Round 1 - Saturday April 12, 2008

Riverina Football Netball League
Venue: Narrandera Sportsground 5.00pm
Umpires: -----
Narrandera .... 3.4 .. 4.8 .. 12.11 .. 18.13 (121) 
Griffith ............ 2.1 .. 7.4 .. 10.5 .. 12.9 (81)
NARRANDERA IMPERIAL: Matthew Bolton, Ian Donaldson, Chris Downes; Stuart Hutchins, Jonathon Dawson, Jamie Grintell (c-c); Brent Rose, Nic Hetherington, Jonathon Doyle; Damon Burdon, Tim Durnan, Stephen Irons; Tim Matheson, Peter Heath, Luke Sullivan; Lenny Lyons, Peter Green, Dale Hugo; Dean Hopwood, Chris Smith, Michael Williams 
GRIFFITH: James Smith, Dan McGreal, Dean Catanzariti; Jason Bertacco*, Jeremy Way, Simon Spiers; Matthew Kenny, Michael Johns, Robert Bridgen*; Brett Owen, Jeff Mickan, Craig Conlan; Kris Duncan, Shaun Curran, Brett Davis*; Ryan Bull, Myles Bunn, Ben Ford; Jack Geddes*, Cameron Harrison*, Glen Snaidero* 
GOALS
Narrandera: P Heath 5, B Rose 3, J Grintell 3, T Durnan 2, C Smith, S Irons, T Matheson, P Green, L Sullivan 
Griffith: B Davis 5, S Curran 2, J Mickan 2, B Owen, Myles Bunn, K Duncan 
BEST PLAYERS
Narrandera: D Hugo, P Heath, B Rose, J Dawson, J Doyle, D Burden 
Griffith: C Conlan, B Owen, J Bertacco, J Smith, B Davis, K Duncan
SENIOR DEBUT: Jason Bertacco, Robert Bridgen, Brett Davis, Jack Geddes, Cameron Harrison, Glen Snaidero 

A summary of match report, with thanks
Despite the Griffith Swans losing to Narrandera by 60 points, coach Gerard Toscan said he could not fault the effort displayed by his young side. While the result alone is not the way the Swans wanted to start the Riverina Football League season, Toscan said the ingredients for a successful year were on display. The Swans actually led at the long break by 14 points, something Toscan and the rest of the side probably didn't expect early in the season against last year's grand finalists. "I think we probably shocked them a bit because we led.

I think we shocked ourselves a bit as well," Toscan said. "We were a lot harder to the ball and the leaders, the senior guys, really set the tone in the middle and the young guys went at the ball like their lives depended on it.

"Narrandera chipped the ball around a lot, played a more possession style of football, and that suited us because it gave our guys a chance to get back. "But I think we let a good opportunity slip." The turnaround after halftime was the undoing of the Swans, with Narrandera moving Peter Heath out of the ruck to centre half-forward, creating a massive target for the Eagles to aim at.

So much was his dominance, Heath bagged five majors for the half and helped seal a big turnaround. Toscan said the positional changes to cover Heath's dominance was made fractionally too late, and by then the big man found his way to goal too many times, with a six-goal last quarter ending the chances of a Swans' upset.

Toscan said the younger and new players at the club will find their feet, and heaped praise on the ruck pairing of Ryan Bull and Jack Geddes and speed merchant Brett Davis. "Brett Davis - far out he was the most exciting to watch," he said.

"Some of the marks he took had people wondering how he was doing it. I mean, how do you take a mark running at full tilt with somebody on your hammer at full stretch with one hand? "And I think Ryan and Jack had almost nine straight centre clearances."

(By Scott Hazlewood - The Area News, Monday April 14, 2008).

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OTHER MATCHES - SAT: Coolamon 16.10 (106) def Eastern Hawks 12.7 (79), Wagga 8.15 (63) def Mangoplah-CUE 7.10 (52); SUN: Ganmain-GGM 11.6 (72) def Leeton-Whitton 9.11 (65), Turvey Park 32.23 (221) def North Wagga 4.5 (29).

Reserves: Narrandera 22.13 (145) def Griffith 4.5 (29) 
Goals: Royce Johns 2, Daniel Keenan, Matthew Butcher 
Best players: Chris McGann, Luke Piccolo, Rhys Best, Alex Potroz, Daniel Keenan, Mitch McDonell
Under 18: Narrandera 10.14 (74) def Griffith 9.9 (63)
Goals: Kyle Ratcliff 3, Jack Tyrell 3, Sam Wood, Mitch Harrison, Casey Moore
Best players: Oliver Delves, Hayden Shaw, Sam Wood, Dylan Bruce, James Taylor, Kyle Ratcliff