Magpies on tour: Five Moama players and their families take a group photo after the Banks game in Darwin last weekend.
Magpies are not migratory birds, but you would be forgiven for thinking they were given the flock from the Moama Football Netball Club currently up in Darwin.
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Five footballers who played for Moama last season are in the Top End playing for the Banks Bulldogs — Jack Russell, Liam Ritchie, Mitch Lake, Noah Milner and James Whitehead.
The quintet has been donning the Bulldogs’ blue and white in the Northern Territory Football League’s Premier League Reserves competition, the second tier of the NTFL. And last weekend they had a special family contingent there to cheer them on
Moama and Darwin are 3669km apart, but that did not stop a group of Magpies supporters from making the trip to watch Banks play last weekend.
On the field, it was certainly a journey worth making.
The Bulldogs prevailed by four points against top side Waratah in a first versus second clash, handing the Warriors their first loss of the season.
And off the field, it gave family members a great chance to catch up and watch the quintet in action.
Moama president Matt Lake was one of the dozen people to travel up to Darwin for the game.
He and his son, Mitch, who played his first game for Banks against Waratah, made the four-day drive up to Darwin together.
“It was a lot of fun, it was quite entertaining with the just the two of us,” Matt said.
“They are having a lot of fun, the club has been really good up there.
“They have made sure the boys have all found work and got them accommodation so it has worked out really well.”
From Magpies to Bulldogs: Moama footballers (from left) Jack Russell, Liam Ritchie, Mitch Lake, Noah Milner and James Whitehead have been playing for the Banks Bulldogs in the NTFL.
The temperature in Darwin at this time of year sits above 30℃, a huge difference from the normally far more frigid temperatures Moama often plays in.
“I don’t know how they play footy in those conditions and that heat,” Matt said.
"It was a good game of footy to watch, the standard of footy was really good.“
Russell was one of the key players for Moama this season and he has been on fire up in the NT as well.
The Magpies co-skipper has been named in the best for the Bulldogs in all of their six games so far this season, including the win over Waratah.
He also booted three goals in round two against St Mary’s.
Russell, Ritchie, Lake, Milner and Whitehead aren’t the only current Magpie players to have pulled on the Banks jumper, with Moama best-and-fairest Nick Pavlou also playing with the Dogs last year.
Current Banks coach Leigh Crossman is connected to the region too, having played for Echuca.
The Bulldogs have five wins and one loss so far this home-and-away season and sit second on the ladder, behind Waratah on percentage.
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