On The Ball – 2025 football and netball preview

ON THE BALL BALL BALL2025

ON THE BALL

Positive pathways

and girls across the region will have a more accessible opportunity to play football this year, with the introduction of Wimmera Football Netball League’s senior and under-14.5 competitions.

Five clubs are set to participate across the two grades – with the senior competition hoping to feature three teams, Horsham Demons, Minyip-Murtoa and Horsham District Football Netball League club Laharum. Laharum, Horsham, and a combined team of Warrack Eagles and Minyip-Murtoa.make up the junior girls competition.

Meanwhile, Horsham Demons will continue to field a team in the Western Victoria Female Football League, WVFFL, under-18 competition.

The Wimmera’s first season, to consist of nine rounds, is set to start on May 18, playing each Sunday to not clash with the club’s full schedule of football and netball matches on a Saturday.

WFNL subcommittee female football competition chair Terry Arnel said the games were also scheduled for Sundays to provide the opportunity for Saturday netballers to play.

Mr Arnel said the league was hoping the competitions would expand in following years, once the inaugural year was underway.

“I think locally when the product is more widely seen by a lot more people in the area, and hopefully there’s a lot of evidence on how much easier it is to get involved – being that everything is delivered locally – that will hopefully generate more interest from the clubs if they’ve got members who are looking to get involved,” he said.

“So when they see it, and – hopefully the experience is positive for the ones who are involved and they can comment on how little time it’s taken up and that they can combine netball and Sunday footy – it opens up a whole new path.”

Mr Arnel said introducing women’s teams brought a multitude of benefits to clubs.

“Not everyone is necessarily a netballer if they’re female, so it gives families who are connected to the club options for all their members to be involved and play,” he said.

Mr Arnel said clubs would find volunteer fatigue a challenge to manage – with help required for matches on both days of the weekend.

“But then if you are sharing the Sunday responsibilities with a different set of people than the Saturday ones, obviously you’re not going to have that issue,” he said.

Mr Arnel said with the women’s and girls’ competition being previously played in the WVFFL, based in southwest Victoria, travel had prohibited the growth of women’s football in

the Wimmera. He said the under-14.5 competition would provide both an introduction to football for many players, as well as the next step for girls who have played Auskick or junior football.

Girls can then progress to under-18 level, where they can follow pathways to Greater Western Victorian Rebels –such as Horsham players Greta Arnel, Violet McGennisken, Poppy Peters and Amaya Woodward, who have made the 2025 Rebels squad.

While some girls will be keen to progress their football to a higher level, and may eventually make it to AFLW level like the likes of Wimmera products Ella Friend, Nekaela Butler, Maggie and Rene Caris and Alex Morcom, the local women’s competition will also provide a fun, social outlet for women to enjoy playing footy.

“The senior competition is probably driven more out of a social aspect –it’ll obviously be an emerging competition with the standard and the skills that are initially there, but all that stuff grows over time,” Mr Arnel said.

With Women’s Health Grampians coming on board to partner with the new competition, clubs have also found sponsors have shown interest in supporting individual teams.

Minyip-Murtoa Football Netball Club president Chris Delahunty said it was exciting for the club to participate in the first women’s competition.

WFNL

female

“We’ve got a great coach, we’ve got good team managers and all the other helpers on board, so we’re well on track,” he said.

“It’s great for the region. It’s great there’s the opportunity for people to play locally. It’s been really positive for us. We’ve got a lot of new families coming into the club now.

“We’ve got some new sponsors that specifically want to get on board the women’s football, so, it’s been a really positive inclusion to our club.”

Laharum president Hamish Roberts said his club jumped at the opportunity to be included in the new league.

“For us it seemed like a no-brainer,” he said.

“Strategically for our club it made a lot of sense.

“Having a women’s football team

strengthens the entire club and it enriches the club.

“We’d like to think that we’re a leading club in the things that we do.

“Having the girls footy up, we’ve got a bunch of different people at our club that we never would have had otherwise. It opens up a whole new avenue of different relationships.”

Roberts said the entire club was invested in the team’s fortunes.

“I can’t wait for round one. I don’t know if we’ll be playing at Laharum or away, but you can guarantee there will be a big Laharum crowd there,” he said.

“It’s not just going to be our girls playing and their loved ones watching, the whole club will be right behind them. It’s been nothing but a great success already.”

subcommittee

football competition chair Terry Arnel, Laharum player Olivia Lenehan, Minyip-Murtoa player Tash Mustafa, AFL Wimmera Mallee region manager Ange Ballinger and AFL Wimmera Mallee operations officer Chloe Haughton.

ON THE BALL

Exciting developments in play

BY BILLY BALLAGH, WFNL CHAIR

The 2025 season is set to be a landmark year for the Wimmera Football Netball League, WFNL, following a big offseason filled with exciting developments.

One of the most significant changes is the introduction of the Under-8s football competition, which expands the league to six grades of football.

The new initiative creates pathways for young players, starting at Under-8s and progressing all the way through to senior football, ensuring a clear and supportive structure for the region’s future stars.

Another major step forward is the creation of the female competition, featuring Under-14.5 and senior competitions.

This is a huge leap for female sport in the region, offering young women and girls the chance to compete at a higher level and further grow the sport.

It’s a proud moment for the league and will undoubtedly open up new opportunities for female athletes.

In 2025, the league will also be running junior representative programs for both football and netball.

The netball teams will participate in two tournaments in Bendigo in June, while the footballers will represent the WFNL at the South West Carnival in May.

These tournaments are an excellent opportunity for young players to showcase their talents, build new friendships and enjoy the experience and pride of representing the league.

In November last year, the WFNL signed on to become a CoRE Alliance, a network focused on promoting gender equality and social inclusion.

The WFNL as part of their alliance aims to contribute to the prevention of gendered violence by the active promotion of respectful relationships, gender equality and inclusivity both on and off the field.

From a governance perspective, the league will see at least four board

members stepping down at the end of the season.

We are actively working with clubs to identify new candidates to join the board.

The experience of serving on the board is highly rewarding, and while it doesn’t require a large time commitment, it plays a crucial role in shaping the future of football and netball in the region.

The WFNL would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors.

Their continued support and commitment makes all of this possible and allows the league to keep growing and thriving.

We also encourage everyone to follow the league on social media, which is where we share updates, announce key events, and celebrate milestones.

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, there are plenty of exciting storylines shaping up across both football and netball.

In football, questions are flying around the region: Can Ararat win three in a row? Can Thunder use last year’s heartbreaking loss to spur them on and get their hands on the cup?

Can Nhill and Stawell build on their strong 2024 form and go one better, or is there another team flying under the radar, ready to surprise?

In netball, the Demons are coming off a long-awaited flag – can they go back to back? Will the Saints have the fire in their belly to win back the title? Ararat has recruited hard this offseason – will they return to the finals race and be a force to reckon with?

The WFNL is proud to offer a competitive competition for both junior and senior grades of football and netball, and we can’t wait to see all the action unfold this season. We look forward to seeing you at the games.

Can Ararat win three Wimmera league senior premierships in a row?

Billy Ballagh

The team to beat COACHES

BY LAUREN HENRY

It will be a case of the hunted

for Ararat this season with the reigning premiers set to be raging favourites to win a three-peat of Wimmera league flags.

The 2024 premiers primed themselves for finals last year, beating Southern Mallee Thunder by nine points in a thrilling grand final.

The Rats finished second on the ladder last season, only losing to Stawell and Horsham and drawing with Nhill.

They won their way through to a grand final with a dominant win over Stawell, followed by a strong win against the Thunder in the second semi-final.

In fact, with co-coach Tom Williamson winning the league’s best and fairest, the Toohey medal, the Rats’ season couldn’t get much better in 2024.

But with the addition of some handy recruits, and retaining every one of its premiership players, Ararat will be the team to beat this season.

Naish Roberts, from Ararat Eagles; Brayden Draffin, Camperdown; Nick Pell, Greta; Sam Lowes, White Hills; and the return of Harry Ganley from East Point in Ballarat, will add further depth to the Rats in 2025.

Senior co-coach Tom Mills said luck had fallen the Rats’ way with nailing the recruits.

“Nick Pell moved here from Wan-

Seniors: Tom Mills and Tom Williamson

Reserves: Tyler Cronin and Chris Jerram

Under-17s: Brett Chammings and Codey Lindsay

Under-14s: Leigh Jeffery and Mark Dohnt

garatta, and Sam Lowes from Bendigo – so it was just luck that we got them, and they’re both pretty handy players, which is nice,” he said.

Mills said with not losing any premiership players from last year –which he admitted was rare – plus the inclusion of a handful of new players, the Rats again had their eyes firmly on another premiership.

“Once you’ve been there a couple of times, you want to keep doing it – it’s definitely what we are aiming for,” he said.

Mills, who will co-coach with Williamson again this year, said he was looking forward to seeing the progression of the squad’s younger players, who were maturing in handy footballers.

“It’s always good to see them just grow a bit and understand the game a bit more,” he said.

“Naish McRoberts, who is one of our recruits, is going to be a massive in for us.

“He can sort of play anywhere on the ground, which is nice.

“Brad Draffin is a key position player for us – he plays across centrehalf-back, and Nick Pell is a big fella so he can play centre half-back and ruck for us as well.”

Mills said he expected this year’s Wimmera league season to again be competitive.

“When teams play us we want them to be playing their best – it gives us the best chance to play our best as well,” he said.

“You want to have a healthy competition, so if they want to come hard at us, then let them come hard.”

The Rats entire premiership team last year were one-point players, meaning they all played junior football at Ararat.

President David Hosking said the club had worked hard on junior retention in the past 10 to 15 years.

“We managed to pull it together in the last two to three years, but it’s taken a long time to get there,” he said.

“It’s always been something that we’ve tried to do, but we didn’t set out to have 21 one-point players.”

Ararat’s first game of the season, hosting Horsham on April 12, will also feature a president’s lunch, sponsored by new club sponsor Manhari, with guest speaker former Western Bulldogs assistant coach Chris Maple.

Senior co-coach Tom Williamson celebrates last season’s grand final win.

ARARAT ON THE BALL

Rats bouncing b ack

BY LAUREN HENRY

After not winning a game in 2024, Ararat A Grade has bolstered its playing stock and will be more competitive this season.

The Rats relied on a young side to take to the court in A Grade last year, but with a year under her belt since returning to the club, coach Sally Noble set about a recruitment drive in the off-season.

Sisters Paige and Faith Biddle, fresh off an Ararat Eagles premiership in the Mininera District league, lead the list of recruits.

Paige won her club and the league best-and-fairest in 2024, while Faith, a star defender, was runner-up in the Eagles’ bestand-fairest.

The recruiting coup has created a buzz at the club, with Noble telling The Weekly Advertiser she was excited about the season ahead.

“ Pre-season is going so well –we’re pretty excited about this season,” she said.

“After last season – we had a really young team and were on the bottom of the ladder – we contested a lot of them, but unfortunately we didn’t win a game.

COACHES

A Grade: Sally Noble

B Grade: Lucy Mills and Megan Shea

C Grade: Gaye Peoples

C Reserve: Mandy Karslake

17-and-under: Bec McMaster

15-and-under: Bree Fratin and Kate Bligh

13-and-under: Sharon Basset

“We have recruited well this year.

“It’s looking promising and we’re looking very competitive.

“Across the board, the teams are looking really competitive, so it’s great to see – it’s been a while, so hopefully this season starts to show a little bit more of what we’ve done.”

Noble said the future looked bright for the Rats, who have strong numbers in their junior ranks, including a handful of rising stars in the under-17 team.

Bridie Price is one of three Wimmera league netballers named in Netball Victoria’s 2025 Talent Academy.

She will be a training partner for Ararat A Grade in 2025.

“There’s  so much potential –there’s probably three or four that could potentially come up to seniors, but because we did have big numbers, we’re all good at the moment, so they’ll be tasked in under-17s,” Noble said.

Former A Grade best-and-fairest and coach Jess Williamson will also return to the side after having a baby.

“Everyone wants to aim for finals, and from hearing stories from other clubs having lost a few players, potentially we can become a united team and go for finals,” Noble said.

“The recruits and returning players are a little bit more seasoned, so it makes for a better mix in the  team.”

With practice matches against Rokewood and Hamilton under their belt, the Rats are keen to get back on court and redeem themselves in the Wimmera league.

It will be a tough assignment early for the newly-formed Ararat side, who starts its season with a match against reigning premier Horsham in round one.

Ararat goal shooter Laney McLoughlan on court last season.

High standard set

BY LAUREN HENRY

After a heart-breaking 2024 grand final loss, Southern Mallee Thunder will be champing at the bit to taste premiership glory this season.

The Thunder finished on top of the ladder last season and were so close to winning the Wimmera league senior footy flag – but couldn’t quite close out the game against Ararat.

With momentum swinging their way, the Rats over-ran the Thunder to win the see-sawing seasondecider by nine points.

Senior coach Kieran Delahunty said the Thunder would again be aiming for a top-three finish.

“Obviously grand finals are hard to win and we gave it a really good shake – being up at the 27-minute mark of the last quarter, but we had a couple of injuries and we couldn’t quite hang on,” he said.

“Ararat is a quality side, and we’ve shown the past two years, we’ve both been the best two sides in the comp.

“Top three is the aim again and then once you finish in the top three, anything can happen, but a lot of work has to go into it.

“We gave ourselves a really good chance to win it, but unfortunately you need a little bit of luck in footy and we didn’t get it, but Ara-

COACHES

Seniors: Kieran Delahunty

Reserves: Nathan Wright

Under-17s: Luen Credlin

Under-14s: Dale Shannon

rat was really deserving as well.”

Delahunty said he expected the Rats to be a top contender again in 2025, but he was focused on his own side’s fortunes ahead of the season-opener on April 12.

He said the 2025 season was shaping up well for the Thunder after a strong pre-season, which had seen three players leave the club and three recruits come on board.

The Thunder will welcome Brayden Ison into the fold this season.

“He’s come across from Rupanyup – and he’ll look to fill the void of Brad Lowe and be a key target for us up forward,” Delahunty said.

Lowe has left the Thunder after kicking 40 goals in 11 games last season.

Harry McLeod, who played in a premiership with former Southern Mallee Giant player Luke Mahoney at Torquay, has also join the Thunder.

“Harry has moved to Horsham –

he’s a doctor doing his 12-month medical placement at the hospital,” Delahunty said.

“Harry is 24 and he looks like he will be a midfield acquisition. He’s a good size and quite fit. Both those guys, McLeod and Ison, have been going really well at training.”

Former Giants premiership player and best-and-fairest winner Haydn Drew has returned from London, and will slot back into the Thunder’s side.

“Those three boys are certainly going to help our senior side and as well there’s probably four younger kids around 16 who have had really good pre-seasons and I’d like to think would get an opportunity this year to play senior footy,” Delahunty said.

Joining Lowe in the departure lounge is two-time club best-andfairest winner Liam Nelson, who will return to Broadbeach, and Leigh Stewart who will play at Noradjuha-Quantong in the Horsham District league this season.

The Thunder will face Stawell at Beulah for its first round of the season, before the Easter break, then play Warrack Eagles in round two, followed by a bye in round three.

Senior coach Kieran Delahunty is hoping to turn his sides fortunes this season.

Fostering conne

BY LAUREN HENRY

With a season under their belt as a new team, Southern Mallee Thunder’s A Grade side is looking to cement a place in finals in 2025.

The Thunder finished with eight wins and eight losses, just missing out on a finals berth.

Wins against Stawell, Dimboola and Nhill – all above them on the ladder – instilled confidence into the team.

But despite a strong second half to the season, the Thunder finished in sixth place, eight points – two wins – behind Stawell.

Returning to coach A Grade this season is Steph Thomson, who was outstanding last year in goal-attack, and Jodie Hayes, who did not play last year but will return to the midcourt in 2025.

Thomson said the Thunder had not finalised its squads yet, but with minimal player movement in the off-season, she did not anticipate too many changes.

“ Jodie had a baby last year, so she is going to be back on the court this year, which is really exciting,” she said.

“ Coming from last season,

COACHES

A Grade: Jodie Hayes and Steph Thomson

B Grade: Shelby Donnan

C Grade: Bronte Eckermann

17-and-under: Rachel Watson and Kim Decker

15-and-under: Emma Mill

13-and-under: Jayne Shannon and Bridget Williams

it was the first time we’d all played together. It was a brand new club because of the merger, and in the second half of the season, we all come together and actually started playing well – we were up there playing some of the top teams and beat them.”

Thomson said she hoped the strong connection from the latter part of last season would flow into the 2025 season.

“We all know each other know and we’ve connected,” she said.

Thomson said she was looking forward to seeing the development of Taya Horman in 2025.

“She was our development player last year, and did an incredible job. She also won the 17s league best and fairest,” she said.

“So she’ll be looking to cement her spot on the team, and get more court time.”

Other players set for a big year are defender Abby White, and Thomson herself, who was last year third in the league best and fairest and earned selection into the Wimmera league netball team of the year.

Following a pre-season focused initially on fitness, then court time and a practice match against Birchip last week, the Thunder is focused on round one against Stawell.

“They are who kept us out of the finals last year, so it will be a good test,” Thomson said.

The Thunder will fill all senior grades, except C Reserve, this season, as well as three junior teams.

Southern Mallee will host Stawell at Beulah on April 12, but then face a disjointed start to the season – with a break for Easter, followed by a match against Warrack Eagles, then a bye, before playing MinyipMurtoa in round four.

Defender Abby White will be a key player for Southern Mallee Thunder in 2025.

Proud supporters of local sport

ctions

Connie Rule in action for Southern Mallee Thunder last season.

BALL

New line of attack

BY LAUREN HENRY

New coaches, new recruits and a new game plan will be a feature of the Stawell Warriors in 2025.

Coming off a topsy-turvy season last year, the Warriors’ year ended with a heavy preliminary final loss to Southern Mallee Thunder.

It was a big year for Stawell in 2024 –the club celebrated its 150-year anniversary, and began the year strongly with a win over Ararat in round one, followed by another four wins.

The Warriors sat atop of the Wimmera league senior football ladder for weeks, but were then plagued by inconsistency.

But pundits could never write them off – just when you put a line through them, they would come out with a win, like in the thrilling semi-final win over the redhot Nhill Tigers.

With Stawell stalwart Tom Eckel announcing from the outset last year that it would be his final year as coach, the Warriors appointed James Sullivan, in his first year at the club, mid-season to take the reins.

Post season, the Warriors have added a non-playing co-coach into the mix, with the experienced Perry Meka to reunite with Sullivan.

Meka and Sullivan’s paths have crossed in the Goulburn Valley – Sullivan was a premiership player with Tatura and Meka has earnt legend status in the Goulburn Valley and Kyabram District leagues.

STOCKING AMMO!!

COACHES

Seniors: James Sullivan and Perry Meka

Reserves: Jake McConville

Under-17s: Jarrod Illig

Under-14s: Matt Freeland

Meka boasts a resume of more than 500 senior football games, winning four premierships, then turning his hand to coaching in the Queensland AFL, before becoming a development and forwards coach at VFL level, and most recently the opposition analyst for Richmond and Melbourne in the AFL.

But levelling out the boost in experience is the loss of Eckel, who will play footy at St Albans this year.

The seven-time best-and-fairest winner and Toohey medallist leaves the Warriors after five years as senior coach.

While Stawell will miss Eckel’s onfield leadership and around the ball, his departure opens up opportunities for Warriors’ midfielders to step up.

Sullivan said while fitness had been the focus early in the preseason, since returning after a Christmas break, the side was now concentrating on its gameplan.

“ Post Christmas we’ve been really able to focus on the game plan and implementing some changes,” he said.

“Using my experience and Perry’s experience in both VFL and AFL, we’ve

been able to implement some structural changes that we’re really confident in.

“ Obviously, the personnel has changed a little bit, but there’s definitely going to be some changes to our game plan, which I think will put us in good stead.”

A major change up forward will be the injection of Paul Summers, who returns to the Warriors after playing with the Swifts last year, where he kicked 124 goals.

“We wanted to have a big focus on having as many locals as possible and developing from there, and obviously being an ex-Warriors player, there was a big focus on trying to get him back to the club,” Sullivan said.

“We’re really looking forward to having him in our forward line group and really confident in what he can bring to our side.

“We’re stoked to have the players that we have got and a couple that we have brought in, so we’re really excited about the year.”

Sullivan said his team had set an initial focus on the first three matches of the season – where they play Southern Mallee Thunder in round one, Ararat in a round three clash on Good Friday, and Minyip-Murtoa in round two – before having a week off on May 3 when the other clubs play their round three games. • Stawell is fundraising for a new electronic scoreboard for Central Park by raffling a Toyota Hilux – for more information, see the club’s Facebook page. Stawell’s Koby Stewart in action last season.

STAWELL ON THE BALL

Season for buildin

BY LAUREN HENRY

It will be a matter of build-

ing to take that extra step for Stawell’s A Grade team this year, as a new-look side aims to press further into finals.

Stawell A Grade coach Jemma Clarkson said due to some netballers being pregnant, there would be a mix of regular and fresh faces in the A Grade team this season.

The Warriors will look to rising junior star Ava Mitchell, defender Meg Walker and Holly Greaves, stepping up from B Grade, to be key players in season 2025.

A strong number of players made themselves available for team selections in early February, and have since played intra-club games as well as practice matches against Hamilton and St Arnaud.

“ We’ve a few different girls in there who have either stepped up from juniors, come in from our B Grade side, or are new to the club, so we’re working really hard at the moment to get those connections happening on court, but it’ll be really exciting once we get out there to see what we can do with each other,” Clarkson said.

“We’re really impressed with the girls’ attitude and how hard they’re working in the off-season to make sure that we’re ready as a club to go forward into the 2025 season.”

COACHES

A Grade: Jemma Clarkson

B Grade: Christine Graveson

C Grade: Sam Cook

C Reserve: Michelle Beaton

17-and-under: Lauren Homden

15-and-under: Naomi Hunter and Amber Mitchell

13-and-under: Madi Freeland

Stawell’s B Grade premiership win last year, defeating Horsham by three goals, is evidence of the club’s depth.

“Our  B Grade won the flag, which was really exciting – it’s been a while since we’ve brought home a netball trophy, so we really celebrated that win and hopefully we can take that forward and that success into this season and really build as a club and maybe come home with a few extras at the end of the season,” Clarkson said.

Stawell’s A Grade team snuck into the top five last season, winning its elimination final against Nhill by one goal before being knocked out by Dimboola in the first semi-final.

“We really enjoyed the season together and we probably fin-

ished about where we thought we would,” Clarkson said.

“At the start of the season, we were just really hoping to make finals – again we were looking at a different team than what we’d had the year before, so that’s always a bit of a challenge, especially at the start of the year to get your team working well together.

“Horsham and Saints are really classy netball outfits, and it takes a fair bit to get up to their level.

“They have some really strong players who have played together for a number of years, so you are just hoping that you can get out there and match it with them a lot of the time, and it’s always nice to sneak a win or a really close game against them.

“We really want to work with our girls on just making sure that we’re being really competitive and then hopefully getting through into finals.

“Then finals is a whole different ballgame, that can bring a whole different element into a game.

“You just never know once you’re there, what can happen –  we’re looking to build possibly on what we did last year and go at least one or two games further into that final series.”

Stawell A Grade coach Jemma Clarkson is looking forward to the season ahead.

Tigers take it up a COACHES

BY LEIGH ROGERS

Nhill is shaping up to be a major force in this year’s Wimmera Football League senior competition.

Following a semi-final finish in 2024, the Tigers have added more experience, versatility and firepower to their line-up.

“I’d love to finish top three or four, that would be ideal,” returning senior coach Jake McQueen said.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on us by saying any higher, but I’m pretty pleased and confident with where we’re at at the moment. I think we can be a top contender, that’s for sure.”

McQueen was named the Wimmera Football League’s Coach of the Year in 2024.

In his second year at the helm of his hometown club, he will share coaching responsibilities with Trevor Ryan.

Ryan is a distinguished ninetime premiership coach and most recently coached Birchip-Watchem in the North Central Football League.

He played more than 400 senior games across his playing career and joins the Tigers in a nonplaying capacity.

“Trevor brings a lot of professionalism and will take our game

Seniors: Jake McQueen and Trevor Ryan

Reserves: Bailey McQueen

Under-17s: Luke Oldaker

Under-14s: Jack Mason

Under-11s: Daniel McEldrew and Aaron Webb

up another notch,” McQueen said.

“He’s been really good since he first walked in the door.” McQueen, who finished fifth in the Wimmera Football League’s bestand-fairest count last season and won a Northern Territory Football League premiership in March, is hoping the new coaching arrangement will allow him to focus more on match days.

“I felt like I was doing a lot of coaching out on the field, and it took away from my game a little bit,” he explained.

“It will be good to have Trevor on the bench overseeing everything.”

The Tigers have signed two new recruits from Darwin, with Kobe Hodges and Clay Shadforth joining the club.

Darcy Reid from Birchip-Watchem has also signed on for the 2025

season. Dylan Ridding is the only major omission from last year’s team.

“We’re very pleased with the amount of numbers we’ve had at training and with the training structure that we’ve put in place with Trevor coming on board,” McQueen said.

“It’s been really good so far.”

McQueen believes Connor Jones and Jarryd Dahlenburg are two young players with the potential to make their mark this season.

“Connor was a little bit in and out for us last year, but he’s been training the house down and hopefully will find a bit of form coming into round one,” McQueen said.

“Jarryd has also been exceptional at training.

“We’ll be looking for our young players to hopefully bring a bit more this year.”

McQueen believes playing with greater maturity is the key for his side to take the next step and challenge for a premiership title.

“Sometimes we can get a bit blasé or try to go 100 miles an hour all the time,” he said.

“Just having the maturity to be calm when we need to be calm is important.

“Our new players have all played a lot of footy, so they’ll definitely help with that.”

Drew Schneider will run out with the Tigers again this season.

NHILL ON THE BALL

‘Totally new

BY LEIGH ROGERS

Anew-look

A Grade team is set to take to the court for the Nhill Tigers this season.

The Tigers showed plenty of promise to finish last year’s home-and-away season in fourth place.

However, their finals campaign proved short lived, suffering a one-goal loss against Stawell in the elimination finals.

Ruby James and Ashleigh Batson are the only returning players from that team.

Nhill stalwart Melissa Polkinghorne steps into the A Grade coaching role in a non-playing capacity, replacing Tracey Bell and Emma Hawker.

“It’s a totally new side,” said Polkinghorne, who was recently bestowed life membership at the club.

“We were struggling a bit with numbers, so we’ve had to recruit some players.”

Former Nhill local Shae-Lea Fisher will travel from Adelaide each week to play, and Tess McQueen is returning after taking a season off to travel.

The Tigers have also welcomed Brooklyn Fraser from Natimuk United and Ashley Hobbs from Horsham Saints.

Both did not play netball last season, taking time out for injury and travel respectively.

Polkinghorne said the club would look to promote internally this season too, with goal shooter Charlotte Foulds likely to move into A Grade.

COACHES side’

A Grade: Melissa Polkinghorne

B Grade: Melissa Polkinghorne

C Grade: Cherylee Shandley

C Reserve: Cherylee Shandley

17-and-under: Ally Mills

15-and-under: Courtney Hillier

13-and-under: Tarrah Dodds

“It’s going to be a development year for us,” Polkinghorne said.

“Our numbers are a bit low, so we’ll also look to develop our juniors throughout our senior grades.”

Polkinghorne attributed a mass exodus at the club to several reasons, including some players relocating and others taking family leave.

Despite the offseason challenges, Polkinghorne is excited for the new season to begin.

She identified growing the club’s positive and inclusive culture as one of their major goals for 2025.

“We’re rebuilding, but it’s also about having fun, going back to basics and trying to enjoy our netball,” she said.

“That was the vibe we had in a recent practice match against Pimpinio, which was good to see, and we are hoping that will continue.”

Ruby James, pictured, and Ashleigh Batson are the only returning players from last season’s A Grade team.

ON THE BALL

Turnover opens doors

BY LAUREN HENRY

The loss of some senior players will open the door for Horsham Demons’ young brigade to step up and make a name for themselves in Wimmera league football.

Senior coach Jordyn Burke said although there had been a turnover in the off-season, numbers at training had been solid.

“Probably numbers are down on what we’ve had in the past – in regards to middle-tier players leaving to go for other opportunities, mostly to district league for money, but that’s all part of it,” he said.

“The beauty of it is we’ve been able to keep our numbers solid with a decent amount of six to eight top-age 17s coming through, and have been able to pick up a few guys as well.”

Burke expects at least four under17 players to play for the Demons this season – but won’t be putting too much expectation on the youngsters in their first season of senior football.

“You’ve got to ride the roller coaster with young blokes because it is a shock and they’re going to have their ups and downs, but overall you just keep giving them opportunities,” he said.

A key signing for the Demons is Bronte Campbell, originally from Donald, and comes to Horsham after playing for Maribyrnong Park in

COACHES

Seniors: Jordyn Burke

Reserves: Jeremy Hartigan and Bronson Durack

Under-17s: Jye Smith

Under-14s: Mark Sulic and Steven Both

Under-11s: Daniel Cross and Marcus Anson

Essendon District Football League.

Burke said the Demons had also picked up new players Nash Foscarini and Deacon Briggs, both from Kalkee, and Aidan Laffy returns from Lake Wendouree, while other ex-players have returned to the club as well.

But with the departure of Brody Pope, Ben Lakin, Ryan Kemp, Hugo Papst and Jordan Motton, the Demons will field a very different looking team to 2024 – where they finished fourth on the ladder, bowing out to Nhill in the first week of finals.

Another positive is Ben Janetzki stepping into the assistant coach role this year – Burke said last year’s cocaptain was primed for a big season.

“Benny hurt his ankle last year, so he had a bit of an interrupted year, which hurt us, but he’s looking great,” he said.

“Billy Carberry and Jack Dalziel –  I’m really expecting a big year from them.

“With the age of our group, the growth is exciting as well, as they’re getting older, you see the improvement.”

Burke is optimistic about the season ahead, and said the turnover presented an opportunity for the club’s younger players to step up.

“I think you always look to play finals – it’s something that you always want to achieve. Probably the goalposts have shifted a little bit for us, on last year’s side – from what we’ve lost – but I think also we’re very unpredictable in a positive way in regards to what we’re capable of because we haven’t seen it in full flight yet, so time will tell,” he said.

Seeing what the Demons are capable of will be evident in round one when they come up against reigning premier Ararat.

“We had them the last couple of years first up and I don’t mind it, to be honest, it’s a bit of benchmark and you know where you’re starting pretty quick,” he said.

“ I’ve never really subscribed to worrying too much about what’s going on around us, besides us, until about midway point –  you’ve got to find each other once and then you can see where you’re at.”

Tyler Blake in action for the Demons last season.

Round 1 – Saturday, April 12

Southern Mallee Thunder v Stawell (Beu)

Minyip-Murtoa v Dimboola (Min)

Ararat v Horsham

Horsham Saints v Nhill

Warrack Eagles, bye

Round 3* - Good Friday, April 18

Ararat v Stawell

Round 2 – Friday, April 25

Horsham v Horsham Saints

Saturday, April 26

Warrack Eagles v Southern Mallee Thunder

Stawell v Minyip-Murtoa

Dimboola v Ararat

Nhill, bye

Round 3 – Saturday, May 3

Minyip-Murtoa v Warrack Eagles (Mur)

Nhill v Horsham

Horsham Saints v Dimboola

Southern Mallee Thunder, bye

Round 4 – Saturday, May 10

Warrack Eagles v Ararat

Stawell v Horsham Saints

Dimboola v Nhill

Southern Mallee Thunder v Minyip-Murtoa (Jep)

Horsham, bye

Round 5 – Saturday, May 17

Horsham Saints v Warrack Eagles

Nhill v Stawell

Horsham v Dimboola

Ararat v Southern Mallee Thunder

Minyip-Murtoa, bye

Round 6 – Saturday, May 24

Warrack Eagles v Nhill

Stawell v Horsham

Southern Mallee Thunder v Horsham Saints

Minyip-Murtoa v Ararat (Mur)

Dimboola, bye

Round 7 – Saturday, May 31

Horsham v Warrack Eagles

Dimboola v Stawell

Nhill v Southern Mallee Thunder

Horsham Saints v Minyip-Murtoa

Ararat, bye

June long weekend, league bye

Round 8 – Saturday, June 14

Warrack Eagles v Dimboola

Southern Mallee Thunder v Horsham (Rain)

Minyip-Murtoa v Nhill (Min)

Ararat v Horsham Saints

Stawell, bye

Round 9 – Saturday, June 21

Stawell v Warrack Eagles

Dimboola v Southern Mallee Thunder

Horsham v Minyip-Murtoa

Nhill v Ararat

Horsham Saints, bye

Round 10 – Saturday, June 28

Stawell v Southern Mallee Thunder

Dimboola v Minyip-Murtoa

Horsham v Ararat

Nhill v Horsham Saints

Warrack Eagles, bye

Round 11 – Saturday July 5

Southern Mallee Thunder v Warrack Eagles (Beu)

Minyip-Murtoa v Stawell (Mur)

Ararat v Dimboola

Sunday, July 6

Horsham Saints v Horsham

Nhill, bye

Round 12 – Saturday, July 12

Warrack Eagles v Minyip-Murtoa (Brim)

Stawell v Ararat

Dimboola v Horsham Saints

Horsham v Nhill

Southern Mallee Thunder, bye

Round 13 – Saturday, July 19

Ararat v Warrack Eagles

Horsham Saints v Stawell

Nhill v Dimboola

Minyip-Murtoa v Southern Mallee Thunder (Mur)

Horsham, bye

Round 14 – Saturday, July 26

Warrack Eagles v Horsham Saints

Stawell v Nhill

Dimboola

HORSHAM

Back-to-back flags the goal

BY LAUREN HENRY

Reigning Wimmera league A Grade premiers Horsham

Demons will have a new leader in 2025, with 2022 Hatcher medallist Georgie Carberry appointed as coach.

While last year’s coach Ebonie Salter has officially relinquished the coaching role, she will remain as an A Grade player this season.

Salter spent time last year mentoring Carberry, one of Wimmera league’s best players, to take the step into the A Grade coaching role.

“I’ve coached the C Grade in previous years and I’ve done some other coaching, helping out the young juniors and whatnot,” Carberry said.

“It’s really exciting but nervewracking. However I’m in good hands having Ebonie as my mentor and the support of the club.”

Horsham’s 63-58 grand final win saw the Demons wrestle the premier’s title back from their old rivals Horsham Saints – but there was not much between the two sides all season, with the Demons versus Saints win-loss at two-apiece for 2024.

While the Demons have lost centre Tahlia Thompson and goal defence Romi Miller from last year’s premiership-winning team – make no mistake, back-to-back flags is their aim in 2025.

COACHES

A Grade: Georgie Carberry

B Grade: Dan Smith

C Grade: Ella Walsgott

17-and-under: Pauline Butler

15-and-under: Janelle Knight

13-and-under: Lucy Hartigan

“I think that’s always the main goal, but I think it’s also about the little things as well as working as a team and having strong connections on and off the court,” Carberry said.

“ I think ultimately that’s what makes you successful and if we can do that, then it puts us in good stead to hopefully win the flag again.”

In the way of recruits, the Demons have picked up Georgia Jones, from Harrow-Balmoral – a fit, fast and agile centre-court player who will provide drive through the midcourt; while 15-year-old Sienna Manserra will play A Grade full-time this season.

Manserra, an agile netballer who plays beyond her years, was runnerup in the league under-17 competition last year and has played at interleague level.

But Salter said the Demons would focus on their team game, rather

than individuals. “ I think something we did well last year as a club was really bonding as a team unit and taking away from those individual games,” she said.

“It’s really proven, like with Georgie who is a Hatcher medallist, you cannot rely on one or two players, so we’re still focusing on that.”

Salter said while the aim was to earn a spot on grand final day, the Demons would focus on teamwork and building the basics.

“Our attack lineup has stayed the same as it was last year, and I think we’re really excited to see what another year brings. Obviously last year we were somewhat fresh in those positions anyway, and we’re expecting for that to continue to build,” she said.

“We’re also looking forward to seeing what the new girls Georgia and Sienna are going to be capable of – they’ve got a lot of potential and they’re already showing us some great signs.

“And Keely Pope last year had a fantastic year in wing defence – it’s a bit hard to put your finger on one name, but we’re really excited and have a lot of potential across the board.”

The Demons will start their premiership defence with a round one clash against Ararat on April 12.

Demons goal-shooter Imogen Worthy, best on court in last year’s grand final, will be a player to watch in 2025.

Ebonie Salter will remain as an A Grade player this season after relinquishing her coaching role.

Season for redempti

BY LAUREN HENRY

After missing the Wimmera league’s senior football finals in 2024, Minyip-Murtoa has set itself for redemption this season.

It was only 2022 when Minyip-Murtoa were Wimmera league premiers.

The Burras slipped to fourth place in 2023, bowing out in the first week of finals, before missing finals completely in 2024.

Senior coach Gareth Hose said the Burras were disappointed in their sixth placing last season but had enjoyed a solid pre-season, bolstered by recruits.

“I feel like we’ve had a really, really positive and strong pre-season,” he said.

“We’re getting excellent numbers on the track. We’ve had between the 30 and 40 mark almost throughout the entire pre-season.

“ The guys are really fit and we’re looking forward to the season starting.”

While the off-season has seen the loss of three senior players from the club – Warwick Stone has retired, Jye Walter will return to Noradjuha-Quantong, and Charlie Gibson has returned home to play for Moyhu – the Burras have recruited strongly.

Past premiership players Jake Ballagh and Jake Boschen have returned to the club, while other recruits include Aidan Kidd, from South Belgrave; Joe Clancy from Osborne in the

COACHES

Seniors: Gareth Hose

Reserves: Jake Leith

Under-17s: Sam Griffiths

Under-14s: Chad Frost and Oscar Gawith

Under-11s: Luke Chamberlain

Auskick: Kade Petering, Horsham, John Delahunty, Minyip-Murtoa

Hume league; Cooper Anderson, Donald; and Dustin Okely, Ararat Eagles.

Hose said Kody Leith, Jimmy Whitehead and Ash Rogers would also add depth to the list.

“Compared to last year, we’ve been able to strengthen our list,” he said.

“For us it was more we wanted to add to our overall squad – we didn’t feel like we had depth in our squad last year.”

Hose said injuries had exposed the Burras last year, forcing them to play youngsters earlier than planned.

One of their biggest injury blows for the season was Oscar Gawith, who injured his knee in round 13.

Before then, Gawith had made quite an impact on the Wimmera league –named in the best in eight of his 12 games last season.

“He’s done the majority of the preseason, he’s only missed a couple of

sessions, and has been training fully,” Hose said.

While ruckman Nick Cushing may miss the first couple of games after having minor surgery last month, Sam Griffiths, new to the Burras in 2024, Dusty Cross, and Kade Petering are primed for opening round after strong pre-seasons.

The Burras will host Dimboola in round one on April 12, when the club will celebrate its 30th anniversary of the amalgamation of Minyip and Murtoa.

President Chris Delahunty said there were a lot of exciting developments at the club in 2025, with the introduction of a senior women’s football team, and establishing an Auskick program in both Minyip-Murtoa and Horsham.

The club’s Auskick program launched at Horsham’s Dimboola Road oval last month, with Hawthorn footballer Lloyd Meek the special guest.

“We’re looking to start an Auskick program in Horsham as well, so across term two, we’re looking for any families who are interested to join – it’s a long term goal that we can bring families into our club from that very junior level,” he said.

“We’ve got Kade Petering taking that Auskick – most people will be aware of Kade, he’s quite a well-established footballer within the region and a school teacher at Horsham College, so that’s exciting for us.”

Nic Ballagh, pictured last season, will be back in action with the Burras this season.

MINYIPMURTOA

Sights set on finals

BY LAUREN HENRY

Minyip-Murtoa could well be the surprise packet of Wimmera league netball this season fielding a mixture of youth and experience in their A Grade side.

New A Grade coach Kristy Davidson brings a wealth of knowledge and commitment to the Burras, which is sure to hold the team in good stead in 2025.

Davidson has taken on the A Grade coaching role for the first-time after coaching other grades at the Burras.

A Grade finished season 2024 with six wins, 10 losses and in seventh position on the ladder – two wins off making the finals.

This year, they have their sights set on finals.

“We  really want to find a good connection between the girls, have fun and put some wins on the board,” Davidson said.

“We  are definitely hoping for a berth in the finals this year.”

Last season’s best and fairest Tamika Mentha – also named in the Wimmera league netball team of the year – will be missing from the midcourt this season, as will sharp-shooter Kirby Knight, who scored 450 goals last season.

However, the ever-reliable Lauren Dodgshun will be one to watch in defence, set to combine with Johanna Griffiths.

“We’ve certainly kept a lot of players, and then we’ve had some more experienced netballers coming back from

COACHES

A Grade: Kristy Davidson

B Grade: Laura Schuckar

C Grade: Taylor Cameron and Claire Mackay

C Reserve: Annie Robbins and Amy Leith

17-and-under: Tamira Cullinan and Kristin Starick

15-and-under: Jorja Gardy and Amelia Leith

13-and-under: Jessie Newell and Lili Wilson

having babies, and we’ve got a couple of juniors stepping up, so there’s some good talent among the ranks this year,” Davidson said.

Pre-season has involved practice matches, including against St Arnaud and Birchip, with great numbers of netballers across all grades.

Davidson said the new netball facilities being built at Murtoa and Minyip were exciting developments for the sport, and the community.

“Two courts at each facility to accommodate 50 seniors trying to train at the one time, it’ll be really good,” she said.

“It’s an exciting year, it’ll be a busy year – quite hectic in trying to coordinate it all happening at the same time, but certainly worth it in the end.”

Murtoa’s new netball and tennis court

project involves two courts for dual use, with the addition of lighting, fencing and player shelters; while at Minyip, a second court will be added, as well new changerooms and a safety upgrade.

President Chris Delahunty said the Murtoa project was underway, with construction to start at the end of July –which would cause a slight disruption to playing home netball games at Murtoa.

“We’ll play four Murtoa games – our last home game there is on July 18th –and then we’ll play the remaining home games at Minyip,” he said.

Mr Delahunty said the Minyip project would start later in the season.

“It’s going to be massive for the club, and for the two towns to have new facilities in both locations,” he said.

“Hopefully it brings new people in and retains netballers and what it’ll do is keep everyone in the same location.

“If you’ve got two netball courts operating at the same time, it’ll allow for junior games on Saturdays to be played at later times to keep people together.

“There’s going to be a lot of benefits for netball, and the changerooms for AFL and netball and also the Minyip pool have access to use the changerooms for their facility as well, so it’s going to be a really wide community benefit for that project.”

Minyip-Murtoa has its first game against Dimboola on April 12 at Minyip.

Claire Mackay will return to the court with the Burras this season.

THE BALL

Consistency the ke

BY LAUREN HENRY

Consistency is the key for Horsham Saints senior footy success in 2025.

With a strong group of young players progressing through from the club’s junior level to play senior footy, coach Ben Knott is hopeful the Saints’ focus on developing local youth will pay off.

“We’ve added a lot of depth to our young group, the 17 to 20 year-olds – we’re shaping up really well in that department, so we’re hoping to build a foundation for sustained success over a 10-year period,” Knott said.

Fielding a young side last year, the Saints finished the season in seventh place, with six wins and 10 losses.

“ They’re a year older now, those young blokes, and then we’ve just topped up with a few more 17, 18, 19 year-olds, which is really pleasing,” Knott said.

“We’ve got some good competition for spots. With all these young blokes, hopefully that’s what drives them forward.”

But with losing Pat Knott, Billy Taylor and Jordy Keyte, the Saints’ experience has taken a hit in the off-season.

“We lost a few players this year – through travel and not coming back to Horsham, so numbers are probably a little bit down on what

COACHES

Seniors: Ben Knott

Reserves: Gavin Kelm

Under-17s: Gage Wright

Under-14s: Peter Kafegellis

Under-11s: Grant Bethune

they’ve been for the past couple of years, but there’s still enough to work with,” Knott said.

A key signing for 2025 is Keegan Mellington, who comes to the Saints from Ballarat in the Ballarat Football Netball League.

“He’s a Horsham lad originally, who moved to Ballarat for work but played junior footy at Saints,” Knott said.

“He was captain of Ballarat Swans last year, so he’s probably our biggest recruit.”

Knott said working on the young Saints’ consistency would see an improvement in 2025.

“I  thought some games we played really well in and then just fell short in – there was a game where we played Ararat in Ararat and we were right up to our eyeballs in at half time, and then I think we kicked pretty poorly – I think we kicked two or three goals, seven points,” he said.

“I’m not saying we would have won that game, but we competed really well against the best team in the league.

“And then in other games we let ourselves down.

“ I would like to get a bit more consistency out of this season, which is harder with a young group, but that’s what we’re aiming to do.”

Knott said standout player last season Sam Clyne would miss games early in the season with a shoulder injury.

He said he would be looking at Gage Wright and Jackson Davidson to back up their performances last season and have another strong year.

“Consistency is our biggest issue –from game to game, and throughout each game too, so if we can just rein that in a little bit, we’ll be in a lot more games for a lot longer, so that’s what we want,” Knott said.

“If we can get that down pat or bridge the gap between our best and our worst, then we’ll give ourselves a bit more of a chance.”

Other young players the Saints are hoping to cement themselves as senior players this season are Judd Wright, Max Inkster, Jack Henry and Luke Miller.

The Saints kick off their season on April 12 with a home game against Nhill.

Jackson Davidson will be looking to back up his stellar performances of last season.

HORSHAM SAINTS ON THE BALL

Youth joins experi

BY LAUREN HENRY

With a mixture of youth and experience, and bolstered by a new coach, Horsham Saints will be eager to return to A Grade netball premier status.

The Saints will be ruing their fivegoal loss to Horsham Demons in last year’s Wimmera league grand final, in a season where the two teams were standouts and took turns in taking wins.

But after winning the premiership for the previous three years, a fourth was not for the Saints in 2024 as the Demons proved too strong on grand final day.

2025 A Grade coach Vernetta Taylor said the Demons were the better team on grand final day and deserved the win.

“They did it exceptionally well. I understand their team looks relatively unchanged as well so it’s going to be another tough competition and we’re here for it – we’re excited,” she said.

“We’ve got a fantastic balance, particularly in our A Grade side, of experience and youth.

“It’s really been fantastic to see our mature, older and more experienced players combine with our younger players throughout the preseason, things are looking really good.

“We are really connected as a club and we’re really excited for what lays ahead.”

COACHES

A Grade: Vernetta Taylor

B Grade: Holly Combe and Abby Hallam

C Grade: Tegan Ward

C Reserve: Annie Mintern and Deidre Harrington

17-and-under: Zeena Kelm

15-and-under: Vernetta Taylor

13-and-under: Jorja Clode

Taylor said the Saints A Grade squad would be largely unchanged from 2024, featuring Hatcher medallists Ashlee Grace and Abby Hallam, the league’s best under-21 player last year Maddison Bethune and the league’s leading goal-shooter Jorja Clode.

Erin Martin will return to the team after having a baby, Shannon Cross, who mainly played B Grade last year will step up to A Grade.

Taylor said Clode would play for Bendigo Strikers Under 23 team in the Victoria Netball League, but that should not interfere with her Saints’ duties.

“We also welcome a very talented young player in Lena Marshman.  She’s been the league best-andfairest for the last two years in a row in the under-15,” she said.

We would like to recognise and thank all our club sponsors for their valued support in the

“She’s also been filling in up in the under-17 when the opportunity arose, and she’s in the Netball Victoria Northern Zone Talent Academy, so she’s already been identified as one of Victoria’s hot, young, talented players coming through.

“She’s so versatile, she can literally play any position on the court equally well – so she will add an extra dimension for our A Grade line-up.”

Taylor returns to coaching A Grade after many years of focusing on coaching junior netball at the Saints.

“To coach the seniors is quite different. But given the talent of the team at the Saints, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up, so I’m  really excited about it,” Taylor said.

In fact Taylor has already coached many of the A Grade players as they progressed through the club’s junior ranks throughout the past decade.

“That was a big drawcard because I have worked with a lot of the players in the current A Grade side as they came through the junior ranks, or I’ve watched them progress – players like Ashlee Grace, I remember watching her when she was starting out in under-13,” Taylor said.

“It is wonderful to be able to now work with them at that A Grade level and really push them to see how far they can go.”

SKIPS FOR HIRE

Hatcher medallist Ashlee Grace will return to the court with the Saints this season.

Added strength COACHES

BY LEIGH ROGERS

Former AFL player Andrew Moore is stepping up as the senior coach at Dimboola.

Adelaide-based Moore was the number nine pick in the 2009 AFL National Draft and went on to play 60 games with Port Adelaide and Richmond.

He will share coaching duties at the Roos with Dean Toet this year.

Moore played 14 games in his debut season at Dimboola in 2024 and was named among the club’s best players on 12 occasions.

“It’s really good to have someone who has played at the highest level leading the way,” Toet said.

“He’s a very level-headed bloke and has a good understanding of how the game is played.

“He’s the brains trust behind it all, I’m just making things happen on a Tuesday and Thursday night.”

Outgoing coach Jack Landt will remain at the club as a player. His brother, Dylan Landt, and key forward Jackson Calder have also recommitted.

Departees include Connor O’Dwyer, Thomas O’Dwyer and Alex Jakiel, who have joined Pimpinio, and Paddy Clarke, who has signed with Taylors Lake.

“They’ve all left on good terms,” Toet said.

“It’s just sometimes there is an itch that blokes have got to scratch, to go somewhere to see whether the grass is greener on the other side.”

The club welcomes several former players back this season.

Jonathon Ross returns after a season playing with his hometown club, Red Hill, in the Mornington Peninsula Football League, and then winning a premiership with Southern Districts in the Northern Territory Football League in March.

Jayden Kuhne is back after a stint at Kalkee, while the Roos have also signed Kalkee’s Simon Hobbs.

Seniors: Andrew Moore and Dean Toet

Reserves: Jack Wood and Isaac Eldridge

Under-17s: Isaac Eldridge and Will Griffiths

Under-14s: Sam Taylor

“We haven’t lost any of our core players from last year and those three are going to be pretty handy inclusions,” Toet said.

“They add a bit of flexibility.”

Dimboola is looking to build on a 2024 campaign, which netted just three wins.

“We recognise last year was a disappointing year. I think the top five or six of our players were right up there with the best, but we lacked depth,” Toet said.

“We’ve tried to recruit to help that mid-range of our playing group and to strengthen up our team.

“Hopefully we’ll be a lot more rounded and not relying on the top five or six as much as we were last year.”

Toet identified teenager Declan Paech as a young player with potential to shine in 2025.

“He played a few senior games last year, which was pretty tough going in the season that we had, but I think he’s definitely one that will blossom in his second year,” he said.

“He’s done all the hard work and is looking good on the track. I think he’s capable of having a real standout year.”

After a recent practice match against HarrowBalmoral, the Roos are raring for the new season to begin.

“I think we’re definitely capable of playing finals,” Toet said.

Key forward Jackson Calder, above, has recommitted for the 2025 season. Below, Jackson O’Neil, Hamish Sellens and Ash Clugston are pictured in action last season.

BY LEIGH ROGERS

Dimboola’s A Grade netball team is determined to build on back-to-back preliminary final appearances.

“Of course, the start of every season is a little bit of an unknown, but you can’t ignore that the last two seasons we’ve made it to the preliminary finals, which is something we haven’t done for years,” Dimboola’s netball director Ant Toet said.

“We’re obviously hoping to make finals again and also looking for that something extra this year, but as the old saying goes, it’s best to take it a week at a time.”

Toet returns as coach of the Roos’ A Grade team, a position she last held in 2023, and will share responsibilities with Olivia Beugelaar. They replace Ashlee Morrish, who has left the club.

The Roos have maintained most of their team otherwise, with Paige Glover committed to travelling from Geelong.

Toet said the club was also excited to welcome back midcourt player Rianna Kuhne.

“Rianna played her juniors at the club and played in A Grade

COACHES

A Grade: Ant Toet and Olivia Beugelaar

B Grade: Nicole Polycarpou and Maryam Yahiat

C Grade: Kayla Mibus

17-and-under: Katie Griffiths and Alyssa Petschel

15-and-under: Maddie Marra and Bridget Dorrington

13-and-under: Lyla Barry and Emily Taylor

NetSetGo: Tahlia Avery

as a 14-year-old,” Toet said.

“She has returned after some time with Kalkee in the Horsham District league and having a baby.

“She’s looking amazing and is super fit. She’s really impressing at training and looking set to have a big season.”

Toet identified Indy Ward, a teen talent who competed at the 2025 Netball Victoria State Titles in March, as another player to watch.

“She’s just come off playing for Wimmera Mallee in the

DIMBOOLA ON THE BALL

A week at a time...

open team and is super keen and super fit,” Toet said.

Toet has been thrilled with the efforts of her team across the pre-season, especially when bushfires impacted their early plans.

The Dimboola Recreation Reserve became a base for firefighting efforts, which meant restricted access for the club.

Ongoing smoky conditions presented another challenge.

“We started a bit later than expected due to the fires, but now the senior netball group is training two to three times a week,” Toet said.

“Majority of the girls have played together, but it might still take some time for us to gel.

“We’ve got a good culture at the club and the team seems to be working together quite well, so we’re looking to build on that.”

Practice matches against Horsham District clubs Taylors Lake and Rupanyup in recent weeks have also provided valuable match-play opportunities in the lead-up to the new season.

Dimboola has opted not to field a C Reserve team this season.

DIMBOOLA FOOTBALL & NETBALL CLUB

Thank you to all our sponsors and volunteers for the 2025 season

COACHES

SENIORS Andrew Moore & Dean Toet

RESERVES: Jack Wood & Isaac Eldridge

UNDER-17s: Isaac Eldridge & Will Griffiths

UNDER-14s: Sam Taylor

A GRADE: Ant Toet & Olivia Beugelaar

B GRADE: Nicole Polycarpou & Maryam Yahiat

C GRADE: Kayla Mibus

17-AND-UNDER: Katie Griffiths & Alyssa Petschel

15-AND-UNDER: Bridget Dorrington & Maddie Marra

13-AND-UNDER: Lyla Barry & Emily Taylor (M Ant Toet)

NSG: Tahlia Avery

2025 A Grade joint coach Olivia Beugelaar in action last season.

Warrack ready to soar

BY LEIGH ROGERS

The only way is up for the Warrack Eagles’ senior football side after collecting the wooden spoon last season.

The Eagles are ready to soar too, according to returning coach Matt Walder.

“We have a stronger, deeper list than we did last year,” declared Walder, a dual Wimmera Football League premiership coach.

Adelaide-based stars Kyle Cheney, a former AFL player who grew up in Warracknabeal, and Machok Garang, the Eagles’ 2024 best-and-fairest winner, have signed on again this season.

They will travel each week alongside a horde of new recruits from the Hills Football League in South Australia – including brothers Sam and Ben Hanna, Sean Arney, Sam Hayden, Luke Winrow and Ned Grieve.

“They are all versatile players who can play through the middle, or key roles for us front or back,” Walder said.

Nullawil’s Lachlan Braine has signed on too, along with returning players Nick Ingram, Brandon Walsh and Keegan King.

Ingram is back after a season playing with Torrens Valley in the Hills Football League.

Melbourne-based Walsh is a for-

Rump Night

COACHES

Seniors: Matt Walder

Reserves: Clinton Jonasson and Mathew Crisp

Under-17s: Mal White and Kyle George

Under-14s: Chris Roche and Beau Duthie

Under-11s: Ben Spicer and Mark Williams

Under-8s: Daniel Keam

ward who last played with the Eagles in 2014, while King returns after a 10-year absence.

King won a premiership with Horsham in 2018 and has spent the past four seasons at Pimpinio.

They will help fill roles vacated by departing players John Martin, Jayke Hellmanns, Tyson Hunt, Jai Kovatseff and Jake O’Donnell.

“We’ve obviously been a bit off the mark over the past few years,” Walder said.

“We made some inroads at the backend of the season last year, but we certainly want to close the gap between those above us.”

Walder, a non-playing coach, said his team had been ‘working on every facet of our game’ during the pre-season.

TUESDAY

260g rump cooked to your liking, served with chips & salad

“We want to be more attacking and dangerous forward of the centre,” he said.

“We obviously leaked the most points as well last year, so our focus has been on tightening up our all-round game.”

Walder named promising teens Kobe McGregor and Nick Stein as standout performers on the training track over summer.

“Kobe is a small forward and Nick is an emerging key defender,” he said.

“They came into the fold at the end of last year to play a handful of senior games and they’ve both had strong pre-seasons.”

The Eagles’ pre-season schedule has included several practice matches in recent weeks, testing themselves against Keith and Merbein.

“To be super competitive week in, week out is our baseline expectation,” Walder said of the Eagles’ season goals.

“Every club aims to play finals and we’re no different. We’re aiming high.

“We want to see improvement in our performances, how that relates to wins, losses and our position on the ladder, well that’s the $64,000 question. We’ll just have to wait and see how quickly we can close that gap.”

WEDNESDAY

Pot & Parma

Eight options to choose from, served with chips & salad

FRIDAY

5pm to 7pm &

Kyle Cheney, in action last season, has re-signed with the Eagles for 2025.

WARRACK EAGLES ON THE BALL

Eagles remain

BY LEIGH ROGERS

Although Warrack Eagles are yet to sign an A Grade netball coach for 2025, the mood at the club remains upbeat ahead of the new season.

The Eagles have a bye in the opening round, meaning they are not scheduled to play their first matches until after Easter.

“We’ve still got a couple of weeks until we need to finalise anything, so hopefully we can touch base with a couple more people and go from there,” Warrack Eagles’ netball director Brooke Holland said of the club’s ongoing quest to fill the A Grade coaching role.

“We’ve got some really good coaches across B Grade, C Grade and C Reserve, plus our junior teams.

“Everyone’s working together well, there’s great communication and a great feel across the club, so we’re looking forward to getting stuck into it.”

The Eagles boast plenty of depth across their netball numbers, with the club fielding a full slate of senior and junior teams.

“It’s just no one wants to step into the A Grade coaching role,” Holland said.

“A lot of girls in our A Grade team are also studying, so to take two nights out a week to run training and then Saturdays as well – it’s a big ask when they’re studying full-time plus working full-time, too.”

The good news for the Eagles is their A Grade line-up looks stable, with no omissions from the team that finished in eighth spot in 2024.

Ava Koschitzke is relocating for universi-

COACHES upbeat

A Grade: TBC

B Grade: Rikki Nitschke

C Grade: Bonnie Gunn

C Reserve: Gracie Hurlstone

17-and-under: Jonti George

15-and-under: Courtney Williams

13-and-under: Sarah Spicer and Macie Nitschke

ty, however the Eagles are hopeful she may still make some appearances this season.

“We have had no luck with recruits, so we are hoping we can make it work with what we’ve got,” Holland said.

“We’re a great club. We’ve got a great atmosphere and hopefully we can show the wider community that’s what we’re all about. Who knows? We might still score some new players.”

The club is set to continue a training partner initiative that was introduced last season, which sees juniors allocated to one of the four senior teams to gain valuable experience.

“They are not guaranteed court time, but it’s to help them learn the ropes of senior netball,” Holland said.

“They can see how senior games work, learn from how they are coached and experience what it is like sitting on the bench.

“Last year a majority of the junior players all stepped onto the court at some stage too.”

Ashlynn McKenzie is expected to take to the court again this season.

ON THE BALL

Umpire recruitment drive

Football matches would not go ahead if it wasn’t for umpires, and Wimmera Mallee Umpires Association is well on the way to boosting its stocks in 2025.

The WMUA is in the midst of a recruiting blitz – attracting more boundary, goal and field umpires for this season and beyond.

The recruitment drive has already begun, tapping into schools and football clubs to help.

New WMUA president Amy Stasinowsky is the first-ever female to take on the group’s top job, after joining the association hierarchy last year.

She is also the second-ever female president of an umpiring group in Victoria.

For Mrs Stasinowsky, being involved with the WMUA is a family affair.

“ I got involved because I had children who were involved – I have three boundary umpires in my house,” she said.

Mrs Stasinowsky said people took up umpiring for many different reasons – from the love of football to, for juniors, getting paid.

“ As far as umpiring, it gives former players an amazing opportunity to still be part of the game and still use their knowledge and their skills – just in a different way,” she said.

“Obviously, there’s also the fitness, you’re with a great group of people, and you get to travel to lots of different destinations … and there’s the social aspect.”

As part of the AFL-wide push in 2025 to recruit more women to umpiring, there is a  female umpire experience hub visiting Horsham on April 2.

The AFL has set a target for

associations to reach 40 per cent of female umpires – Wimmera Mallee currently sits at about 10 per cent of their pool of 80 umpires.

“The  most important thing to remember is that age and gender are no barriers,” Mrs Stasinowsky said.

“Everybody is able to fill a role and is more than capable of taking part in which discipline they want to have a look at. There’s something there for everyone.”

The female experience hub comes on the back of WMUA hosting key AFL Victoria umpiring personnel last month in a recruiting and training initiative.

The visit promoted umpiring to students, to developing umpires, providing opportunities to upskill volunteer umpires and clarifying with AFL Vic policy writers on important de-

velopments in the vilification and auditory offences space.

This year, the WMUA’s new coaching appointments include Cameron Pickering as head field coach; Kynan Stasinowsky, boundary coach; David

Thomas, goal coach; and Ashley Wright and Michael Stasinowsky, appointment officers.

For more information on umpiring, people can visit AFL Wimmera Mallee Umpires’ Fa-

Big season ahead for region

BY ANGE BALLINGER,

AFL WIMMERA MALLEE REGION MANAGER

It’s been a very busy off season for AFL Wimmera Mallee, working closely with local leagues to prepare for a great year of community football in 2025.

Planning commenced immediately following the 2024 season, with new competitions and new playing opportunities made possible due to the tireless work of many wonderful volunteers.

Junior pathways

The AFL Wimmera Mallee is committed to supporting leagues and clubs with an uninterrupted junior pathway for the first time in the region, with an under-eight age group ensuring that young athletes can begin developing their skills and passion for football at their local club and remain there for their whole career if they wish.

This initiative is part of the broader 2025 plan to enhance participation, support junior pathways, and strengthen overall community football sustainability in the region.

Female football

We are thrilled to support the Wimmera Football Netball League, WFNL, as they launch the region’s first female football competition.

This groundbreaking initiative will allow women and girls to play football in their local area without having to travel vast distances. By providing a platform for female athletes to compete and develop their skills, we are promoting inclusivity and diversity within the sport, ensuring that everyone can participate.

Lead Your Way

We are also proud to announce that Tereasa Hobbs, president of Harrow-

Balmoral Football Netball Club, has been chosen to participate in the prestigious AFL Lead Your Way program. This program is designed to develop leadership skills and empower participants to make a positive impact within their communities.

Tereasa’s selection is a testament to her dedication and passion for football, and we are confident she will continue to be a driving force for growth and development in the region.

Development officer

We are excited to announce the appointment of Sally Pymer as a new game development officer for Wimmera Mallee.

Sally brings much enthusiasm to her role, where she will be responsible for bringing participation programs to schools and organisations across the region.

Her efforts will focus on introducing young students to football, nurturing their interest in the sport, and assisting in the growth of junior players.

Sally’s appointment marks a significant step forward in our mission to cultivate a strong foundation for football in Wimmera Mallee.

U15 Academy

The AFL Wimmera Mallee Under 15 Academy program enters its second year, continuing to provide young athletes with the training and development they need to become the best football players they can be.

Under the expert guidance of head coach Stuart Farr, the academy offers a rigorous and supportive environment where players can hone their skills and prepare for future opportunities in the sport.

The program aims to inspire and equip young players with the tools they need to succeed, both on and off the field.

Who knows where their football journeys will take them, and we all love to see our local players competing in the elite competitions.

Coaching development

Our focus on improving coaching capabilities and quality is a cornerstone of the 2025 Action Plan.

By providing local coaching development opportunities, we aim to ensure that coaches are well-equipped to deliver high-quality training and guidance to their players.

This, in turn, will enhance the playing experiences of young athletes, fostering a positive and supportive environment that encourages growth and development.

Tom Dunn has recently been appointed as an AFL Vic coach developer and will be available to visit Wimmera Mallee clubs should you wish him to.

Umpire retention

Maintaining a great relationship with the Wimmera Mallee Umpires Association is crucial for the sustainability of local football.

We will continue to support the recruitment and retention of local umpires by bringing experts to the region for skill development and training.

This initiative is designed to ensure that our games are officiated by knowledgeable and skilled umpires, contributing to the overall quality and integrity of the sport.

I am delighted to share with you my preparations for the season about to commence and I look forward to watching local footy with you all in 2025.

cebook page, visit play.afl/um pire or speak to an association representative. Umpires train each Wednesday at Horsham City Oval, starting at 6.30pm this week, but from 6pm for the remainder of the season.

Wimmera Mallee Umpires Association head field coach Cameron Pickering, goal coach David Thomas, female liaison officer Chloe Haughton, president Amy Stasinowsky and boundary coach Kynan Stasinowsky.

Ange Ballinger

FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE

Striving for a year to remember

BY STEVE HOFFMANN HDFNL CHAIR

It seems like just yesterday we were crowning the premiers at North Park, and now here we are on the eve of round one for the 2025 season.

Time flies, but it also brings with it exciting opportunities, and the league has been hard at work during the offseason to ensure the upcoming season will be one to remember.

There have been significant strides made in several key areas, all aimed at ensuring the success of the 2025 season.

One of the most notable developments this year has been the addition of new board members.

I am pleased to welcome Geoff Maddern, Paula Wiedermann, Ben Tait, and Maree Thompson to the board. They each bring a wealth of experience and fresh perspectives that will help guide the league as we continue to grow and evolve.

The league would also like to acknowledge and thank Rosemary Langley, Joanne Thomas and Nathan Neumann for their hard work and dedication during their time on the HDFNL board.

In addition to welcoming new board members, we have been focused on strengthening our governance.

tournaments in Bendigo, while the football teams will participate in the South West Carnival.

Additionally, both netball and football teams will face off against the Maryborough Castlemaine League in June.

A huge thank you to all the coaches and volunteers who have generously given their time to support these programs.

Without your dedication, these valuable opportunities for young players would not be possible.

In the junior space, we have seen some teams come together this year, with a few clubs combining their players to form competitive teams.

While some clubs won’t be fielding certain teams this season, we are happy to report there are still plenty of opportunities for kids to play and develop their skills.

We are committed to providing a platform for all youth to participate in our programs and enjoy the benefits of being part of a team.

As we shift our focus to the 2025 season, the excitement is building.

Laharum will be back to defend its A Grade title, but after Rupanyup’s heartbreaking loss in last year’s grand final, we know they will be hungrier than ever to go one step further.

Edenhope-Apsley and Kalkee will also be in the mix, and as we’ve seen in the past, on any given day, it could be anyone’s game.

The league would also like to extend its gratitude to our naming rights sponsor, The Weekly Advertiser, and our platinum sponsor, Priceline, along with all our valued sponsors. Your support is absolutely vital to the survival and success of our league, and we encourage all our members to show their appreciation by supporting the businesses that make these opportunities possible.

Please be sure to follow the league on our social media platforms to stay connected and updated on the latest news throughout the season.

These changes are crucial in ensuring that we operate with transparency, fairness, and efficiency in the years to come.

This has included working on updating our governance models, reviewing the league’s bylaws, and drafting a new constitution.

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, I am excited to announce the league will once again be running junior representative programs for both netball and football.

These programs are a fantastic opportunity for young players to showcase their talents and develop their skills in a competitive environment. The netball program will feature two

It’s been great to see new recruits being shared across social media, and we are eager to see how these new players will contribute to the teams.

On behalf of the board, I would like to wish all our clubs, players, and supporters the very best for the 2025 season.

Let’s make it a year filled with competitive and enjoyable sport, one that will be remembered for years to come. Together, we can make this season a great success.

Harrow-Balmoral is chasing its third consecutive flag, but we know that Noradjuha-Quantong and Swifts will be right there, gunning for the cup as well. The competition in football and netball will be fierce, and it’s shaping up to be an exciting season.

Steve Hoffmann

Something special br

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Complacency has been an enemy for Harrow-Balmoral’s senior footballers this summer.

The Roos have set the pace for the rest of the Horsham District Football Netball League across the past two seasons, not losing a single game on their way to back-to-back premierships.

But playing coach Jai Thompson said he hoped the promise of more history would spur his players to greater heights in 2025.

“Hunger is something I’ve spoken about a lot. We’ve got some mantras and other things this year to keep ourselves pumped up,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s easy enough to rest on what you’ve done and fade away a little bit, but I think this group is special. They have the hunger to continue to play.

“The older guys getting towards the end of their time in footy aren’t going to get too many more opportunities to do something special like what we’re trying to achieve this year.”

That special achievement would be joining the HDFNL’s truly immortal teams – Laharum in the 1960s, Rupanyup in the 1990s and Kalkee in the late 2000s and early 2010s – by winning three consecutive senior flags.

It is a goal Thompson believes is within the Roos’ power to attain, with the bulk of last season’s premiership team returning.

The team will lose Scott Addinsall, as

COACHES

Seniors: Jai Thompson

Reserves: Tim Crick and Sam Hutchins

Under-17s: Matt Jones and Quentin Willmott

Under-14s: Ed Ferguson

well as impressive youngster George Austin due to work opportunities elsewhere, while veteran Clint Robinson will step back from regular senior football to allow the club’s youth more development opportunities.

But the Roos have covered their losses with the return of former clubmen Harry Robertson from university in New South Wales and Charlie Johnston, who played last season with the Victorian Amateur Football Association’s University Blues.

Simon Close, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, will also be eased back into action.

Thompson said the recruits, coupled with the development of the team’s other young talents such as goalsneak Rhys Daffey and big man Noah Hildebrand, could allow the Roos to improve while lessening the burden on their ageing core.

“We’ve been really impressed with the pre-season that Archer Cameron has had. He played in the under-17s grand final in the combined team with Laharum last year,” he said.

“I could see Noah Hildebrand taking a

lot more of the number-one ruck duties, which gives us a good opportunity to play Anthony Close in a few different positions and float him around a bit.

“Noah has been training really well and has put on a bit more size, and he seems to be moving around the ground really well.”

Thompson said the added versatility would ensure the Roos’ game style did not stagnate.

“Every team is continually getting better and they’re going to work out ways to be able to counteract some of our game plan from previous years,” he said.

“I believe if you don’t continue to change things up and find different avenues to make things work that you become stale, and that’s how teams can get the upper hand on you.”

And in an ominous sign for the competition, Thompson, the league’s reigning Dellar medallist, said he would enter the season feeling fresh.

“We gave ourselves a little bit more time this year in terms of the pre-season because we’ve had some pretty deep runs into the finals,” he said.

“I’m feeling really good body-wise. Hopefully I can still come out and play the sort of footy I played last year.

“Obviously as you continue getting older you just hope your body can still do the things you want it to do, but I’ve put myself in the best position to be able to do that with the work I’ve done.”

Veteran Peter Staude in action last season.

Harrow-Balmoral’s Nick Pekin, left, was judged best player in last year’s grand final at North Park, Stawell. Another key player for the Roos is forward Michael Close, below.

HARROWBALMORAL

Roos ready to rise

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

The past two seasons have constituted foreign territory for a Harrow-Balmoral netball team that won its third A Grade premiership in four years less than a decade ago and had remained a consistent finals threat since.

The Roos took home wooden spoons in 2023 and 2024 after fielding one of the competition’s youngest sides, but coach Emily Langley believes they might be ready to return to finals contention this year after an off-season facelift.

Harrow-Balmoral has lost the bulk of last season’s A Grade team, with Tori Dunstan, Edwina Lees and Amber McClure all departing for study opportunities, while Jorja Jones has moved to the Wimmera league’s Horsham Demons and goalie Tara McIntyre will play for Natimuk United. In their stead, the club will look to Rori Mason, a 17-and-under developmental player who appeared in six A Grade matches last season, to hold down a defensive post next to bestand-fairest runner-up Megan Little. Former premiership player Bec Francis has also returned to shore up the Roos’ midcourt, while goalie Brittany Burns comes back after a one-year stint with Horsham Demons.

Langley said the high turnover of players would result in a more mature

COACHES

A Grade: Emily Langley

B Grade: Bec Francis

C Grade: Donna Hobbs and Maddi Uebergang

C Reserve: Jae Smith

17-and-under: Bethany Harris

15-and-under: Mel Matthews

13-and-under: Ash Simons

Harrow-Balmoral team taking the court this season.

“We’ve got some really solid figures to come in and take over from the spots we lost,” she said.

“The average age of the team has increased with the players we’ve brought in, which will make a big difference.

“We were well aware when last season finished that there was going to be a bit of turnover, so it wasn’t a shock to us.

“We worked quite hard early in the off-season to fill those gaps.”

Langley said despite the team’s new look, most of the players were familiar with each other, negating any potential chemistry issues.

“We’ve had a couple of inter-club practice matches and the team is merging really well together,” she said.

“We’re pretty lucky that nearly all of the players that are returning have played netball together in the past in some capacity.

“Now it’s just about getting together and working well. We’ve got a really good leadership group with the girls.

“We’ve got good communication and the girls are coming together really well, which has made my job a lot easier considering how much turnover there has been.”

Langley said the addition of more veteran experience would also aid the Roos’ remaining youngsters, who she said had learned valuable lessons during the past two fallow seasons.

She said the team’s sights were firmly set on a return to finals.

“We had a really young side last year and the girls did incredibly well under that pressure, which I think we will have learned from and will build on this year,” she said.

“The girls are really keen for a couple more wins this season, and from what I’ve seen at training that’s definitely a possibility for us.

“We’ve got a tough start in the first couple of rounds but it will be a good test for us to see how we go.

“Our push is to really try to aim for a finals berth.

“If we’re looking at anything less, I don’t know what we’re looking for.”

ON THE BALL

HARROW-BALMORAL FOOTBALL NETBALL CLUB

– Ed Ferguson and Maddox Blake.

Go Roos!

We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their continued support

Harrow-Balmoral A Grade player Rori Mason will take to the court again this season.

ON THE BALL

Ready for next step

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

After a grand final loss to Harrow-Balmoral by just 13 points last season, Noradjuha-Quantong’s senior footballers faced a choice.

“It can go one way or the other. You can get a bit complacent and just think it’s going to look after itself in the years to come, or you can knuckle down and make sure you get another crack at it,” coach Damian Cameron said.

Given the way the Bombers have trained during the summer – with many hitting the track before Christmas – it is clear Cameron believes his side has chosen the latter option.

“The way we’ve gone about training as a group, there are really good signs,” he said.

“From the word go we’ve had good numbers and commitment, and we’ve picked up a couple of new players over the summers, so the vibes are good at the moment.”

Among the new recruits for the Bombers is long-time Southern Mallee Thunder and Giants player Leigh Stewart, who Cameron said the team was thrilled to add.

“He’s got some mates at the club and has trained here a little bit in the past,” he said.

“We’re pretty excited to have him on board, because he’s super fit and

COACHES

Seniors: Damian Cameron

Reserves: Jay Hogan, Jason Kerr and Brent McIntyre

Under-17s: Heath Francis

Under-14s: Jason Rowe and Rowan Adams

Under-11s: Shane Oakley

Auskick: Brian Harrison

in a pretty successful Thunder team.”

Also joining are Thomas Pridgeon and brothers Declan and Lachlan Phyland, who hail from the Geelong region.

“We’re happy to have those three because they’ve all played some really good footy and we’re hoping they slot in nicely,” Cameron said.

“Declan and Thomas are midfielders, so we’re hoping they’ll slot straight into our midfield, and then Lachlan is a six-foot-three key-position player.

“We might play him across half forward or half back, so we’ve got a bit of flexibility.

“Leigh Stewart might play through the midfield as well, so between them they’ve bolstered our midfield a little bit.”

Adding to that flexibility is the return of former Noradjuha-Quantong player

Cameron said the added depth would help offset the loss of skipper James Hallett, who will miss this season due to pre-existing travel plans.

But Cameron said apart from the loss of Hallett and uncertainty about the health of Dawson Cross, the Bombers had retained nearly all of their 2024 playing group.

“The frustrating part of the last few years is that we might’ve picked up a couple, but then we’ve lost a couple as well over the summer,” he said.

“To pick a few up and not lose too many will hopefully mean we take a step forward.”

And with Noradjuha-Quantong coming so close to a premiership last season, one step forward could be all the Bombers need in 2025.

But Cameron warned his team not to become complacent or to begin dreaming of another grand final appearance.

“We’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” he said.

“We played some really good footy at the right time of the year, and Harrow-Balmoral is going to be a class act all year round.

“If we play the right type of footy I’m confident we can be thereabouts again, but we’ve got a lot to work on and a lot of improvement to come with the age of the group.

“Hopefully if we do the right things we can take that step or two forward

NORADJUHAQUANTONG

ON THE BALL

Challenge remai

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

For perennial powerhouse Noradjuha-Quantong, the 2025 A Grade netball season will be about building on last season’s success and remaining among the Horsham District Football Netball League’s elite.

The Bombers came painfully close to a grand final appearance last season, going down to Rupanyup in a preliminary final by seven goals in extra time.

But after retaining their squad and adding a pair of handy players during the summer, returning coach Fiona Rowe said the team was in a good position to match or exceed its results from 2024.

“We’re trying to build on last year. We’ve added a bit of depth to the team,” she said.

“We hope to remain competitive and we are very much aiming to make finals. Then we’ll go from there.”

Adding firepower to the Bombers this season will be former Wimmera league players Ash Morrish, who last year coached Dimboola, as well as young goalie Taya Quick from the Horsham Saints.

With Quick likely to slot into the goal ring alongside veteran Shannon Couch, who remained

A Grade: Fiona Rowe

B Grade: Carly Shields

C Grade: Chloe Gabbe

C Reserve: Michelle Hair

13-and-under: Fiona Rowe and Bella McIntyre COACHES

among the league’s top scorers last season, Noradjuha-Quantong will be spoiled for options in attack.

Rowe said the team had trained strongly during the summer and was focused on delivering its best netball week to week.

“Our fitness is looking really good,” she said.

“We’ve got two new girls coming into the side who are strong, dynamic, attacking-style players, so we’re looking at continuing to develop our strategies and improve on them every year.

“What worked for us last year we’ll continue with, with a few tweaks, and we’ll try to put our best game on the court each week in order to be competitive.”

With the Bombers not fielding 17-and-under or 15-and-under sides this season due to a lack of numbers, Rowe said the A

Grade squad would not have junior depth to draw on, but she believed the additional recruits would more than make up for it.

She said Noradjuha-Quantong was hell-bent on re-establishing all junior grades next season.

“There was a lack of numbers this season, but we’re definitely looking at getting them back up and running next season,” she said.

“We’ve got a fantastic NetSetGo program and we have many participants in it.

“Our 13-and-unders this year will be able to move up to the 15s next year and the NetSetGo participants will move into the 13s.

“We’ll be able to field those sides moving forward, we’ve just had a bit of a lull in the last couple of years.”

But regardless of the Bombers’ junior ranks, Rowe said the challenge remained clear for its senior side.

“You have to be on your game and ready to put your best performance on the court, because if you don’t, one of these other teams can easily take the win away from you,” she said.

“Our main goal is to be consistently competitive every week no matter who our opposition is. If we do that it will put us in good stead come September.”

Izabella McIntyre is among last season’s players expected to return to the court.

ON THE BALL

Swifts’ spirits high

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

At the outset of a long football season many team leaders can be cagey about premiership aspirations, not wanting to put undue pressure on their players.

Swifts co-coach Brett Hargreaves has no such reservations on the eve of the team’s 2025 campaign.

Following last season’s narrow preliminary final loss to Noradjuha-Quantong, in which the Baggies led by 31 points at quarter time, Hargreaves is encouraging his players to embrace expectations.

“It’s got to be a grand final or nothing. That’s what we’re aiming for. In the pre-season we’ve spoken about it pretty openly,” he said.

“We were pretty hurt by it. We thought it was our opportunity last year and we missed it, so we’ve got to make amends for it this year, and that’s all we’ve been working towards.”

Hargreaves said the Baggies had also modified their pre-season training regimen in an effort to peak at the right time.

“Last year we got really fit during the pre-season and started the year really well,” he said.

“I reckon we worked so much on fitness stuff that we started to fade a bit towards the back end of the season and copped a few injuries.

“This year we’ve done heaps of footy stuff during pre-season. Pretty much everything we did, we did with a ball in hand. There was a lot more match simu-

COACHES

Seniors: Brett Hargreaves and Ryan Folkes

Reserves: Ben Martin and Barry Neville

Under-17s: Noah Stirling

Under-14s: Mack Padley and Seth Blake

Under-11s: Todd Matthews

Under-8s: Jimmy McLeod

lation stuff, and the boys seem to have responded really well to it.”

Hargreaves said the addition of star midfielder Ryan Folkes as co-coach this season had also brought a fresh perspective to the team.

“It was a good fit. I was keen to get someone else on board because it’s a hard job and I’ve been doing it now since 2021,” he said.

“We needed a new voice, which is what Ryan is bringing.

“He’s a lot younger and fitter than I am, so he’s able to drive a few more things at training. I’ve really enjoyed having him on board.”

While spirits have been high at Swifts during the summer, the team will be forced to contend with the loss of last season’s league-leading goal kicker Paul Summers, who departs for Wimmera league team Stawell, while ruckman Matt Healy has transferred to Pimpinio.

Hargreaves said replacing Summers’

124 goals would be no easy task, but that it could prove beneficial for the Baggies in the long run.

He said the addition of Jordan Motton from the Horsham Demons would help, but that the team would need to create other avenues to goal.

“It’s going to be a more dynamic forward line. We’ll probably go small and fast and hope that our pockets and wingers can generate some goals for us,” Hargreaves said.

“We were pretty Paul-centric last season, so it won’t hurt to have a different look. Teams were able to plan for that, and they won’t be able to plan for us as easily now, which I think is good.”

With the additional signings of Sean Mantell, who returns after nearly a decade at Stawell, Martin Carey from Newcomb in the AFL Barwon league, and Matt Smith from Tatyoon, Hargreaves said the team’s depth would be solid. But he said the development of younger players such as Joseph Martin and Noah Stirling, who won the league’s best under-21 player award last season, was the biggest reason the Baggies were capable of reaching their grand final goal.

“A lot of our younger guys are getting into that 50 to 100-game range, so rather than us older boys being the leaders, I think it’s their turn to start being the difference they want to see,” he said. Liam

Scott in action with the Swifts last season.

ON THE BALL SWIFTS

‘Don’t write us off’

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Swifts A Grade netball co-

coaches Amy Kenny and Kristy Dodds have a message for the Horsham District league ahead of round one – ‘don’t write us off’.

The Baggies have been a competitive outfit for the past two seasons following a winless campaign in 2022, but have fallen just short of finals appearances.

Kenny said with players from last year’s B Grade team, which reached a preliminary final, adding depth to this season’s A Grade squad, the Baggies could be ready to take the next step.

“This year we’ve got a solid 10 players in the A Grade and a really versatile bunch, so I feel like we’ll have the legs to go the extra mile this year, whereas last year we were struggling a little bit more,” she said.

“Some of them have come up from B Grade last year so they’ve got that real fire in their bellies.

“We’re not finished. We didn’t quite get to where we wanted to last year, but adding that experience of having played finals netball in B Grade helps them to relax that little bit more.”

Midcourt player Jacqui Scott and defender Isabella Robson are the only losses from last season’s A Grade side, while former Baggie Emily Hanns will return from Tatyoon.

Midcourter Kathryn Boag, a lifelong Swifts player, also looks set to earn

STOCKING AMMO!!

COACHES

A Grade: Kristy Dodds and Amy Kenny

B Grade: Emily Gay

C Grade: Amanda McLeod

C Reserve: Rachel McLeod

17-and-under: Sophie Bird

15-and-under: Kat Boag

13-and-under: Amy Kenny and Katie Lovett

Modified: Briony Cann

more opportunities in this season’s A Grade side after playing much of last season in B Grade.

Dodds said year-to-year consistency among the A Grade squad, which Swifts has notably lacked in recent seasons, would only aid the team’s finals push.

“We’ve been consolidating a lot of what we’ve worked on for the last couple of years,” she said.

“The biggest thing we’re excited about, and the players have said it as well, is the consistency in the team we’ve got.

“Over the years we have had pregnancies that have really impacted the team in certain ways. We’re a big family club and we appreciate that, but we knew the time would come

when we would eventually have this consistency.

“I think from the years of coaching, we’ve often had new players and it can take a while for everyone to get used to one another, but this season we’ve just picked up where we left off last year.”

Kenny said maintaining a larger A Grade squad would make the Baggies more flexible this season.

“Having the versatility we have this year is really going to help us, because it will mean we can line up players that suit the opposition we’re playing a lot better,” she said.

“Kristy and I are quite analytic, so we pay attention to what the other teams are doing a lot and we adjust our game plan based on what we need to do on that day.”

When it came to setting a goal for this season, both coaches were on the same page.

“I think making finals is what we’re really aiming for this year,” Kenny said.

“Ultimately we’d love to go right to the end – every team would – but I think if we can make our mark and make finals that would be great.

“We’re the underdogs at the minute, and that works to our advantage, but we had quite a few teams say to us throughout the season last year that they thought we had a real presence on court.

“I think that’s something that is really positive for us. Don’t write us off.” Olivia Barber will line up with the Swifts again this season.

Eyes on top-three s pot

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

After one of the most dramat-

ic season-on-season turnarounds in recent Horsham District league history, Laharum’s senior footballers are keen to sustain their momentum.

The Demons went winless in 2023 but, on the back of a strong recruiting campaign, roared back into the top six last year, narrowly losing to Pimpinio in an elimination final.

Now, with another handy list of inclusions during the summer, cocoaches Shannon Argall and Robbie Miller believe their side is capable of a top-three finish.

“Aspirationally we want to finish top three, because that will give us two finals at least,” Argall said.

“Sometimes with finals you can just have a bad day, but having two finals gives you a fair-dinkum crack at the premiership.

“Even though we’ve got a challenging draw with a lot of the top sides doubled up, we’re backing ourselves and aiming for that top-three spot.”

Laharum has retained most of its list from last season, with only Campbell Mason, John Doyle and Josh McCluskey departing.

But the Demons have more than made up for their losses, with former Dellar Medal runner-up Todd Heynen returning after last playing for the club in 2018, while Hor-

COACHES

Seniors: Shannon Argall and Robbie Miller

Reserves: Daniel Down

Under-17s: Tom Dunn

Under-14s: Dale Dridan

Under-11s: Jason Przibilla

Under-8s: Glenn Steadman

sham Demons duo Brodie Mines and Hayden Kemp will cross alongside Monty Wynne – a former Laharum junior who left when the club was unable to field an under-17 side in 2022.

With the additional signings of Tarkyn Benbow from Kalkee and Jack Gardner from Noradjuha-Quantong, Argall said the Demons were shaping up to be a quicker, more athletic side this season.

“We probably lacked those speedy, skilled outside players, and we’ve certainly recruited that,” Argall said.

“In terms of our ins and outs, we’ve done really well. That continuity of the playing group over the past couple of years has been steadily building. Not only do we have some highcalibre recruits, we’ve seen natural development with guys like Pat Lattanzio coming along, Reuben Launder, juniors like Josh Hutchinson

stepping up into the seniors – they’re almost like new recruits themselves because they’re showing that they’ve vastly improved on last year.”

Argall said he and Miller had reworked Laharum’s game style to take advantage of its newfound leg speed.

“We were stifling in defence last year but we lacked the ability to kick really high scores – 15 or 20-goal scorelines weren’t very common for us,” he said.

“With these new recruits on the outside and that increased speed, we have adapted our game style very deliberately.

“It’s a style of play I haven’t seen at Laharum in many years, probably going back 10 years, in terms of aggressive and quick ball movement that we haven’t had the capacity to do in the past.”

Promisingly for Laharum supporters, 10 years ago was the last time the Demons won a senior premiership.

Argall said if the team achieved its goal of a top-three finish, that type of success could be on the horizon again.

“If we finish top three we’ll throw everything at it,” he said.

“We’ve shown it in the past. I’ve coached and Robbie played in finals where we finished third and threw everything at it and won a premiership.

“We know if we give ourselves that opportunity, anything can happen.”

Laharum’s co-coach Robbie Miller in action against Kaniva-Leeor United last season.

LAHARUM

ON THE BALL

Rejuvenated, ready

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

After years of self-imposed pressure that came from toiling towards a collective goal, Laharum A Grade netball coach Rebecca McIntyre believes last year’s premiership has relieved her players of their burden.

The Demons were the class of the Horsham District league in 2024, going undefeated through the home-and-away campaign before a nail-biting two-goal win against Rupanyup in the grand final.

McIntyre admitted the weight of premiership favouritism had worn on her team last year, but that Laharum had returned rejuvenated and ready to defend its title.

“It was something that was important to all of us, because it was the culmination of a lot of years we put together since we won in 2019,” she said.

“It was something we’d been working towards and it was such a relief to be able to achieve it, so I feel like the pressure is off for us and this year is just about really enjoying it.

“Last year we had constant pressure because we were obviously the favourites.

“This year we’re just able to focus week by week and we’ve got no other expectations other than that we want to be competitive and we want to be in the finals come the end of the year.”

Another goal for McIntyre and the Demons is to develop players of the future.

With 2024’s league-leading goal shooter Caitlin Jones-Story set to assist McIntyre from the bench as she misses the season

COACHES

A Grade: Rebecca McIntyre

B Grade: Rebecca McIntyre

C Grade: Hayley Crute

C Reserve: Sarah Matthews and Ellysha Shields

17-and-under: Leah Askew

15-and-under: Peta Bond

13-and-under: Emily Humphries and Gemma Hutchinson

Modi’s: Casey Quick and Sophie Quick

due to a pregnancy, McIntyre said there would be plenty of opportunities for the club’s youngsters to prove themselves.

“It will be an interesting opportunity for us to showcase some other people in that role,” she said.

“We are going to need to find those 700odd goals that Caitlin shot for us, but what it means is we’ve got someone who’s the best in the business on the bench for us as an assistant coach.

“I’ve got 11 games until I play my 300th A Grade game, so I’ll be looking to do that and then also play some games in the B Grade as well.

“We’re looking at building for the future so we can see where we’re going to be in two, five and 10 years from now.”

McIntyre said there was no shortage of

candidates to fill both positions. “Courtney Taylor has come back from New Zealand. When Caitlin hurt her ankle in 2022 she was out for eight games and Courtney filled her position, so she’s a really established goalie,” McIntyre said.

“We’ve also just signed Jemma Thomas who comes from Horsham with years of elite netball experience. She can play both ends, so we’ve got her as an option to rotate in as well.

“We’ve also got Maddie Iredell who is the strongest goalie going around, has got a massive leap and is a super intense rebounder.

“She’s a massive part of the Caitlin and Maddie duo – without her, Caitlin isn’t Caitlin generally.

“Then we’ve got Rylee Hateley who it feels like has been with us since she was a baby and has the capacity to play in goals as well, so we’ve got options.”

The Demons have also recruited Taylors Lake young gun Lilly Weir, who McIntyre said could be used in multiple positions across the court.

With the pressure off, McIntyre said her team would simply focus on enjoying its netball in 2025.

“We’re all really lucky because we’re friends off the court as well, so it’s like getting to play with your family,” she said.

“Just being part of that is exciting. We’ve got our women’s football starting and a lot of other things happening as a club, so it’s exciting at Laharum and we want to focus on being as successful as we ever have across the whole club.”

Rylee Hateley is an integral part of the Laharum team.

BALL

Time will tell...

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

After breaking a 15-year finals drought in 2024, Pimpinio’s senior footballers are hungry for greater success in 2025.

And with a lengthy list of offseason additions giving the Tigers the greatest depth they’ve enjoyed in years, coach Guy Smith believes they have the list to push deep into the finals.

A key piece of the puzzle for Smith is mobile ruckman Matt Healy, who crosses from Swifts and should add potency to the Tigers’ onball unit.

Long-time Horsham Demon Cullen Williams has also joined the Tigers, with the ability to line up as a forward, defender, or tall midfielder.

Tom O’Dwyer, who crosses from Dimboola, will give Pimpinio a focal point at centre half forward, joined by brother Connor O’Dwyer.

Other recruits include Alex Jakiel, Dimboola; Connor Marsh, Minyip-Murtoa; and Reece Hammond and Jett Munyard, Horsham Saints. Tom Arthur, a previous Pimpinio player, is also set to return from Rupanyup.

The Tigers will lose promising young players Jye Brown and Ryder Cerny to Taylors Lake, while

COACHES

Seniors: Guy Smith

Reserves: Kyle Dumesny and Hayden Fleay

Under-17s: Brett Thompson and Steve Thomas

Under-14s: Dean Frew and Luke Ellis

Under-11s: Bernard Ward

Auskick: Josh Friend

Keegan King will return to the Warrack Eagles, but Smith said the team’s list was the best it had been in years.

“Depth-wise, it’s looking pretty good. Our player manager was telling us there were 58 players on the list, which is pretty important for us as a club,” he said.

“In the reserve ranks, Kyle Dumesny is coming in as a reserves coach with Hayden Fleay and they have got really good rapport.

“They’ve been able to bring some fresh faces to the reserve ranks as well.”

The team’s new recruits burnish Pimpinio’s reputation for attracting talent, with the likes of Matt Rosier and brothers Adam and Jason Westley adding class to the side in recent seasons.

The club has also bolstered its ranks through a strong junior program, with under-17 premiership players Austin Simpson and Link Smith ready to hit the senior side in 2025.

“Without wanting to be biased, both of those guys were probably two of the standout players in the under-17s last year. Austin was the league best and fairest and Link probably slipped under the radar,” Smith said.

“They’re both extremely talented and ready-made senior players.

“We think they’re ready now to go to the next level.

“It’s a credit to the junior program we’ve got to propel them to where they need to be.”

Smith said the Tigers’ enviable depth left them with no excuses for failing to match last season’s finals berth.

“The old saying is that you always want to better what you did the year before. With our recruiting we expect to match it and go better,” he said.

“If we don’t, then it’s going to be a disappointing result for sure.

“Who knows what the year is going to throw at us? Are we going to be a top-four side? Are we going to be better? I don’t know, but time will tell as the year gets going.”

Horsham Tyre & Battery Service

are proud to be a major sponsor of Pimpinio Football & Netball Club for the 2025 season!

Senior coach Guy Smith hopes to push deep into finals this season.

ON THE BALL PIMPINIO

Building opportun

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Strength, consistency and defensive structure are three factors that new Pimpinio A Grade netball co-coach Hayley Hatcher believes will point the team in the right direction this season.

The Tigers showed flashes of competitiveness in 2024 – including a narrow five-goal loss to eventual grand finalist Rupanyup after scores were tied at three-quarter time, as well as a 38-goal thrashing of Taylors Lake – but ultimately finished with a disappointing 3-13 win-loss record.

Hatcher and co-coach Lana Ellis are determined to add more wins to the team’s total this season, and Hatcher said it would begin with greater depth and consistency.

“I think we’ve got a fair bit of depth in the A Grade team this season,” she said.

“Our training has been more consistent and our numbers have been big, which is great because it means we’re able to feed up and down between our squads.

“We’ve got a few quality 17-andunder players who have finished their juniors and a few of them will be stepping up into A Grade.”

Among those young players in line for more opportunities are goalie Ada Binney, who split her

COACHES

A Grade: Hayley Hatcher and Lana Ellis

B Grade: Annie Felini

C Grade: Lacey Fleay

C Reserve: Maree Thompson

17-and-under: Maree Thompson and Kellie Slorach

15-and-under: Erin Muller and Kate Waterworth

13-and-under: Ash Brooks

time between Pimpinio’s 17-andunder and A Grade squads in 2024, and Ava Fitzgerald, who was named best on court in Pimpinio’s 17-and-under grand final victory.

The Tigers have also recruited a trio of players, with Tilli and Tori Menzel crossing from Wimmera league club Dimboola, while Stefanie Cooper will join the team from Noradjuha-Quantong.

With Cooper and Tori Menzel playing as defenders and Tilli bolstering the midcourt, Hatcher said she hoped the team could more effectively negate opposition scoring.

“I think we would like to be a little bit more consistent and more defensively structured and strong,” she said.

“We want to be able to dictate the play, not the other way around.”

Making way for Cooper and Tori Menzel at the defensive end is Holly Ross, who has crossed to Rupanyup, while Ellis is hoping to take a step back from A Grade playing duties.

“Our old stalwart Lana is hoping to play more B Grade and not have to play A Grade all the time,” Hatcher said.

“As coaches I think we work very well together.

“We are very good friends and we communicate all the time.

“Our number one thing this year is to communicate not only with each other, but with everyone on the team.

“We make a plan month by month with all of the coaches to see what we’re doing every week at training.”

And Hatcher said the construction of a new netball court at Pimpinio this year would only boost the team’s training efforts once complete.

“We’re hoping to get our new court towards the middle or end of the year and training will be wonderful then,” she said.

“It’s an exciting time for the club.”

ities

Goalie Ada Binney is expected to step up to A Grade this season.

Kees keen for fina

BY LEIGH ROGERS

Kalkee has high hopes that its senior team can make a triumphant return to finals football in 2025.

Although the Kees have finished outside the top six for the past two seasons, returning coach Andy Devereaux believes his side has the potential to make giant improvements on last year’s seventh-place finish.

“We showed some really good signs late last year, especially with so many of the injuries that we had,” Devereaux said.

“We’d like to improve our position from last year, so we’re definitely eyeing a spot in the finals.”

A strong pre-season, which has included several intraclub matches in recent weeks, has helped to boost morale at the club.

Devereaux, who takes the reins solo after co-coaching with Steve Schultz last year, said he was happy with the numbers on the training track.

“We were averaging around the 20-25 mark even before Christmas,” he said.

“We’ve got lots of keen, young players, so I’m excited to see what we can do this year. With a young side anything is possible.”

COACHES

Seniors: Andy Devereaux

Reserves: Nick Mumford and Dyllan Kemp

Under-17s: Ben Lawson and Paddy Mills

Under-14s: Adam Carter

Under-11s: Andrew Brown

Under-8s: Brendan Hobbs

Devereaux said quicker ball movement had been a major focus on the training track during the summer.

“We’re not a very tall side, so we can’t allow teams to set up defensively against us,” he said.

“We’re trying to move the ball quicker. We want to be a bit chaotic and unpredictable, so we’ve been working on changing angles and that kind of thing in attack.”

Devereaux said the club was still actively recruiting and hoped to land some last-minute signings.

“There’s nothing official as yet, but we are in talks with a few players from Geelong and Ballarat way to see their availability,” he said.

“We will have a few old faces

back at the club too, with Zavier Hobbs and Karl Campbell coming off the long-term injury list.”

The only major omission for the Kees is Jayden Kuhne, who has signed with Dimboola in the Wimmera Football League.

Devereaux is predicting a big season ahead for Isaiah Adams.

He labelled the young forward, who is set to play just his fourth season of senior football, as a standout performer across the preseason.

“He’s been at every session and is looking really good,” he said.

“Paddy Mills proved himself last year and I think he’s also going to make a bigger step up.

“Doug Grining is another one that’s been really consistent as well and put in a big preseason.

“It has been a long preseason. I feel like it gets longer every year, but maybe that’s just because of my date of birth.

“It can be a bit tricky with training.

“You can train and think you’re doing alright, but it’s not until the season rolls around that you know where you sit, so we’re definitely keen to get going.”

Consistent Doug Grining has put in a big pre-season, ready to return to the field.

KALKEE

Signs are pro

BY LAUREN HENRY

Kalkee boasts one of the proudest histories in Horsham District’s A Grade netball competition, winning an incredible 28 premierships across the past 50 years.

The Kees, however, are experiencing a rare title drought by their lofty standards, with their most recent A Grade flag won in 2010.

Determined to re-establish themselves as a powerhouse of the competition, the signs are promising that 2025 might deliver more premiership glory.

“We have an abundance of new and returning senior players for 2025,” Kalkee’s netball director Bec Hudson said.

“It’s the best numbers we have had for a couple of years across all grades.”

Paula Wiedermann will once again lead the Kees’ A Grade team, as they look to better last year’s semi-final appearance.

Kalkee held a two-goal advantage late in their 2024 semi-final showdown against Rupanyup, only to suffer a heartbreaking one-goal loss.

The Panthers went on to reach the grand final and finish just two goals short of winning the premiership.

Recognising they were right in the mix, there is no shortage of motivation as Kalkee prepares for another title tilt.

“Our A Grade team will have a great mix of youth and experience,” Hudson said.

“And we are looking to go further into finals.”

ON THE BALL

COACHES mising

A Grade: Paula Wiedermann

B Grade: Herb and Jessie Lakin

C Grade: Amy Beddison

C Reserve: Emma Kemp

17-and-under: Mel Schultz

15-and-under: Meaghan Pohlner

13-and-under: Katie Ruwoldt

Modified: Alicia McGrath

The Kees have lost several members of last season’s A Grade team, with veteran defender Penny Fisher moving to Geelong and mid-courter Molly Lakin relocating for university. Clair McDonald has also retired.

Alex Lucas joins from Adelaide, while the Kees are excited to welcome back Millie McRae.

Defender Casey Rentsch also returns to the club following a two-year stint with Horsham in the Wimmera league.

Hudson identified junior talents Abbey Williams and Georgia Schultz as two players to keep an eye on this season.

“Abbey and Georgia have both impressed during pre-season and will play A Grade in 2025,” she said.

Ready and raring to go, Kalkee faces a fierce test in the opening round against reigning A Grade premiers Laharum. Jenna

Bywaters in action last season. This year’s team offers a mix of youth and experience.

A complex equation

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Determining the likely trajectory of Rupanyup’s senior football side in 2025 is akin to solving a complex mathematical equation.

On one hand, there are subtractions

– the Panthers have lost several talented players from a team that last year reached an elimination final, including 2023 Dellar medallist Mitch Gleeson and 2024 Dellar Medal runner-up Bill Hansen, along with 2024 coach and leading goal kicker Brayden Ison and Jacob Christie.

While the loss of such top-end talent would be difficult for any club to replace, the Panthers have counteracted the subtractions with the addition of several players who took the field in the team’s 2022 senior premiership.

Elliot Kelly, Ryan Timmins, Joe Tormey, Daniel Weetra, Mitch Musgrove, Zack Robinson and Jack Kreuzberger – each of whom played in the Panthers’ last flag – will be welcome inclusions after spending a year or more away from the club.

And new co-coach Daniel Schaper is hoping the inclusion of some rising young talents will serve as a multiplying force for the side.

“Jimmy Finnigan played his first year of seniors last season, but he’s shown at training that he’s ready to take the next step this year,” Schaper said.

“Riley Downer and Alby Kingston are another two young guys who have

COACHES

Seniors: Daniel Schaper and Cam Weston

Reserves: Jakob David and Geoff Stevenson

Under-17s: Scott Finnigan and Matt Downer

Under-14s: Combined side with Taylors Lake

had some knee issues, and hopefully they’ll be right after about round six or seven.”

With Kade Bergen joining the Panthers from Noradjuha-Quantong in search of more senior playing opportunities, Schaper said his team’s depth would be solid.

He admitted it had been a difficult recruiting campaign for him and fellow co-coach Cam Weston after the pair were appointed relatively late in the off-season, but said he was happy with the Panthers’ final list.

“We’ve obviously lost a few good ones. Cam and I probably were appointed a bit later than what the club was hoping for, so some of those players let the club know they wouldn’t be returning before we were appointed,” he said.

“We tried to pick up the pieces and got on the phone to a few of those other players who we already had

connections with, and as soon as they found out Cam and I were coaching together they all were happy to jump back on board.

“It’s been pretty good. Obviously we know those players from them having previously played at the club a couple of years ago, and not only are they great people to have, but they bring good leadership for a few of the younger players who are coming through the ranks as well.”

Schaper said he was enjoying coaching alongside Weston.

“It’s been really good. We have a chat before each session about what we’ve got planned and share the training together,” he said.

“I think it’s also good for the boys that we’re coaching to have two voices rather than the same voice over and over again. We’re bringing some new drills and some game plans to the group as well.”

While Schaper was unsure of what the result Rupanyup’s off-season machinations would produce – putting no expectation on where the team might finish this year – he said he was eager to find out.

“We played an intraclub match last week and now we’re ready to get stuck into round one,” he said.

“It’s crazy to think how quickly it comes around. It seems to get earlier every year.”

Cam Weston, pictured, has joined Daniel Schaper in a joint senior coaching role.

ON THE BALL RUPANYUP

No stone unturned

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Will last season’s heartbreaking two-goal grand final loss to Laharum be the making of a premiership campaign in 2025 for Rupanyp’s A Grade netballers?

Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the Panthers are leaving no stone unturned in their effort to find out.

The team set to take the court in round one will be largely similar to the one that played in last season’s grand final, with two key additions.

Star midcourt player Georgia Hiscock, a former Hatcher medallist in the Wimmera league, will return from a year of overseas travel to retake the coaching reins after previously leading the team in 2023, while rising young defender Holly Ross crosses from Pimpinio.

The side will lose Anna Sudholz, who is unable to commit to travelling from Melbourne this season,

COACHES

A Grade: Georgia Hiscock

B Grade: Kayla Weidemann

C Grade: Maeve Rickard

C Reserve: Holly Rickard

17-and-under: Editha Davis

15-and-under: Emily Hurley

13-and-under: Maddi Morgan

Modified: Leni Hopper

NetSetGo: Lara Webb and Lauren Oram

most of last year in the United Kingdom, and had followed their fortunes closely while she was away.

“I followed it along closely over in London with all the games being videoed, so I was able to watch them back,” she said.

“I honestly did wake up halfway through the night to check the scores on PlayHQ, so I’m very keen to get

growing more confident playing at a high level.

She said while Laharum set the standard with an undefeated premiership season in 2024, the grand final result showed how narrow the gap between the Panthers and the league’s best was.

“Over the past few seasons we’ve been right there with them,” she said.

“In the last season I coached we had a one-goal loss to Laharum. We seemed to be right there and we got in front, then dropped it in the last quarter.

“In the past there was probably a case of us saying ‘oh my gosh, I can’t believe we’re winning these games’.

“Now we know we’re a strong side, we know we can match it with this calibre of team, so we’re feeling more comfortable this season.”

But Hiscock warned Laharum would be far from the Panthers’ only competition, and said simply

Goal attack Maddi Morgan in action last season.

‘We’re aiming big this year’

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Edenhope-Apsley senior football coach Adi Campbell was bullish about his side’s finals prospects on the eve of his first season at the helm in 2024.

Things failed to go as planned.

The Saints contended with injuries throughout last season, dropping a handful of games Campbell believed they were capable of winning on their way to an eighthplace finish.

But with a clean bill of health throughout the pre-season and a handy list of recruits set to bolster the team’s depth, finals are back on the agenda for Campbell in 2025.

“We 100 per cent think we can push for finals. That’s what we want this year,” he said.

“Injuries, especially with our recruits, put us on the back foot a bit last year, and we lost four or five games that we probably should have won.

“Hopefully everyone stays healthy this year and we can have a real crack at it.”

Among the Saints’ new recruits is Jason Eagle, a veteran full forward who has kicked 100 goals in multiple seasons during a career spent playing football for clubs across Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.

COACHES

Seniors: Adi Campbell

Reserves: Rob Marks

Under-17s: Allan McIntyre

Under-14s: Patrick Kealy

Under-11s: Adam Dunstan

Under-8s: Grant Coxon

The Saints have also picked up goal sneak Arkiel Williams from Proprietary-Risdon in South Australia’s Spencer Gulf Football League, hard-running left-footed defender Charlie McAdam from Southern Districts in the Northern Territory Football League, intercepting defender Angus Wood, and brothers Ricci, Mitch and Kobi Marks.

The Marks brothers played with the Doveton Eagles in Melbourne’s Southern Football Netball League last season, with Ricci playing as a ruckman or key position player, Mitch as a midfielder and defender, and Kobi as a utility.

Their father, Rob Marks, will also be Edenhope-Apsley’s reserves football coach this season.

Campbell said two other players – Toby Ferguson and Ryan Obst – had also been training strongly and would be as good as new

recruits after having their first seasons in Edenhope-Apsley colours curtailed by injuries last year.

Campbell said the Saints had also retained most of last season’s senior list, with the only losses being Ben Campbell, who is pursuing a professional golf career, as well as Charlie Campbell and Brock Summerhayes who moved for work reasons.

He said he expected big things from the likes of Heath Keatley and Adam Hood, who impressed in their first full seasons of senior football last year.

While admitting the Saints’ offseason recruiting campaign had been ‘tough’, Campbell said he and the club hoped it would yield fruitful results in 2025.

“We’ve got hold of a few players we wanted, and they’re looking pretty good for us at the moment,” he said.

“Other than that, a lot of the blokes who played last year will have the continuity of playing together from last year, and hopefully we can stand up and go a bit further this year.

“We’re aiming big this year –it’s finals and above for us. The training has been pretty full-on in pre-season, so the boys are going to be super fit.”

HORSHAM DISTRICT Football Netball League

Fraser Thompson in action with the Saints last season.

EDENHOPEAPSLEY

An ability to adapt

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

After back-to-back A Grade netball premierships in 2022 and 2023, Edenhope-Apsley took a small step backwards last season.

While the Saints qualified for finals in fifth place, they were soundly beaten by Kalkee in an elimination final.

But new coach Lavinia Fox believes her team is capable of returning to premiership contention this season after picking up some highly credentialled recruits, as well as enticing former players back to the club.

The Saints have re-signed goalie Mia McCrann-Peters, a 23-and-under development player for the Bendigo Strikers of the Victorian Netball League, VNL, who made five appearances for EdenhopeApsley in 2024.

Another VNL-aligned signing is defender Olivia Spence of the Peninsula Waves, while Fox herself will play for the VNL’s Southern Saints this season after previously playing for the Melbourne University Lightning.

Mereana Crawford, a local player, has rejoined the team after taking time off to raise her young family, while dualpremiership midcourter Hayley Campbell will return following a year with MinyipMurtoa in the Wimmera Football Netball League.

Fox said she was also excited about the retention of other local players from last year’s team, including young talent Jasmine McIntyre, who was recently selected

COACHES

A Grade: Lavinia Fox

B Grade: Michelle Penrose

C Grade: Paris Hardwick

C Reserve: Abby Perks

17-and-under: Morgan Kealy and Nashira Lees

15-and-under: Carolyn Middleton and Nicole Marks

13-and-under: Alex King and Sarah Domaschenz

Modified: Bec Carter and Georgia Thompson

in a 17-and-under Wimmera-Mallee representative team.

Midcourt player Rebecca Heath will serve as Fox’s assistant coach and has the added responsibility of running many of the team’s training sessions with Fox living in Melbourne.

“I’ve been writing up session plans and Bec has been running them on a Thursday night. It’s been a bit of a different set up this year,” Fox said.

“I’m trying to bring back as much knowledge as I can from playing VNL back in Melbourne as well, because I’m being coached by Sharni Norder, née Layton and Jane Searle, who are both exAustralian Diamonds.

“I’m just taking up as much of their knowledge and drills as I can, and I think

the girls have been enjoying having some different drills and variety at training.”

Fox said the team had cohered impressively despite the fact that some players, including herself, were unable to train with the main squad regularly.

“The reality of our club over the past few years is that we’ve had to support travellers coming back to bolster our numbers in the A Grade,” she said.

“But we’ve got a very collaborative and supportive team environment, and I think we balance things really well.

“For our travellers, I think they come in on a Saturday, but throughout the season we sometimes train on weekends when we can all be there to help build that team connection.

“I hope I’m able to give them some more tools to be able to bring out the best in their games – that’s what I’m most excited for as a coach this year.”

Fox said a return to upper-echelon titlecontender status was a goal for the Saints this season.

“We’re definitely looking at going deeper into finals this year compared to last season, and I really believe the girls do have the ability to do that,” she said.

“We’ve got an exciting list, but I don’t want to put any pressure on the girls by saying we have to get to a grand final.

“I think it’s going to be a methodical, week-by-week process for us, and it’s going to be our ability to adapt throughout the season that will hopefully mean that we can achieve some good results through the finals.”

3wm: your home for

Lavinia Fox has taken on the A Grade coaching role this season.

Reaping rewards

BY LEIGH ROGERS

Aproactive recruiting drive has reaped major rewards for Taylors Lake, with an extensive list of new players joining the club this season.

“Our focus wasn’t on big-name recruits, it was more so getting locals from other clubs that we saw potential in,” returning Lakers coach Justin Beugelaar said.

“We wanted to target players who could help improve the culture out at Taylors Lake, as well as help us improve on the field.

“We’ve really gone for depth this year, which will hopefully help us when there are really close games.”

New players include Paddy Clarke and Ashton Stott from Dimboola, Logan Millar from Horsham, Jayden Scott and Sam Cole from Newcomb, Dante Stotten from Natimuk United and Pimpinio’s Jye Brown.

Alex Baker, a key forward who played in a premiership with Tyrendarra last season, and Brock Summerhayes from EdenhopeApsley have also signed with the Lakers.

Beugelaar believes Summerhayes is one to watch, describing him as ‘an absolute jet, with all the talent in the world’.

Only two players, Melbourne-

COACHES

Seniors: Justin Beugelaar

Reserves: Craig Healey

Under-17s: Ryan Gebert

Under-14s: Travis Mackley

based Michael Graham and Adelaide-based Matthew White, have departed from the team, which finished in ninth position last year.

Beugelaar will continue as a playing coach and expects to play a different on-field role this season.

“For the first time in a long time, the body is actually feeling really good,” he said.

“We’ll have a really balanced forward line this year, so that will allow me to float back and that’s where I play my best footy.”

Beugelaar agrees all the signs point to a promising season ahead for the Lakers.

“We’ve got to make finals in my mind and the playing group completely agrees with that as well,” Beugelaar said of how the club would measure success this year.

“We had a training camp a couple of weeks ago in Roses Gap

where all the boys did their goals for the year and making finals was the number one thing we spoke about.

“The boys are really gearing up for a big year.”

It is the second year the Lakers have held an overnight training camp during the offseason.

As well as fitness sessions, the camp also involved team building and goal-setting activities.

“It’s a really good thing to do to build culture and it allows the playing group to set their own foundations,” Beugelaar said.

“My mantra has always been as a coaching group you can guide the boys, but you can’t make the rules. They’ve got to make the rules themselves.”

Although Beugelaar anticipates his new-look team may take some time to gel, he was buoyed by a promising performance in a recent practice match against Horsham Saints.

“With such a new group, the biggest challenge for the first few weeks will be learning everyone’s game,” he said.

“But I think once we can gel and get some consistency, we’ll be alright.

“We’re all excited for the year ahead.”

The mighty Lakers

Returning Lakers coach Justin Beugelaar in action last season.

Lakers TAYLORS LAKE

Fedke at the he lm

BY LEIGH ROGERS

An exciting new era is set to begin at Taylors Lake, with esteemed netball coach Sharon Fedke at the helm.

Fedke joins the Lakers from NoradjuhaQuantong, where she has held numerous coaching positions across senior and junior level throughout the past eight seasons.

She has also previously coached at Horsham United and Horsham Saints, as well as at interleague level for the Wimmera and Horsham District leagues.

“I’ve watched Taylors Lake for many years from the sidelines and I know as a club they’ve struggled, but I’ve always maintained they have some real talent out there,” Fedke said.

“They’ve reached out to me for a number of years and this year, it just seemed like an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.

“A lot of girls have come through their junior program, and they have stayed loyal to the club, which is great to see. Over the last few years there has been a lot of improvement, and I hope to see that continue and grow.”

Appointed as a non-playing coach, Fedke hopes to play in the Lakers’ lower grades this season.

She said numbers were strong across the club, allowing them to field a full slate of four senior and three junior teams.

“We’ve had really good numbers at our preseason and now that we’ve had our tryouts, we continue to maintain good numbers,” Fedke said.

“We’ve retained a majority of the girls that have been out there for some time, so I like

COACHES

A Grade: Sharon Fedke

B Grade: Sharon Fedke

C Grade: Melinda Preston

C Reserve: Jodi Rabl and Biannca Featherstone

17-and-under: Kelly Knoop

15-and-under: Kristy Kelly

13-and-under: Summer Campey

the fact that we have that stability at the club. We’ve also managed to recruit a couple of new girls as well, so that’s really exciting.”

The Lakers’ new recruits include Mia McGrath from Kalkee and Kyra Clarke, who has returned to the area and previously played with Natimuk United.

Fedke, who has coached McGrath and Clarke at interleague level in the past, expects them to strengthen the Lakers’ A Grade midcourt line-up.

She said along with building fitness, introducing a new game plan has been a key focus over the preseason.

“Getting the girls ready for games is important, but it’s also been about teaching them the style of play that I would like them to play and teaching them what is expected,” she said. Fedke is maintaining measured expectations as her young side looks to improve on last year’s 10th-place finish.

“I’m not setting specific goals. This year is all about development. If I can see improvement, that for me will be success,” she said. Zoe

ON THE BALL

Gray on the court in A Grade competition last season.

ON THE BALL

Coaching duo opti

BY LEIGH ROGERS

With a new senior co-coach on board, optimism is high as Kaniva-Leeor United prepares for the 2025 season.

Jacob Eats, a key position forward, will lead the Cougars alongside returning senior coach Jonno Hicks.

Eats joins from Bordertown, where he was the Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara Football League’s leading goal kicker last year.

“It’s fantastic to have some help and someone to bounce ideas off,” Hicks said of his new coaching partnership with Eats.

“He’s brought in a really good attitude and is setting high training standards for our group.”

Eats’ brother Lochie also joins the Cougars and will be a welcome addition to their midfield line-up.

“Their dad played football with Kaniva, so it’s great to have them back at the club,” Hicks said of the Eats brothers.

Blake Dodson, a former Kaniva local who last played at the club in 2019, is also returning.

The highly touted defender played division one with Payneham Norwood Union in the Adelaide Footy League in 2024.

“It’s fantastic to have players with a connection to the club coming back, that helps to build the club on and off the field,” Hicks said.

COACHES

Seniors: Jonno Hicks and Jacob Eats

Reserves: Dave Willersdorf

Under-17s: Daniel Stimson and Jock Maddern

Under-14s: Brett Jewell and Patrick Munn

Under-11s: Sam Salt

Under-8s: BJ Hawker

Auskick: Brad Witmitz

“We still have a really young side, so we’ll be looking to develop our local core and show improvement each week.

“I think we’ve got a fantastic group we can build on, which is great.”

Hicks said there were no key player losses in the offseason.

“Our senior numbers have improved on last year, so that’s looking really good,” he said.

“We face the same challenges as lots of clubs from small country towns, but hopefully a few more numbers in reserve gives us a bit more depth and a bit more pressure for selection.

“We’re trying to build on making us a healthier group and a healthier club.”

Hicks expects several top-age jun-

THE WEEKLY ADVERTISER HORSHAM & DISTRICT FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE

Round 1 – Saturday, April 5

Rupanyup v Kaniva-Leeor United Natimuk United v Swifts

Edenhope-Apsley v Pimpinio (Eden)

Laharum v Kalkee

Taylors Lake v Harrow-Balmoral

Noradjuha-Quantong, bye

Round 2 – Saturday, April 12

Harrow-Balmoral v Laharum (Bal)

Pimpinio v Taylors Lake

Swifts v Edenhope-Apsley

Kaniva-Leeor United v Natimuk United Noradjuha-Quantong v Rupanyup

Kalkee, bye

April 19 – League bye

Round 3 – Friday, April 25

Kaniva-Leeor United v Edenhope-Apsley

Saturday, April 26

Natimuk United v Noradjuha-Quantong

Taylors Lake v Swifts

Laharum v Pimpinio

Kalkee v Harrow-Balmoral

Rupanyup, bye

Round 4 – Saturday, May 3

Pimpinio v Kalkee

Swifts v Laharum

Kaniva-Leeor United v Taylors Lake

Noradjuha-Quantong v Edenhope-Apsley

Rupanyup v Natimuk United Harrow-Balmoral, bye

Round 5 – Saturday, May 10

Edenhope-Apsley v Rupanyup (Eden)

Taylors Lake v Noradjuha-Quantong

Laharum v Kaniva-Leeor United Kalkee v Swifts

Harrow-Balmoral v Pimpinio (Har)

Natimuk United, bye

Round 6 – Saturday, May 17

Swifts v Harrow-Balmoral

Kaniva-Leeor United v Kalkee

Rupanyup v Taylors Lake

Natimuk United v Edenhope-Apsley

Noradjuha-Quantong v Laharum

Pimpinio, bye

mistic

ior players to push for senior selection, including cousins Willis and Xavier Stimson.

“They’ve spent most of the summer training with our senior team and have really impressed,” Hicks said.

After a productive preseason, Hicks is quietly confident the club’s senior team can better last season’s tally of four wins.

“We are aware of where we are sitting in the league, we’ve got ground to make up,” he said.

“We know we’re a long way behind the competition. But we’re trying to improve how professional we are, how we approach our training, how we approach our games.

“We want to do a better job with the ball once we win it. I thought last year we’d fight hard to win a contested ball, then quickly turn it over, so we’re trying to lift our skills and running game on the outside.

“It would be nice to hit the scoreboard a bit more effectively too. The games we won last year were all dour, low-scoring affairs, so that’s been another focus of ours over the summer.”

In the junior grades, Kaniva-Leeor United and neighbours EdenhopeApsley will field combined under-14 and under-17 teams.

Fixture 2025

Round 14 – Saturday, July 19

Round 7 – Saturday, May 24

Taylors Lake v Natimuk United Laharum v Rupanyup Kalkee v Noradjuha-Quantong

Harrow-Balmoral v Kaniva-Leeor United (Bal) Pimpinio v Swifts

Edenhope-Apsley, bye

Round 8 – Saturday, May 31

Kaniva-Leeor United v Pimpinio

Noradjuha-Quantong v Harrow-Balmoral Rupanyup v Kalkee Natimuk United v Laharum

Edenhope-Apsley v Taylors Lake (Eden) Swifts, bye

June 7 – League bye

Round 9 – Saturday, June 14

Laharum v Edenhope-Apsley

Kalkee v Natimuk United Harrow-Balmoral v Rupanyup (Har)

Pimpinio v Noradjuha-Quantong Swifts v Kaniva-Leeor United Taylors Lake, bye

Round 10 – Saturday, June 21

Noradjuha-Quantong v Swifts Rupanyup v Pimpinio

Natimuk United v Harrow-Balmoral Edenhope-Apsley v Kalkee (Eden)

Taylors Lake v Laharum

Kaniva-Leeor United, bye

Round 11 – Saturday, June 28

Kalkee v Taylors Lake

Harrow-Balmoral v Edenhope-Apsley (Bal)

Pimpinio v Natimuk United Swifts v Rupanyup

Kaniva-Leeor United v Noradjuha-Quantong Laharum, bye

Round 12 – Saturday, July 5

Laharum v Harrow-Balmoral

Taylors Lake v Pimpinio

Edenhope-Apsley v Swifts (Eden)

Natimuk United v Kaniva-Leeor United Rupanyup v Noradjuha-Quantong

Kalkee, bye

Round 13 – Saturday, July 12

Kaniva-Leeor United v Rupanyup

Swifts v Natimuk United

Pimpinio v Edenhope-Apsley

Harrow-Balmoral v Taylors Lake (Har)

Kalkee v Laharum

Noradjuha-Quantong, bye

Noradjuha-Quantong v Natimuk United

Edenhope-Apsley v Kaniva-Leeor United (Eden)

Pimpinio v Laharum

Harrow-Balmoral v Kalkee (Bal)

Rupanyup, Taylors Lake, Swifts, byes

Round 15 – Saturday, July 26

Kalkee v Pimpinio

Laharum v Swifts

Taylors Lake v Kaniva-Leeor United

Edenhope-Apsley v Noradjuha-Quantong (Eden)

Natimuk United v Rupanyup

Harrow-Balmoral, bye

Round 16 – Saturday, August 2

Rupanyup v Edenhope-Apsley

Noradjuha-Quantong v Taylors Lake

Swifts v Kalkee

Pimpinio v Harrow-Balmoral

Natimuk United, Kaniva-Leeor United, Laharum, byes

Round 17 – Saturday, August 9

Harrow-Balmoral v Swifts (Har)

Kalkee v Kaniva-Leeor United

Laharum v Noradjuha-Quantong

Taylors Lake v Rupanyup

Edenhope-Apsley v Natimuk United (Eden)

Pimpinio, bye

Round 18 – Saturday, August 16

Natimuk United v Taylors Lake

Rupanyup v Laharum

Noradjuha-Quantong v Kalkee

Kaniva-Leeor United v Harrow-Balmoral

Swifts v Pimpinio

Edenhope-Apsley, bye

FINALS

August 23

COACHING STAFF

FOOTBALL

Auskick – Brad Witmitz

U8’s – BJ Hawker

U11’s – Sam Salt

U14’s – Patrick Munn & Brett Jewell

U17’s – Jock Maddern & Daniel Stimson

Reserves – Dave Willersdorf

Seniors – Jonno Hicks & Jacob Eats

NETBALL

A-Grade – Kylie King

B-Grade – Carlee Feder

C-Grade – Alice Maddern & Mikala Deckert

We are still seeking applicants for C-Reserve

U17’s – Nikki Hawker

Modified – Robyn Staehr

Thanking all our valued sponsors for the 2025

Top-age junior Xavier Stimson will push for senior selection this season. Picture: Symone Mitchell

Changing faces

BY LEIGH ROGERS

Kaniva-Leeor

United’s A Grade netball team is set to feature a new-look attacking line-up this season.

Blair Burke and Nikki Hawker, who played a pivotal role in helping the Cougars contest finals last year, are taking family leave.

Sinead Kuchel is another key out, having moved away from the area for work.

Hawker finished one vote shy of winning the Horsham District Football Netball League’s A Grade best-and-fairest count last season, making her a major omission.

The good news is the accomplished goal attack will remain involved at the club, developing the next generation as coach of the 17-and-under team.

Kylie King, who returns as A Grade coach, said there had been a few changes.

“We’ll have a few new faces this year,” she said.

Carlee Feder is joining from Edenhope-Apsley and is set to move into one of the vacated offensive positions in A Grade.

The Cougars also welcome back defender Sophie Bennett, who returns after taking a twoyear break from the sport.

King identified talented teen Ruby Gordon as one to watch, noting the versatile defender may be an option to switch into the attacking circle.

Gordon proved herself as an A Grade player last season and has been selected as a member of Netball Victoria’s Talent Academy for 2025.

“It is looking like we will have a strong team. We’re hoping we’ll go pretty well,” King said.

Kaniva-Leeor United emerged as one of the biggest surprise packets in last year’s A Grade

COACHES

A Grade: Kylie King

B Grade: Carlee Feder

C Grade: Alice Maddern and Mikala Decker

C Reserve: TBC

17-and-under: Nikki Hawker

Modified: Robyn Steahr, Keira Jewell

competition, reaching finals after being unable to field a team in 2023.

King, a non-playing coach, said back-to-back finals appearances were now in their sights.

“Making finals is always the goal, I guess every club would say the same thing,” King said.

“We’ll try to make the top six, then we’ll go from there. Anything can happen if you make it to finals.”

King said after recent practice matches against neighbouring club Border Districts, the Cougars were excited to begin the new season.

“We’ve had really good preseason attendance and we’re really happy with how everything has been going,” she said.

“Overall, it’s looking like we’ll have a few less players than last year, but still enough to fill our four senior sides.

“Luckily, we’ve got a strong junior development program, so we’ll have a few juniors who will be able to step up and play senior netball as well.”

Proud Sponsors of Kaniva-Leeor United FNC

• Women’s Clothing

• Coffee

• Giftware

• Dried Flowers

• Beauty Therapy

34 Commercial Street, Kaniva 0428 173 144

Alannah Furmston on court last season.

ON THE BALL

Continuity key this s

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

While Natimuk United finished at the foot of the Horsham District senior football ladder in 2024, coach Jarred Combe says the season ‘wasn’t exactly a write off’ and could serve as a springboard for greater success this year.

After defeating Kaniva-Leeor United by 28 points in round one, the Rams lost 15 straight games to claim last season’s wooden spoon, but several factors pointed to a greater level of competitiveness than their win-loss record suggested.

The Rams were desperately unlucky not to win more games, going down by three points or less on four agonising occasions.

The team also contended with a lengthy injury list and was forced to fill its ranks with young players.

Combe estimated more than three quarters of last season’s regular senior players were between the ages of 16 and 22, making Natimuk United one of the most inexperienced sides in the league.

But with a year of growth and hard lessons under their belts, Combe said signs of serious on-field maturation from his young charges could come as quickly as this season.

“Our depth was really tested after suffering an extended injury list, not allowing us to play the style of football we were wanting,” he said.

“We were plugging gaps for the ma-

COACHES

Seniors: Jarred Combe

Reserves: Tom Murray

Under-17s: Matt Lee

Under-14s: Evo Hennessy

Under-11s: Sean Schmidt

Auskick: Jason Skiller

jority of the season. In saying that, we were competitive in 13 of the 16 games.

“A positive with the challenges we faced were that players had greater exposure to senior football and more responsibilities from positions to roles within the team.

“From that we unearthed and fasttracked the development of quite a few players.”

Among those players are young trio

Ned Glascott, Christian Macalinga and Archie Sudholz, who helped lead Natimuk United to within one point of a grand final appearance in the under-17 competition last season.

Sudholz and Glascott played regularly in the senior side last year, while Macalinga made his senior debut in round 18 and is likely to earn more opportunities in 2025.

Combe said retaining existing senior players and building continuity within the team was another focus for Natimuk United.

“We managed to retain all bar two senior players – Craig Britten and Dan Werner, both due to work commitments,” he said.

“The retention of senior players and a healthy list of recruits combined with under-17s from last year will help add greater depth to our playing list.

“We definitely have a lot more continuity heading into this season.”

Combe said the Rams remained committed to their youth movement, and said the team was still a while from true contention.

“We’ll again field arguably the youngest team in the league, even younger than we were last season,” he said.

“With such a young list we are working hard on building consistency throughout games and maintaining standards.

“Even in games where we suffered heavy defeats, we broke even for a quarter or a half – we’re aiming to build on that and extend for longer periods in games.

“Having such a young team comes with its challenges, but also a great deal of enthusiasm. We now have younger guys like 2024 best and fairest Kaiden Sudholz and Cody Frizon becoming leaders amongst the group.

“The kids bring a different energy to the group, we want to embrace it and transition that out into the way we play.

“We are genuinely excited to see our improvement this year.”

Ned Glascott will

Driving youth deve

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

When speaking with new Natimuk United A Grade netball coach Di Hayes, one word tends to come up often –‘win’.

But another word that emerges equally often is one that is not always synonymous with winning – ‘young’.

The Rams are set to field a youthful team again this season after pivoting from a pre-COVID era of sustained A Grade premiership contention built on a core of veteran players.

Natimuk United has been a developing side in the past two seasons, and while Hayes said her team would maintain a youth focus, she saw no reason it was unable to push for a finals berth at the same time.

“We’ve got a very young list of girls in A Grade, but hopefully we can work on their development and get some wins this season,” she said.

“We’ve got a few 17-and-under players who are still eligible to play in that age group but are coming into the A Grade squad.”

Spearheading the Rams’ youth movement are the likes of goalie Emma Uebergang, who made 13 A Grade appearances for the team last year as a 15-and-under player.

Uebergang and others such as

COACHES

A Grade: Di Hayes

B Grade: Courtney Cameron

C Grade: Zoe Hanson and Sophie Murray

C Reserve: Codi-Rae Fisher

17-and-under: Ebony Rintoule and Keeta Scown

15-and-under: Courtney Cameron

13-and-under: Cheryl Sudholz

Modified: Sigrid Darrington and Tayla Hateley

NetSetGo: Janelle Bales

Phoebe Sudholz are likely to make regular appearances in both the 17-and-under and A Grade teams as Hayes looks to build their experience base, while Olivia Sudholz is likely to remain a fixture in A Grade after graduating from the 17-andunder team in 2024.

“We hope to give both of them a fairly good run in A Grade,” Hayes said.

“Yes, they’re young, but I’m big on bringing development opportunities to kids and teaching them how to win.”

Fast-tracking the team’s development will be the addition of another young gun, Tara McIntyre, who won

last season’s 17-and-under league best-and-fairest award while playing for Harrow-Balmoral.

Hayes said enticing McIntyre would give the team additional talent and flexibility.

“She’s a great asset for us because she’s got nice height, good movement and she’s a good shot for goal,” she said.

Hayes said she would push the Rams to perform at a standard beyond their tender years.

“We’ll try to push the pace and use our young legs. I always try to push the young ones, because often they don’t know their own ability until someone pushes them a bit harder,” she said.

“It’s promising. It’s good for the club to have these young ones up there in A Grade.”

But while the team will fight for every win, Hayes admitted that garnering enough of them to play finals would be a difficult task.

“Obviously you can tell I’m big on winning, but I’m also realistic – we are a young side, so it’s not going to be an easy season by any means,” she said.

“I’d love for them to experience finals netball. That would be our main goal – to play finals in some capacity.

“We’ve just got to go out and win the games that we can, and hope fully the rest will take care of itself.”

ON THE BALL

ON THE BALL

Productive off-seasons set to

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

The Mininera and District Football League’s northern teams are all eyeing moves up the ladder after a successful summer of recruiting.

Moyston-Willaura, Great Western and Tatyoon all finished outside the finals last season, while Ararat Eagles finished fifth but were ousted in an elimination final by HawkesdaleMacarthur.

But with leaders at all four clubs reporting productive off-seasons, their respective fortunes could soon turn for the better.

Great Western president Dale Hurley said his club was ‘absolutely thrilled’ to return to its home at Great Western Recreation Reserve after a major clubroom redevelopment saw the Lions play their home games at Central Park and North Park in Stawell last season.

He said the Great Western community was excited to have the team back in town and had shown great interest in the official opening of the redeveloped rooms.

“We had our community opening last week and it was really well received,” he said.

“We had people from all over the community take time out of their night to come and check it out.

“The feedback was fantastic and there was a really good buzz.

“The players out on the track talked

about how good it was to look across the oval and see a wall of faces chatting away and catching up. It created a real air of excitement.”

New Great Western coach Nigel Sibson said he hoped a return to familiar

environs would help the Lions perform more consistently after a 4-12 season in 2024.

“If I’m honest, the challenge of not playing at Great Western and not having a home-base was something I

underestimated at the time,” he said.

“Footy seasons in general are always challenging, and not having that homebase was probably a bigger challenge than what we all anticipated.”

The Lions have lost several mem-

bers of last season’s team – most notably club best-and-fairest Dylan Whitney and leading goal-kicker Nick Costello – but have added a host of talented recruits.

Speedy midfield-forward Silver Yousif played for Euroa in the Goulburn Valley league last season and has played high-level football in the Western and Essendon District suburban Melbourne leagues in recent years.

The Lions have also picked up several players from the Northern Territory, including half forward Damien Dunn, defenders Kurt Dunn and Xavier Grant, and small forward Billy Munkara.

Malachi Walley, a key forward from Western Australia, will bring WAFL experience, Nathaniel Cooper crosses from the Adelaide Footy League’s Goodwood Saints, and a trio of Geelong-region footballers – key position players Lochie Morrissey and Josh Arkell, and midfield-forward Tom Randone – round out the list of recruits.

Sibson said while the Lions’ list had plenty of talent, the team was not setting external benchmarks in 2025.

“The Mininera league has been getting stronger and stronger every year, and with that comes a real evenness across the competition,” he said.

Penshurst celebrate winning the 2024 Mininera and District Football League senior grand final. Picture: Tracey Kruger

MININERA & DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE ON THE BALL

bolster Mininera league teams

“Internally we’ve got our own goals and expectations, but we don’t really put a floor or a ceiling on it.

“Every side would be the same in saying they hope to play finals footy, but we’ve obviously got some work to do to put some things in place to give us an opportunity to do that.”

Returning Moyston-Willaura coach Rhys Cronin had no hesitation to set a benchmark for his side, claiming a finals’ berth was the only acceptable outcome despite the Pumas winning just two games in the past three seasons.

With Adam Bennett the sole departure from last season’s side and a strong list of inclusions, Cronin said his team had the depth needed to push for the top five.

He said the recruitment of Will Bell from Great Western as an assistant coach was a coup, with Bell bringing experience as a premiership coach at the Lions.

Joining Bell in crossing from the Lions are utility Marcus Elliott and ruckman Jeremy Cronin, while bigbodied midfielder Riley Van Dyke, tall utility Brady Chandler and rangy onballer Daniel Harms join from the Geelong Football Netball League’s Grovedale Tigers.

Ararat’s Izzy Turner, Skipton defender Brad Uwland, Old Collegians winger Sam Walker and former Edenhope-Apsley standout Taylor Mil-

ner round out the list of inclusions.

Cronin said he was determined to return the Pumas to the glory days he experienced in 2013 and 2014 when he was a member of a team that contested back-to-back grand finals, winning one.

“The two years prior to last year were probably our two lowest years as a footy club,” he said.

“Being around for the past 10 to 12

years and then having those two years was pretty rough and probably part of the reason I took the coaching job on as well.

“Last year was a stepping stone. It was a full rebrand of the club.

“We had new jumpers, a new logo –we wanted to start fresh last year and try to build our way back up.

“The guys we’ve brought in are solid additions, so it’s another step in the

SENIORS

Best: Penshurst, Josh Rentsch, Jayden Watson, Kieran Neeson, Archie Page, Sam Weston, Sam Hassell; Wickliffe-Lake Bolac, Harley Hunter, Robert Brown, Izaak De Agrela, William Hutchison, Charles Vallance, Cooper Handley.

Goals: Penshurst, Ian Milera 3, Archie Page 2, Josh Rentsch; Wickliffe-Lake Bolac, William Hutchison 2, Liam Zavaglia 2, Patrick Brice 2, Harley Hunter.

fender Clay Gorman and speedy midfielder Cameron Anderson will all suit up for the Hawks in 2025.

The club will be led by new playing coach Andy Challis from Central Highlands team Springbank, while midfielders Logan Dixon and Brad Horsham cross from the Geelong and District Football League, and Hugh Plowman adds pace and skill from Newtown and Chilwell in the AFL Barwon league.

Tucker said Tatyoon was pleased with its recruiting and looked forward to strong seasons on both the football field and netball court.

right direction. Finals or bust is our benchmark for this season.”

Tatyoon is also keen on a return to finals after missing out by half a win last season.

Hawks president Andy Tucker said connections at the club enabled it to pull off a recruiting coup, with four former WAFL-listed players signing.

Ruck-forward Lachlan McGrath, midfield-forward Max Terpsis, de-

Meanwhile, Ararat Eagles are looking to maintain their 2024 finals berth. Returning co-coach Tom Taurau said the team had lost several players from last season’s squad but recruited well, picking up players such as left-footed goal-kicker Jack Wilson from Melbourne’s Chelsea Heights, former Swifts midfielders Chevy Elliot and Andrew Cameron, Ivanhoe workhorse Joel Petrie, South Barwon premiership midfielder Jake Peters and forward-ruck Zach Louder from Ararat Rats.

Taurau said the team aimed to build on its finals berth this season but was tempering expectations early, looking to build slowly and play its best football at the right time of the year.

2024 A Grade netball premiers Ararat Eagles. Picture: Tracey Kruger

Delivering live local footy coverage

Wimmera sports fans can get ready for another exciting footy season with ACE Radio 3WM’s live broadcasts of the Horsham District Football Netball League and Wimmera Football Netball League matches every Saturday.

The local trio of Grant ‘Kuges’ Kuchel, Brian ‘Cobber’ Cassidy, and Daryl ‘Easty’ Eastwell return to host the coverage.

The action kicks off each Saturday morning at 8am with 3WM’s ShirtFront, where Kuges, Cobber, and Easty discuss the latest sports news and results with local guests, providing expert analysis and predictions.

3WM will broadcast live coverage of HDFNL and WFNL matches throughout the 2025 season, commencing with HDFNL round one on Saturday.

Kuges, Cobber, and Easty will be boundary-side, calling the action and bringing listeners all the excitement and drama of the games.

3WM general manager Brendan O’Loughlin expressed his enthusiasm for providing the comprehensive local sports coverage.

“We are just as passionate about local footy and netball as our listeners, and we’re delighted to continue our commitment to the local leagues,” he said.

“With Kuges, Cobber and Easty at

the helm, listeners know they can expect expert commentary and analysis, as well as plenty of laughs.”

3WM content director Anthony Thompson said everything was in readiness for Local Footy Live’s best season of broadcasting yet.

“We’ve been busily preparing everything for the season ahead, from decking Kuges, Cobber and Easty out in their brand new strip for the 2025 season, and applying extra polish to Cobber’s statue at Edenhope,” he said.

“We’re certain our listeners will love our local footy and netball coverage this season.”

Behind the mic Kuges brings a wealth of sporting expertise to his role as lead com-

mentator for 3WM’s local football coverage.

Kuges played football for Leeor in the Tatiara League and later in the Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara League. He also played football for Kalkee, and served as a Horsham District League board member for 10 years, including seven years as president.

He is a life member of the HDFNL and an inaugural member of AFL Wimmera Mallee Commission, including three years as chairman. He is now a member of the AFL Wimmera Mallee advisory board, and has been calling football with 3WM since the first Local Football Live broadcast in 2016.

Kuges’s extensive involvement in

Brian ‘Cobber’ Cassidy, Grant ‘Kuges’ Kuchel, Daryl ‘Easty’ Eastwell and Riley O’Loughlin form 3WM’S ShirtFront team in 2025.

local football, both on and off the field, gives him a unique understanding of the game and the people involved.

Cobber brings a lifetime of football experience to his role as commentator for 3WM’s Local Football Live as a veteran of more than 300 senior games, with stints at Edenhope, Goroke, and Naracoorte, winning four best-and-fairest awards at Edenhope, and another at Goroke.

A premiership player at Goroke in 1981 and at Edenhope in 1987 and 1988, Cobber was also Kowree-Naracoorte Football League’s best-andfairest in ’83, ’85 and ’88, as well as Wimmera Football League interleague coach in 2009 and 2010 and named in the Edenhope Team of the Century.

Cobber’s knowledge and passion for the sport shines through in his commentary, making him popular with listeners.

Easty boasts a wealth of footballing experience as player, coach and commentator, highlighted by being the team mascot for Horsham’s Homers where his dad Ron was part of the 1965 premiership team, and then Homers coach for their second flag in 1992.

Starting his senior footy career at just 16, Easty’s experience includes playing in Horsham’s 1982 and 1983 premiership winning teams, playing about 330 senior games across the Horsham District and Wimmera leagues, three club best-and-fairest awards, a slew of interleague appearances and coaching stints at GerangKiata, Pinpinio, Homers and Taylors Lake, as well as coaching at mini and junior level.

A one-time board member with Horsham District Football League and junior league chairman, Easty is a true footballing journeyman.

His intimate knowledge and love of the game shines through in every Local Footy Live broadcast.

3WM’s ShirtFront can be heard every Saturday morning from 8am to 10am, while Local Footy Live broadcasts every Saturday afternoon from 1pm, as well as the traditional local Good Friday and ANZAC Day games, for the 2025 season.