Woolgoolga is back on the Senior footy map

Senior AFL returns to Centennial Oval in Woolgoolga on Saturday for the first time in 13 years!

The passionate committee of the Northern Beaches Blues has worked tirelessly over the past eight months to bring what was initially a pipedream to fruition. In a sign of just how successful the club has been it has over 55 registered players for the Men’s and Women’s teams with new players registering on a weekly basis.

The key historic moments on the day will be when the Northern Beaches/Grafton Women run out onto the ground at 11:50am as the first team to wear Blues jumpers at the venue in over a decade. This will be followed at 1:20pm when the Northern Beaches Reserves become the first Blues branded team to play at Centennial Oval since Matt Newton of Port won the League Best & Fairest Medal (2006).

The main game at Woolgoolga sees the winless Grafton Tigers take on the unbeaten Coffs Harbour Breakers in a match that is expected to be one-sided.

Tigers are expected to welcome back several experienced players that have the capacity to lift team performance. This could include the highly anticipated return of playing coach Chris Curthoys who has been otherwise occupied in Brisbane since the season got underway. Ewan Whitty returned to the line-up last week after a school excursion to Europe but was feeling the effects of jet lag and will be better for the run out and a week’s recuperation.

Breakers meanwhile are riding high after last week’s win left them as the only team yet to taste defeat. Coach David Velt will be keen to ensure that the team doesn’t let its intensity slip and that it continues to affirm its status at the top of the ladder.

Chris Frangos is a big loss from the team’s engine room with a serious knee injury but the club has the depth to cover the loss through players such as Kieren Bellemore, Brent Russo, and Tyrone Jones.

Wayne Richards Park in Port Macquarie is the venue for the season’s first evening match with the Port Macquarie Magpies and Sawtell Toormina Saints agreeing to reschedule to a 5:30pm start.

Port will be disappointed to have dropped their first match of the season but will be expecting to welcome back several players who were unavailable last week such as George Maguire who has had a positive influence at the club this season.

Sawtell recorded their first win of the season last week and will be keen to beat one of the top two teams to make a statement within the competition. An away trip to Port is always a hard place to go but the Saints will be hoping that an evening match coupled with a bus trip will help to get a strong team on the park.

A preview of the round 4 Women’s matches will appear online on Friday (10 May).

For full fixture details, click here.