The Football Gods did indeed provide the perfect weather for the home Mid South Eastern Football League at Kongorong on Saturday but the visiting Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Football League had the skills to claim the annual South East Football Championship.


The heavy conditions and frequent showers did not suit the renowned run-on KNTFL brand of play, but nonetheless the Knights were 24 points clear when the final siren sounded in the gloom at 4.30pm.


The visitors fielded a team which was taller, stronger and more skilled, but the tenacity and strong tackling of the Mid SE kept them in the contest until the dying minutes.


The KNTFL won the toss and kicked to the northern end with the war memorial gates which was favoured by a strong southerly breeze.


Although no games had been played on the Kongorong Oval for three weeks, the oval surface was chopped and muddy in places.


A local farmer estimated two Imperial inches (50ml) of rain had fallen at Kongorong in the 36 hours prior to the carnival.


Furthermore, six underage games had been played as the curtain raisers earlier in the day.


After the customary scrappy play in the opening minutes, the KNTFL was the first to score a six-pointer.


Riley Wilsdon received a free 25 metres from goal and kicked truly.


His team promptly scored another goal before the Mid SE kicked two of their own from the boots of Frazer Bradley and Brodie Glynn.


The visitors had an eight-point lead at quarter time but had not taken full advantage of the breeze.


With the breeze at their backs, the Mid SE played a better brand of footy in the second term.


Goals to Hatherleigh teammates Bradley and Brad Wight gave the host league the lead for the first time in the contest.


The goal of the game was probably Wight’s angled snap from a range of 30 metres.


The Mid SE had two gettable set shots for goal in the second term but they were not converted.


Meanwhile, at the southern (school) end of the Kongorong Oval, the KNTFL managed a mere behind in this period.


The oval perimeter lights were switched on during the long break.


As is often the case, the third term proved to be the so-called premiership quarter.


The KNT turned a five-point deficit into an 11-point lead as the Mid SE was kept scoreless.


The visiting league had an equal share of the play but was able to convert its opportunities.


On the other hand, the Mid SE players worked hard to gain possession but were then subject to sustained pressure which resulted in turnovers.


Heavy rain in the third term provided a challenge for all players.


It was in this term the electronic scoreboard went out of order and this was probably the only glitch in the hosting duties on the day of the Kongorong sporting community.


The Mid SE was only 11 points behind at the final change but the task of winning the championship looked impossible after two early goals to their opponents and the return of the rain.


The KNT won the game by the equivalent of four goals and have never lost to the Mid SE since it began in 1993 other than in round robin matches in previous carnivals.


The best players named for the KNTFL were Hagan Wright, Mitchell Minns and Thomas Worthley.


Captain Mitch Lowe was named best for the Mid SE and this ranking capped an outstanding comeback to football for the first-year Kalangadoo playing coach.


He had to stand out of football for the entire 2024 season owing to an injury in the workplace.


Others named in the official best players were Dylan Childs, Brad Wight, Mikey Telford, Kade Bradley and Ben Gregory while I would have had Nangwarry skipper Joel Virtanen in that list as well.


There were no netball games at Kongorong on Saturday and crowd numbers were comparable to a home and away game.


Among the crowd was SE Zone Team coach Jack Kelly who is taking the team to the SA Country Football Championships at Port Pirie next month.


The Limestone Coast Football Netball League easily defeated the KNT in the grand finals of both the Under 17.5 years and Under 15 years competitions.


In a change from past practice, the Mid SE clubs were asked to nominate players for the interleague training squad.


When the final 23 was named, undefeated reigning premiers Hatherleigh had done the ‘heavy lifting’ with eight players, coach Jase Faulkner, vice captain Kade Bradley and runner Jed Telfer.


The next highest contributor was winless Kongorong with four players and assistant coach Matt Roscow.


Glencoe, Nangwarry and Kalangadoo each had three representatives in the Mid SE team while there was a single Mount Burr Mozzie and a single Tantanoola Tiger.


Third-placed Robe and fourth-placed Port MacDonnell were not represented.