Massive demographic changes in Melbourne’s suburbs are threatening the survival of traditional footy powerhouses and now the race is on to attract the next generation of young players.
Initiations don’t come much harder than Old Paradians’ welcome to NFNL Division 2, facing the top four teams in the first four weeks. Ben Turner has his say on the club’s start.
A Melbourne local footy star reveals the physical and mental toll of a life-threatening infection, picked up in Bali, which ate through his hip, left him hospitalised for weeks and unable to walk for months.
Ominously for rivals, Reservoir is finding its feet and snapped two major droughts with a big win – but the reserves stole the show with an after-the-siren thriller.
The local footy community is rallying around Epping’s Alec Buchan after he suffered a horror back injury on the weekend.
TALKING POINTS: Heidelberg United is in red-hot form, Langwarrin pulls off the upset of the season and South Melbourne and Melbourne Knights make coaching calls.
Kilmore had kicked just two goals in three quarters of footy on Saturday. In the final 30 minutes it tripled its score to over-run Kinglake in an epic finish.
Jesse Tardio provided the fuel and Zane Souleiman provided the fireworks as North Heidelberg cemented itself as one of the NFNL Division 1’s top teams.
Lower Plenty slept in on Saturday but, once roused, showcased its firepower to claim a dominant win over Thomastown, with Tyler Wallace the star.
TALKING POINTS: Heidelberg United brought Avondale crashing down, Paul Hodges condemns South Melbourne and Luka Kolic’s Goal of the Year contender.
Ex-AFL forward Noah Cumberland’s local footy debut turned into a nightmare as he was slapped with a suspension for a late off-the-ball hit. Watch the video.
Former Carlton and Brisbane star Mitch Robinson has copped a big whack after appealing a local footy suspension for flipping the bird to the crowd. See the incident.
Kurt Manuel was on fire as Macleod stormed home to knock off St Mary’s – and old premiership Kanga Jack Bianchin – to cement itself as one of the competition’s top teams.
Kinglake sent a timely reminder to its NFNL Division 3 rivals with a stunning upset of a Brent Macaffer-less Epping at Epping on Saturday.
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