SEA Lake Nandaly have gotten the better of Calder United in one of the more memorable contests of the 2025 season, winning by eight points.
The 8.12 (60) to 10.8 (68) result gives the Tigers some extra confidence as they prepare for their finals campaign.
Former Adelaide Crow Josh Jenkins returned for the yellow and black prior to the contest and it could not have come at a better time for Sea Lake Nandaly.
The match began, and the Lions were on the board first, with Darcy Munro kicking the first goal, with Koby Hommelhoff shortly following as the lead was built up to 13 points less than 10 minutes in.
But the Tigers responded, with Andrew Collins, Bryce Delmenico, and Josh Jenkins all getting their first goals of the contest to get ahead and lead the Lions by a goal at quarter time.
Calder United’s Mitch Farmer would take back the lead for the Lions shortly after the break.
Lachy McClelland would kick in his first two goals in the quarter for Sea Lake Nandaly while Hommelhoff would kick his second goal, the lead was now back in the Tigers’ favour, only a two point difference when the half time siren was sounded.
The lead would go back and forth throughout the third quarter, both sides were determined to get the win.
But with John Summerhayes bagging in two goals along with Josh Jenkins getting his third goal of the contest, the lead was built back up to seven points for Sea Lake Nandaly.
Rick Allan tied the game back up for Calder United at the start of the fourth quarter, and both sides were still tossing and turning with only a few minutes left to be played.
But John Summerhayes clutched up for the Tigers, kicking his third goal of the day and it would end up being the winning goal.
However, the luck was on Calder United’s side in the end, as they would still hold onto second place due to percentage.
Sea Lake Nandaly’s co-coach of Billy Mcinnes spoke with The Guardian post-match on Sunday, citing the small difference between the two sides was the ‘potency’ of the forward line.
“Yeah it was a real good win, wasn’t a lot of difference between the two sides, few lead changes in the last quarter and we happened to be in front after the final siren,” Mcinnes said.
“If I could separate the two sides, it would probably be our forward line who had a bit more potency on the day as they had a few key outs up that way.”
There was plenty of praise from Mcinnes for Josh Jenkins and John Summerhayes who both played a big part in the contest.
“To have someone like Josh Jenkins to come into our side is a pretty big luxury,” Mcinnes said.
“His footy smarts and to by in what the our group is trying to achieve is second to none, he will definitely feature for us this weekend.
“John has been massive for us these past few weeks as well, a very crafty small forward.
“It’s no surprise to us with what he is putting out as he has been doing a lot of work and getting more confident with his body after he missed all of last season from an ACL injury.
“He is just one that knows what his role is for the team, and he is nailing it for us, which is pleasing because we are all about playing your role for the team!”
With the huge upcoming clash against Boort next week, Mcinnes gave a quick insight as to what the plan is for that contest, along with having the expectation that a few players will return for the yellow and black from injury.
“We should have about three or four players back in this week, we are finally starting to get a full list to pick from after having a shocking run with injuries this season,” Mcinnes said.
“But to have everyone right to go at the pointing end of the year is a good problem for Bryce and myself!
“We have had a couple of good contests against Boort, they are a good football side and they have some very classy football players.
“We will just have to get to work on the training track this week, and make sure that we are all prepared to the best that we can be, so that we are right to go for the big contest this Saturday.”
Across the grounds, it was Boort who got the better of Charlton, winning by 77 points at Boort Park.
The 15.10 (100) to 3.5 (23) score gives the Magpies their final home win of the 2025 season, and some extra confidence as they prepare for their first finals campaign since 2016.
Boort got off to a nice start for the match, kicking four unanswered goals in the first quarter, as they lead the Navies by 25 points at quarter-time.
Charlton got their first goal of the contest during an uneventful second quarter, both sides only kicking a goal each.
The third quarter would be much better, with Boort building the lead up to 39 points, with Kayne Rutley and Jhye Baddeley-Kelly leading the charge.
The Magpies would shut out Charlton in the final quarter, not allowing a single point to go through the big sticks, while they kicked six goals to get up to the triple digits.
Next week for Boort, they will suit up to take on Sea Lake Nandaly in the elimination final, a huge game for Dale Cameron’s Magpies.
There was cause for celebration, as Boort’s Jhye Baddeley-Kelly would go on to finish runners up in the J. J. Feeny Medal, earning himself the Keith Chalmers Memorial Trophy.
Over at George Cartwright Oval, the Birchip-Watchem Bulls dealt the final blow for Donald, winning by 173 points.
The 26.18 (174) to 0.1 (1) result keeps the green, purple, and white outfit undefeated all season, an incredible performance for the entire side.
Charlie Frank got the ball moving for the Bulls, getting his first goal of the contest, meanwhile Ben Edwards added two goals to his tally.
The Bulls finished with seven goals already kicked within the first quarter, and the demolition continued for the second quarter, five goals were kicked, with Marshall Rippon claiming two of them.
In the third quarter, another seven goal performance was kicked, with Ben Edwards getting another two and Jacob Christie claiming three.
Birchip-Watchem kicked yet another seven goals in the final quarter, Edwards claimed another two goals to end with eight goals in his tally, while Marshall Rippon got his third and Jacob Christie finished up with five goals.
After the contest, it was confirmed that Birchip-Watchem’s midfielder Hamish Hosking was the tied winner for the J. J. Feeny medal, tying with Wade Donnan — a huge achievement for both players involved.
The Bulls will have a break next week, as the elimination final will be played out, then the week after they will be off to Boort Park to take on Calder United in the second semi-final.
In the final match of the round, it was Wedderburn who got their final win of the season at Donaldson Park, winning by 201 points against St Arnaud.
The 32.26 (218) to 2.5 (17) result gives the Redbacks their biggest win of the 2025 season, a cause for celebration despite knowing they won’t be featuring in finals this season.
Noah Furlong booted the first goal for the red and black side, by the time it was eight minutes into the contest, five goals were already kicked.
By the end of the first quarter, the Redbacks already bagged ten goals, with Mitch Jensen kicking in three, while Darcy Jackson, Hamish Lockhart and Noah Furlong all having two goals each.
Wedderburn added another six goals in the second quarter, with Lockhart getting another two along with Zach Pallpratt getting his first two goals of the contest.
Bailey Nicholas got the first goal for the Saints, late in the quarter as the Redbacks would lead by 102 points at half-time.
The third quarter was slightly quieter from Wedderburn, but there was still five goals that were bagged, with Furlong and Jackson both getting their third goal of the contest.
St Arnaud’s vice-captain Torin Petrie got his first senior goal of the season in the third term as well, as the lead was brought up to 124 points.
The Redbacks saved their best performance for last, bringing in 12 goals in the final quarter alone, with Jensen getting four goals, while Hamish Lockhart and Darcy Jackson both bagged in their fifth goal of the match.
With neither side playing finals this season, both will look towards 2026, and see what needs to be done so they can have a better season.
