September 15  2019

This weekend saw the Rovers reach the end of competition for the year whilst the Rams had five chances at putting a side into a Grand Final.

As usual results are divided up into Rams Football, Rams Netball and Rovers Netball.

Rams Football Results

Fourths won 7.3 – 45 to 3.5 – 23 (PF vs Echuca United)

Rams Netball Results

A Grade  lost 56 to 27 (PF vs Moama)
B Grade won 38 to 37 (PF vs Mulwala)
15 and Under won 41 to 27 (vs Echuca United)
13 and Under lost 41 to 40 (SF vs Tongala)

Rovers Netball Results

C Res lost 26 to 23 (GF vs Katunga)

Conclusion

The Rovers ended the year without any premierships but overall they had all teams in the finals and ten of them made the Preliminary Final stage and that made it a great year.

The Rams had five teams vying for a spot in a Grand Final and three of them made it and when the majority makes it, that’s a good weekend.

The Rams Fourths will play in the Grand Final next week against Nathalia, Nathalia defeated Tongala by 43 points to set the scene for next weeks clash.

We’ll be back next week with perhaps the last edition of Sports Talk for 2019.

September 8 2019

The mixed bag of action continued this weekend as Deniliquin had clubs in three sports either trying to progress in finals or be premiers/champions.

The Wanderers played Yoogali SC today in the Grand Final and unfortunately for Wanderers fans, it was Yoogali SC who were champions after winning the game 4-3.

It may not be the result the Wanderers or their fans had hoped for but this year has proven that Soccer is back to stay in Deniliquin after a long absence followed by a stint of team sharing.

Below are the Football and Netball results separated into the categories of Rams Football, Rovers Football, Rams Netball and Rovers Netball.

For those not familiar with game acronyms, SF is Semi Final and PF is Preliminary Final.

Preliminary Final winners go through to a Grand Final, Semi Final winners go through to the Preliminary Final and any side that lost either are unfortunately eliminated.

Rams Football Results

Fourths won 10.6 – 66 to 4.2 – 26 (SF vs Moama)

Rovers Football Results

Seniors lost 9.16 – 70 to 5.7 – 37 (PF vs Waaia)
Reserves lost 11.7 – 73 to 2.1 – 13 (PF vs Waaia)
Thirds lost 11.9 – 75 to 7.3 – 45  (PF vs Katunga)
Fourths lost 9.4 – 58 to 3.4 – 22 (PF vs Strathmerton)

Rams Netball Results

A Grade won 44 to 37 (SF vs Cobram)
C Grade lost 48 to 45 (SF vs Nathalia)
C Res lost 45 to 32 (SF vs Nathalia)
17 and Under lost 47 to 41 (SF vs Rumblara)
13 and Under won 38 to 23 (SF vs Rumbalara)

Rovers Netball Results

A Grade lost 53 to 47 (PF vs Picola United)
C Grade lost 70 to 18 (PF vs Berrigan)
C Res won 30 to 29 (PF vs Rennie)
17 and Under lost 41 to 38 (PF vs Picola United)
15 and Under lost 44 to 25 (PF vs Blighty)
13 and Under lost 20 to 16 (PF vs Blighty)

Conclusion

It wasn’t the easiest of weekends for Deniliquin’s sport teams but there are a lot of positives from the last month to remember and below are some examples.

The Wanderers made a Grand Final in their first year back and the Rams Reserves made finals after a difficult 2018 whilst the Netball sides had another strong year.

The Drovers made the Grand Final and it had taken a very good team to stop them from taking home the title.

The Rovers had all four football teams participate in finals and ten out of 11 Rovers sides participated in the Preliminary Finals across Football and Netball.

So while the weekend didn’t go according to plan, it has still been a good year and there’s the possibility of a couple of premierships coming too.

We’ll be back next week with a new edition of Sports Talk.

September 4 2019

Deniliquin’s roads, curbs and gutters have been getting pulled up and redone over the last couple of months which is good news for locals who were getting annoyed with a bumpy drive and seeing crumbling curbs.

Napier Street is looking good though it does kind of resemble a drag strip up one end with the new centre in place, hopefully nobody gets the idea of using it that way late at night with nobody around.

Napier Street should be fully operational by the end of the month allowing cars to once again park in front of businesses to spend their cash in the shops instead of walking the labyrinth to get to them.

Cripse Street is another street that is getting worked on and as you can see in the pictures below, work has been progressing at a good rate.

Wood Street between Junction Street and Edwardes Street is also getting worked on but this work is the installation of new kerbs and guttering which means that no roads will be closed.

September 1 2019

It was a mixed bag of action this weekend as the finals started to heat up across the many sports that Deniliquin has a team in.

In Rugby Union, the Drovers played the Griffith Blacks in the Grand Final and unfortunately for the Drovers, Griffith were just too strong as their defense repelled several try scoring attempts and were deserving 36 to 17 winners.

The Drovers had a great season and there is no doubt that every fan is proud of their efforts this year.

In Soccer, the Wanderers won their Preliminary Final today against Hanwood 5-3 and they will be playing Yoogali SC next week in the Grand Final and as you can see in the Wanderers Facebook group, they are very excited about it.

Below are the Football and Netball results separated into the categories of Rams Football, Rovers Football, Rams Netball and Rovers Netball.

EF is Elimination Final, SF is Semi Final and QF is Qualifying Final.

Qualifying Final winners go through to Preliminary Final, any side that lost a QF play in a Semi Final.

Semi Final winners play in Preliminary Final and any side that lost a SF are unfortunately done for the season.

Those who will play in a Preliminary Final (next week Rovers, two weeks Rams) will see winners to the Grand Final and the defeated will unfortunately see their season end.

Rams Football Results

Reserves lost 11.8 – 74 to 7.6 – 48 (EF vs Nathalia)
Fourths lost 3.5 – 23 to 1.4 – 10 (QF vs Nathalia)

Rovers Football Results

Seniors won 10.9 – 69 to 7.7 – 49 (SF vs Berrigan)
Thirds won 8.8 – 56 to 7.10 – 52 (SF vs Tocumwal)
Fourths won 7.6 – 48 to 4.15 – 39 (SF vs Katunga)

Rams Netball Results

A Grade lost 47 to 32 (QF vs Rumbalara)
B Grade won 40 to 33 (QF vs Echuca United)
C Grade lost 37 to 36 (QF vs Mulwala)
C Res lost 39 to 33 (QF vs Mulwala)
17 and Under lost 47 to 32 (QF vs Tongala)
15 and Under won 45 to 19 (QF vs Rumbalara)
13 and Under lost 48 to 44 (QF vs Finley)

Rovers Netball Results

B Grade lost 41 to 32 (SF vs Rennie)
C Grade won 33 to 30 (SF vs Mathoura) 
C Res won 21 to 17 (SF vs Mathoura)
15 and Under won 37 to 30 (SF vs Waaia)

Conclusion

The season is over for the Rams Reserves but 2019 was a wonderful season as it has to be remembered that the side had a 1-17 record in 2018 compared to 8-10 this year so congratulations to the reserves on a wonderful season.

Rams Netballers only had two sides out of seven go through to the Preliminary Final but the good news is that the other five sides live to fight another day next week in Semi Final action.

The Rovers Footballers are marching on to the Preliminary Finals with the two sides who played this weekend making it through to join the two who had won their Qualifying Final last week.

The Rovers Netball sides have six sides through to the Preliminary Final and regardless of the results at the end of the season, all of the teams have had a great season.

We’ll be back next week with a new edition of Sports Talk.

September 1 2019

Late August brought the news that Australia lost Tim Fischer.

It has taken a couple of days to figure out what to write, it is easy to write about public figures but you want to make what is written count.

Tim Fischer was perhaps the best Nationals leader that Australia ever had, his leadership in the 1990’s put the party on the map, they looked after Rural Australia and the Liberals looked after the cities and the suburbs.

He was the most recognizable politician in the land, all he needed was a hat.

He was likely the last politician to use a public telephone on the campaign trail even when mobile phones were pretty common back in the late 90’s.

He brought in an era of added safety after Port Arthur, his belief in gun control put him at risk of political oblivion but he knew what guns can protect people and their livelihoods and what destruction high powered and fast shooting guns could do in the wrong hands.

Deniliquin was lucky because for 14 years he was the member for Farrer, a seat that was suitable for his talents and the people wanted nobody else to lead them no matter the fortunes of the Liberals and the Nationals.

In 1998 he got to open the rail turntable in Deniliquin that was relocated from Inglewood in Victoria and given a new home in Poictiers Street.

Politicians open things all the time but for Mr Fischer this opening was important because he loved rail, so much so that it would be hard to find somebody who could match it.

Sadly the turntable like Tim Fischer is gone from town, just like Deniliquin taken it away from Inglewood, another town has ours but the memory will remain of the years the town had another turntable and the man who opened it to the public.