‘It’s going to be a big year’: River Murray Football League 2023 season preview

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If anyone knows what to expect out of the biggest River Murray Football League season in a generation, it’s Shane Snell and Matt Hood.

The RMFL TV commentators are as excited as anyone to see how three new clubs will slot into the league in 2023 – and they reckon one of them could challenge for a grand final spot.

They’ll be broadcasting from Tintinara this Saturday as the Coorong Cats take on the Southern Mallee Suns in both clubs’ first RMFL match.

“It’s going to be a big year,” Hood said.

“The crowd, I think, is going to be huge down at Tinti on Saturday, even though the weather’s not looking great.

“I think you’ll find crowds will improve right across the league because there’s so much more interest in these new teams – they’ve revitalised the league.”

Murray Bridge News sat down with the pair this week to take a look at the new-look competition, player additions and departures, and the expectations each club will face.

The defending premiers should be strong again this season, as their lineup hasn’t changed much.

“They’ll be around the mark,” Hood said.

“They should be top three.”

The loss of Scott McMahon to Kersbrook will be felt on the wing, and Sam DeMichele will be another big out.

But among the new faces in blue will be quick Jack Penfold, who spent last season bouncing between Sturt’s league and reserves teams.

“He goes alright,” Hood said.

“He’s going to be settled because he knows he’s playing every week and he’ll feel part of the team this year, whereas last year he was in and out and it would have been really tough for him.”

Johnny Boras will miss the first few weeks of the season as he takes a family holiday.

• Shane Snell’s prediction: Top three
• Matt Hood’s prediction: Top three
• Round one opponent: Ramblers at Le Messurier Oval

The core of the Meningie side that made it to a preliminary final last year will be back in the Cats’ blue and white hoops this season.

Ruck Matt Hartman, Clint Walker, Sam Sanders, Thompson, full forward Brodie Martin and ex-Jervois premiership player Pat Barrett will be among the returnees, and they’ll be reinforced by Albert Dunstan and other ex-Border Downs-Tintinara players.

They looked like a good side on paper, Hood said, even if they hadn’t played that way in their trial matches.

“There’s lots of class in that side,” he said.

“They’re going to take four or five rounds to get themselves running, but once they get up and running I think they’re a top-three side.”

The big ins will be ex-Tailem Bend player Charlie Fisher, left-footed flanker Sam Ploenges and North Haven’s Alex Stidiford – “he’s a hard on-baller, he’s in their leadership group and I rate him”.

However, the Cats were poised to lose five former Meningie players, Hood said: Michael Greenwood, Peter Reichelt, Ben Gibbs, David “Minya” Wilson and Tyler Robinson.

Henry Turner was questionable, too – he had gone to Western Australia to work on a station and it wasn’t yet clear how long he was likely to stay.

• Shane Snell’s prediction: Top three
• Matt Hood’s prediction: Top three
• Round one opponent: Suns at Tintinara

After being beaten in last year’s grand final, the Bluds suffered another massive blow this week: being docked four premiership points, future player points and $26,500 for a salary cap breach.

What effect that will have in the medium term remains to be seen, but for now it will be up to the playing group to respond.

“I think they’ll play angry, they’ll play with a bit more venom,” Snell said.

“Love them or hate them, they’re a bloody resilient bunch.”

Lachlan Thomas will come over the river from Tailem Bend this season, and ex-AFL draft pick Brad Hartman will be around the place; but they’ll miss ruckman Tony Gibson, who’s gone to Torrens Valley.

Player-coach Taite Silverlock could be a wild card so long as his body proved durable enough, Hood said.

“He’s in the gym every day,” he said.

“I just don’t believe that’s the type of fitness you need to play footy; footy is bike riding and running.

“That’s why (Peter) Zarantonello couldn’t get on the park last year – he was popping muscles every time he ran because the muscles aren’t used to running.”

Most of the list would otherwise be “pretty much the same” as in 2022, he said, with the Hansens, full forward Josh Scott and a fit-again Josh Noye featuring prominently, and Alice Springs-based Dylan Barry likely to continue on a fly-in, fly-out basis.

This time, however, Hood predicted the Bluds might only just scrape into fifth spot.

• Shane Snell’s prediction: Top three
• Matt Hood’s prediction: Middle three
• Round one opponent: Tigers at Mypolonga

Could the Roos be a dark-horse contender in the RMFL in 2023?

Hood certainly thinks so.

“(Coach Ben Quinn) is trying to keep it undercover as much as he can, but he’s got a very good side out there,” he said.

“I think you’ll find they’re the smoky side of the comp right now.”

Among the Roos’ ins are key position player Isaac Hampel, returnee Aiden Holland, Sturt player Jacob Stagg, Bridgewater full forward Max Wakefield, Mount Compass on-baller Matt Skrypek, McLaren Vale’s Ben Kernahan and his teammate Stephen Branson: “the Rolls Royce … a Rory Taggert-style player”.

That’s not to say they’ve had a flawless off-season.

Best and fairest winner Harrison Hawkins and Matt Weistra will both be big losses.

Ruckman Blake Webster has gone to Blanchetown, too; in his place will be young and relatively inexperienced Ethan Leister, a 6’8” recruit from Colonel Light Gardens.

But their biggest problem might be juggling player points week to week.

• Shane Snell’s prediction: Middle three
• Matt Hood’s prediction: Top three
• Round one opponent: Bye

The Tigers have added a couple of important players to their squad for the 2023 season.

Hood said small forward Nick Hombsch – brother to ex-Port Adelaide player Jack – had been a “very, very good player” for Orroroo.

Mitchell Bowley, from Broughton-Mundoora, was a solid on-baller and half back.

Ex-Kalangadoo midfielder-forward Patrick Davies, St Peters’ Charlie Kirchner and Tailem Bend recruit Brady Morris could prove handy, too.

The likes of junior players Brayden Hein, Mitchell Walton, Harry Stone, Jacob Bates, Taj Rowe and Riley Walton would play a big part in Mypo’s season, though, Hood predicted.

“I think you’ll find (coach) Stevie Sumner will play a few younger ones,” Hood said.

“But they’ve got the Gotch boys, they’ve got a few games under their belts now so they’ll start to step up.

“They’ve pretty much kept what they had and added two or three good players.”

• Shane Snell’s prediction: Middle three
• Matt Hood’s prediction: Middle three
• Round one opponent: Bluds at Mypolonga

Merge the old Mallee league’s last premiers, Pinnaroo, with their last wooden-spooners, Lameroo, and what do you get?

Snell and Hood didn’t know quite how high to set the bar for the Suns.

“Probably their two big (inclusions) are a guy called Jarryd Brown, a half back from Brighton, and Thomas Keough, who’s been at West Adelaide – he’s a local guy that has come back,” Hood said.

Keough was a 150-game player and ex-captain at the SANFL level, Snell said – “he’s no slouch”.

Ben Moroney, the Mallee league’s last Mail Medallist, will be another one to watch out for; and expect to see player-coach Nick Hyde attending bounces in the absence of an established ruckman.

• Shane Snell’s prediction: Middle three
• Matt Hood’s prediction: Middle three
• Round one opponent: Cats at Tintinara

The Eagles are in all sorts of strife after being decimated by player losses during the off-season.

After a promising few years, 13 of the players from the last finals game they played have gone to other leagues, and a couple more will find themselves back in the River Murray but wearing new colours.

“They’ve brought a couple of players in, but that’s nowhere near enough to cover what they’ve lost,” Hood said.

“The biggest loss of the lot is Nick Westhoff, the ruckman, followed closely by Harry Porter.”

Charlie Fisher, Robbie Young, James Dawson, Joe Rack and Connor and Riley Smelt have also exited the club.

Aidan Coakley earned a good reputation at Christies Beach, coach Nathan Stark can play and Russell Rigney will return to the River Murray league from Torrens Valley.

“Tailem Bend have got some good juniors, and they’re going to have to play these new kids coming through,” Hood said.

“These young fellas are going to have to step up.”

• Shane Snell’s prediction: Bottom three
• Matt Hood’s prediction: Bottom three
• Round one opponent: Storm at Tailem Bend

The Roosters hope that tactical improvements and growth from their key players, rather than big inclusions, will help them flap back up the ladder in 2023.

“They did change their structure last year, with (Michael) Wegener and (Alex) Pfeiffer going forward, and it seemed to work for them later in the year,” Snell said.

“Their forward structure straightened them up a bit and we saw some improvement … so it will be interesting to see what support they can put around them.”

Keynan Harradine and Riley Vanson will continue to provide excitement for Rambler fans.

“Probably the big out is young Max Marchetti, gone to West Adelaide,” Hood said.

• Shane Snell’s prediction: Bottom three
• Matt Hood’s prediction: Bottom three
• Round one opponent: Imperials at Le Messurier Oval

The Storm – product of a merger between Karoonda and Peake – have created a lot of positivity in their communities, but whether it will translate into on-field success remains to be seen.

Both Snell and Hood admitted to not knowing much about the team in teal just yet.

“They’ve brought in four players from Onkaparinga Valley,” Hood said.

“Jack Jerram from Mount Barker, he’s a bit of a gun I reckon.”

• Shane Snell’s prediction: Bottom three
• Matt Hood’s prediction: Bottom three
• Round one opponent: Eagles at Tailem Bend