Sport
31 July, 2026
The best is yet to come
The Tigers did what they needed to against the Royal Blues, whose 74-point loss puts finals out of reach.
SATURDAY’S clash between Sea Lake Nandaly and Wedderburn will likely decide who finishes on top the season in North Central senior football.
The Tigers are a game behind the Redbacks, but with a superior percentage after Wedderburn’s high scoring has tailed off in recent weeks.
Win, and Sea Lake will head the ladder with three rounds left, given the 29 per cent gap between the teams.
Lose, and unbeaten Wedderburn will be two games clear on top, with arguably the easier run home of the two.
The Tigers did what they needed to against the Royal Blues, whose 74-point loss puts finals out of reach.
Co-coaches Boyd Bailey and Wade Donnan have been consistently brilliant this season, with Bailey’s form more than a chance to cruel Donnan’s hopes of a third straight Feeny Medal.
The pair are sure to be taking votes from each other as they rack up the possessions, and in Bailey’s case, the goals.
He booted four against Donald, taking his season’s average to two a game, another feature of his game likely to attract the attention of the umpires. The Royals battled hard and were not disgraced, but the Tigers were too slick.
The game, though, was not a blow out, and Donald’s second quarter kept pace with Sea Lake before a nine goals to four second half pushed the margin out.
Lachlan Sneddon and Blake Grant, who each kicked two goals for Donald, were the team’s best on the day, with star midfielder Pala Kuma having a rare quiet match.
Although finals are no longer a chance, the Royals have recovered from a winless 2025 to be more than competitive in most matches and next week they have reigning premiers Calder United. Sea Lake has home ground advantage for the match of the season against Wedderburn.
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