Six things we learnt from the seventh round of the Riverina League

In just his third game in his new role up forward, Pulver proved that he belongs inside forward 50 for the Goannas. Prior to the switch being made during MCUE's round three clash against Narrandera, Pulver had played the majority of his senior footy down back and he was known for his ability to read the ball well and take a good overhead mark. He's now using those attributes to damaging effect up the other end of the ground and his five-goal haul against Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong is proof that he can be a huge asset up forward for the Goannas. Pulver has got prior experience playing as a forward as he kicked 41 goals for the Goannas in the under 17.5's competition in 2022. It looks like he's embracing his return to the forward line.

There hasn't been a lot of noise made about Joel Peters so far in his 16-game stint at the Bulldogs, however that could change very quickly. Peters most definitely flew under the radar in his first season at the kennel which was largely due to the star power of talent the Bulldogs had last year including Luke Fellows, Brad Ashcroft, Antony Forato and Andrew Emery. He was an unknown talent who according to the rest of the competition had effectively popped up seemingly from nowhere. However Peters is making it near impossible to ignore his talents any longer and his performance against Narrandera was proof of just how good a footballer he is. He finished with four goals and was arguably the Bulldogs best in an impressive victory. In a team full of well-known and emerging stars, it's one of the Bulldogs most underrated that's having a huge impact.

In a side full of emerging talent, it was one of Narrandera's more experienced players that stood tallest against the Bulldogs. After a delayed start to the year, Rose has quickly hit his straps and he was one of the standout players on the ground during the opening term at Maher Oval. His influence continued for the rest of the game as he continued to win the ball around stoppages for the Eagles. It hasn't been an easy past few weeks for the Eagles as injuries continue to mount up, however one positive they can take from the difficult stretch is the performance of Rose who is leading from the front.

The Swans loss against Coolamon was one they really couldn't afford as it means they now fall a step further behind their fellow finals contenders. The way the ladder is shaping up it looks likely that Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes, Coolamon, Turvey Park and Griffith will be fighting for the final three spots in the top five behind the pack leaders Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong and Collingullie-Wagga. At 2-4 following round seven, the Swans are currently at the bottom of that list. While it is too early to rule them out just yet, there is no doubt Griffith has a difficult task ahead of them. Their clash against Wagga Tigers next weekend is undoubtedly a must-win while a win at home against the Demons in round nine would be more than handy. Then a tough run home follows which sees them making the trip to Mangoplah Sportsground, Maher Oval, Kindra Park and Crossroads Oval.

There is certainly a fair bit of deja vu occurring as to how the Demons are playing throughout their opening six games of the season. For the third time this year, while in the middle of an arm-wrestle of a contest they have just completely blown their opposition off the park. First up it was against the Hoppers, where they turned a 10-point lead into a 56-point win. They then dished out something similar against the Bulldogs last weekend where they extended a three goal lead into a 50-point win. Finally, after only leading by just one point at halftime on Saturday the Demons eventually left Robinson Oval as 83-point victors. It's damaging football at its very best and proof that the Demons are going to be more than a handful to contain at the business end of the season.