple goalkicker on the day.
Greensborough defender Nick Riddle claimed man-of-the-match honours for a superb display while Eltham’s Anton Woods was excellent in midfield.
“Nick was fantastic, brilliant all day against some really good players,” Ramsay said.
“Playing in a back pocket, he rarely gets beaten one-on-one and shut down so many attacks.
“Anton was best on ground for us last year … I reckon he would have laid at least 10 tackles and just didn’t miss.
“He was a bulldog out there all day.”
Ramsay also paid tribute to co-captains Montmorency’s Jesse Donaldson and Bundoora’s Matt Dennis for their leadership on and off the field.
Eastern Football League vacated the title this year but would set up a mouth-watering suburban rivalry should they chose to return in 2020.
Earlier, the NFL women’s team suffered an 18-point loss to Barwon Football League, 5.7 (37) to 2.7 (19), with skipper Catherine O’Bryan named best on ground.
While in the netball, Geelong were far too good in the open women’s, claiming victory 98-23, after an equally impressive 71-29 win in the under-19s.
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