Riddell District Football League ready for AFL Victoria Country Championships interleague battle with Nepean Football League

THE Riddell District Football League is expected to finalise its interleague team on Tuesday ahead of a showdown with the Nepean Football League on Saturday.

s48sr934 Football RDFL Diggers Rest v Riddell at Diggers Rest Reserve ..Riddell coach Matthew Power

THE Riddell District Football League is expected to finalise its interleague team on Tuesday ahead of a showdown with the Nepean Football League on Saturday.

The RDFL announced a 57-man squad for the match earlier this month, which came together for its first training session last Wednesday.

The full squad will train again tonight, after which coach Matt Power will pick out his final team.

That team will train again on Thursday before taking to the field at Macedon on Saturday.

“We’ve got full training Tuesday, Thursday so we’ll probably finalise it (the team) on Tuesday,” Power said.
“But it’s full-steam ahead. We’ve got a bit more height this year which is pleasing.”

Among those in the initial squad are some of the league’s big recruits this year such as Simon Clarke (Sunbury Kangaroos), Matt Sullivan (Sunbury Kangaroos), Shaun Harrison (Macedon) and Marcus Kenny (Macedon).

Power — who has coached the RDFL’s interleague squad since 2013 — said this year’s squad was easily the best he had picked, an indication that the league is making big strides forward.

“We’ve got a few players that have played a higher level of footy so the league’s only getting stronger,” he said.

“It would be the strongest squad we’ve had over the last few years.”

The RDFL had originally been scheduled to host the Tallangatta District Football League for this year’s AFL Country Championships however that league withdrew from the competition.

The RDFL is ranked the 28th highest competition in the state but with the withdrawal of the Tallangatta District FL, it has been pitted against a Nepean FL side ranked 14th.

The Nepean FL’s original opponent — the Mallee FNL — also withdrew from the competition.

Power said the new match-up would provide a real challenge but one his troops would be ready for.

“It will be tough but we’ve acquitted ourselves quite well the last two series so we’re looking to do the same again this one,” he said.

The senior football interleague battle will take place at Macedon’s Tony Clarke Reserve from 2pm on Saturday while the two league’s will also fight it out in an open netball match at 2.30pm.

The under-19 football match will be played from 11am and the 17-and-under netball from 1pm.