Round 3 of the 2025 Barkly Australian Football League has seen the early premiership picture begin to sharpen, with two teams emerging as serious title contenders.
Canteen Creek has rocketed to the top of the ladder following a commanding 34-point win over a gallant Ali Curung outfit. The Blues set the tone in a tight first half, holding a narrow one-point lead at quarter time before edging further ahead to take a nine-point buffer into the main break.
Ali Curung, sitting second on the ladder heading into the clash, remained optimistic, but Canteen Creek shifted into overdrive in the third quarter. A stunning six-goal burst to just one from their opponents broke the game open.
The final term saw Ali Curung finish strongly with three goals, but the damage had been done. Canteen Creek added two more majors to seal an impressive 12.8 (80) to 7.4 (46) victory.
Dion Burton starred with four goals in a best-on-ground performance, while vice-captain Antonio Long slotted two. Nathan Williams, Troyston Corbett and Nicholas Corbett also delivered crucial contributions around the ground.
For Ali Curung, Nicky Poulson continued his strong form with two goals, while Libron Watson and Cyrus Marshall provided valuable resistance.
In the round’s second match, Barkly Work Camp (BWC) had to overcome a spirited Epenarra Saints to record a hard-fought 24-point win.
BWC opened strongly with a seven-point quarter-time lead, but Epenarra responded with three second-quarter goals to flip the script and take a matching seven-point lead into halftime. BWC created plenty of opportunities, but four straight behinds meant they were just off target early.
However, BWC regrouped after the break and took control of the contest with a five-goal-to-one third quarter. The Saints were forced into defensive mode and couldn’t stem the tide as BWC added two more goals in the final term to secure the win, 10.8 (68) to 7.2 (44).
Gregory Marshall led the charge with four goals, while Lazarus Green, Yari Dixon, and Tristan Collins played vital roles.
Epenarra captain Xavien Lewis stood tall for his side, supported by strong showings from Matthias Rankine and Nathaniel Peterson.
YDU rounded out the weekend with a gritty 13-point victory over the Eagles.
The Eagles came out firing, taking a slender three-point lead at the first change despite converting just one goal from four scoring shots. YDU began to find rhythm in the second quarter, booting two goals to one to edge ahead by a point at halftime.
Scoring woes continued to plague both sides in the third quarter, with YDU managing just one goal from seven shots. The Eagles kept in touch with a solitary major of their own to set up a tight finish.
But YDU found their finishing touch in the final term, slotting three goals to two to seal the 7.11 (53) to 6.4 (40) win.
Richard Dixon was a standout for YDU, ably supported by Lemiah Brown, Clive James and Myles Lauder.
Lanceton Campbell and Jayron Jackson were the best for the Eagles in a competitive showing.
The BAFL Women’s Division will launch its 2025 campaign on Saturday, June 14, with the Spitfires set to face Jalajirrpa at 11:40am at Purkiss Reserve to open the women’s with the remainder of the round 1 matches to be played on Saturday, June 21.