Round 2 - Sunday April 10, 2005
Riverina Football League
Venue: Narrandera Sportsground 2.10pm
Umpires: ----
Narrandera ...... 2.1 .. 5.3 .. 11.7 .. 15.9 (99)
Griffith ............... 5.4 .. 5.8 .. 7.9 .. 13.11 (89)
NARRANDERA IMPERIAL: Peter Bloomfield, Damon Burden, Tim Durnan, Shaun Brooker, Mark English, Hayden Hutchins, Ben Powell, Ashley Thomson, Chris Smith, Stuart Hutchins, Ben Cios, Lian Richmond, Jason McMartin, Brett Powell, Jason Coleman, Kane Blunt, Brad Kiley, James Sullivan, Nathan Reynoldson, Ben Grant 
GRIFFITH: Jason Hampel, Roger Heenan, Trent Bradley; Matt Bunn, Adam Brander, Craig Conlan; Ben Ford, Adrian Burns (c-c), Tim Matheson; Tim Birks, Jeff Mickan, Nic Hetherington*; Rodney Simpkin, Ashley Gardner, Michael Duncan; Michael Wilson, Rodney Duncan, Matthew McDonald; Matthew Kenny, Mathew Crack, Graham Foley
GOALS
Narrandera: M English 4, B Cios 2, B Grant 2, D Burden 2, J McMartin, N Reynoldson, J Coleman, T Durnan, K Brunt 
Griffith: M Duncan 4, N Hetherington 2, M McDonald 2, M Crack, A Gardner, A Burns, R Simpkin, J Mickan
BEST PLAYERS
Narrandera: Brett Powell, D Burden, J McMartin, P Bloomfield, N Reynoldson, A Thomson
Griffith: A Brander, Matt Bunn, M Duncan, C Conlan, M McDonald, R Simpkin
A summary of match report, with thanks
Narrandera Eagles made sure Griffith Swans finished off their horror week on a bad note when they upset the Swans by 10 points yesterday at Narrandera Sportsground. In a dramatic finish the Swans charged home from 22 points down at three-quarter time to hit the front with minutes remaining, but Narrandera steadied to take it out 15.9 (99) to 13.11 (89).

The lack of umpires and the Riverina Football League's decision for sides to provide umpires is now under the microscope when a boundary umpire provided by the Eagles intervened and called a crucial free kick in the dying minutes that ended up in Narrandera's winning goal.

The free kick was awarded for a Swans player who was alleged to enter the square before the bounce. "Umpires out there definitely shouldn't be provided by either of the sides," Griffith coach Adrian Burns said. "I'm not sure whether he was in the square or not, but it is dodgy and concerns me." The Swans will now put their awful week behind them, that saw them lose major signing Balraj Singh, and will now try and prepare to meet an in-form Coolamon side in Griffith on Saturday.

Burns was devastated at his side's performance, stating the Swans need to become more committed to their football.

"We need to be a bit more dedicated," Burns said. "It is footy season now and we have to become committed to training.

"But it's all going to change from now." The Swans started off strongly kicking five goals to two in the first quarter and look to have Narrandera covered all over the ground. But the Swans seemed to slack off at the start of the second quarter and only managed a disappointing four points, while Narrandera chipped away scoring three goals to draw within a goal at the half-way break.

Narrandera used the momentum they gained throughout the second quarter to demolish the Swans in the third with the Eagles' forward-line starting to stamp their authority on the game. Narrandera piled on six third-quarter goals to the Swans two and the Eagles ran into three-quarter time 22 points in front. After the three-quarter time break the Swans appeared to be a totally different outfit, kicking two goals in the first three minutes to be only 10 points behind.

But Narrandera hit back and undisciplined play from the Swans resulted in a 50m penalty and goal that put them again 22 points behind and with 12 minutes remaining. The Swans worked their way back to just three behinds at the 22-minute mark, when Mick Duncan took a contested mark in the goal square to put the Swans in front with just five minutes remaining on the clock.

It was then at the bounce back in the middle when the controversial free kick was awarded that sent Narrandera quickly into attack and then goaled. Eagles coach Shaun Brooker was thrilled with his side's win. "We're very happy," Brooker said. "Our fitness was good, we worked as a team and in the end, it was our persistence that got us over the line."

Burns summed up the effort of some of the Swans as 'pathetic'. "It was a poor performance," Burns said. "Some of us out there today were pathetic and I can't put it any better than that." (Matt Malone - The Area News, Monday April 11, 2005).  

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OTHER MATCHES - SAT: Eastern Hawks 13.8 (86) def by Ganmain-GGM 26.18 (174); SUN: Coolamon 21.15 (141) def Leeton-Whitton 18.23 (131), Turvey Park 12.8 (80) def by Mangoplah-CUE 14.13 (97)

Reserves: Narrandera 20.13 (133) def Griffith 10.5 (65)
Goals: B Hicken 3, M Burke 2, J Bennett 2, K Duncan, D Graham, G O'Connor
Best players: J Bennett, N Campbell, M Burke, D Graham, G Vaccari, W Tyndall
Under 18: Narrandera 15.22 (112) def Griffith 3.3 (21)
Goals: T Wade, W Jaffrey, P Dickens
Best players: J Gastin, T Harrington, A Potroz, C Goff, J Ward, C Munro