Mallee Football League (South Australia)
Encyclopedia
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Current clubs | Border Downs Tintinara FC, Karoonda FC, Lameroo FC, Murrayville FC, Peake FC, Pinnaroo FC |
| Former clubs | Ngallo FC |
| Grounds | Coonalpyn Oval, Karoonda Showgrounds, Telstra Oval (Lameroo Oval), Murrayville Cricket Ground, Peake Oval, Pinnaroo Showgrounds, Tintinara Oval |
| 2011 MFL season | |
| Premiers | Border Downs Tintinara FC 14.11 (95) def Karoonda FC 12.6 (78) |
| Minor Premiers | Border Downs Tintinara FC |
| Wooden spoon | Pinnaroo FC |
| Mail Medalist | Corey Knight (Karoonda) |
The Mallee Football League (MFL) is an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
competition in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The league comprises teams located in south eastern South Australia and one team (Murrayville) located in western Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
The football season usually starts after Easter and ends in early September. The local newspaper The Border Times
The Border Times
The Border Times, based in Pinnaroo, is the local newspaper of the Southern Mallee region of South Australia. The paper has all of the local news, sports and weather. The paper is released each Wednesday for $1.10 per article. It is a small newspaper that covers very little international news.-...
has extensive coverage of each week's results of the MFL. Coverage is also provided on WIN SA
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a...
during the season. During the Queens Holiday Weekend, the MFL selects a team to represent the Mallee against the Riverland. It has become a recent tradition and draws a fair crowd every year. The league's Best & Fairest award is called the Mail Medal. Prominent players to play at a higher level include Nathan D. Brown
Nathan D. Brown
Nathan Daniel Brown is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Demons in the Australian Football League....
(Melbourne FC, Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
), Trent Sporn
Trent Sporn
Trent Sporn is an Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .He was recruited as the number 11 draft pick in the 2000 AFL Draft from North Adelaide...
(Carlton FC), Martin Mattner
Martin Mattner
Martin Mattner is an Australian rules football who plays for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League. He was traded to Sydney from the Adelaide Crows in October 2007 in exchange for Draft pick number 28....
(Adelaide FC) and Rodney Maynard
Rodney Maynard
Rodney Maynard is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Adelaide in the AFL.Maynard played mostly as a defender at Adelaide, having come to the club from Norwood. He was a member of Adelaide's inaugural side in 1991 and is on the interchange bench in the club's official 'Team of the...
(Adelaide FC, AFL).
Current clubs
| Jumper | Club | Nickname | Years in comp | MFL Premierships | Premiership Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border Downs/Tintinara | Crows | 2001- | 5 | 2004, 2006-7, 2010-11 | |
| Karoonda Districts | Magpies | 1994- | - | - | |
| Lameroo | Hawks | 1994- | 9 | 1994-5-6, 1998-9, 2000, 2002, 2008-9 | |
| Murrayville | Bulldogs | 1994- | 2 | 2003, 2005 | |
| Peake & Districts | Lions | 1994- | - | - | |
| Pinnaroo | Supa Roos | 1994- | 2 | 1997, 2001 | |
Border Downs/Tintinara Crows
Located in TintinaraTintinara, South Australia
Tintinara is a town in South Australia on Dukes Highway and the Adelaide-Melbourne railway line. It is in the The Coorong District Council local government area, the South Australian House of Assembly Electoral district of MacKillop and the Australian House of Representatives Division of Barker...
and Coonalpyn
Coonalpyn, South Australia
Coonalpyn is a small town in South Australia southeast of Adelaide on the Dukes Highway . Coonalpyn belongs to the The Coorong District Council and is in the State electorate of MacKillop and the Federal electorate of Barker.-Origin of the name:...
, the Crows have been in the MFL since 2001. The BDT FC was formed after the Border Downs and the Tintinara clubs merged. Before the Mallee Football League BDT was part of the River Murray Football League
River Murray Football League
The River Murray Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Murray Bridge region of South Australia, Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League....
. BDT and Karoonda are the only teams in the league to not be on the Mallee Highway
Mallee Highway
The Mallee Highway runs east from Tailem Bend in South Australia through cereal-growing farmland at the southern end of the Murray Mallee to Pinnaroo near the border with Victoria, where it crosses route...
.
The BDT FC in recent years has dominated the B grade and the Junior Colts, in 2006 BDT were premiers in every grade apart from the Junior colts which finished fourth in the Lightning Carnival. The "A" grade team defeated the Lameroo Hawks as did the "B" Grade. The senior colts team defeated the Pinnaroo Supa Roos.
At the conclusion of the 2007 season, two Border Downs Tintinara teams were victorious in their grand finals. The senior colts defeated the Lameroo Hawks with a score of BDT 14 goals 11 points to Lameroo 7 goals 14 points. The A grade team narrowly defeated the Murrayville Bulldogs 16 goals 17 points 113 to Murrayville 15 goals 14 points 104.
Boarder Downs Tintinara's recent form in the 2010/2011 season have been amazing, only losing 1 game.
Karoonda Magpies
Based in KaroondaKaroonda, South Australia
Karoonda is in the middle of the Murray Mallee region of South Australia at geographic coordinates . Karoonda takes its name from the Aboriginal word for "winter camp"....
. The club has recruited well for the 2009 season after lack of player numbers caused crisis meetings in 2008. The current league side started the 2009 season well - including a good win against 2008 premiers Lameroo. The Reserves team is also tasting success once again after a winless streak of more than 30 matches over a number of seasons.
Lameroo Hawks
Based in LamerooLameroo, South Australia
Lameroo is a town in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia. It is on the Mallee Highway about 40 km west of the Victorian border, or 210 km east of Adelaide. It is primarily a service town for the surrounding rural areas, growing grain and sheep...
, 200 kilometres east of Adelaide. They currently field A and B Grade, Under 16's, Under 13's and Auskick.
Murrayville Bulldogs
Based in MurrayvilleMurrayville, Victoria
Murrayville is a town on the section of the Mallee Highway between Ouyen and the South Australian border. It is about east of the South Australian border and north west of the state capital Melbourne, but east of Adelaide...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, the Bulldogs are the only Victorian team in an otherwise South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n league. The clubs colours are red, white and blue.
Peake Lions
The Peake & Districts Football club is based in Peake and include the surrounding towns of Geranium, Jabuk, Parrakie and Peake. The Clubs colours are red, blue and yellow.Pinnaroo Supa Roos
Based in PinnarooPinnaroo, South Australia
Pinnaroo is a town in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia, near the border with Victoria 243 km east of Adelaide. Pinnaroo is on the Mallee Highway, and the railway line between Tailem Bend and Ouyen. The roadhouses on the highway are the first food and leg-stretch stop on the bus route...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, the Pinnaroo Football Club plays its home games at the Pinnaroo Showgrounds. The Club has four teams in the Mallee Football League: "A" Grade, Reserves ("B" Grade), Senior Colts (Under 16's), and the Junior Colts (Under 13's). The colours of the Pinnaroo Supa Roos are red, white and black.
The Pinnaroo Supa Roos formed in 1975 after Pinnaroo North and Pinnaroo South merged due to the lack of players. Pinnaroo has produced a few great players over the years including Nathan Brown who is a former Melbourne player in the AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
.
THe Pinnaroo Football Club shared the Pinnaroo Showgrounds with the Ngallo Demons Football Club in its final years until it went into recess in 2000. Ngallo's presence is still seen with the visitors rooms and interchanges bench in the navy and blue of the Demons.
Brief history
In 1994 the Murray Lands Football League and the Lameroo & District Football League merged to form the Mallee Football League. Participating clubs at that time were Lameroo, Murrayville, Ngallo, Karoonda Districts, Peake & Districts and Pinnaroo. In 2000 Ngallo folded and due to lack of players and Border Downs Tintinara joined the league, after playing 10 years in the River Murray FL.Premiers
| Season | Premier | Runner Up | Score |
| 1994 | Lameroo | Karoonda Districts | 27.16 (178) – 12.9 (81) |
| 1995 | Lameroo | Murrayville | 16.13 (109) - 12.13 (85) |
| 1996 | Lameroo | Pinnaroo | 23.14(152) – 13.9 (87) |
| 1997 | Pinnaroo | Lameroo | 17.16 (118) – 16.7 (103) |
| 1998 | Lameroo | Karoonda Districts | 13.16 (94) – 8.11 (59) |
| 1999 | Lameroo | Ngallo | 23.15 (153) – 11.8 (74) |
| 2000 | Lameroo | Pinnaroo | 11.13 (79) - 8.12 (60) |
| 2001 | Pinnaroo | Murrayville | 7.10 (52) – 4.7 (31) |
| 2002 | Lameroo | Border Downs Tintinara | 15.15 (105) – 8.10 (58) |
| 2003 | Murrayville | Pinnaroo | 15.9 (99) – 6.5 (41) |
| 2004 | Border Downs Tintinara | Murrayville | 23.15 (153) – 5.3 (33) |
| 2005 | Murrayville | Karoonda Districts | 18.10 (118) – 14.10 (94) |
| 2006 | Border Downs Tintinara | Lameroo | 14.9 (93) – 8.10 (58) |
| 2007 | Border Downs Tintinara | Murrayville | 16.17 (113) – 15.14 (104) |
| 2008 | Lameroo | Border Downs Tintinara | 17.17 (119) - 13.9 (87) |
| 2009 | Lameroo | Border Downs Tintinara | 14.8 (92) - 8.7 (55) |
| 2010 | Border Downs Tintinara | Karoonda Districts | 20.20 (140) - 7.4 (46) |
| 2011 | Border Downs Tintinara | Murrayville | 14.11 (95) - 12.6 (78) |
Season format
The Mallee Football League's season usually starts shortly after Easter. The season usually consists of 15 Rounds of three games, always on Saturdays (each team plays every other team three times) and two breaks during the season for the Queens Birthday weekend and the other for the SA Country Carnival. Recently the MFL introduced one night game a year, usually at MurrayvilleMurrayville, Victoria
Murrayville is a town on the section of the Mallee Highway between Ouyen and the South Australian border. It is about east of the South Australian border and north west of the state capital Melbourne, but east of Adelaide...
. The finals series is based on a top four system: The top two play each other and the winner goes through to the Grand Final, the loser plays the winner of the match between the 3rd and 4th placed team. then the winner of that game goes through to the grand final. the winner of the Grand Final is declared the premiers.
Season 2006
In 2006 the grand final was held in CoonalpynCoonalpyn, South Australia
Coonalpyn is a small town in South Australia southeast of Adelaide on the Dukes Highway . Coonalpyn belongs to the The Coorong District Council and is in the State electorate of MacKillop and the Federal electorate of Barker.-Origin of the name:...
and Border Downs-Tintinara won the A Grade, Reserves and the Under 16s competitions.
Season 2007
In 2007 the grand final was held in LamerooLameroo, South Australia
Lameroo is a town in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia. It is on the Mallee Highway about 40 km west of the Victorian border, or 210 km east of Adelaide. It is primarily a service town for the surrounding rural areas, growing grain and sheep...
and Border Downs-Tintinara won the A Grade and the Under 16s competitions. Peake Lions won their first Reserves premiership since they have been in the league.
Season 2008
In 2008 the grand final was held in PinnarooPinnaroo, South Australia
Pinnaroo is a town in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia, near the border with Victoria 243 km east of Adelaide. Pinnaroo is on the Mallee Highway, and the railway line between Tailem Bend and Ouyen. The roadhouses on the highway are the first food and leg-stretch stop on the bus route...
and Lameroo won the A Grade and Reserves competitions, and Peake won the Under 16s premiership.