BFNL 2023: Anthony Koutoufides' long inter-league wait rewarded

The two sides traded blows all afternoon at Mars Stadium in a high quality game of football.

"I just thought it was a great four quarter effort," Koutoufides said.

"The game plan and the setup done by the assistant coaches was just spot on.

"We didn't overcomplicate things, at the end of the day I told them to just go out there and play the way they know how to play footy."

Ballarat put together an impressive third quarter, holding onto its half time advantage despite kicking to the low-scoring end, but Hampden provided a late scare with a flurry of goals during time on in the fourth term.

"I got a little bit concerned towards the end but it was good that it was a close game," Koutoufides said.

"We missed some opportunities in the last quarter but the skipper (Izaac Grant) did what he needed to do to settle things down.

"The last time we played Hampden they annihilated us so we turned it around to show what the Ballarat Football Netball League is all about."

MATCH REPORT: Ballarat triumphant in inter-league spectacle

Koutoufides had high praise for the talent on show on Saturday.

AFL clubs had been notified mid-week about the inter-league clash, with many sending scouts to Mars Stadium with some players already on their radars.

"Today was their opportunity to shine in front of some AFL recruiters to show them what they're capable of doing," Koutoufides said.

"I don't see why there's any reason why a handful of these players can't play AFL footy.

"If they are good players now, they become even better if you bring them into an AFL system and if I was a recruiter, I think there's a handful of players that could really play AFL."

The 1995 AFL premiership player credited an unlikely new challenge towards helping him feel better prepared for his senior coaching role.

"I probably feel a lot more prepared this year than I did back in 2020," Koutoufides said.

"By just coaching an under-13s side, even though this is a much higher level, I felt like I was a bit more ready.

"I learned so much from the assistant coaches so they are more to thank than myself."

Koutoufides was assisted by Travis Hodgson, Jake Bridges and Frank Pawlowicz on Saturday.

He said it was tough to choose his best players let alone one, as Sebastopol's Riley O'Keefe earned best-on-ground honours.

BFNL 3.0 8.3 10.7 13.13 (91)

HFNL 4.5 5.6 8.7 11.9 (75)

GOALS - Ballarat: K.Borg 3, I.Grant 2, J.Sutton 2, L.Canny 2, W.Liston 1, R.Miller 1, M.Fino 1, J.Riding 1; Hampden: J.Bermingham 2, R.Hutchins 2, H.Cook 2, M.Bidnade 1, J.Grundy 1, J.Hopper 1, H.Ryan 1, T.Jennings

BEST - Ballarat: R.O'Keefe, K.Borg, H.Minton-Connell, J.Egan, R.Polkinghorne, R.Miller; Hampden: M.Petersen, J.Grundy, T.Jennings, P.O'Sullivan, H.Sinnott, J.Hopper.