by Daniel Paproth, Macedon Ranges Weekly
THE Riddell District Football League made a triumphant return to interleague football at the weekend, belting the Kyabram District by 77 points at Tatura Oval.
Thumping wins for the under-18s and both the seniors and under-17 netballers capped off an extraordinary day for the Riddell District at the AFL Victoria Country Championships, the league's first appearance in the event since 1995.
The 16.20 (116) to 5.9 (39) win in senior football means the RDFL climbs to 30th in the AFL Victoria Country rankings and will play the 29th-ranked league in 2014.
Under coach Matt Power, the RDFL assembled a powerful squad that dominated the KDFL for most of the afternoon in what turned out to be a total mismatch.
But Riddell's inaccuracy meant the final margin flattered Kyabram, which was no match for the breadth of talent in the RDFL side.
It was a jittery start by both teams as they sized each other up.
Riddell's Matt Darby marked strongly on the lead in the first minute but missed, and it wasn't until the seventh minute that the KDFL's Paul Arandt kicked the first goal.
The RDFL controlled the next 10 minutes, marking inside 50 on multiple occasions, but couldn't convert.
Rockbank's Matthew Krul missed several early and, despite eight scoring shots to five, Riddell trailed at quarter time after Chris McKay kicked Kyabram's second. Trailing on the scoreboard but dominating both in general play and in the air, the RDFL broke the game open in the second quarter.
Sunbury talls Jamie Cuffe and Leigh Fishenden rotated between the ruck and full forward, which frustrated the KDFL at the stoppages.
Riddell's Matt Sammut came alive during the term, driving the ball forward to Romsey's Cameron Dawson, who kicked two goals and had several assists.
Kyabram barely got the ball into its half of the ground and when it did it was frustrated by the stonewall defence of Sunbury's Daniel Gregory and Diggers Rest's John Ryan, the pair seldom losing a contest.
Five more goals in the third quarter saw Riddell's lead blow out to 50 points before the KDFL kicked a late goal.
Macedon's James Wright, Melton Centrals' Nathan Richardson and Sunbury's Matt Welsh were all brilliant, Welsh kicking two goals from a plethora of forward 50 entries and Wright four.
Sunbury's Tierone Cuffe popped his shoulder out but was back on the ground soon after, kicking a goal barely 10 minutes later.
The RDFL kicked six goals to Kyabram's one in the final term and, with Riddell so far ahead, the match fizzled out.
Power named Wright best on ground, one of many winners the RDFL had across the park.
Last Modified on 27/05/2013 19:40