This week saw six zones hit the road and head for sunny Mildura to take part in the first Gala Round of the season.

Loddon Mallee Lightning, Western Wolves, Northern All Stars, North West Wanderers, Central City and Gippsland Knights took part and all played two games over the weekend at the Aerodrome Ovals.

Loddon Mallee Lightning made full use of their home ground advantage in the Under 13 Boys, defeating Central City 2-1 and Gippsland Knights 9-1. Central City bounced back, and looked impressive in their 5-2 win over Gippsland. North West Wanderers also returned home with two wins, beating Western Wolves 2-0 and Northern All Stars 2-1. Wolves were able to dig deep and turn around a 2-1 half time deficit to go on and win their game against Northern 3-2. Back in Melbourne, South East Cougars and Southern Bluetongues both showed great technical skills in their match, which was won 3-2 by Southern, North East Diamonds played well to defeat Rivers 3-0 and Wimmera South Coast Eagles overcame Eastern 2-1.

Western Wolves players were busy at both ends of the pitch in each of their two games over the weekend in the Under 13 Girls. If their 3-2 win over North West on Saturday was exciting, then their 5-5 draw with Northern on Sunday was an absolute classic as far as edge of your seat football goes. Northern didn’t go home without competition points, with a 2-0 win over North West. Loddon Mallee went from one win all season to having three by lunchtime on Sunday. Two solid performances saw them beat Central City 4-0 and Gippsland Knights 3-0. Gippsland and Central had their best chance so far to earn their first win of the season when they faced off against each other but neither side could find the back of the net, the match ending 0-0. Southern Bluetongues were able to come from 1-0 down at half time to defeat the dangerous South East Cougars 2-1, who are well known for their attractive brand of football. North East defeated Rivers 3-0 while two first half goals were enough for Eastern to see off Wimmera South Coast 2-0.

North East Diamonds were the big winners of the week in the Under 14 Boys, with a 5-0 win over Rivers. Despite the score line, credit should be given to both teams on their match day performance. Wimmera South Coast Eagles looked excellent in their 2-0 win over Eastern while Southern Bluetongues defeated South East Cougars 4-1. Up in Mildura, Central City ensured they stay on top of the table for the time being with a 4-0 win over Loddon Mallee and a 1-0 win over Gippsland, who put in a solid performance. Western Wolves also returned home with two wins, overcoming North West 1-0 and Northern 4-2. Northern beat North West 3-2 and Loddon Mallee defeated Gippsland 2-1, with another solid effort from the team in orange.

Western Wolves and Northern All Stars both looked sharp in the Under 15 Girls this week, both having wins over North West on Saturday before playing out an attractive 1-1 draw on Sunday. Loddon Mallee were once again technically sound in their 5-1 win over Central City and their 4-0 win over Gippsland. The Knights bounced back from this and were able to record their second win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Central. South East Cougars remain undefeated with a solid 7-0 victory over Southern. North East enjoyed a 6-1 win over Rivers while Wimmera South Coast defeated Eastern 4-0.

Draws were the order of the day in the three metropolitan matches in the Under 15 Boys. Southern Bluetongues and South East Cougars both played excellently in their 2-2 draw, North East and Rivers drew 3-3 and Eastern continued their strong defensive record with a 0-0 draw with Wimmera South Coast. There was plenty of free flowing football up north, with Central City’s amazing 7-3 win over Gippsland the pick of the bunch. Western Wolves defeated North West Wanderers 3-2 on Saturday before losing 3-2 on Sunday to Northern All Stars. Northern defeated North West 4-0 while Loddon Mallee drew 2-2 with Central before going on to beat Gippsland 2-0 on Sunday morning.

North West Wanderers had a rough weekend in Mildura in the Under 17 Girls, conceding 18 goals in two games after losing 9-0 to Western Wolves and 9-3 to Northern All Stars. Western and Northern kept this momentum going for their match against each other, with a scintillating 3-3 draw a fair result. Loddon Mallee Lightning were sublime in their 3-0 win over Central City but only narrowly avoided a major upset with a tough 3-2 win over a determined Gippsland Knights team, who also looked good in their 2-0 loss to Central. North East Diamonds put in another highly polished performance, defeating Rivers FC 6-0, Southern defeated South East 1-0 and Wimmera South Coast beat Eastern 2-0.

 Southern Bluetongues put in another impressive performance this week in the Under 17 Boys, building on a 3-0 half time lead to defeat South East Cougars 7-1. Credit must go to the Cougars for sticking to the National Curriculum even when things got tough. North East Diamonds had a narrow 2-1 win over Rivers while Eastern and Wimmera South Coast drew 1-1. Northern All Stars were brilliant in their 7-0 dismantling of North West, before narrowly going down to Western 4-3 despite leading at half time. Western Wolves also defeated North West 2-1 while Central City edged out Loddon Mallee Lightning 1-0. Unfortunately, the Gippsland team was unable to attend, meaning that their matches against Loddon Mallee and Central will be recorded as 3-0 losses.

Rivers FC, Wimmera South Coast Eagles, Eastern FC, Southern Bluetongues, South East Cougars and North East Diamonds will have their first taste of gala action this weekend when they head to Shepparton.