James Murphy
FOOTBALL action returns to the region this weekend with Round 1 of the 2024 Limestone Coast Women’s Football League pencilled in for this Sunday.
All games will be played at Vansittart Park, which promised a full day of entertainment.
In a new development, an additional team has been introduced to the senior competition.
The Nangwarry Saints will march into the fold and while they have the bye for Round 1, there will be plenty of interest when they take to the field for the first time in the second round.
Sunday’s opening game will be played between Casterton Sandford and Kongorong.
The former finished 2023 as minor premiers after an impressive home-and-away season.
However, the Cats were knocked out of finals in straight sets and will now have their sights set on redemption.
The Hawks on the other hand made the consolation grand final where they finished runner-up to Kybybolite for sixth place overall.
There will be plenty to prove for both teams and it should be an exciting start to the season.
Last year’s consolation final winner Kybybolite will gear up for an opening round clash against Penola, which could be an intriguing contest.
The teams finished fifth and fourth respectively in 2023 will both hope to start their years well.
Reigning premier Mundulla will be hungry for the same success it tasted last campaign.
The northern Tigers start their year with a match against Millicent.
The Saints only managed one win last season and will aim for improvement in 2024.
However, a win will not likely come easily over a powerhouse such as Mundulla.
Rounding out the day’s proceedings will be a cross-town battle between North and South Gambier.
North did well to make the grand final from third position last year, ultimately falling to Mundulla in the season decider.
On the other hand the Demons suffered a fall from grace in 2023, following several years of success.
They will aim to make their way up the pecking order again and will have their sights set on a Round 1 win to start making that a reality.
The 2024 season will consist of nine minor rounds and then three weeks of finals.
There will be four games played each week, with a bye to one team every round.
The majority of games are scheduled for Sundays, but there will be a couple of Friday-night fixtures scattered across the season.
Action kicks off on Sunday from 10am.
ROUND 1 SCHEDULE – VANSITTART PARK, Sunday January 21
Casterton Sandford v Kongorong, 10am; Penola v Kybybolite, 11.35am; Mundulla v Millicent, 1.10pm; North Gambier v South Gambier, 2.45pm.
