By Trevor Jackson
WITH a quiet weekend in the Limestone Coast due to the SA Country football up in the Barossa Valley, it is the ideal time to look back at the football season so far.
For the Mid South Eastern Football League the results have been somewhat up-and-down for various clubs, but the cream appears to be rising to the top.
The premiership ladder reads Robe, Port MacDonnell, Kalangadoo, Hatherleigh, Mount Burr, Tantanoola, Glencoe, Kongorong and Nangwarry.
At the top it is a welcome change for Robe to sit at the pointy end.
Last year the Roosters finished out of contention in fifth place behind Mount Burr with just eight wins.
This year the Roosters were untouchable until last round, where they went down to a determined Port MacDonnell.
Interestingly, not one Robe player is in the top 10 goal kickers, with Joel Bryant down in 12th place with 17 majors.
However, Henry Lawrie has been in the best players for Robe in nine of his 10 games to date.
Coach Nathan Brown certainly has his players up and about in his first year leading the club.
Port MacDonnell has been impressive so far, with a strong start and just two losses – one to Robe and one to Hatherleigh.
Unlike the Roosters, the Demons have one player heading the goal-kicking list, with Colby Munro equal on 35 snags to Mount Burr’s Jack Gregory.
Munro headed to the Bay from South Gambier and has certainly enjoyed his time in the Mid South East league so far.
The Demons put on a display last round, with a huge win over Kongorong, while earlier in the season they pumped Nangwarry, with both games boasting well over 100-point margins.
No doubt Munro is a major part of the Demons’ success this year.
Onto third place and the reigning premiers, Kalangadoo, have finally strung some good performances together.
Having lost two of their first three outings this season, the Magpies have looked a lot stronger since.
They suffered at the hands of the Demons in Round 8, but managed to win everything since, including last round’s win over the ladder-leading Robe.
Remember the Magpies lost spear-head goal kicker Michael Krieger to Casterton Sandford in the off-season, but they have managed to come up with a suitable replacement by utilising more players in front of the big sticks, along with Dylan Bromley.
Bromley sits fourth on the goal-kicking list with 29 majors.
It is all on track so far as we head well into the second half of the season.
Last year’s runner-up, Hatherleigh, has been one side struggling for form, with a fair exodus over the off-season.
However, the Eagles sit in fourth place after a big win over Glencoe last round, after Mount Burr went down to Tantanoola.
Patrick Chay has been solid in front of goals, with 23 majors, as the Eagles look a more serious contender now than earlier in the season.
In fifth place Mount Burr started the season with a bang against Nangwarry, won a close one against Tantanoola, then claimed a one-point victory over Kalangadoo.
The Mozzies then encountered the Demons and were comprehensively defeated.
It has been up-and-down since then, with last round’s defeat at the hands of Tantanoola sure to have hurt.
That was certainly unexpected, but with Jack Gregory kicking goals – equal at the pointy end with Munro – the Mozzies certainly are not out of the running.
However, Gregory does sit just two goals ahead of Nangwarry’s Andrew Hyland, with the Saints no chance of making the post-season.
For the bottom four sides, it is clearly a case of playing for pride.
Tantanoola showed that last round when the chance to claim a big scalp emerged.
The Mozzies were on the receiving end of a 41-point win for the Tigers and it certainly had people talking.
The Tigers were relentless with ball in hand and need more similar efforts to end the season on a high.
It is the first time Tantanoola has won more than three games in a season since 2018, so all is not lost.
Glencoe has struggled this year, despite a big Round 2 performance over Hatherleigh.
Next time the two sides met the tables were turned, as the Eagles emerged comfortable victors.
With just two wins for the season so far, the Murphies will have to look to 2024 and simply hone their skills for the remainder of the season.
The same goes for Kongorong and Nangwarry.
The Hawks have had an ordinary year, as have the Saints.
The Hawks looked solid early, with some close contests against the top sides, but have only managed to account for Glencoe.
Nangwarry threatened to string together a few more victories this season after their breakthrough win in 2022.
However, just one victory has come – against Kongorong.
Regardless of the bottom sides, there is plenty of interest in the top half of the ladder, with little to separate the top five.
Robe showed it is not invincible last round against Kalangadoo, which suggests a real contest as the season heads towards the post-season, but who could tip against the Roosters at this stage?
