It's not often you see a player standing at 200cm who plays like a genuine ball-winning midfielder. Banuelos has the ability to play all over the ground and he provides the Lions with an arsenal of options of where to play the talented tall. He did it all on Sunday against Coolamon and looked equally at home in the ruck as he did at full forward taking big contested marks. His lean figure also means that he's able to cover quite a lot of ground and he was often spotted in defence taking intercept marks. He gave the competition a glimpse of his talents in a brief spell last season, now he's back with the Lions on a full-time basis and looks set to become one of the most damaging players in the league.

When you are fielding a new-look side with a lot of young emerging talents, you need to make sure you pick the right man to be the on-field leader. Gavin McMahon has 100 per cent got the right man in Allister Clarke. Into his third year at the Hoppers, Clarke has previously held an assistant coaching position and has all the right qualities to be an outstanding leader. He is also delivering on the football field and was sensational in their round one loss to the Lions. The Hoppers may have lost a lot of experience and leadership over the off-season, but with players such as Clarke still playing in the green and white they'll be more than okay.

A couple of departures at the kennel over the off-season will provide Margosis with the perfect opportunity to shine for Turvey Park this season through the midfield. While he did have some midfield minutes last year, he spent the majority of his time playing at either half forward or off a half back flank. But with Luke Fellows and Ethan Weidemann now in Adelaide and coach Cal Dooley stuck on the sidelines, it was Margosis who shone for the Bulldogs on-ball in their round one win. Not only was his work around the contest exceptional, he also managed to kick a couple of very classy goals in the second quarter when the game was there to be won.

If the key forward keeps up with this kind of form then I would reckon that the other eight Riverina League clubs would be wishing that Ford DM'd their Instagram page over the off-season rather than the reigning premiers. It's not everyday that you have a player of his calibre reaching out to join your club and he had a strong debut in the Bulldogs jumper. Ford kicked five goals and that won't be the only bag that he kicks this year. He also went head-to-head with Murray Stephenson and managed to win a few contests against one of the Riverina League's best defenders. Around 60 goals should have you in contention for the medal, Ford should get to that mark and will probably kick a few more.

Kelly backed up his strong performance on Good Friday with another good outing against Turvey Park in what was his 100^th game for Wagga Tigers. Despite having only played 28 senior games for the Tigers, the defender is now very much a leader at the club which is undergoing a bit of a development phase. He's definitely risen to that challenge so far and taken his game to the next level in 2024 alongside Sam McNaughton and Matt Ryan. He's probably flown under the radar in recent years given the achievements of his older brothers Ben and Jackson, but Harry is more than capable of being a very good footballer in his own right.

I've watched two of their games so far and it's safe to say I've liked what I've seen. While they haven't yet claimed a win, there is undeniably a lot of fight in this young Tigers' outfit. Coming up against two finals contenders away from home, the Tigers have yet to take a backwards step and they've refused to give up on a result. Going five goals down early in the last quarter provided the first big test for the Tigers and they passed with flying colours finishing with the final two goals of the game. Tough games lie ahead against Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong and Coolamon, but this side has shown so far they are up for the contest.

They've only played two games, but so far the Goannas look really good in 2024. A win at home over a young Tigers team was somewhat expected, however I'm sure a few eyebrows would've been raised after they managed to head out to Exies Oval and claim a five-goal win over Griffith. Confidence is high at the Goannas and star players Nelson Foley and Harry Fitzsimmons have started the season on fire. Foley and assistant Harry Collins have got their side playing a strong brand of football and so far they appear to be potentially the biggest threat to the two clear premiership favourites in GGGM and Collingullie-Wagga. The Goannas take on the Demons at Crossroads Oval next weekend which should give the Riverina League community a gage as to just how good MCUE really are.

After a season to forget in 2023, I was happy to see the Eagles back on the winners' list. A winless season is always hard to bounce back from, so to grab two strong wins in both first and reserve grade is the perfect way for Narrandera to open their season. No doubt they will have their challenges this season and they could get a reality check as soon as next weekend up against the Lions, however all the signs point to a club heading in the right direction. It's been over a decade since the Eagles were 1-0 (2013), so hopefully their victory gives them the confidence to build and develop over the course of the coming season.