Marching in early

Myrtleford looks the goods in 2026. The senior Saints launched their season with a massive 11.13 (79) to 9.3 (57) win over the Albury Tigers, who had been tipped by many punters after a high-profile off-season. It was all Myrtleford traffic early, as their midfield and defenders restricted Albury to just a single behind through the first term, while creating nine scoring shots themselves. Unfortunately, only two sailed between the tall uprights, keeping the Tigers in the hunt through inaccuracy. Albury found their feet in the second quarter but Myrtleford was able to match them across the park, taking a nine-point lead into the half-time break, a margin which should’ve been almost three times as large judging from the flow of play. Myrtleford accelerated after the half-time break, using their trademark spread and clean skills on turnover to overwhelm the Tigers’ defensive structure, widening the gap to almost five goals by three quarter time. From there, it was basically a formality, as the Saints banked the points by 22. While early inaccuracies in front of goal could’ve reared their ugly heads late in the game, coach Craig Millar said he was happy with how the team performed overall. “It was a great start to our season,” he said. “There was a lot spoken about Albury leading into the game and I was proud of the way the boys prepared for the game and executed the plan to win. “Our leaders were great and it is always nice winning at home in front of a huge crowd on the Easter weekend. “I'll put it [inaccuracies in front of goal] down to nerves - we had nine shots on goal in the first quarter to one, most of them relatively straight forward shots, but it's round one and these types of errors can happen. “The boys have had another big preseason, and when you are fit, you can perform for longer. “We have made some adjustments to our ball movement and our defensive pressure was great all day.” The Saints had plenty of contributors in the landmark win. Regular performers Mitch Tenardi and Jaxon East were instrumental through the midfield, distributing the ball with precision and class all day, while big man Riley Smith held his own as the main ruck against one of the best in the business in Isaac Muller. A total of nine Saints kicked a major across the day, with new recruit from Bright Cooper Thomason looking at home in the big leagues. Thomason kicked two, had the chance for a handful more and even dished out a few chances to his new teammates. While there were some moments of individual brilliance, Millar said it was simply a full-team effort. “I thought those guys were all great, but to be honest, we had 22 contributors, who played their role,” he said. “That was what put us in a position to win the game.” There was less to celebrate in the other football grades, with the reserves going down 5.5 (35) to 13.15 (93), and the thirds coming up short 4.2 (26) to 15.15 (105). Attention now turns to round two, which sees the Saints at home to Yarrawonga Pigeons in what has all the makings of an instant classic. “They are a good side who have a number of great players in all areas of the ground,” Millar said. “We will need to recover and prepare well. “They will be a very different side to last year with a number of stars back from injury. “We are looking forward to the challenge and playing in front of another big crowd on Sunday.” The Saints host the Pigeons on Sunday, 12 April, with the thirds kicking off from 10am, before the reserves (12pm) and the seniors (2pm).

Marching in early

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Rosewhite resident runner-up in Victorian Senior of the Year award

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Alpine Observer, Wednesday, 21 October, 2026