Warden provided the early spark Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes needed in the first term kicking their opening two goals of the game.

Despite being classed as a small forward, it was his presenting and ability to mark on the lead which was most impressive.

He had a number of other opportunities in front of goal throughout the night and his radar wasn't quite as accurate as the game wore on.

But at just 16 years of age, he's only going to get better and his ceiling is scary high.

Locked in an arm-wrestle early in the second quarter, the Goannas needed someone to break the game open and it was their coach who stepped up to the mark.

While resting forward, Foley managed to kick three goals in an eight-minute period to extend their margin out to 20 points heading into the major break.

While quick and elusive, Foley is also a very strong mark and has a booming kick meaning he has no trouble kicking a long bomb from outside 50.

Foley hit the scoreboard on a regular basis last season and if Friday night is anything to go by, he's going to have plenty of goals to go with his extended tally of possessions in the midfield this year.

There is no player more important for Wagga Tigers right now than their coach.

Coming off a year to forget in 2023 where he only played seven of a possible 16 games, Stephenson was back to his defensive best against the Goannas.

His ability to read the play and intercept mark at will honestly made it look at times like the Goannas players were deliberately trying to kick it to the tall red-haired defender.

Not only is he crucial as a player but also as a leader, with his leadership helping to guide and organise young defenders Tommy McCoullough, Kobe Priest and Crawford Wadley.

Last year he went forward with great success, but right now the Tigers appear to need their main main down back.

Goannas coach Nelson Foley admitted that he'd never seen so many players cramping during a game and during the last quarter you would often spot at least two to three players at any one time trying to stretch out a cramp off the ball.

It was a warm day at Mangoplah Sportsground and those conditions mixed with the first proper hit-out of the season meant that anyone and everyone was at risk of being shot down with a cramp.

It was impressive to see the efforts of players trying to fight their way through the pain when the ball was in their vicinity and I reckon there would've been a few players very glad to hear the final siren sound at full time.

Rest and recovery I believe will be a key focus for the Goannas and Tigers over the next couple of days and potentially heading into the Good Friday clash next year they might have to order a precautionary crate of pickle juice.

Personally I love the concept and applaud both the Goannas and Tigers for their continued involvement in the feature game.

But it was clear that I'm not the only one who likes the idea as a very healthy crowd poured into Mangoplah Sportsground to watch the action across both the court and field.

You couldn't really ask for a much better day weather wise for the contest and although scrappy in the second half, it was entertaining to watch the two young sides fight the game out like it was a final.

The event has proved to be a massive success over the past two years for the Goannas and I would encourage more clubs to think outside the box and opt for more feature games throughout the season.