FOR BOORT’S senior footballers, the North Central season effectively starts now.
It seems an odd thing to say when the Magpies are sitting undefeated on top of the ladder and boasting a percentage of 560, but the first three matches have been easy kills.
The competition virtually split in two as early as round one, with five teams vying for a place in the finals and three sides fighting each other for wins.
Boort has beaten St Arnaud, Charlton and Donald by big margins, but those three teams are destined to finish anchored on the bottom this season/
So Boort’s meeting with two-time premiers Sea Lake Nandaly on Saturday will provide a much better measure of where the Magpies stand, especially with Calder United (third) and Birchip Watchem (second) to follow.
Boort’s 167-point win over Donald featured a second successive 10-goal haul for Jhye Baddeley-Kelly, whose move to a hybrid forward-midfield role has paid huge dividends.
Recruits Kayne Rutley and Carlos Egan kicked five and four goals respectively as the Magpies swamped the Royal Blues, who are last on the ladder with a dismal percentage of 9.53.
Boort coach Dale Cameron said his side “put the cue in the rack” in the last quarter, when the Magpies kicked three goals after eight, nine and 10 goals respectively in the first three terms as Donald flooded its defensive area.
Of facing Sea Lake Nandaly, Cameron said, “It will be nice to see where we’re at, coming up against the better sides.
“Winning form is good form, and I think our best is good enough. We just have to put it into action. “When we face a good challenge, we have to see how we react.”
Cameron hoped Josh Jenkins and Oscar Brownless would play for the Tigers so the Magpies could face a team at full strength.
Former Adelaide and Geelong forward Jenkins has not played this season, while Brownless was best afield in his only game in round one. 
In other matches, Birchip Watchem turned the tables on Sea Lake Nandaly, and Charlton defeated St Arnaud by nine points on Anzac Day for its first win in two seasons.
The Bulls are undefeated after their 10-point win over the Tigers, who triumphed in last season’s grand final.
Birchip Watchem trailed early but eked out a narrow lead by half-time and held on for the win.
Charlton managed only one draw last season and came from behind to record a famous victory.
The Navy Blues were scoreless in the third quarter and were nine points in arrears at the last change but kicked 4.2 to 1.2 in the final term.
- GARY WALSH