KDFNL Violet Town senior football
When Ollie Smyth ran out on Saturday for his first senior game following an emotional jumper presentation from his father and club legend, Jack, little did he know that in a couple of hours he would be part of history as he led the victorious senior team off the field.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
For the first time in over 20 years, the Towners would win all four grades of football. It doesn’t seem much but when you consider a couple of years ago there were no thirds or fourths, it showcases the hard work of the committee to get juniors to the club and ensure stability for the long term.
Who also would have thought the under-12s would play Euroa earlier that day? Despite being beaten, it showcased the journey the club is on — five football teams!
The senior team, still short of players due to injury, hit the ground running, kicking seven goals to two in the first quarter. Livewire Anthony Moleta had three already as the midfield dominated.
The Towners piled on the goals over the next two quarters to lead by 76 points at three-quarter time.
In the last quarter, strange things happened. Undera, which had only kicked four goals to three-quarter time, kicked seven unanswered goals inside the first 15 minutes — you’d think they had an extra man on the ground. The Town’s lack of bench for the last quarter following a few injuries was starting to show.
Mitch Saunders and Nathan Abley would have split the votes, both were in great form throughout the game, Jimmy Herring again was great as was skipper Ryan Jennings, particularly in the last quarter.
Moleta lit the side up early with three first-quarter goals, just class, and his little mate Tyler Green bobbed up for three himself.
My volunteer of the week goes to 300-game legend Tim Ross. What he does around the club is unseen, and the way he has kick-started this junior campaign over the past few years and now seeing five teams is much to do with him. It’s enabling the club to be in such a strong position. Take a bow, Chief!
Next week, we host Merrigum. All games should be enthralling. They’ve had the better of us over the past few years, hopefully we can give them a hard hitout this week. You never know, a win is a possibility.
Violet Town: 18.9 (117)
Undera: 11.11 (77)
Best: N.Abley, M.Saunders, J.Herring, A.Moleta, S.Leigh, R.Jennings
Goals: A.Moleta 4, T.Green 3, S. Leigh, H.Floate, B.Webster 2, C.Fallon, R.Kego, W. Thompson, N.Butler, R Downie 1.
Reserves
Following a couple of beltings from two teams that expect to be up the pointy end come season’s end, the Ressies were relishing the chance to bounce back and get their season on track. And that they did, jumping out of the blocks with a five-goal-to-nothing first quarter. Alex Nikolovski was brilliant in the middle, getting the ball moving forward, and Caine Atkinson was a strong presence up forward, even when not marking the ball, bringing it to ground to give the smalls such as Jamie Clohesy opportunities. In the second quarter, the intensity dropped off after a serious injury to Kisione Taulani led to a halt to proceedings for 10 minutes. Undera was able to get back into the game, kicking three goals to one. The third quarter saw the Towners take back control and open a match-winning lead of eight goals at the last break, with Jessie Stewert, Jesse Corbett and Nikolovski taking full control of the middle of the ground and Atkinson kicking his fifth for the match. The last quarter saw tempers and frustrations flare from the Undera players with a few indiscretions leading to altercations with numerous players from both sides getting told to go have a shower early.
Violet Town: 12.7 (79)
Undera: 6.6 (42)
Best: A Nikolovski, J Domotor, C Atkinson, K Hudson, E Kozole, J Corbett
Goals: C Atkinson 5, J Clohesy 3, M Clarke, A Nikolovski, J Domotor, L Unger 1
Under-18s
In a thrilling display of youth football prowess, Violet Town asserted its dominance in a high-octane clash against Undera, emerging victorious with a commanding performance from start to finish. The match, characterised by fast-paced action and moments of sheer brilliance, showcased the Towners’ determination and skill as they secured a well-deserved win.
The game kicked off with both teams showing early intent, but it was Violet Town that drew first blood with a point at the six-minute mark of the first quarter. Despite a somewhat shaky start marked by missed opportunities, the Towners’ resolve for victory soon ignited, and they began to assert their authority on the scoreboard.
Undera struggled to find its rhythm against Violet Town’s relentless pressure, only managing to respond with a goal at the 14-minute mark in the second quarter. However, the Lions found themselves trailing for the entirety of the match as Violet Town’s cohesive unit continued to dominate proceedings.
A standout moment came in the third quarter when Wil Smyth showcased exceptional skill and finesse with a stunning goal that sent the crowds into a frenzy. Smyth’s moment of brilliance epitomised Violet Town’s attacking prowess and ignited further momentum for his team.
Leading the charge in front of the goals was Charles ‘Chizz’ Thompson, who proved to be unstoppable, converting every opportunity to add to the scoreboard. Thompson’s clinical finishing was complemented by the relentless work ethic of Flynn Weeks in the ruck and Sam ‘Bull’ Leigh’s dominant midfield presence, consistently feeding the ball to the forward line.
Chizz stood tall under pressure, demonstrating composure and determination, while Oliver Smyth provided valuable support with strategic positioning and effective communication, capitalising on Undera’s inconsistent defence.
In the backline, Jye Dunn showcased newfound confidence with his strategic positioning, thwarting Undera’s advances and slowing its attacking momentum. Dunn’s defensive prowess complemented Violet Town’s cohesive team effort, ensuring the Towners maintained control of the game until the final whistle.
As the match concluded, Violet Town emerged as worthy victors, the players’ performance a testament to their skill, determination and teamwork. With such an impressive display, the future looks bright for Violet Town U18s as they continue their pursuit of success in the season ahead.
Violet Town: 14.13 (97)
Undera: 5.4 (34)
Best: S Leigh, F Weeks, N Butler, R Robertson, C Thompson, W Smyth
Goals: C Thompson 8, W Smyth, R Robertson 2, S Leigh, N Butler 1
Under 15s
Bright and early in Undera and we were greeted with perfect conditions. After two consecutive weeks against the same team, this was new opposition for our boys and they welcomed the challenge. After a five-goal-to-nil first-quarter blitz, the coaches were keen to shuffle the magnets and once again challenge our players to try different roles and gain experience in unfamiliar positions.
The coaches’ instructions were clear: maintain team structure and focus on defensive tackling pressure to limit opportunities for Undera to score. Run-down tackling was a highlight, especially one through the middle by Lincoln Woolley, who featured in the best along with Ryder Robertson, Mason Butterworth, Koby Ross, Will Stevens and Nate Nicholas.
An injury late in the game to Hunter Smyth was the only lowlight to the day.
Violet Town: 18.13 (121)
Undera: 1.0 (6)
Goal kickers: Koby Ross 6, Ryder Robertson 4, Nate Nicholas 3, Kai Dervish, Billy Dyer 2, Will Stevens 1.
Under 12s
Another fresh early Saturday morning faced the Towners’ under-12s. To their credit, they came to play, getting off to a red-hot start by winning the first centre clearance thanks to some brilliant tap work from ruck Dennis Guilmartin. The first 10 minutes of the game saw Violet Town dominating clearances, with Ben McCole, James Palmer and Jye Loki-Webb working well together in the middle to put the Towners into attack.
Riley Cunningham and Cole North were applying great pressure across half-back, being first to the ball on many occasions.
The second quarter started just like the first, with Violet Town winning centre clearances but unfortunately not being able to capitalise.
Isla North was working hard on the wing, finding plenty of the footy with the forward line led by Mason Morunga and Kaiden Martin working hard with limited opportunities.
Larry Ball was presenting well across half-forward and worked hard all day.
The start of the third quarter saw Euroa get on top a bit, but thanks to fantastic defence from Liam Antonis, Henry Crafter and Basil Piper, the team was able to limit Euroa’s scoring.
Braxen Shiels moved from down back into the middle and immediately had the ball on a string and was using it well.
The last quarter saw a few changes made, with Will Brittain having a run in the middle and really setting the game alight with brilliant attack on the football and lovely long kicks. Big Billy Ross was starting to find the ball and hit targets with lovely kicks and Abel Cunningham-Jones worked hard, laying nice tackles and applying great pressure.
A fantastic team effort by all players, with truckloads of improvement by all.
Violet Town: 0.0 (0)
Euroa: 6.12 (48)
A special thanks to Charlie Crafter for running water.
Best players: Dennis Guilmartin, Riley Cunningham, William Brittain, Cole North, Basil Piper and Isla North.
KDL A Grade netball:
Violet Town got off to a strong start, with great defensive intercepts and steady feeding into the shooters allowing the team to get off to a 6-0 start. After the quarter break, Violet Town lost its way in attack, allowing Undera to come back into the game. Changes at halftime settled the Violet Town team and the players were able to get back to playing good netball. Violet Town continued to work hard until the end, pushing the margin out of reach for Undera in the last quarter.
Violet Town: 60
Undera: 46
Awards: Kolby Wild and Prue Holmes
B Grade netball:
Violet Town: 47
Undera: 22
Awards: Karalee Mason and Teagan Kubeil
C Grade
After a slow start in the first quarter, some big changes saw the players find their feet and keep a pretty even score with Undera in the second quarter. The switch of Thalia Ellis from defence into shooting allowed for a smoother flow into the attacking end. In the third and fourth quarters, the defenders worked hard to get turnovers but were no match for the accuracy of the Undera shooters. With an injury to Makaila Gilbee in the fourth quarter, C Grade unfortunately was not able to keep up.
Violet Town: 26
Undera: 58
Awards: Thalia Ellis and Rachel Brown
C Reserve
Facing an undefeated Undera side, the girls went in knowing it was going to be a battle. In a very physical contest, the girls all held their heads up high, managing to keep close to the opposition in the first quarter.
Defence again this week kept tight and managed great rebounds against strong Undera shooters.
Ez was a strong voice all day and thoroughly deserved her best-on-court. Lyss played a strong second half in WD and got the coach’s award.
Credit to our shooters, gaining more goals on the scoreboard and improving from the last two games.
Violet Town: 17
Undera: 48
Awards: Erin Dawson and Allysia Trait
17 & Under
Violet Town started slower than Undera, which resulted in Violet Town playing catch-up netball for the rest of the match. The girls never gave up and fought hard with some fantastic defence, causing Undera to turn the ball over. In attack, the Violet Town team worked together to get the ball down to the shooters, who shot beautifully. At the start of the second quarter, Undera was the quickest out of the break, putting scoreboard pressure on the Violet Town team and increasing its lead, but Violet Town made some changes and the team responded well, working hard in both defence and attack to claw back the margin. Violet Town continued to work hard for the whole second half of the game, with the margin remaining close, but the damage was done in the first half and Undera was able to hold on to its lead. Well done on a great team effort!
Violet Town: 28
Undera: 34
Awards: Elliette Jeffery and Bella Trait.
15 & Under
Violet Town: 27
Undera: 34
Award: Issy Smyth
11 & Under
The girls came out strong, shooting 14 goals in the first quarter. Fantastic attacking drives from Callie, Bella, Gypsy and Summer working beautifully to secure such a strong start.
Valentine continues to improve every week, taking on the coaches’ feedback and using it in her game. Defensively, Rylie and Sophie continue to maintain the strongest defensive pressure, often turning over the ball, resulting in a goal! Lily showed a massive amount of improvement from her first game last week, making fantastic defensive pressure choices, with arms over every ball. Summer is proving to be our little pocket rocket, who dominates with speed and accuracy. Well done, girls, on a great game!
Violet Town: 26
Undera: 5
Awards: Rylie, Gypsy and Callie
Contributed content