Match Report
24 May – Varley Oval, Inverell
Men’s Result
Inverell Saints 12.11 (83) def New England Nomads 11.10 (76)
Match Summary
On 24 May, the Nomads men and women travelled north to Varley Oval to take on Inverell after rain forced the fixture away from Armidale.
In a strong showing against the reigning premiers, the Nomads came agonisingly close in a tight contest. After a goalless first quarter, the side lifted and outscored the Saints for large portions of the game, playing an open and attacking style of football.
The forward line was initially crowded, making scoring difficult despite matching the Saints for inside 50s. At quarter time, the score was Inverell 3.7 (25) to Nomads 0.2 (2).
The second quarter saw improvement, with Inverell leading 7.8 (50) to 4.7 (31) at half time. Charlie Keiller, John-Paul Canavan and Hunter Greene were outstanding through the midfield.
At three quarter time, the margin had tightened further to Inverell 10.9 (69) to Nomads 8.10 (58), setting up a thrilling finish.
Despite no bench in the final quarter, the Nomads pushed the game to the wire. The team may have fallen just short, but the effort strongly suggested the result could have gone either way with rotations available.
Aidan Barry made a key impact after moving forward, helping open up the attacking structure, while Gus Russell was dominant in the ruck. His performance was so influential that one opposition player even compared him to “Tommy Hunts love child” due to his height and dominance around the contest.
A welcome return came from Hoani “Rotate” Morrell.
Goal Kickers
Aidan Barry (4), John-Paul Canavan (3), Donovan Hansell (2), Reilly Widdup (2)
Best Players
Dylan Piper-Bye, John-Paul Canavan, Charlie Keiller, Cotter Litchfield
Awards (Men’s)
- Players’ Player: John-Paul Canavan
- Coach’s Award: Dylan Piper-Bye
- Captain’s Award: Reilly Widdup
- President’s Award: Gus Russell
- Meehan’s Plumbing Award: Hoani Morrell
Women’s Match Summary
The Nomads Women showed great resilience against a strong Inverell Saints side, travelling with 12 players and featuring four debutants.
Despite the final margin, the group competed strongly and continued to build confidence and cohesion. Coach Leighton Smith unfortunately suffered a serious knee injury during the match.
The Saints ran out winners 19.15 (129) to 2.1 (13), with the Nomads’ goals coming in the final quarter through Molly Spencer.
Women’s Best Players
Phoebe Hewetson, Alice Bennett, Lucy Petrie, Millie Ramsey
Women’s Goal Kickers
Molly Spencer (2)
Women’s Summary
The women’s group continues to show strong resilience and growth, with clear development across skills and structure. Despite the scoreline, the experience gained and effort shown reflect a team moving in the right direction.