Mallee Football League (South Australia)

Mallee Football League

General information
Founded	1994
Current clubs	Border Downs Tintinara FC, Karoonda FC, Lameroo FC, Murrayville FC, Peake FC, Pinnaroo FC
Former clubs	Ngallo FC
Grounds	Coonalpyn Oval, Karoonda Showgrounds, Telstra Oval (Lameroo Oval), Murrayville Cricket Ground, Peake Oval, Pinnaroo Showgrounds, Tintinara Oval
2011 MFL season
Premiers	Border Downs Tintinara FC 14.11 (95) def Karoonda FC 12.6 (78)
Minor Premiers	Border Downs Tintinara FC
Wooden spoon	Pinnaroo FC
Mail Medalist	Corey Knight (Karoonda)

The Mallee Football League (MFL) is an Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The league comprises teams located in south eastern South Australia and one team (Murrayville) located in western Victoria.

The football season usually starts after Easter and ends in early September. The local newspaper The Border Times has extensive coverage of each week's results of the MFL. Coverage is also provided on WIN SA during the season. During the Queens Holiday Weekend, the MFL selects a team to represent the Mallee against the Riverland. It has become a recent tradition and draws a fair crowd every year. The league's Best & Fairest award is called the Mail Medal. Prominent players to play at a higher level include Nathan D. Brown (Melbourne FC, Australian Football League), Trent Sporn (Carlton FC), Martin Mattner (Adelaide FC) and Rodney Maynard (Adelaide FC, AFL).

Current clubs

Jumper	Club	Nickname	Years in comp	MFL Premierships	Premiership Years
	Border Downs/Tintinara	Crows	2001-	5	2004, 2006-7, 2010-11
	Karoonda Districts	Magpies	1994-	-	-
	Lameroo	Hawks	1994-	9	1994-5-6, 1998-9, 2000, 2002, 2008-9
	Murrayville	Bulldogs	1994-	2	2003, 2005
	Peake & Districts	Lions	1994-	-	-
	Pinnaroo	Supa Roos	1994-	2	1997, 2001

Border Downs/Tintinara Crows

Located in Tintinara and Coonalpyn, the Crows have been in the MFL since 2001. The BDT FC was formed after the Border Downs and the Tintinara clubs merged. Before the Mallee Football League BDT was part of the River Murray Football League. BDT and Karoonda are the only teams in the league to not be on the Mallee Highway.

The BDT FC in recent years has dominated the B grade and the Junior Colts, in 2006 BDT were premiers in every grade apart from the Junior colts which finished fourth in the Lightning Carnival. The "A" grade team defeated the Lameroo Hawks as did the "B" Grade. The senior colts team defeated the Pinnaroo Supa Roos.

At the conclusion of the 2007 season, two Border Downs Tintinara teams were victorious in their grand finals. The senior colts defeated the Lameroo Hawks with a score of BDT 14 goals 11 points to Lameroo 7 goals 14 points. The A grade team narrowly defeated the Murrayville Bulldogs 16 goals 17 points 113 to Murrayville 15 goals 14 points 104.

Boarder Downs Tintinara's recent form in the 2010/2011 season have been amazing, only losing 1 game.

Karoonda Magpies

Based in Karoonda. The club has recruited well for the 2009 season after lack of player numbers caused crisis meetings in 2008. The current league side started the 2009 season well - including a good win against 2008 premiers Lameroo. The Reserves team is also tasting success once again after a winless streak of more than 30 matches over a number of seasons.

Lameroo Hawks

Based in Lameroo, 200 kilometres east of Adelaide. They currently field A and B Grade, Under 16's, Under 13's and Auskick.

Murrayville Bulldogs

Based in Murrayville in Victoria, the Bulldogs are the only Victorian team in an otherwise South Australian league. The clubs colours are red, white and blue.

Peake Lions

The Peake & Districts Football club is based in Peake and include the surrounding towns of Geranium, Jabuk, Parrakie and Peake. The Clubs colours are red, blue and yellow.

Pinnaroo Supa Roos

Based in Pinnaroo, South Australia, the Pinnaroo Football Club plays its home games at the Pinnaroo Showgrounds. The Club has four teams in the Mallee Football League: "A" Grade, Reserves ("B" Grade), Senior Colts (Under 16's), and the Junior Colts (Under 13's). The colours of the Pinnaroo Supa Roos are red, white and black.

The Pinnaroo Supa Roos formed in 1975 after Pinnaroo North and Pinnaroo South merged due to the lack of players. Pinnaroo has produced a few great players over the years including Nathan Brown who is a former Melbourne player in the AFL.

THe Pinnaroo Football Club shared the Pinnaroo Showgrounds with the Ngallo Demons Football Club in its final years until it went into recess in 2000. Ngallo's presence is still seen with the visitors rooms and interchanges bench in the navy and blue of the Demons.

Brief history

In 1994 the Murray Lands Football League and the Lameroo & District Football League merged to form the Mallee Football League. Participating clubs at that time were Lameroo, Murrayville, Ngallo, Karoonda Districts, Peake & Districts and Pinnaroo. In 2000 Ngallo folded and due to lack of players and Border Downs Tintinara joined the league, after playing 10 years in the River Murray FL.

Premiers

Season	Premier	Runner Up	Score
1994	Lameroo	Karoonda Districts	27.16 (178) – 12.9 (81)
1995	Lameroo	Murrayville	16.13 (109) - 12.13 (85)
1996	Lameroo	Pinnaroo	23.14(152) – 13.9 (87)
1997	Pinnaroo	Lameroo	17.16 (118) – 16.7 (103)
1998	Lameroo	Karoonda Districts	13.16 (94) – 8.11 (59)
1999	Lameroo	Ngallo	23.15 (153) – 11.8 (74)
2000	Lameroo	Pinnaroo	11.13 (79) - 8.12 (60)
2001	Pinnaroo	Murrayville	7.10 (52) – 4.7 (31)
2002	Lameroo	Border Downs Tintinara	15.15 (105) – 8.10 (58)
2003	Murrayville	Pinnaroo	15.9 (99) – 6.5 (41)
2004	Border Downs Tintinara	Murrayville	23.15 (153) – 5.3 (33)
2005	Murrayville	Karoonda Districts	18.10 (118) – 14.10 (94)
2006	Border Downs Tintinara	Lameroo	14.9 (93) – 8.10 (58)
2007	Border Downs Tintinara	Murrayville	16.17 (113) – 15.14 (104)
2008	Lameroo	Border Downs Tintinara	17.17 (119) - 13.9 (87)
2009	Lameroo	Border Downs Tintinara	14.8 (92) - 8.7 (55)
2010	Border Downs Tintinara	Karoonda Districts	20.20 (140) - 7.4 (46)
2011	Border Downs Tintinara	Murrayville	14.11 (95) - 12.6 (78)

Season format

Pinnaroo Showgrounds, home of the Pinnaroo Supa Roos

The Mallee Football League's season usually starts shortly after Easter. The season usually consists of 15 Rounds of three games, always on Saturdays (each team plays every other team three times) and two breaks during the season for the Queens Birthday weekend and the other for the SA Country Carnival. Recently the MFL introduced one night game a year, usually at Murrayville. The finals series is based on a top four system: The top two play each other and the winner goes through to the Grand Final, the loser plays the winner of the match between the 3rd and 4th placed team. then the winner of that game goes through to the grand final. the winner of the Grand Final is declared the premiers.

Season 2006

In 2006 the grand final was held in Coonalpyn and Border Downs-Tintinara won the A Grade, Reserves and the Under 16s competitions.

Season 2007

In 2007 the grand final was held in Lameroo and Border Downs-Tintinara won the A Grade and the Under 16s competitions. Peake Lions won their first Reserves premiership since they have been in the league.

Season 2008

In 2008 the grand final was held in Pinnaroo and Lameroo won the A Grade and Reserves competitions, and Peake won the Under 16s premiership.

Season 2009

Lameroo defeated Border Downs/Tintinara, to win back to back premierships. Peake won the Under 16 competition.

External links

• "Mallee League". Country Footy. http://countryfooty.com.au/Mallee.htm. 
• Lameroo Hawks website