On The Ball Feature – Wednesday, April 1, 2026

ON THE BALL BALL BALL2026

Natimuk United joins competition

Natimuk

United is the newest club to field a team in the Wimmera Football Netball League’s Senior Women’s Football competition.

The WFNL announced last week it had officially accepted the Rams ahead of the 2026 season, bringing the women’s competition to four clubs.

Natimuk United will join Horsham, Minyip-Murtoa and Laharum, who together made up the Wimmera Women’s League Football competition in 2025.

The WFNL has also changed its under-14 competition to under-15.5, with the league aiming to grow its pathways and provide greater opportunities for young women across the region to develop and participate.

The 2025 season, which saw Minyip-Murtoa crowned as senior women premiers and Horsham Demons claiming the under-14 flag, provided a strong foundation to build upon.

WFNL chairman Bart Turgoose said the announcement was a proud moment for the league and for women’s football in the Wimmera.

Mr Turgoose said the addition of a fourth club strengthened the draw and reflected the continued growth and appetite for women’s football across the region.

“Welcoming Natimuk United into the women’s football competition is a really exciting development for our league,” he said.

“After what we witnessed in 2025 –the quality of the football, the crowds,

the atmosphere – it is clear that women’s football in the Wimmera is thriving.

“Adding a fourth club only strengthens that, and we look forward to seeing the competition grow further in 2026 and beyond.

“The move to under-15.5 also reflects our genuine commitment to building pathways for young women in our region and ensuring that every girl has the opportunity to play and develop.”

AFL Wimmera Mallee region manager Ange Ballinger said the growth of the competition was a testament to the hard work of the clubs and the

league. “It is wonderful to see the women’s football competition in the Wimmera continue to expand,” she said.

“Natimuk United’s inclusion is a great outcome for the region, and it speaks to the fantastic work being done at club level to support and grow the women’s game.

“The 2025 season was a landmark year, and with four clubs now in the mix and updated age group pathways in place, 2026 is set to be even bigger.

“AFL Wimmera Mallee is fully behind this competition and the opportunities it creates for women and girls across our region.”

2025 Wimmera Football Netball League’s Senior Women’s Football competition premier MinyipMurtoa.

Four teams will now contest the title this year.

Natimuk women’s coach Nathan Jenkins said the Rams had been getting about 15 women on the track for most preseason sessions.

“We’ve picked up a lot of girls from Longerenong College,” he said.

“My daughter Teilah Britten is the team captain and organised getting the whole team together.

“She played over in the Limestone Coast league with Kybybolite last year, so we’ve managed to get a few of the girls from Kyby and Mundulla across, which is pretty exciting.”

Jenkins said Teilah had approached Natimuk United to put her case forward as to why she thought it would

be a good idea for the club to get involved.

“She previously played at Horsham in the league here but she’d always been at Nati, so she had a real want to play for her home club again,” he said.

“I think we’ll have a pretty strong team. I think about 90 per cent of our girls have played footy before, they just haven’t played together.

“So we feel like we’re one step ahead in that we haven’t had to go back and teach the basics to a lot of the players because they already know them.

“We’ve got a young girl, Maddie Dempsey, who is just about to turn 16 and is about six-foot-two.

“She can’t wait to get into it and she’s shown some really good signs on the track.

“I’m looking forward to seeing her develop into what I think can be a very good player.”

Natimuk will play a practice match against Cavendish on April 12, which Jenkins said would give them a good indication of how they were tracking.

He said the club, committee, sponsors and men’s and junior teams had given the new women’s team so much support.

“If any girls still want to come and have a look, they’re more than welcome to come along to training,” he said.

“They don’t need to have played before. We’re happy to take players on no matter what skill level they are – the more the merrier.”

WIMMERA FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE

Region abuzz in anticipation

BY LAUREN HENRY

It’s been 195 days of being starved of Wimmera league football and netball action, and isn’t the region ready to return to the ovals and courts.

The annual Good Friday clash between Ararat and Stawell will be the first hitout in the Wimmera league for season 2026.

After Ararat and Horsham Saints took home their senior football and netball premierships in 2025 – the Rats their third consecutive and the Saints crowned premiers and champions – clubs have gone to work in a bid to improve in the off-season.

In putting together this feature, The Weekly Advertiser team has spoken to all clubs to compile comprehensive reports on where each club is at in preparing for the season ahead.

The amount of work that goes into a footballnetball club – from the committee, volunteers, coaches and players – in order to field as many teams as possible is admirable.

And while the season proper is from April to September, work is required year-round to ensure clubs have the best possible chance of success.

While premierships are often the ultimate goal, there are other measurements of success.

The overall sustainability of the club, creating safe and supportive environments, and providing an enjoyable social space and setting a positive culture for players, members and supporters are among the truly worthwhile benefits of clubs.

It is no surprise that clubs are often the heartbeat of our towns.

They play such an important role in the fabric of rural and regional communities, and offer so many more benefits than just providing a sporting outlet.

So what will come out of the Wimmera league this year?

Last year was not without its controversies, which saw the league chairman step down mid finals series, the A Grade elimination final scoring fiasco and then the investigation into Ararat coach Tom Williamson, who was accused of vilifying a Thunder player.

We could do without the controversies and let the focus stay purely on the football and netball, played in the right spirit.

Will we see Ararat continue its dominance and go down as one of the greatest teams in the league?

Who will challenge Horsham Saints in A Grade netball and be the first to defeat the premiers since 2024?

My predictions for this season –

Senior football

Grand finalists: Ararat versus Nhill – with Ararat showing their experience to win a thriller.

Biggest improver: Horsham Demons – their new coach will reinvigorate the former powerhouse.

New finals contender: Horsham Saints – an influx of recruits, maturing of their list and new coach will propel the Saints back into finals contention.

The unknown: Southern Mallee Thunder. We know the Thunder will always be a top-tier team but as always their list is a bit of an unknown – the Thunder team in the early rounds can be vastly different from the one they put on the park in finals – so just what will they look like come September?

Toohey medallist: Billy Lloyd will shine for the Thunder again in 2026.

Surprise twist of 2026: Warrack Eagles to cause more upsets than any other side.

A Grade netball

Grand finalists: Saints v Dimboola – with the Saints digging deep to defeat a determined Dimboola.

Biggest improver: Stawell – expect to see a more experienced Warriors, who will notch up more than their two wins last season.

New finals contender: Warrack Eagles – they finished sixth in 2025, albeit five wins off the pace, but the Eagles will definitely push to return to the finals race this season.

The unknown: Horsham Demons – always in the premiership mix – will be a different-looking side in 2026 so can they gel quickly enough to be a serious threat in 2026?

Hatcher medallist: Horsham Saints’ Ash Grace for a three-peat.

Surprise twist of 2026: The influence of the many juniors stepping up to play A Grade –what a pleasure they are to watch, and to witness their development.

A stellar season awaits

BY BART TURGOOSE, WFNL CHAIRPERSON

The Wimmera Football Netball League is open for business, and the 2026 season is shaping up to be a stellar one.

Following a 2025 season that was so well received by clubs right across the competition, there is genuine excitement about what lies ahead.

Before we look forward, it is only right that we take a moment to acknowledge and thank our outgoing board members – Peter ‘Billy’ Ballagh, Toni Stewart, Jodie Hendy and Peter ‘Hec’ Hamilton.

Their hard work over the past few years has placed the league in an extremely strong position, and we are deeply grateful for everything they have contributed.

For 2026, the league’s focus is on consolidation and measured, sensible growth, ensuring we continue to support our clubs and maintain the outstanding quality of football and netball our communities have come to expect and enjoy.

One of our biggest priorities this year is the ongoing development of our women’s and girls’ chartered clubs framework, making certain that our girls and women have a safe and welcoming environment in which to play and thrive.

This sits at the heart of our commitment as a CORE member of Grampians Women’s Health, a partnership we are proud of and take seriously.

We are delighted to welcome Natimuk United into the women’s football competition, bringing another senior side into the fold and strengthening the competition further.

And what better way to begin than by extending a very warm congratulations to the inaugural premiers, Minyip-Murtoa’s women’s football team, on their grand final victory in 2025.

The quality of the football on display was outstanding, and the energy and crowd turnout across the season was truly something to behold.

We are also progressing the AFL Wimmera

our region and its clubs have

state-of-the-art facilities for years to come.

The full plan is on track to be delivered by the end of the year, and we very much look forward to sharing it with our communities.

On the subject of recognition, a huge congratulations to Minyip-Murtoa on winning the 2025 Toyota AFL Community Club of the Year award at both state and national level.

To have one of our own clubs recognised on that stage is a tremendous source of pride for everyone in the Wimmera Football Netball League.

A sincere thank you also goes to our operations staff, Corey and Chloe, whose tireless work behind the scenes keeps this league running weekin, week-out.

Make sure you follow our social media channels for results, match highlights, and much more throughout the season.

And of course, will Ararat make it a four-peat? We shall wait and see.

Business as usual COACHES

Three-time Wimmera league premier Ararat will again be the team to beat this season.

It’s been business as usual at Alexandra Oval in the off-season, with the Rats having lost a couple of handy players but keeping the core of their group together, adding in a few junior players – an ominous sign to rest of the competition.

Ararat went through the 2025 season undefeated, suffering its only loss for the year against Southern Mallee Thunder in a controversial preliminary final.

Without recruiting any big names ahead of this season, will Wimmera league followers see the rest of the pack catch up and pose more of a threat this season, or will the Rats further develop their strong list of locals to solidify their position?

A change to the coaching panel announced last year sees Tom Williamson the standalone senior coach, with Harry Ganley and David Jennings assisting on the bench on match days.

While Tom Mills has stepped away from a coaching role, he will be the senior captain and Ganley said the former coach remained a key part of training.

“He doesn’t have the title, but he has definitely still got the effect on, and his leadership is very evident across, the playing group,” he said.

“I  help out Tom with some game-plan stuff and mainly the backline, defensive aspects, and Tom does centre and forward. I just try and support him where I can. We’ve got Jenno doing the bench for this year, which is great.”

Seniors: Tom Williamson

Reserves: Tyler Cronin and Chris Jerram

Under-17s: Brett Chamings and Adam Haslett

Under-14s: Mick Fratin, Josh McDougall and Matt Harris

Ganley said Sam Harrington, Reggie Jenkins and Sam Preston were three juniors he expected to develop into senior footballers for the Rats.

“Those three in particular, they’ll be around the mark to play senior footy for most of the year, for sure,” he said.

Ganley said senior players had a break following last season – where about 30 went on a footy trip to Bali – but players were then given their own training programs to do individually.

“To everyone’s credit they do it and we get back mid-November and everyone is in good shape by then and we don’t need to slog everyone at training because they’ve done the work themselves,” he said.

Ganley said Ararat was continuing to evolve with the much of the same group as recent seasons.

The Rats have lost Henry Shea, North Ballarat; Jack Ganley, Port Douglas; and Flynn Toner, Ararat Eagles, but regained Brayden Fergus and Matty Harris into the fold.

“The year before means absolutely nothing going into the next year.

“We had a pretty disappointing practice game against Torquay a few weeks ago, so I think that’s really sharpened the boys up – you can’t just rock up and expect to win or go through the motions.”

Ganley said the Rats were ready for round one, playing their annual Good Friday clash against Stawell.

“Everyone’s super keen for Good Friday – it’s talked about like playing in a final,” he said.

“A few of us are racing against the clock to get back for it fitness-wise, but we just want to be a part of it. It’s a great day for both clubs, really.”

ARARAT

Building momentum

As a team on the rise in 2025, Ararat A Grade netballers hope to build on that momentum this season as they welcome a key defender into the coaching role.

Faith Biddle replaces Sally Noble as A Grade coach, and the A Grade team has three new faces.

Kiarna Taylor has come across from Ararat Eagles, Julia Harricks is returning after a season off and young gun Bridie Price is stepping up from the juniors into A Grade.

Meanwhile the Rats’ A Grade side has lost Paige Biddle, one of their best players last season, while Annie Shea and Tash Noble will play B Grade.

The Rats will still have plenty of experience in the side, with last year’s most consistent player Jess Taylor and midcourter Mon Scott recommitting, while runner-up league best-and-fairest

Maggie Astbury will no doubt develop even further after her first Wimmera league season in 2025.

Faith Biddle said the team would have a different dynamic from last season – a year where Ararat showed great improvement, earning itself a place in the finals.

After finishing in fifth position, the Rats controversially had their season ended when they

COACHES

A Grade: Faith Biddle

B Grade: Bec Skrabl

C Grade: Jacqui Eastwick, Georgia Jeffery and Monique Todd

C Reserve: Emily Borrelli and Lauren Armstrong

17-and-under: Bec Skrabl

15-and-under: Bree Fratin and Lucy Mills

13-and-under: Laura McDougall and Sarah Holland

lost to Southern Mallee Thunder in the elimination final.

A scoreboard error had the scores tied at the final siren, requiring extra time to be played where the Thunder won the match. Despite a request for an independent investigation, Ararat had its appeal denied, thus ending its season.

“I believe it’s all about exposure to tough netball and finals netball, so we are hoping this season we can push a top-five position again and get the girls more experience playing through those conditions,” Biddle said.

“We want to keep building on the momentum we created last season and keep this group improving each week.

“We know as a group we still

have plenty of development to go, but with experience and building on games we believe we can keep getting better.”

Price will add an x-factor to the Rats this season.

Named in Victorian Netball League club Bendigo Strikers’ emerging squad this year, she has been selected in various under-17 interleague teams as well.

“We have selected Bridie as an A Grade player – she will come up from under-17s – she’s able to play at both ends of the court and with her height and athletic ability we believe she will be a great asset to the team,” Biddle said.

“We are trying to keep that team focus and are working hard for the whole playing group, but coming to the end of pre-season, Laney McLoughlan and Demi Bligh have been impressive, so I’m looking forward to seeing them on court.”

Biddle said the senior group started training in December before tryouts in January and early February and then training in specific teams.

“We have hosted one practice match that went well, the girls gelled nicely and we were able to see the things we have been working on come to fruition,” she said.

The Rats will have their first hitout in the Wimmera league season on Friday against Stawell.

SOUTHERN MALLEE THUNDER

New coaching structure

Southern Mallee Thunder goes into season 2026 with a new coaching structure after the appointment of Jake Bridges as director of coaching in the offseason.

But how that works and what role senior coach Kieran Delahunty plays is still to be worked through with all parties.

Bridges said he would have a strong gameday presence, and was happy to support Delahunty as much or as little as he wanted.

“We’re still working through the finer details of what that looks like, but essentially I just said I’m happy to help the club however I can,” he said.

“With my experience, it’s probably looking at trying to get a little bit more out of the group, trying to improve them.”

Bridges, from Ballarat, has built a strong reputation in both leadership and football during the past two decades.

A facilitator with Leading Teams Australia for the past 10 years, Bridges has worked with sporting clubs, businesses, schools and community organisations to help individuals and teams achieve extraordinary results.

Bridges has coached interleague sides, was East Point senior coach in the Ballarat league for six seasons, winning premierships in 2018 and 2019, and prior to that co-coached Buninyong in the Central Highlands league.

In his playing days, Bridges was part of senior premierships with Redan, Wangaratta Magpies, and Redland Bombers in the Queensland AFL competition, and also played three years at VFL level as well as with the Rebels.

Bridges said he could not have felt more welcomed at the Thunder, with plenty of people offering their help and also calling on

COACHES

Director of coaching: Jake Bridges

Seniors: Kieran Delahunty

Reserves: Nathan Wright

Under-17s: Luen Credlin and Duncan Rentsch

Under-14s: Adam Gould and Simon Cook

Under-11s: Heath Clugston

other contacts from across the region to help fill his knowledge bank about the league.

The Thunder is always one of the top clubs when it comes to recruiting and this year is no different – Matty Lloyd will join his brother Billy, athletic key-position player

Bailey Edwards and hard-nosed midfield Jai Kennealy join the list, and Will Page from the Geelong District league joins his mate Harry McLeod.

Matty Lloyd, who grew up in Horsham, made his first appearance in a teal jumper for one game in 2025, but played most of last season with the Sydney Swans VFL side. He will return to the Thunder on a more permanent basis this season.

“Bill’s obviously a decorated player and Matt’s been pretty successful in the VFL and has done some AFL preseasons too. It’s just great to have a fella of his calibre who wanted to come and play, so that’s very exciting,” Bridges said.

Bailey Edwards, a 197-centimetre ruckman who plays forward, has most recently featured as a key player in the Queensland Football Association.

His Springwood teammate Kennealy also joins him at the Thunder after being run-

ner-up in last year’s club best-and-fairest. Bridges said the recruits would add depth to the senior list.

“Bailey and Jai are both young and enthusiastic and we’re very thrilled to have them on board,” he said.

“I’ve been massively impressed with Will’s work rate and just how hard he runs – we’ve obviously got GPS data now and all got Strava and they send me results and some of his preseason running has been ridiculous, like I’d nearly say it’s elite, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

The Thunder, runner-up in the past three seasons, will no doubt be eyeing a flag in 2026, but Bridges could not be drawn on premiership talk.

“ I think having been around sport and teams for a long time, and I think when you get caught up in the outcome, the process can get a bit sketchy,” he said.

“But I guess the goal’s really to compete and to create some really strong foundations and habits so that irrespective of where the season finishes up, you’re getting the most out of the group and obviously then individuals.

“For me there’s just so much you’ve got to get right to give yourself a chance to a play, especially in the Wimmera league now – it’s a really competitive competition – so to get yourself into a space where you win enough games to play finals, then obviously you reassess and, like in any goal-setting, you reassess once you’ve presented with what you have in front of you.

“The first bit for me is just to be really competitive and have a game style that stacks up under pressure.”

The Thunder’s season will begin on April 11 against Nhill.

SOUTHERN MALLEE THUNDER

Connections key

Wimmeraleague followers will see a new-look Southern Mallee Thunder A Grade side in 2026.

With about five players departing the 2025 A Grade team, and with a new coach at the helm, the Thunder will be focused on a team-first philosophy this season.

Players to depart include last season’s coaches Steph Thomson and Jodie Hayes, Caitlin Douglas and Emma Mill.

New coach Lachie Exell said while individual player improvements would be a key aim, building connections as a team would be a primary goal.

Exell, who will be assisted by defender Sydney Thorogood this season, said he would be encouraging players to take on challenges and be open to listening, learning and developing as a team.

He said although losing players was a massive hit for the club, it gave others opportunities to play in the Thunder A Grade side.

One such player is newcomer Kierra Schumann, who will travel from Adelaide where she is currently studying at university.

“We’ve got a few young ones stepping up and players returning from injuries and pregnancy last season,” Exell said.

“Luca Landrigan, who plays under-17s for SMT will be one to step up. She plays a bit of everywhere and might be asked to play a bit of midcourt and goals this year – we’ll see.

“Each week this could and will look different.”

Excel said despite losing some A Grade players, the number of netballers at the club had improved – with the Thunder planning to field a C Reserve team this season.

He said pre-season training had been underway since January, with a focus on fit-

COACHES

A Grade: Lachie Exell

B Grade: Jo Credlin

C Grade: Janine Brown and Ebony Spokes

C Reserve: Kat Landrigan and Cathy Moore

17-and-under: Taya Horman

15-and-under: Bridget Williams

13-and-under: Lilly Williams and Phoebe Bigham

Mods: Courtney Jones

ness, footwork and ball skills under fatigue. Teams were decided after a practice match against Birchip-Watchem on March 21.

Exell has been assisting the A Grade team as team manager for the past two seasons. He comes into the coaching role having previously coached several football and netball teams.

Closely watching from the sidelines, Exell said the Thunder had a great season last year.

The Southern Mallee team finished fourth on the ladder, defeating Ararat in extra time in an elimination final before going down by two goals to Dimboola in the first semi-final.

“Apart from Saints, positions two to five on the ladder were very tight and great for the league – even those just outside the five were very competitive,” Exell said.

“But it’s hard to compare this year to last year for us, given so many personnel changes, so we’re just focusing on improving individually and then flow-on results will hopefully mean we play well together as a team.”

ON THE BALL

Building on talent COACHES

Adding a string of quality recruits, Nhill has its sights firmly on making the Wimmera league grand final in season 2026.

After finishing second on the senior ladder last year but bowing out in a preliminary final against eventual premiers Ararat, the Tigers have been able to retain most of their players as well as build on their playing list.

Big names like Frazer Driscoll and Peter Politis have signed on again, while the club began announcing new recruits before last season had even finished.

In a stroke of good luck for the Tigers, South Adelaide footballer Tom Wheaton has relocated to Nhill for work, and will play for the team in 2026.

After playing SANFL for the past two seasons, Wheaton will feature in the Tigers’ midfield this season, as well as up forward.

Topping the Tigers’ recruiting list is Will Rowlands, who was drafted to the Gold Coast Suns after playing for Norwood in the SANFL and Northern Territory Thunder.

Senior co-coach Jake McQueen played with Wheaton in Darwin.

“I played with him in Darwin so we’ve already got that connection and along with the cou-

Seniors: Jake McQueen and Trevor Ryan

Reserves: Bailey

McQueen, Stuart

Gardner, Peter Hedt and Brett Jensz

Under-17s: Josh Lees

Under-14s: Jack Mason

ple of other Darwin boys we’ve got at the club – they’re pretty good mates with him as well, so that was a pretty big draw factor for him coming,” he said.

Rowlands will be another handy addition to the Tigers’ midfield, and with his pace and goal-sneak skills will no doubt see him feature among the goalkickers.

Lachlan Ryan, son of cocoach Trevor Ryan, has moved across from Birchip-Watchem after being a SANFL player for West Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows. He will add experience and talent to the midfield and backline.

Another player to watch will be key forward Stanley Cox, who is expected to add further depth to the Tigers.

Cox comes to Nhill after playing with Politis in a premiership at Nightcliff in the NTFL.

While Nhill has lost Wimmera

football journeyman Deek Roberts to Taylors Lake in Horsham District league, McQueen alluded to another recruit yet-tobe-announced.

As well as the list of new players and dependable local players in the senior side, another bigname recruit – just for one game – will be on show in round one.

Former AFL Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell, delisted from Collingwood last year, will be pulling on the Tigers jumper against Southern Mallee Thunder on April 11.

Mitchell will be guest speaker at a sportsman’s night and will also address junior players earlier in the day.

In what will be a big day for Nhill, the club will officially open its new grandstand and changerooms, as well as host its annual past players day.

McQueen said while last year’s result of finishing the home-andaway season in second place had exceeded his expectations, he had his eyes on making the grand final in 2026.

But the playing coach was under no illusions about the tough task ahead.

“It’s going to be a tight competition from first all the way through to six or seven, I reckon,” he said.

Strong numbers COACHES

With a strong base of senior netballers in 2026, Nhill A Grade will be hoping to rise up the Wimmera league ladder again.

After dropping from fourth in 2024 to finish seventh with three wins last year, the Tigers are looking to consolidate in 2026.

A Grade coach Melissa Polkinghorne said the Tigers needed more belief – individually and as a team – but she also wanted players to enjoy competing in the league’s top section.

“Last year I suppose we were a very, very new team – we had a huge turnover of players, so it was really about laying the foundations,” she said.

“But this year I think it’s that we’ve got those connections now so we need to build upon those connections, bring more structure and start believing –have a bit more belief in ourselves but still keep it enjoyable because if people aren’t having fun, at the end of the day they’re not going to come back to play.”

After starting preseason in January, the Tigers have played two practice matches against Noradjuha-Quantong and Bordertown.

Polkinghorne said warm conditions tested out the players, and required a high use of rolling substitutes.

“We  definitely had some good connections,” she said.

A Grade: Mel Polkinghorne

B Grade: Kat Colbert

C Grade: Kat Colbert

17-and-under: Charlotte Foulds

15-and-under: Ally Mills

13-and-under: Tara Todds

Modies: Giana, Charlotte and Zara

“It also highlighted areas that we can definitely work on at training, but I was quite happy with how we went.”

Polkinghorne said Nhill had a few junior netballers make their A Grade debut last year – something she expected to continue in season 2026 – but the Tigers were also blessed with strong senior numbers this year.

Under-17 players Zara Polkinghorne and Eden Woodward are among rising stars for the Tigers, both making the Wimmera league interleague squad in 2026.

“We have huge seniors numbers this year, which has been something we haven’t had for quite a while, so we’ve got an excess, but we haven’t turned anyone away – we’ll find a way to fit everyone in and rotate somehow,” she said.

“We’re confirming selections now – we announced squads a few weeks ago before the practice matches, and now we’re just confirming the teams where there might be just a little bit of movement.”

The Tigers have retained all A Grade players from last season with the addition of defender Gemma Ryan – daughter of senior football co-coach Trevor Ryan – and returning player Courtney Hillier, who mostly plays in the centre-court.

Ash Hobbs, living in Geelong, has decided not to travel to play Wimmera league this year.

The Tigers will no doubt look to their focal point in attack –goaler Ruby James who was in the top-10 Wimmera league scorers last season, shooting 314 goals.

James will work in partnership with Charlotte Foulds in the goal circle, while the midcourt will again be led by Tess McQueen, Brooklyn Fraser and Charlotte Donnell.

Their first test of the season will be against Southern Mallee Thunder on April 11, in what will be a big day for the club with the official opening of the Davis Park grandstand and clubrooms.

ON THE BALL STAWELL

Warriors in ‘ripping shape’ COACHES

With a host of strong recruits, including former coach and Wimmera league superstar Tom Eckel, Stawell is looking to take the next step in 2026.

Senior football co-coach James Sullivan said his players came back from the Christmas break in ‘ripping shape’.

The Warriors played practice matches against St Arnaud and Hamilton late last month, and with their new recruits have had an impressive off-season.

Eckel returns after leaving Stawell last season to play for St Albans in the Essendon District Football League, where he had a standout season, winning the club best-andfairest award.

Also joining Eckel from the EDFL is Sunny Brazier, coming from Pascoe Vale, where the big-bodied midfielder was described as having ‘a bull-like presence around the contest’.

The former Northern Knights and Northern Bullants player will be joined by Pascoe Vale teammate Daniel Guccione, who has also had VFL experience, playing with Essendon and Coburg.

Guccione, a commanding centrehalf-back, will be a player to watch for Wimmera league followers in 2026.

“Our first focus last year was getting Tom Eckel back to the club – obviously with living locally and what he’s done to the Stawell footy

Seniors: James Sullivan and Perry Meka

Reserves: Tom Walker and Jake McConville

Under-17s: Tim Wethers and Andrew Dunn

Under-14s: Scott Nicholson and Stew Macpherson

Under-11s: Matt Freeland and James Delahunty

club in the past, it was a big focus for us and we were lucky enough to secure his signature nice and early,”

Sullivan said.

“From there we had a bit of a focus on retaining and getting as much local talent as possible.

“We had a few of the boys who played at Swifts last year who had played with us previously – Angus Murray played a game for us last year and we’re really happy with how he went about it, and then Jesse Portelli played some juniors with us.

“Joe Martin, who had a really good year in Horsham District league last year, he came across, which we’re happy with.”

Sullivan said by recruiting Brazier and Guccione, the coaches were hoping to fill gaps where the Warriors were lacking.

“We obviously didn’t end the year how we would’ve liked, but we knew what areas we needed to improve on,” he said.

“We were able to be targeted with our recruiting and were able to get those two across.”

Stawell was right in the mix last season, but after letting the double chance slip away, bowed out in an epic elimination final at Nhill, going down to Dimboola in a thriller.

“I think we were out of that game quite a few times and we were able to dig deep and fight and claw our way back into it,” Sullivan said.

“We were proud of the boys’ efforts on the day, but overall, looking back and reviewing the season, we were probably a bit disappointed with how things did finish up given the position we were in a few weeks out from the finals.”

Sullivan said while his focus was not on other clubs at this stage of the year, internally the Warriors were aiming to keep evolving their gameplan to see improvement and growth through the playing list.

“We can’t be relying on the players coming in, it’s got to be driven from the players who were there last year to push and grow,” he said.

Stawell plays Ararat on Good Friday in the Wimmera league seasonopener.

“We’re extremely privileged to be able to play on the Easter weekend –it’s an unreal weekend for the town,” Sullivan said.

“It’s a big occasion, but at the end of the day it is just another four points. But we do love playing Ararat and there’s been a big rivalry over the years.”

STAWELL

Welcome back COACHES

After a tough season that saw Stawell A Grade achieve just two wins, the Warriors have added depth to their line-up in the hope of climbing up the Wimmera league ladder.

The team welcomes back several players, with Erin Freeland, Swifts; Lisa Considine and Rachel Driscoll, returning after pregnancies; and Madi Taylor, travelling, set to return to the club.

Co-coach Jemma Clarkson said the new-look A Grade team would also feature Molly Orr, who played mostly B Grade last year due to injury, and Jessie Newton, a previous club best-andfairest winner.

“It’s been really nice to have those players all slotting back in,” she said.

“Probably one I’m really excited about because I played years ago with her is Jessie Newton.

“She’s come back after a very long time off – she was a previous club best-and-fairest and it’s really nice to have her knowledge back on court.”

Clarkson said having flexibility to change players into different positions and play in different combinations was an aspect herself and co-coach Courtney McIlvride were looking forward to this season.

“We’re definitely aiming for a final finish this year,” she said.

“We’ve got a lot more depth in our side this year than we’ve had in the past couple of years, just with the players who have returned to the club. It’ll be really nice to be able to, on a Saturday when things aren’t working well, really shuffle girls and move players into positions that are better match-ups – that’s something we haven’t had for a few years.”

Clarkson said last season was ‘really tough for us’.

“We had quite an inexperienced A Grade side and as much as they were quite young and they

A Grade: Jemma Clarkson and Courtney McIlvride

B Grade: Christine Graveson

C Grade: Brianna Smith

C Reserve: Michelle Beaton and Jodie

Hendy

17-and-under: Lauren Homden

15-and-under: Meg Walker

13-and-under: Jessie Newton

Mods: Michelle Beaton and Jody Hendy

Net Set Go: Jemma Clarkson

were very eager to learn and they did everything we asked of them, it was really a rebuilding and growing phase for us,” she said.

“We did take a lot out of that season on things that we needed to work on, so it was a tougher season in that sense, but also we had a lot of fun.

“The girls were great to coach and were so enthusiastic, so sometimes even if you’re not getting the wins, you can get wins in other ways.”

Clarkson said she expected defender Meg Walker to settle into the A Grade standard after a couple of seasons under her belt.

“She’s probably the fittest person at our club at the moment, and she just has taken her netball to the next level with that, and I can’t wait to see what she does this year,” she said.

“The other one that I’m really excited to see is the combination of Madi Taylor and Molly Orr –so they played a lot of juniors together and it’ll be really nice to see what they can do out there and connect on court again together.

“They’re both fierce competitors and very, very passionate players, so they’re going to bring a lot of fire to the team, which is really nice.” A

ON THE BALL DIMBOOLA

‘Our best foot for ward’

Afocus on continued development of local footballers will be a priority for Dimboola, heading into this season without several high-profile players.

The Roos have lost a group of Northern Territory footballers who were at the club last year, including former coach Jack Landt, his brother Dylan, and key forward Jackson Calder.

Senior playing coach Andrew Moore said the Roos had secured a new player, Riley McLaughlin, but were still in talks with more recruits who were yet to sign when he spoke to ACE Radio last week.

Moore said while it was disappointing to lose the Northern Territory footballers, it opened up opportunities for other players, particular locals, to step up and into key positions.

“ I think the biggest pleasing thing from our point of view is yes, we have had a bit of changeover from personnel from last year, but we’ve brought back in a lot of the local footballers, who may have gone elsewhere, but then they’ve come back, or they may have had year off football,” he said.

“To get those players and families back into our colours is really pleasing and again shows their commitment to the football club.”

COACHES

Seniors: Andrew Moore, Dean Toet and Matt Everett

Reserves: Tony Tomlins

Under-17s: Isaac Eldridge

Under-14s: Marcel Badua, Ash Clugston and Daniel Greig

Under-11s: Scott Smith and Simon Mibus

Auskick: Jack Wood

way back, but to put ourselves in a winning position was pleasing.

“To get that opportunity to play finals, that’s something that’s not only special for the playing group and the club, but also it’s a great experience for a lot of those younger lads.”

Moore said preseason had been pleasing, and included a practice match against Harrow-Balmoral.

“It’s always an exciting time, getting things in place, getting the fitness levels to a certain level and standard, but a lot of the players came back in really good nick, which is really pleasing to see that commitment from the playing group,” he said.

After finishing fifth on the ladder last season, Dimboola won an epic elimination final against Stawell in overtime, before bowing out in a semi-final against Nhill, losing by four points.

Moore said he was proud of the efforts of the playing group last season, and was particularly pleased to see the development of several players.

“That was a huge focus going into last year and seeing how far the playing group came, but also their commitment to the team was really impressive,” he said.

“To play two finals was fantastic and obviously falling short to Nhill – we came back from a fair-

Moore identified Declan Paech and Evan Hunter as two players who could have an impact for the Roos in 2026. “There’s a lot of those guys that we’re really keen to expose a bit more, in particular some of these local guys who have come back into it – I’m really pleased to see what they can do as well,” he said.

“We’re getting some really good numbers out on the track, which is nice, but we’re really putting our best foot forward to best prepare ourselves.”

The Roos have a bye in round one but will then face Ararat in round two on April 18.

Moore said the main focus for Dimboola was continued development, and building on the structures and systems the coaching staff had implemented last year.

“We don’t want to overcomplicate things – we didn’t last year and it worked really well – and we’ll continue in that fashion, but the biggest thing for us is giving guys opportunities and continuing their personal development and having impact on their game,” he said.

AUp for the challenge COACHES

fter three years of bowing out in the preliminary final, could 2026 be the year for Dimboola A Grade netballers?

The Roos were the team to watch last season with their energy and across-the-court talent making them highly competitive against the Horsham powerhouses of the Demons and Saints.

In fact, Dimboola scored a five-goal win over the Demons in round 14, but it could not score wins against its nemesis in the finals, going down to the Demons in both qualifying and preliminary finals – by six and five goals respectively.

Injuries hurt the Roos in 2025, and they will be without rising star Indy Ward and midcourter Paige Glover – who both suffered serious knee injuries last season – again this year.

A Grade coach Ant Toet said the Roos would need to make the most of their opportunities when presented this season.

“Anyone can take it on the day, and we saw that last year just round by round, not just the finals,” she said.

“This group of A Grade girls have been together for a while and probably getting a bit older as well, so that’s kind of motivating them.

A Grade: Ant Toet

B Grade: Helen Wills

C Grade: Kellie Laverty

17-and-under: Alyssa Petschel

15-and-under: Abbey Greig

13-and-under: Lyla Barry and Katie Griffiths

“The girls know that we’ve been so close, so we’ve really got to bring it together.

“We’re really looking for something this year.”

Toet said the team had the benefit of knowing each other well.

“But we know that we need to take the next step as well, so that’s a challenge and every one of them is up for that challenge,” she said.

“We’re not one of those bigger towns that has the luxury of pulling a number of players from wherever, so that’s been a real motivation to them – if they can do it together.

“They’ve shown they can get there and each year they’ve improved.

“If we want to do it together and we’ve had a crack at it, it’s going to be our time, but we’ve gotta work for it too.”

Toet said while the netball-

ers had already got to work for 2026, with their official pre-season starting in late January, several players had formed a run club during summer – with some competing in the Robe marathon.

She said the Roos had about 16 to 18 senior players to fill three grades this season and would be relying heavily on junior players to play two games each week.

One such junior player who the Roos hope will help fill the senior ranks is Emily Taylor, who was the league 17-and-under best-and-fairest runner-up in 2025.

Eloise Wills, who came into the A Grade team after Ward was injured last season, will continue to be a regular player, travelling from Adelaide to play.

Other players Toet expects to make a big impact this season are defenders Steph Glover and Bridget Dorrington –joint winners of last year’s club best-and-fairest award.

“They’re tough as nails and fit as,” she said.

“We’re pretty lucky – we’ve got a bit of versatility there so we will have match-ups against each team week in, week out.”

DIMBOOLA FOOTBALL & NETBALL CLUB

NFisher takes lead COACHES

ew Minyip-Murtoa senior football coach Luke Fisher is under no illusion about how tough the competition will be in the Wimmera league this season.

The Burras were quick to announce Fisher as their new head coach in September, following the departure of Gareth Hose.

After missing the finals last year, finishing the season in sixth place with seven wins and nine losses, it was time for a change.

Fisher steps up to the coaching role after being a senior player at Minyip-Murtoa – including a 2022 premiership player – but has had coaching stints before at Donald and Horsham Saints.

Fisher said the club had been looking at reducing the core senior playing group’s average age, which was over 30 years old.

“In terms of the whole group, we have lost a few of our more experienced players – guys who were probably the core group and they were our plus-30 guys – so there was a plan over time to change that core group to be more in our mid to low 20s, and that just happened probably a little bit quicker than what we expected,” he said.

“But that’s okay, it gives us some good building blocks going forward.”

One of those experienced players to leave is Tanner Smith, who has returned to Kalkee.

With that change, new recruits

Seniors: Luke Fisher

Reserves: Jake Leith

Under-17s: Nic Ballagh and Jordan Weyburg

Under-14s: Jack Boschen

Hamish McCrae and Harry Willis, fresh off winning a premiership at Millicent, South Australia, and then playing a season in the Northern Territory, will join the blue-and-white.

Another recruit of note is Tasmanian Brayden Pitcher.

Fisher said player numbers at training had been strong in recent weeks, with about 40 on the track, boosted by Longerenong College students, with whom the club has built a beneficial relationship in the past few years.

He said the Burras had been ‘horribly hampered by injuries’ in the past two seasons – particularly to their top-six players.

“The Wimmera league is quite strong and you can’t get away with not having continuity or not having depth and I think we just lacked to find a bit of rhythm with what we were doing because of that,” he said.

“Obviously with injuries you can’t factor in them happening, we just hope to get some continuity into what we’re doing this year.”

A key player hit by injuries last year was Oscar Gawith.

“He’s as fit as I’ve seen him and he can be just an absolute key to us winning games and a real headache for the opposition,” Fisher said. Fisher is also expecting Nic Ballagh and Sam Griffiths to be major contributors this season.

A practice match against Noradjuha-Quantong, match simulation at training and a footy camp to bring the whole group together to outline their plans for season 2026 has set the Burras up for what will no doubt be a competitive season despite being less experienced.

“I think that’s a bit of a blessing in one way, that we will continue to grow and players will improve individually as well as we will as a group,” Fisher said.

“We certainly want to be in the top five, but I understand how difficult that is in the comp that we’re running with.

“Ararat remains strong. It seems that a couple of clubs who are already up there have continued or will be strong, based on personnel. It’s just so even – you only have to be a little bit off and you can lose games. It’s going to be important for clubs to keep a full list and not give games away because it could be costly.

“We’re really hoping that we’re giving ourselves a chance to play finals and then from there anything can happen.”

The Burras kick off their season on April 11, playing Horsham Demons at Horsham City Oval.

MINYIP-MURTOA

New-look team

It

will be a new-look A Grade team for MinyipMurtoa this season.

Coming off a tough season last year where the Burras finished at the bottom of the A Grade ladder, the club has recruited several new netballers and welcomed back returning players for season 2026.

The A Grade team will also have a new coach this season, with Laura Schuckar stepping up from B Grade to lead the club’s top netballers.

Known for her passion for the game, competitive spirit and ability to bring out the best in players, Schuckar has been a long-time member of the Burras family, notching up her 200th game last year.

As well as a new coach, the A Grade side will have an injection of new players – Hayley Reading, from Navarre, renowned for her fierce competitiveness and strength on court, and versatile and quick attacker Jenna Schneider, from Nhill.

The Burras will also welcome back Claudia Griffiths, a fast, agile and hard-working player.

But possibly the biggest signing is Meg Cashin, who returns from Rupanyup – where she was part of the Panthers’ historic A Grade premiership last year.

Cashin’s leadership, fitness and speed, as well netball knowledge and experience will provide a

COACHES

A Grade: Laura Schuckar

B Grade: Sheridan Fisher

C Grade: Kristan Starick and Taylor Cameron

C Reserve: Amy Leith and Rebecca Schultz

17-and-under: Brooke Parish

15-and-under: Claudia Griffiths and Mikaela Wright

13-and-under: Emily Smith and Jessie Newell

Mods: Brooke Parish

boost to the Burras’ netball program.

Combing the recruits with last year’s best-and-fairest winner Johanna Griffiths and runner-up Sheridan Fisher, Minyip-Murtoa will be one to watch in 2026.

Schuckar said all was building nicely in the off-season for the Burras’ netball program.

“ Preseason has gone really well, we’ve had fabulous numbers, which has been lovely,” she said.

“We are able to fill all four senior grades this year, which is good.

“We’ve had really good numbers on the track and the girls are really putting in, so we can’t ask more than that really.”

Schuckar said although the club’s A Grade scoreboard re-

sults last season were disappointing, the Burras took away some positives.

“It was a rough year for the girls, but I think they were able to blood some young talent through, which is good,” she said.

“You can always take some positives out of any year of netball – so hopefully the tough year will put us in good stead for hopefully a couple more wins on the board this year and we can see a bit more success.”

Schuckar said this season was still about development for the team, but she hoped they could build on last year.

“We’re not expecting huge things straight out of the blocks, but absolutely with adding a little bit more experience to the team and helping those young girls through, we hope to get a few more wins on the board and start to climb that ladder,” she said.

“We’re  looking for some big things, particularly from our goalies, so Jessie Newell, I think could be one that has a really good year for us.

“We’ve also brought Tamira Cullinan, and she was a runnerup B Grade best-and-fairest last year, and has definitely earned her spot as an A Grader.

“But hopefully all the girls really put in and we make it a good team effort.”

ON THE BALL HORSHAM SAINTS

New coach, new recruits

T

he return of two favourite sons, an injection of recruits, plus a new coach could see Horsham Saints as the Wimmera league’s surprise packet in 2026.

Angus Martin steps into the senior coach role after being assistant coach to Ben Knott last year.

As a playing senior coach, he will be assisted by the experienced duo of Gary Davidson and Jaye Macumber.

Martin said he was excited to see what the Saints could achieve as a group this season.

“The way I want to lead is to give other blokes responsibility and it not just be my way or the highway,” he said.

“This is everyone’s baby, I guess, so we’re doing it all together.”

Rory Taggert returns to the club where he played his juniors – after being drafted to AFL club Melbourne in 2012 and then playing SANFL and local footy in South Australia and Victoria.

Taggert brings with him a carload of talented footballers – full-forward Zak Peak, back-flanker Nathan Davey and Reid Kuller.

Former Saint Will Brennan also returns after winning a premiership for North Warrnambool in the Hampden league.

From last year’s senior side, the Saints have lost Keegan Mellington, who has moved to Warrnambool, while Cody Bryan has been picked up by VFL club Werribee, but will return to play Saints when available.

“Cody played on the weekend with us against the Ballarat Swans. You can see the VFL experience is working wonders for him,” Martin said.

“You could see the way he came back and led to the football and marked – he’s improved out of sight already and he’s only had

COACHES

Seniors: Angus Martin

Reserves: Gavin Kelm

Under-17s: Gage Wright

Under-14s: Heath Watson

Under-11s: Laurie Liston

one preseason there.” Martin said the Saints had a disappointing year last season, missing finals after finishing in seventh place.

“I think we showed glimpses that, even with just our locals that we had playing last year, we can be a pretty competitive side,” he said.

“So for us, looking forward, we’ve been able to add a bit of top-end talent, which creates more depth at the other end. We’re hoping that we can push pretty hard this year.

“I feel like we’ve probably got a list there that’s capable of playing finals at least, but you never know until probably round six or seven where you stand really.”

Martin said he was keen to see how Gage Wright, Mitch Martin, Jackson Davidson and Bailey Brennan went on the field this season after a strong preseason.

“There’s been a good core group of young blokes who have trained in the preseason and put in a lot of extra work – they’ve been doing Saturdays and Friday nights and things like that,” he said.

“I’m just excited to see what happens when you add six or seven recruits in, what our locals can do – if they can lift that extra 10 or 15 per cent, all of a sudden that makes us a much better side.”

The Saints host Warrack Eagles in round one on April 11.

HORSHAM SAINTS

Elevating within COACHES

Horsham Saints will march into this season largely with the same team as their premiership side of 2025 – albeit with a refreshed lineup positionally.

Dynamic goal-attack Abby Hallam has chosen to play B Grade this year, making way for the Saints to swing Lena Marshman into attack, while Zena Kelm will be a permanent fixture in defence this season.

A Grade coach Vernetta Taylor said Kelm brought experience and further depth to the side, which went through last season undefeated.

“Zena, who was part of the 2025 team but also in B Grade, has been fully elevated into the A Grade team for this season, which is fantastic,” she said.

“She has worked really hard – this is something she has really focused on and really wanted to have that opportunity to play at the highest level that she can in the region.”

Aligning with the Saints netball mantra to give junior players opportunities at senior level, last year’s Wimmera league under-15 best-and-fairest Olivia Taylor and talented midcourt player Lani King will be used as impact players for the A Grade team, coming off the interchange.

“We absolutely are committed to developing our juniors, and if they have the ability and the talent to play at high levels, we want to support that,” Taylor said.

A Grade: Vernetta Taylor

B Grade: Abby Hallam and Jess Cannane

C Grade: Tegan Ward

C Reserve: Monique Emmett

17-and-under: Zena Kelm

15-and-under: Vernetta Taylor

13-and-under: Jorja Clode

“Throughout our senior teams we do have junior players. For example, Lena Marshman is still a junior, so she’ll still play 17-and-under – we think it’s important that the players still get to play in their age groups as well.”

Taylor expects sharp-shooter Jorja Clode to be available for all the Saints’ games, despite her Bendigo Strikers under-23 commitments in the Victorian Netball League.

Clode shot 798 to be the league’s standout goal-shooter, and was a key player for the Saints in their finals series.

“The Bendigo Strikers fixture has been quite favorable for us, so Jorja will be available for all games –there may be some games where we do have to manage her court time, and that was the same last year, but we’re excited because we don’t have any clashes,” Taylor said.

“So she will be available for all

of our matches, providing she stays fit and well.”

Wimmera league two-time Hatcher medallist Ash Grace and defender Maddie Bethune – named the best under-21 player in the league for the past two seasons – will no doubt contribute their usual highquality consistent seasons.

“We are a very consistent side – everybody knows their role, everybody comes and gives the best of their ability every given week, so I think every player will have an opportunity to be outstanding,” Taylor said.

The Saints played in a Ballarat Football Netball League pre-season tournament and had a practice match against Laharum ahead of their season opener on April 11 against Warrack Eagles.

“We’re really excited. We know there’s been a lot of recruiting going on at other clubs, and obviously I felt we didn’t need to do that – we had such a solid squad and talent within our existing players to elevate,” Taylor said.

“But I’ve been watching carefully with interest the player announcements at other clubs, and I think it’s exciting.

“I think Horsham Demons, as always, will be a very tough competitor, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Dimboola brings because they were right up there last year.

“I’m hoping that we’re going to have a really fierce competition, and I look forward to it.”

ON THE BALL WARRACK EAGLES

Recruiting depth

It will be somewhat of a newlook team for the Warrack Eagles in 2026.

After building in 2025 – showing significant improvement on the year before – the Eagles climbed off the bottom of the ladder, scoring three wins.

But they came close in many more games to snatching a handful of upset wins.

With Matt Walder stepping down as senior coach at the conclusion of last season, Kyle George has taken the reins and will lead the club’s football department.

George brings a wealth of football knowledge and experience to the role, having taken the Eagles to a preliminary final in 2010 as coach.

As the father of three boys, he has remained involved at the club, coaching the under-14s and under-17s during the past four years.

His football career has seen stints at North Ballarat, East Point, Beulah, Hopetoun, and Nightcliff in the Northern Territory.

In his playing days he also represented Vic Country, Wimmera and Southern Mallee football leagues.

Since taking over as senior coach, George said he had been pleased with numbers at training during the pre-season and excited by the recruits to the club.

He said the club had a handful of new recruits who would travel from Adelaide this season.

Connor McFadyen, a 191-centi-

COACHES

Seniors: Kyle George

Reserves: Nathan Dunne and Beau Duthie

Under-17s: Mal White and Lachie Stewart

Under-14s: Chris Roche

Under-11s: Ben Spicer and Jayden Werner

Under-8s: Adam Schulz and Chris Kellett

metre forward who kicked 39 goals in a premiership year for Sturt in the SANFL and was formerly on the Brisbane Lions’ list, will be joined by midfielders Billy Stokes and Samuel Callins from Mt Barker, as well as Nick Lehman, an energetic forward who can also push up into the midfield, coming from Willaston in the Barossa Light league.

Key forward John Jorgensen, a former VFL player with the Northern Bullants and Essendon and now living in Adelaide, will also join the Eagles.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing Billy Stokes and Samuel Callins play through the midfield and with these two forwards that we’ve got – Connor and John – we really do sort of look like a different team,” George said.

“Whether that equates to wins, we won’t know, but it’s definitely holding us in good stead for im-

provement.” George said he was looking to locals such as Declan Powell, Matt Penny and Dylan Watts – all senior players aged about 23 or 24 years – who have had solid pre-seasons, to be significant contributors.

“We also had a couple of blokes who have moved back to town, which is pleasing – ex-locals – so that’s bolstered training numbers,” he said.

“And we’ve probably got about five young kids out of the Under-17s who have been tracking very well, so it’s nice that they’ve stepped up.”

George listed Hayden Pollock, Shane George, Cooper Preston, and Seth Keen as among those stepping up to senior level, as well picking Mitch Bright – a 20-yearold quick forward who has moved to Warracknabeal.

George said the focus this year was trying to instill ‘good footy habits’ in what he expected to be another close Wimmera league competition.

“I think it’s really anybody’s –possibly Ararat is going to be the benchmark – but Nhill and Stawell have obviously improved,” he said.

“We’d like to think we’ve improved as well and with a little bit more depth, then injuries and whatnot possibly won’t hurt us as much as what they did last year.”

The Eagles play their first game of the season on April 11 against Horsham Saints.

WARRACK EAGLES

Ramping up COACHES

Amixture of youth and experience will hold the Warrack Eagles in good stead for the Wimmera league A Grade this season.

Eagles netballers have a strong history in the Wimmera league – often making finals – but have slipped out of the top five in recent seasons, last year finishing in sixth spot.

Five wins for the season, plus a draw against Minyip-Murtoa early in the season, meant the Eagles were another five wins off finishing in the top-five.

A Grade coach Sarah Spicer said while the squads were still being finalised, she expected to see Maddie Oakley and former Hatcher medallist Emma Koschitzke, both of whom have returned to the club, to feature in the club’s top-level team.

But the Eagles will be without centrecourt player Ashlynn McKenzie this season after she suffered a knee injury last year.

“We  started a bit of preseason at the end of last year – just with some FastFive netball and then ramped up again in January,” Spicer said.

“Numbers have been really promising, so I’m really excited for the year ahead.”

Spicer said the Eagles’ sixth-spot finish was an improvement on 2024, when they could only muster three wins for the season, languishing in second last.

“I was really happy with last season because we built on the previous season, so I was really happy to finish in sixth spot,” Spicer said.

“This year we’re obviously looking to go one better and try and make it into

A Grade: Sarah Spicer

B Grade: Jonti George and Sarah Marchment

C Grade: Bonnie Gunn

C Reserve: Jorja Polglase

17-and-under: Nicola Clyne

15-and-under: Brooke Holland

13-and-under: Macie Nitschke

Net Set Go: Deb Templeton and Hayley McGrath

finals, but we improved throughout last season and our results showed that.”

Spicer said the Eagles had a young team last year and she thought they could further develop in season 2026, resulting in more success for the Eagles.

“We had a relatively young side last year, and that will continue again this year,” she said.

“We do have Jess Kelly and Emma Koschitzke, who have a lot of experience, but the likes of what Lauren Clyne, who will now be full-time in the seniors, and her sister Nicola, she won our best-and-fairest last year and had a great season at goal-attack, and the other young ones coming up – like Lucy Holland, Macie Nitschke, and Airlie Garlick – we’re looking for the young ones to really step up this year.”

Warrack Eagles has the tough test first-up of taking on last year’s A Grade premiers Horsham Saints in round one on April 11.

ON THE BALL HORSHAM DEMONS

One game at a time

Under the guidance of a new coach, Horsham Demons will look to re-establish themselves as a finals contender in 2026.

With playing senior coach Jake Short, replacing Jordyn Burke, a couple of handy recruits and the anticipated return of some key players, the Demons are on track to lift themselves off the bottom of the Wimmera league ladder.

The Demons’ recruits are headlined by former junior Ben Hobbs, who – after being delisted by Essendon last year and picked up to play VFL by Port Melbourne – has nominated his home club when available throughout the season.

The former 2018 Demons senior premiership player is likely to play for Horsham three or four times this year when his schedule allows.

Charlie Dinning, from North Adelaide in the SANFL, is also a key recruit for the Demons.

“He’s a really nice left-footer –he’ll add plenty of grunt and polish to our midfield and up forward,” Short said.

The Demons have also picked defender Brait Headon, from HarrowBalmoral, where he was a senior premiership player.

“They’ll definitely add heaps for the team, but I think our improvement will come from our younger guys like Will and Lachie Hobbs, and Oakley Farr – they played a lot of senior footy last year and they’ll just naturally progress,” Short said.

COACHES

Seniors: Jake Short

Reserves: Jeremy Hartigan

Under-17s: Jye McCall and Bailey Nelson

Under-14s: Mark Sulic and Ben Janetzki

Under-11s: Daniel Cross

Auskick: Garrett Liston

He listed familiar names to the Demons such as Billy Carberry, Bailey Nelson and Jordy Schmidt as players who will return to the senior side.

“We’ve got some really classy guys who have played a lot of footy to come back in as well, so that’s where the improvement will come from, I think,” Short said.

In his first senior coaching role, Short’s football knowledge and expertise comes from a long playing career at Redan in the Ballarat league, where he was also assistant coach in recent years.

Short spoke to other clubs in the Wimmera about a coaching role, but ultimately settled on the Demons.

“ I really liked the profile of the Demons in terms of they had only won the one game last year, but I think it was in six or seven games they lost by two goals and they’re such a young group,” he said.

“I saw the talent was there and it reminded me a bit of Redan back home. So we got talking and the

more we talked, the more I liked that opportunity and that team, and here we are.”

The Demons nearly went through the 2025 season winless – waiting until round 16 before scoring a win over Warrack Eagles.

“The win-loss column was pretty grim from last year, but I think if you look at our age profile – and I’m sure a lot of other coaches will say this as a lot of teams are young – but the core of our group are between 18 and 21 years old, complemented by a few guys a bit older,” Short said.

“Last year was definitely a learning experience for guys to step up into senior footy ... and probably the depth in the squad as a whole, there wasn’t a lot of competition for spots, so I guess when that happens, standards tend to drop.

“But this year we’ve got a lot of guys back from long-term injuries that missed out last year.

“We’ve recruited really well. Competition for spots is there. And I think as a new coach with a fresh set of eyes, a lot of guys are realising I better train hard and put in the work to be able to get a spot come round one in the seniors, which that’s all you can ask for.”

Short said he was impressed with what he had seen so far in the Wimmera league.

“We’ll just control what we can control and it’s pretty cliche, but we’ll just take it one game at a time and see how we go,” he said.

Horsham Football Netball Club Inc.

Round

Saints

Warrack Eagles v Ararat

Minyip-Murtoa, bye

Round 5 – Saturday, May 16

Dimboola v Southern Mallee Thunder

Stawell v Nhill

Horsham Saints v Minyip-Murtoa

Ararat v Horsham

Warrack Eagles, bye

Round 6 – Saturday, May 23

Nhill v Dimboola

Minyip-Murtoa v Stawell (Murt)

Southern Mallee Thunder v Ararat (Beu)

Horsham v Warrack Eagles

Horsham Saints, bye

Round 7 – Saturday, May 30

Dimboola v Minyip-Murtoa

Stawell v Horsham Saints

Ararat v Nhill

Warrack Eagles v Southern Mallee Thunder

Horsham, bye

June 6 – King’s Birthday bye

Round 8 – Saturday, June 13

Horsham Saints v Dimboola

Minyip-Murtoa v Ararat (Min)

Nhill v Warrack Eagles

Southern Mallee Thunder v Horsham (Rain)

Stawell, bye

Round 9 – Saturday, June 20

Dimboola v Stawell

Ararat v Horsham Saints

Warrack Eagles v Minyip-Murtoa (Brim)

Horsham v Nhill

Southern Mallee Thunder, bye

Round 10 – Saturday, June 27

Ararat v Stawell

Warrack Eagles v Horsham Saints (Brim)

Minyip-Murtoa v Horsham (Mur)

Southern Mallee Thunder v Nhill (Hope)

Dimboola, bye

Round 11 – Saturday, July 4

Dimboola v Ararat

Stawell v Warrack Eagles

Minyip-Murtoa v Southern Mallee Thunder (Mur)Sunday, July 5

Horsham Saints v Horsham

Nhill, bye

Round 12 – Saturday, July 11

Warrack Eagles v Dimboola Stawell v Horsham

Round 13 – Saturday, July 18

HORSHAM DEMONS

Key inclusions

Horsham Demons A Grade is hoping several key inclusions to this year’s squad will provide consistency and commitment to its game-plan.

The Demons were runners-up to Horsham Saints last year, finishing second on the ladder with 12 wins and four losses.

As well as two losses to Horsham Saints, they also went down to Dimboola and Southern Mallee Thunder in the second half of the season.

But the Demons held on in two nail-biting wins over Dimboola in the finals series to earn a spot in the grand final, where, after an 8-21 first quarter, they were never really in the match and lost 43-80.

Despite having moved to Birchip-Watchem last year, the Demons qualified Romi Miller for finals, where she showed her strength in defence. But with Miller taking on the A Grade coaching role at the Bulls this season, it is unlikely she will be seen in Demons colours.

Another to depart is Keely Pope, who has moved across to Pimpinio in Horsham District league.

A Grade coach Georgie Carberry said the finish to last season was disappointing.

“We showed we’re capable, but we just lacked consistency at times,” she said.

“This year, we’re really focused on strengthening our combinations and building confidence

COACHES

A Grade: Georgie Carberry

B Grade: Dan Smith

C Grade: Baylee Hartigan and Annie Noonan

17-and-under: Pauline Butler

15-and-under: Janelle Knight

13-and-under: Kimmy

Shannon and Lucy Hartigan

Mods: Leni Hopper

across the group so that when we need to make changes, we can do so seamlessly and effectively.

Our main aim this year is to play with consistency week-in, weekout, and to really strengthen and commit to our game plan.”

Carberry said the Demons were excited about the group they had put together for A Grade.

“We’ve had some strong inclusions this season, with Georgia Hiscock, Ginger Short and Zarli Knight all coming into the side,” she said.

“They each bring something different and fresh, and their strength and individual skillsets are going to add a lot to our team this year.”

Hiscock returns from Rupanyup, where she led the Panthers to their first ever Horsham District A Grade premiership.

“I think Georgia Hiscock will have a big influence this year,” Carberry said.

“She’s a strong, versatile midcourt player who will help drive our team and provide leadership through that area of the court.

“Zarli Knight has also earned her place in the A Grade side this season. At just 17, she’s an incredibly strong and accurate goaler. She brings great composure and confidence to the ring and is going to add a lot of value to our attacking end.”

Carberry said the Demons’ preseason had progressed nicely, training as a senior group since January with their usual strong numbers on the court.

“We recently had a full senior practice match against Kalkee, which was really valuable. It gave us a good gauge of where we’re at, highlighted areas we can improve, and also showed some really promising combinations starting to gel,” she said.

Looking ahead to the Wimmera league A Grade season, Carberry expected the Saints to set the benchmark again.

“I haven’t seen a lot of player movement across the competition yet, so it’s a bit hard to gauge, but I think it’s shaping up to be another really competitive and exciting season,” she said.

The Demons will play MinyipMurtoa at Horsham City Oval in round one on April 11.

ON THE BALL

WIMMERA-MALLEE UMPIRES & AFL WIMMERA MALLEE

Opportunities await

Horsham District and Wimmera league will not adopt new AFL rule changes this season, but Wimmera Mallee Umpires Association will be ready when they do.

Key AFL changes this year include the last-disposal boundary rule; the removal of centre bounces in favour of umpires throwing up the football; ruck rules where opposing ruckman cannot cross the centre-circle line and engage with each other before the ball is in play; and tightening of the ‘stand rule’ where players within five metres of a mark or free kick must stand still immediately.

But both leagues have followed AFL Victoria advice not to follow the rule changes for this season, waiting to see how they pan out at the top level first.

WMUA president Amy Stasinowsky said the AFL rules changes had been a talking point in the off-season.

“The league in consultation with the clubs decided that not adopting those rules was best policy for this year,” she said.

“Let’s see how these things are implemented because as we know, with new rule changes are, there’s always little tweaks and refinements.

“Come next year if those rules are adopted by our leagues, we know that the tweaks have been made, and everybody will be completely all over that.

“As an umpiring group, we were happy to implement either way, whether we did or didn’t.

“We could see pros and cons for both sides of that coin, but we were ready if the leagues and clubs decided to adopt those rule changes.”

Mrs Stasinowsky said while all clubs and players had been made aware, it might cause confusion with supporters who would not see the same rules across all levels of football.

“The impact it’ll have on us is that people won’t understand why we’re calling certain things or why we’re not calling certain things, and it’s because what you see on Friday night footy, there’s subtle rule changes in there that we haven’t been introduced this year into our league,” she said.

Mrs Stasinowsky said as part of umpire training, WMUA had been working directly with some clubs, visiting their training sessions.

“We’ve been doing things out in club land, where we have umpires going to clubs on their training nights,” she said.

“I think it’s that thereafter in their scratch matches, if there is something like a free kick has been given away and they don’t understand why, then they’re seeking that clarification.

“The kickback for us with regards to going out to clubs is that we’re able to work with people who are interested in learning and getting better in that umpiring space – whether that be the young ones who run the boundaries in the reserves and they just want to learn a bit more, whether it’s people just looking tentatively and saying ‘oh, I could give goalumpiring or field-umpiring a crack at one point’.

“It’s allowing us to get out there and talk to people – we see it as a benefit to clubs because they’re having us there and we’re able to talk things through that we can’t do on game day.

“But at the same time, it’s good for us because we’re giving the umpire space a face and giving people a point of contact.”

Umpire recruiting is always a challenge, and Mrs Stasinowsky said umpires of all types – field, boundary and goal-kicking – were still needed for this season.

“Numbers are always something we’d love more of and it’s across the board – it’s not one discipline,” she said.

“We’d definitely like more of eve-

“Numbers are always something we’d love more of and it’s across the board –it’s not one discipline”

– Amy Stasinowsky, left

rything just to make sure we are comfortable, without there being some weeks where we are needing to move this person here and there.”

Last year, AFL Victoria made a push to try to attract more women into the umpiring ranks.

“We’ve got a couple more young females who have joined this year and they are going to be boundary people at this point in time,” Mrs Stasinowsky said.

“But we’re  more than needing extra women.

“Women can jump into goal umpiring, women can run field, women and girls can do boundary – it’s not a men’s limited thing. Women can do every facet of umpiring.”

A group of six from the WMUA travelled to umpire in the Northern Territory in the off-season.

Led by umpire coach Cameron Pickering, the group umpired games of all levels – from juniors to women’s to the senior men’s competition.

“We had some who were boundary-based and some who were fieldbased – they were given enormous opportunities up there and put into a heap of different types of games,” Mrs Stasinowsky said.

“The NT league has adopted those AFL rule changes so it gave them firsthand knowledge of how to implement, which is fabulous.

“But I think one of the biggest things was the temperature they had up there – the humidity and monsoonal rain at different points in time – the conditions were so extremely different.”

The umpires will wear new uniforms in 2026, the same yellowgreen colour – but with new sponsors coming on board, a new kit was needed.

Anyone interested in umpiring can contact the WMUA Facebook page, the AFL website, attend umpires’ training at 6pm on Wednesdays at Horsham City Oval, or can approach umpires on the sidelines on game days.

Co-ordinated approach

BY ANGE BALLINGER

AFL Victoria has been involved and assisted in various areas of community football during the off-season in preparation for the 2026 local football season.

Women’s football

The Wimmera football community is celebrating a major boost to female participation and pathways heading into 2026, with the WFNL moving its youth competition to under-15.5, the addition of Natimuk United Football Netball Club, expanded development programs and new people on the ground to support grassroots growth.

The move to a under-15.5 youth age group for 2026 is a strategic step to improve retention and development of young girls transitioning from junior programs into a local club football.

It aligns competition structure with player-development windows and will help more females stay engaged with the sport during critical teenage years.

AFL Wimmera Mallee

under-15 academy

The under-15 age group is the first step in the talent pathway, and with head coach Stuart Farr leading the program for the fourth year, the players are well into this intensive youthdevelopment program.

The next milestone is a showcase fixture during the upcoming school holidays when the GWV Rebels will host the academy against Western Districts in Hamilton – a valuable opportunity for our players to test themselves against a traditionally strong region.

Geelong Cats’ Next Generation Academy

The Geelong Cats’ Next Generation Academy has welcomed 12 local players into its program, opening further development and elite pathway opportunities for Wimmera Indigenous and multicultural talent.

2026 preparation

AFL Victoria continues to provide opportunities to ensure everyone is prepared for the upcoming season.

A fantastic coach-development day was recently held in Horsham with 10 coaches in attendance, and ongoing support is being provided to the Wimmera Mallee Umpires Association as they ready for the season.

Leadership opportunities are also flourishing locally, with Carly Gunn, Horsham Demons, and Jules Phelan, Warrack Eagles, selected for the prestigious AFL Victoria Lead Your Way

Ange Ballinger

program for 2026 – a terrific recognition of female administrators driving the game forward.

Community support

Community and on-the-ground support has been bolstered with the appointment of Frank Marklew to the local team of game-development officers, GDOs.

Frank arrives with extensive Auskick and umpiring experience and will play a vital role growing participation across the region.

He joins GDO Sally Pymer, who continues in her valuable role.

Sally and Frank have delivered numerous Auskick sessions and comeand-try school activities across the region over the past six months and are currently preparing for the popular school holiday programs that are coming up very soon.

Club-development lead Liam Brady has been working closely with all clubs to prepare for the season and will deliver virtual club-development sessions today.

This co-ordinated approach – competition alignment, elite pathways, coach and umpire development, community programs and dedicated development staff – positions the Wimmera to grow football participation sustainably and ensure local players can experience the joy, fitness and camaraderie of football.

AFL Victoria in the Wimmera is super excited for the upcoming season.

HORSHAM DISTRICT FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE An

Teams eager for slice

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Hope springs eternal as the Horsham District Football Netball League flips its calendar to 2026, with footballers and netballers across the region hoping to claim their own slice of history.

Reigning senior football premier HarrowBalmoral has given league onlookers no cause to doubt its chances of claiming a fourth consecutive flag.

While the injury-stricken Roos looked human at times last season – losing two games after going undefeated in 2023 and 2024 –the end result was the same.

A 44-point grand final win against Noradjuha-Quantong stamped Harrow-Balmoral as one of only four teams in league history to complete a senior premiership three-peat, and another flag this season would see the Roos join Kalkee as the only sides to win four straight.

But with an ageing list, coach Jai Thompson knows the Roos, as currently constructed, might not have many more opportunities to add to their trophy cabinet.

Also flush in their premiership window are the Bombers, who have finished runnersup to Harrow-Balmoral for the past two seasons.

Coach Damian Cameron believes his team has maintained a positive mindset as it chases premiership success, despite falling agonisingly short in the past two years.

Laharum won two finals last season before coming up short against the Bombers in a preliminary final, and has retained most of its players while selectively targeting a pair of key recruits, making it a grand final contender in the eyes of many.

Elsewhere the outlook is less certain, however.

Kaniva-Leeor United started 2025 slowly

but finished strongly, and is hoping for a more consistent run this year after also retaining the bulk of its players.

Pimpinio and Swifts have seen more list turnover than last season’s other finals contenders, while Natimuk United hopes to continue its rise towards the top five after picking up highly touted ruckman Henry Gould from Lucindale in South Australia.

But arguably the biggest recruit of the off-season belongs to Kalkee, which enticed back former junior star Tanner Smith.

Smith has years of experience at AFL and state-league level, and should help bring the Kees back into finals contention after a 4-12 season last year.

With former Dellar medallist Deek Roberts back in the fold alongside a few other recruits, Taylors Lake will also be out to improve on an eighth-place campaign last year, while Rupanyup has opted to add as much depth as possible around its young core.

Edenhope-Apsley is coming from a long way back after a wooden spoon in 2025, but has recruited well and figures to be much more competitive this season.

The netball competition is not short of intrigue either, with Rupanyup set to lose all 10 players that bought the club its first A Grade premiership in the Horsham District league last season.

The Panthers will now pivot to rebuilding around some of their young talent, and the club’s incredible depth from last season should hold it in good stead, with several promoted B Grade players having previously excelled in the top-tier competition.

Rupanyup’s list turnover has opened the door for other premiership contenders, with grand final runner-up Edenhope-Apsley returning a virtually unchanged side from last year.

The Saints have been training hard under returning coach Lavinia Fox, who hopes building continuity will be enough to push them across the line.

Laharum figures to vault back into premiership contention with star goal-shooter Caitlin Jones-Story returning to the fold, while Kalkee will look to depth and youth to carry it after reaching a preliminary final last season.

Noradjuha-Quantong coach Taylor Shelley is optimistic about the Bombers’ premiership chances after bringing in a trio of fit and experienced players in their primes.

Outside the finals llast season was Swifts, with the Baggies promoting junior talent – a tactic shared by Natimuk United, which boasts one of the league’s best young goalies in Emma Uebergang.

Taylors Lake is another side determined to thrust itself into the finals conversation in its second season under coach Sharon Fedke, and similar to the Baggies and Rams, will field a young side in 2026.

Kaniva-Leeor United, with the loss of some experience, looks likely to spend another season developing, but HarrowBalmoral is setting itself for a push up the ladder with some new recruits and a new coach in Georgia Kramm.

Returning goalie Tahlia Thompson looks set to give wooden spooner Pimpinio a boost, with the Tigers keen to improve on a one-win season in 2025.

The new league year will kick off on April 11, with Taylors Lake hosting Laharum at Dock Lake Reserve, Pimpinio welcoming the travelling Edenhope-Apsley, Natimuk United heading on the road to Rupanyup, Kaniva-Leeor United at home to HarrowBalmoral and Noradjuha-Quantong hosting Swifts, while Kalkee has a first-up bye.

BY STEVE HOFFMAN HDFNL CHAIR

Welcome to the 2026 HDFNL season.

It feels like only moments ago we wrapped up the 2025 season, and now here we are, ready to launch into round one of the 2026 The Weekly Advertiser Horsham District Football Netball League.

I hope you enjoyed a well-earned break and are energised for another exciting year of community sport.

This season we continue to nurture our youngest footballers with both the under-8 and under-11 competitions, giving them a strong and positive start to their sporting journey.

In netball, our commitment to junior development remains front and centre, supported by a clear pathway through the youth and senior grades.

Our talented juniors will again represent the league at association tournaments, the south-west carnival, and the interleague carnival in Portland.

With football and netball running side by side under a modified schedule, we’ll have even more opportunities to watch our future stars proudly represent the HDFNL.

Across our region, 11 clubs continue to play a vital role

in the health and spirit of their communities.

Our goal remains simple: encourage participation, strengthen our clubs, and ensure local sport continues to thrive.

These clubs are the heart of our towns, and their success is shared by us all.

Congratulations to the netballers selected for the Netball Victoria Talent Academy – this is the beginning of an exciting journey.

We also celebrate the young athletes chosen to represent the HDFNL in the Geelong Cats Next Generation Academy, along with those continuing their development through the Rebels program in 2026.

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of watching our emerging footballers compete against some of the region’s strongest talent.

Their performances highlight the strength of our development pathway and the dedication of everyone who supports it.

As always, we ask you to support our sponsors throughout the year.

Their generosity is essential to the ongoing success of our league.

Best wishes for the 2026 season. I look forward to catching up with many of you as the year progresses.

‘This

Another year presents another chance for HarrowBalmoral’s senior football side to create history.

The Roos have already etched their names among the Horsham District league’s elite sides by capturing a third successive premiership in 2025, equalling the feats of Laharum in 1962-64 and Rupanyup in 1996-98.

But a fourth-straight flag would put them in the company of a side universally acknowledged as the best in the league’s history – Kalkee, which won five premierships in a row between 2008 and 2012.

Returning senior coach Jai Thompson, who has guided the Roos to each of their past three trophies, knows a fourth will be far from simple.

Harrow-Balmoral will lose two premiership stalwarts to retirement in Simon Close and Dalton Burns – the former of whom was among the team’s best players with three goals in the 2025 grand final.

Also departing from the senior ranks are Alex Rees with university commitments and Charlie Johnston for work.

But the Roos have otherwise kept the majority of their premiership list in tact, and will fill the voids with recruit Liam Hickman from Carrum-Patterson Lakes in Melbourne’s Southern Football Netball League, the return of 2023

is our time’ COACHES

Seniors: Jai Thompson

Reserves: Tim Crick

Under-17s: Quentin Willmott

Under-14s: Ed Ferguson

Under-11s: Nick Pekin

premiership player Tom Conheady from Port Fairy and Daniel Brody, another former clubman.

Archer Cameron is also set to join the Roos’ senior side fulltime after impressing as an under-17 player last season.

With a strong midfield brigade including 2025 grand final beston-ground winner Peter Staude, Will Burbury and Will Plush, alongside key-position players like the retiring Simon Close’s brothers Michael and Anthony, Thompson said the team had the talent to contend once again.

But with many stars of recent years ageing, the coach urged his side to make the most of its premiership window.

“We’ve spoken about doing whatever we can to get the blokes who haven’t had that ultimate success yet and the new blokes who have come into the team a chance to be able to share in the success,” he said.

“It’s also an opportunity for us to continue to strike while the iron is hot.

“It’s not going to last forever, and I think everyone is aware of that.

“When you look at our list, we’re right in that zone of being pretty successful, but it can turn pretty quickly with our age demographic.

“We’re well aware that this is our time, and we want to squeeze as much as we can out of the orange and make the most of things.”

Thompson said the Roos would continue to reinvent themselves, hinting at tweaks to the team’s game-plan.

“If you look at the way the AFL is being played at the moment – and obviously we’re a fair few standards down from that –the game is turning into a pretty quick game with a lot of handball receives and numbers around contests,” he said.

“I think we’ll look at trying to go that way and try to speed up our ball movement, not relying so much on down-the-line kicks.

“We’ll look at moving the ball by hand and running the ball, because we’ve still got some really good leg speed and some good young kids who can run the footy.

“We’ll keep trying to adapt our game-plan to suit our players.”

HARROW-BALMORAL

Structures in place COACHES

Harrow-Balmoral

is charting a course back towards netball success under new coach Georgia Kramm.

While the Roos have dominated the senior football ranks, winning five premierships in the past eight years, it has now been a decade since the club’s A Grade netballers raised a flag.

The team has finished near the bottom of the ladder in each of the past three seasons, but Kramm said added depth and flexibility in the form of new recruits could help point the Roos in the right direction this season.

“We have four recruits who have come over from Coleraine,” she said.

“We’ve got sisters Holly and Chloe Langley, Ella Fitzgerald and Ange Dinges.

“Holly will play predominantly in goals, and then the other three are all midcourters, although Ella can play in defence as well.

“I think the only A Grade players we haven’t got returning from last season are Emily Langley and Millie Austin, so we should have good depth.

“We’ve also switched up a few things. I know Megan Little has played defence for probably the past 10 years, but we’ve got her in goals this year.

“I think bringing in some new recruits has given everyone at the club a bit of drive.

A Grade: Georgia Kramm

B Grade: Georgia Kramm

C Grade: Rachael Fear

C Reserve: Ella Willmott and Lucy Trotman

17-and-under: Kylie Penny and Bridget Close

13-and-under: Ash Simons

Mods: Maddie McLean

“The players know that they’re not just going to walk into the A Grade side like they might have done in the past couple of years, so I think it’s motivated everyone.”

Kramm will also coach the club’s B Grade team and said she aimed for cohesion across the senior netball ranks.

“We want to make sure that, regardless of who’s on the court, we’re all on the same page,” she said.

“We’ve been working on a lot of structures at training.

“That’s been a big thing, getting structures in place across the entire court and trying to get the players we’ve retained and the new players working together.

“We are hoping our midcourt will be quick and agile, but then at both ends we still have those young players filtering through,

so we want to make sure that it’s managed in a way where we can bring those guys into the play as well without overwhelming them.

“We’ll be working on a lot of structure stuff in the first half of the season to make sure we’re all on the same page and across everything before we get into anything too complex.”

Having previously played at Rupanyup, Kramm said she was excited to return to the Horsham District league.

Describing herself as a competitor, Kramm said she was motivated to raise her new club up the ladder.

“I knew the team hadn’t had much success recently, and I’m a very competitive and driven person, so I’m hoping to bring some success to the club, particularly the netball given the football side has been successful for a while,” she said.

“I’m hoping to lift up the success of the club and identify any juniors who might be capable of playing seniors and giving them opportunities as well, rather than just relying on the same senior players each year.

“Hopefully it all comes together.

“It might not be in the first few rounds, but we’re hoping to have it all together by the middle of the season.”

ON THE BALL

Hunger to be the best NORADJUHA-QUANTONG

Is 2026 the year the Bombers finally break through?

Since forming through a merger in 1997, Noradjuha-Quantong has been, by nearly every measure, one of Horsham District Football Netball league’s most exemplary clubs.

The Bombers have won premierships across all grades of senior and junior netball and have won three of the past four reserves football premierships, but one prize has consistently eluded them – a senior flag.

Noradjuha-Quantong has come as close as possible without reaching the promised land in the past two seasons, losing consecutive grand finals to Harrow-Balmoral, and coach Damian Cameron said his team knew its time to strike was now.

“Harrow-Balmoral has been a powerhouse for a long time, and Laharum had their era when they were really powerful and now they’re good again,” he said.

“It’s just a matter of not settling for second or third best – we’ve got to have that hunger to be the best and not wait for the others to drop off their perch.

“The position the club has been in over the last few years is a really healthy one, but we’re still chasing that senior premiership.

“To get ticks in all boxes we need to do that, so we’re looking to have a big year.”

Aiding the Bombers in their quest for a breakthrough flag will be a

COACHES

Seniors: Damian Cameron

Reserves: Jay Hogan

Under-17s: Heath Francis

Under-14s: Rohan Adams

Under-11s: Troy Oakley

playing list largely unchanged from the one that topped the ladder with a 15-1 record last season.

A blow for the team will be the loss of athletic forward Jye Walter, who kicked 44 goals in 2025, to Kalkee, but the Bombers’ midfield will receive a boost with the return of James Hallett after a year spent travelling.

Noradjuha-Quantong will also lose depth players Connor O’Beirne and Alex Ross, but have picked up Matt Bellinger from Natimuk United.

“Having James Hallett back again is huge for us,” Cameron said.

“He is a two or three-time club best-and-fairest. It will be nice to have him back.

“We probably haven’t recruited massively, but we’re lucky to be in the position where we haven’t had to go out and pick six players up.

“Although we haven’t recruited much, we’ve had a good pre-season and we’re looking forward to the year ahead.”

Cameron said several young players had also shown promise during pre-season training.

“Harry Daniell played some senior footy last year and is another year older and is now training consistently with the seniors,” he said.

“A couple of other guys who are still junior players like Micah Earhardt and Mason Hair have both been training well in pre-season and looking good in the practice matches as well.

“A couple of those younger guys are looking like they’ll be selected in round one, which is awesome.”

But while the emerging young players are encouraging signs for the future of the Bombers’ football program, Cameron said the bulk of the list was squarely in its premiership window.

“With the age group of our core players being around that 24 or 25 mark, they’ve still got a lot of hunger,” he said.

“We’ve talked a lot about it during the pre-season, and it’s obviously important to be more consistent.

“Harrow-Balmoral is able to play the same way week-in, week-out, whereas we probably fluctuate a little bit more.

“That consistency through games and through weeks will be big for us.

“We can’t use the excuse of having a young team anymore – they’re all men now and have been playing together for a long time, so we need to get it right ourselves.”

Primed to make noise

Some savvy recruiting has instilled belief that Noradjuha-Quantong’s A Grade netball side can raise its first premiership flag in more than a decade.

The Bombers are a perennial Horsham District league finals fixture, but last tasted glory in 2012 and last season were bundled out in the second week of the post-season.

However, after a summer in which the club picked up three key players, coach Taylor Shelley believes her team is primed to make noise in 2026.

“Obviously everyone’s end goal is a premiership, and I think that’s something that is realistically within our reach this season, which is exciting,” she said.

“We lost two of our young players to university – Taya Quick and Izabella McIntyre have left.

“But we’ve brought in a lot of experience in three new players – Leah Mirtschin, Rachel Leader and Jess Leader.

“We’ve brought in a lot of versatility and while we lost our two youngest players, we’ve added a little bit more experienced youth, which should definitely work in our favour.

“I think what let us down last year was that, apart from those two young girls, we were a bit of an ageing side.

COACHES

A Grade: Taylor Shelley

B Grade: Yolly Molineaux and Brooke Pay

C Grade: Chloe Gabbe

C Reserve: Natalie Hiscock

15-and-under: Katrina Kerr

13-and-under: Fiona Rowe

“So bringing in some younger players who still have good experience under their belts will help.”

Sisters Rachel and Jess Leader bring impressive netball resumes, with Rachel having played 10 years in the Victorian Netball League’s under-19, division one and championship grades, while Jess spent the majority of her playing career with Geelong West in the Geelong Football Netball League and was a premiership player for Ocean Grove in 2024.

Mirtschin also brings VNL experience and is a two-time A Grade premiership player and five-time best-and-fairest at Mininera club Penshurst.

Shelley said the trio would add flexibility to the Bombers’ lineups.

“Leah and Jess are both very versatile, which is a part of the reason I looked for them to come in,” she said.

“At the moment Jess will be slotting into the midcourt and Leah into defence, but they can both pretty well play seven positions on the court.

“We’re looking at Rach as mainly a goal keeper with her height – she’s just under sixfoot-four.”

With the recruits to line up alongside returning mainstays including Holly Nuske, Brooke Pay, Shannon Couch and Shelley herself, the Bombers shape as a dangerous match-up for any opponent.

But Shelley warned that while reigning premier Rupanyup’s loss of several key players had changed the balance of premiership favouritism, the Bombers were one of many sides vying for the crown.

“Rupanyup has obviously lost a lot of players, but I think they have enough talent among their local players to still be competitive. I think they’ll be fine,” she said.

“Laharum is going to be strong again – I would expect them to return almost to their 2024 strength.

“Edenhope-Apsley is always up there as well, so I think them and Laharum will be two of the big teams to look out for.”

ON THE BALL PIMPINIO

Tigers set targets

Can Pimpinio take the next step in 2026?

Two seasons ago the Tigers made an emotional breakthrough when they won their first final in 17 years, but despite following it up with a topthree finish last year, the team was bundled out of the finals with back-to-back losses.

With former coach Guy Smith ceding the reins to playing duo Matt Rosier and Cullen Williams, the Tigers will look to regroup as they push for their first senior grand final berth in 20 years.

Williams said the team’s form on the training track during pre-season had been solid, with good numbers attending each week.

“We’ve had some pretty good numbers. We’ve been getting about 30 for most pre-season training sessions, which is encouraging. All the boys have been pretty keen,” he said.

Despite the fact that, by Williams’ admission, Pimpinio had ‘only picked up a couple’ of recruits, they should both play key roles for the Tigers this season.

Hamish Sellens crosses from the Wimmera Football Netball League’s Dimboola Roos, and is expected to display pace and strong decision-making skills across half forward and in the midfield.

Jesse Wilkinson is a familiar face across the Horsham District league, having previously played for Natimuk United before spending the past few seasons at Westerns in the South West District league, winning the club’s best-and-fairest award last year.

Wilkinson should bring a strong presence to the Tigers’ midfield, complementing Rosier, who last season won the Dellar Medal as the league’s best and fairest.

Williams said a few players were also set to step up out of Pimpinio’s strong junior program, which has claimed the past four under-17 premierships in a row.

“A few of them played senior footy last year already,” he said.

“We’re looking at guys like Austin Simpson, Link

COACHES

Seniors: Matt Rosier and Cullen Williams

Reserves: Kyle Dumesny and Hayden Fleay

Under-17s: Steve Thomas and Brett Thompson

Under-14s: Luke Ellis and Dean Frew

Under-11s: Bernard Ward

Under-8s: Josh Friend

Smith and Brydon McPhee.” The emerging junior talent at the club should help bolster depth, which Williams admitted was lacking in 2025.

“Last season was probably a tale of two halves really. We started off really well and the whole team was confident and playing good footy early,” he said.

“Then we sort of struggled with a few injuries and probably a lack of depth, and, compounded by the fact we’re a bit of a younger team, we lost a little bit of confidence towards the end of the year.

“Unfortunately we probably played our worst footy in the last four or five weeks of the season.

“It wasn’t a great way to finish, but as I said, we’re a young team and we’ll learn from that and hopefully be a bit better this year.”

The coach said the team was aiming to put together a more consistent, complete season in 2026.

And with the club returning most of last season’s key players, including brothers Adam and Jason Westley, Brock Hamerston and ruckman Matt Healy, it has every chance to achieve its goals.

“We want to be a bit more consistent with our effort, which is our main aim,” he said.

“Whether that takes us to finals again is another story. It’s always hard, because there’s a bunch of other teams around us who are all trying to get better as well.”

Horsham Tyre & Battery Service

are proud to be a major sponsor of Pimpinio Football & Netball Club for the 2026 season!

PIMPINIO

Timely boost

The only way is up for Pimpinio in 2026.

The Tigers’ A Grade netball side found itself at the foot of the ladder last season, winning only one of its 16 games and claiming a wooden spoon that returning co-coach Hayley Hatcher said came as a surprise.

“Only having the one win was probably not what we expected from last year, but we dealt with injuries and things that we couldn’t do much about,” she said.

“All we want to do is try to do better than last year, and I think with the girls we have, we should be able to push some good sides, which is exciting.”

Among the key pickups who should help the Tigers improve immediately is returning former junior Tahlia Thompson.

After two years spent studying in Ballarat – during which she won the Ballarat Football Netball League’s rising star award with Redan – Thompson should strengthen Tigers’ goaling unit.

At the other end of the court, Victoria Taylor will return to hold down a key defensive position after last year winning a premiership with Rupanyup.

In the midcourt, new recruit Keely Pope from the Wimmera league’s Horsham Demons looks set to add some speed, agility and sharp decision-making skills.

Hatcher said another boost for the Tigers had been the completion of new netball courts at Pimpinio Recreation Reserve.

“It’s so exciting. The courts have been years and years in the works,” she said.

“Renee Clarkson and the committee have done an amazing job in finally get-

COACHES

A Grade: Hayley Hatcher and Lana Ellis

B Grade: Lisa Ward

C Grade: Marie and Tahlia Thompson

C Reserve: Erin Muller and Renae Clarkson

17-and-under: Marie Thompson and Kellie Slorach

15-and-under: Janae Slorach

13-and-under: Ash Brooks

ting that done, so we’re looking forward to training and playing on them this season.”

The Tigers will lose some of last year’s A Grade side, with young players Ada Binney and Ava Fitzgerald departing after completing year-12 studies.

But with players like Emily Hannan, Janae Slorach and Tahnee Brown returning in 2026, Hatcher said the team would field a solid mix of talent.

And if the squad can gel quickly, Hatcher said they would be well-placed to improve on last season’s showing.

“That’s what we’re always after is to improve on the year before,” she said.

“I think our key will just be getting our new recruits to gel with our returning players. That will be the key to success for us.

“It’s looking good at the moment in training. Our goalies are looking good at the moment, which is promising.

“We’ll see how far we can go this year.”

Young brigade ready COACHES

When Laharum coach Robbie Miller talks about the upcoming football season, he often repeats one phrase: ‘buy-in’.

After reaching a preliminary final last season – only two years removed from a winless wooden spoon campaign in 2023 – the Demons are looking to continue their rapid ascension back to the Horsham District Football Netball League’s elite.

But Miller knows it will be difficult to capture the club’s first senior premiership since 2015.

Miller, along with last season’s co-coach Shannon Argall, midfielder Daniel Easson and defender Brett Ervin are the remaining senior players from the team that raised a flag that year, while Gerard Matthews, Heath MacInnes and Hamish Roberts are likely to play in the reserves.

But Miller sees a new generation of talent ready to take the reins at Cameron Oval, and he said the Demons’ young brigade was starting to realise what it took to be successful.

“We look to grow internally with our young core players,” he said.

“Blokes like Reuben Launder, who has really taken that next step with his training ethic. He’s really going to blossom into one of our leaders this year.

“Monty Wynne has continuously shown great progression and Josh Hutchinson has realised that

Seniors: Robbie Miller

Reserves: Daniel Down

Under-17s: Tom Dunn

Under-14s: Dale Dridan

Under-11s: Shannon Argall

he has an opportunity to stamp himself as a quality footballer in the league.

“Then there are guys like Astrin Morrison, who has been in and out of the senior side the past couple of years and is starting to realise what it takes to take that next step in your football.

“He’s really shown great progression with his workrate and accountability.

“It’s the internal guys who we’ve had here for years who are realising there’s an opportunity ahead of this group to create something special, and what it takes to achieve that.”

Miller said the Demons had also recruited selectively to bolster their core, adding key forward Jack Fenner from Penleigh and Essendon Grammarians Football Club in the Victorian Amateur Football Association, along with ruckman Pat MacDonough, who played for Dimboola last season.

Miller said the duo would help take the pressure off Argall, who spent time at either end of the ground, as well as in the ruck last

season. Argall’s injury during the Demons’ finals campaign exposed the team’s lack of height, and Miller said the new recruits would help address that issue.

“We identified that we needed a key forward and a ruckman. We probably lacked a little bit in the bigs department,” he said.

“We were lucky enough to get some quality guys on board and their buy-in to our culture has been exceptional.”

After a 2025 campaign beset by injuries and player unavailability, Miller said the group was fit and ready to make a premiership tilt this season.

“The coaching group asked the playing group for a high-input type of pre-season to really take us to that next step,” he said.

“The boys have responded really well to a bit of heat that’s been put on the group, so I’ve been pleased.

“Hopefully there’s a little bit more luck on our side with injury and availability this year.

“But you’ve got to make your own luck as well.

“The guys have worked extremely hard to improve and that’s the beauty of this group.

“We’ve gotten up near the top of the ladder, so the hard part is continuing to improve rather than just plateauing.

“The group is hungry and they want to continue to improve on last year, so it’s good times.”

LAHARUM

‘Already looking good’ COACHES

The ominous footfalls the rest of the Horsham District A Grade netball competition hears behind them could be those of Laharum in 2026.

After completing an undefeated season on the way to the 2024 premiership, the Demons took a step back last season.

The absence of star goal shooter Caitlin Jones-Story following the birth of her child was compounded by the loss of goal attack Maddie Iredell during the finals, and Laharum bowed out in an elimination final against NoradjuhaQuantong.

But a down year for the Demons is still a good year for most sides, and with the side welcoming some handy young players during the summer, signs are good for both this season and years to come.

Headlining the recruits for Laharum is rising star Ilze Van Zyl, who won the best-on-court medal in last season’s grand final as a member of Rupanyup.

Van Zyl, who is still eligible to play 17-and-under netball, will slot into the Demons’ A Grade side alongside another key recruit – Jaspa Robinson.

Hailing from Mansfield in the Goulburn Valley league, Robinson will step into the void left by departing coach Rebecca McIntyre in defence.

New co-coach Brooke Taylor, who will lead the team along with Ema Iredell this season, said Robinson’s inclusion would give Laharum’s defensive goal circle a new look.

“It’s obviously a really big change.

A Grade: Brooke Taylor and Ema Iredell

B Grade: Peta Bond

C Grade: Emily Humphries and Jess Pymer

C Reserve: Emily Humphries

17-and-under: Jemma Thomas and Jess Whitworth

15-and-under: Jaylen Benbow

13-and-under: Hayley Crute

Net So Go: Kara Johnson, Shannon Arnott and Charlie Arnott

Beck has been there for a really long time and she’s very hard to beat with her hand over the shot and her rebounding. She’s been a rock down there for quite a few years,” Taylor said.

“It’s going to be a bit of a different look in the defensive circle because Jaspa and Ema don’t have Beck’s height, so it will be a bit more of a moving circle.

“But we’re excited because the combinations have only just started working together and it’s already looking good.”

With Hannah Plazzer also set to feature in this year’s A Grade side, Taylor said the Demons would have an ideal mix of youth and experience.

“There’s still the bulk of that core group with Liv Jones-Story, Maddie and Ema, Caitlin, et cetera, but Jaspa has come in as an 18-year-old and Ilze

is still a 17-and-under player, so we’ve really got a focus on developing some youth there, which is very good,” she said.

But with Maddie Iredell set to miss the opening portion of the season after giving birth earlier this year, and Caitlin Jones-Story also working back from maternity leave last season, Taylor said it could take time for Laharum to reach full strength.

“We expect it will take a little bit for them to get up to match fitness,” she said.

“If we have a bit of a slower start to the season than we would like, we probably wouldn’t be too shocked at this point.

“Hopefully we can make the top three and get a double chance in finals.”

But Taylor warned that a top-three finish was easier said than done in a rapidly improving competition.

“I think a few teams have done some really good recruiting, so I’m expecting some strong opposition out there,” she said.

“We have heard Noadjuha-Quantong has recruited very well and EdenhopeApsley has a similar team to the one that made the grand final last year. Kalkee is always thereabouts and they’ve picked up a couple of girls as well, so there should be quite a few strong teams.

“Even some of the clubs that didn’t make the finals like Taylors Lake really improved last year, so there should be a lot of competitive games.

“But we know we have a lot of talent in the team and we should go pretty well.”

WEEKLY

Best: Harrow-Balmoral, Simon Close, Peter Staude, Charlie Johnston, Jai Thompson, Will Burbury, Matt Jones; Noradjuha-Quantong, Dyson Parish, Jye Walter, Zachary Kelly, Declan Phyland, Nigel Kelly, Jayden Besford.

Goals: Harrow-Balmoral, Simon Close 3, Cody Deutcher, Mitchell Grant 2, Archer Cameron, Peter Staude, Jai Thompson; Noradjuha-Quantong, Judah Hobbs, Jye Walter.

CON THE BALL KANIVA-LEEOR UNITED

Carrying momentum COACHES

ontinuity will be key for Kaniva-Leeor United’s senior football side in 2026 after it made its Horsham District league finals debut last season.

The Cougars have one of the league’s longesttenured coaches in Jonno Hicks, who is in his fourth season at the helm – and his second alongside co-coach Jacob Eats.

The team will also return nearly all of its playing list from last season, with former SANFLlisted forward-midfielder Lachlan Bates the only new recruit.

After the Cougars made a splash with two midseason pick-ups in 2025 – recruiting talented onballers Josh Clayton and Tyler Roos – Hicks said his team elected to focus on internal development rather than outside recruiting during the summer.

Kaniva-Leeor United reached the finals for the first time since joining the District league in 2021 last season, but Hicks said a 10-goal elimination final loss to Laharum showed his team still had a long way to go.

“It was a good lesson. Our good footy can still compete with the best sides, but when we have lapses in games and we’re not up to our best, or when our effort is not spread across the board, teams can still get a hold of us,” he said.

“We had a fairly favourable draw last year, so we didn’t play many of the top sides twice.

“We were coming from a low base a couple of years ago when we battled, and we obviously improved last year, especially in the second half.

“This year we’re hoping we can carry on with that momentum, so a feature of this pre-season has been trying to be a bit more consistent and lift our fitness.”

Hicks said the Cougars had plenty of development potential, with three players from last year’s combined under-17 side with EdenhopeApsley stepping into the senior ranks.

Seniors: Jonno Hicks and Jacob Eats

Reserves: Travis Lannin

Under-17s: Ash Grant (combined side with Edenhope-Apsley)

Under-14s: Brett Jewell and James Ferguson (combined side with Edenhope-Apsley)

“There’s three kids coming out of our under17s side – Leeroy Grant, and Xavier and Willis Stimson – who have all played senior football and are training really well at the moment,” he said.

“They’ve been really impressive with their attitude and how they go about it, so we’re looking forward to seeing all three of those guys get a bit more of a taste of senior football.”

And with Bates adding to the Cougars’ depth in the midfield and forward line, Hicks said another focus would be finding more avenues to goal and relieving the burden on his co-coach Eats – last season’s league-leading goal-kicker.

“We’re trying to be a bit more aggressive with the ball and take our chances a bit more,” he said.

“We’ve been fairly sound defensively, but we really struggled to move the ball with any sort of pace into our forward half.

“We’re trying to take the game on a bit more and have a bit more confidence in our system instead of being in our shells like we have been.

“Jacob is obviously a fantastic target for us, but this year we’re also hoping we can spread the load a bit more and get him some more help down there.

“We’re hoping we can spread the load a bit more with more depth.”

Round 8 – Saturday, May 30

Round 1 – Saturday, April 11

Taylors Lake v Laharum

Pimpinio v Edenhope-Apsley

Rupanyup v Natimuk United Kaniva-Leeor United v Harrow-Balmoral Noradjuha-Quantong v Swifts

Kalkee, bye

Round 2 – Saturday, April 18

Harrow-Balmoral v Noradjuha-Quantong (Har)

Natimuk United v Kaniva-Leeor United Edenhope-Apsley v Rupanyup

Laharum v Pimpinio

Kalkee v Taylors Lake Swifts, bye

Round 3 – Saturday, April 25

Kaniva-Leeor United v Edenhope-Apsley

Rupanyup v Laharum

Sunday, April 26

Pimpinio v Kalkee

Noradjuha-Quantong v Natimuk United

Swifts v Harrow-Balmoral

Taylors Lake, bye

Round 4 – Saturday, May 2

Natimuk United v Swifts

Edenhope-Apsley v Noradjuha-Quantong

Laharum v Kaniva-Leeor United Kalkee v Rupanyup

Taylors Lake v Pimpinio

Harrow-Balmoral, bye

Round 5 – Saturday, May 9

Rupanyup v Taylors Lake

Kaniva-Leeor United v Kalkee

Noradjuha-Quantong v Laharum

Swifts v Edenhope-Apsley

Harrow-Balmoral v Natimuk United (Bal)

Pimpinio, bye

Round 6 – Saturday, May 16

Edenhope-Apsley v Harrow-Balmoral

Laharum v Swifts

Kalkee v Noradjuha-Quantong

Taylors Lake v Kaniva-Leeor United Pimpinio v Rupanyup

Natimuk United, bye

Round 7 – Saturday, May 23

Kaniva-Leeor United v Pimpinio

Noradjuha-Quantong v Taylors Lake

Swifts v Kalkee

Harrow-Balmoral v Laharum (Har)

Natimuk United v Edenhope-Apsley

Rupanyup, bye

Laharum v Natimuk United Kalkee v Harrow-Balmoral

Taylors Lake v Swifts

Pimpinio v Noradjuha-Quantong

Rupanyup v Kaniva-Leeor United Edenhope-Apsley, bye

June long weekend League bye – June 6

Round 9 – Saturday, June 13

Noradjuha-Quantong v Rupanyup Swifts v Pimpinio

Harrow-Balmoral v Taylors Lake (Bal) Natimuk United v Kalkee

Edenhope-Apsley v Laharum Kaniva-Leeor United, bye

Round 10 – Saturday, June 20

Swifts v Kaniva-Leeor United

Harrow-Balmoral v Rupanyup (Bal)

Natimuk United v Pimpinio

Edenhope-Apsley v Taylors Lake

Laharum v Kalkee

Noradjuha-Quantong, bye

Round 11 – Saturday, June 27

Kalkee v Edenhope-Apsley

Taylors Lake v Natimuk United Pimpinio v Harrow-Balmoral

Rupanyup v Swifts

Kaniva-Leeor United v Noradjuha-Quantong Laharum, bye

Round 12 – Saturday, July 4

Laharum v Taylors Lake

Edenhope-Apsley v Pimpinio

Natimuk United v Rupanyup

Harrow-Balmoral v Kaniva-Leeor United (Har)

Swifts v Noradjuha-Quantong

Kalkee, bye

Round 13 – Saturday, July 11

Noradjuha-Quantong v Harrow-Balmoral

Kaniva-Leeor United v Natimuk United

Rupanyup v Edenhope-Apsley

Pimpinio v Laharum

Taylors Lake v Kalkee

Swifts, bye

Round 14 – Saturday, July 18

Kalkee v Pimpinio

Laharum v Rupanyup

Natimuk United v Noradjuha-Quantong

Harrow-Balmoral v Swifts (Bal)

Taylors Lake, Kaniva-Leeor United,

Edenhope-Apsley, bye

Round 15 – Saturday, July 25

Swifts v Natimuk United

Noradjuha-Quantong v Edenhope-Apsley

Kaniva-Leeor United v Laharum

Rupanyup v Kalkee

Pimpinio v Taylors Lake

Harrow-Balmoral, bye

Round 16 – Saturday, August 1

Taylors Lake v Rupanyup

Kalkee v Kaniva-Leeor United

Edenhope-Apsley v Swifts

Natimuk United v Harrow-Balmoral

Laharum, Noradjuha-Quantong, Pimpinio, bye

Round 17 – Saturday, August 8

Harrow-Balmoral v Edenhope-Apsley (Har)

Swifts v Laharum

Noradjuha-Quantong v Kalkee

Kaniva-Leeor United v Taylors Lake

Rupanyup v Pimpinio

Natimuk United, bye

Round 18 – Saturday, August 15

Pimpinio v Kaniva-Leeor United

Taylors Lake v Noradjuha-Quantong

Kalkee v Swifts

Laharum v Harrow-Balmoral

Edenhope-Apsley v Natimuk United

Rupanyup, bye

COACHING STAFF

FOOTBALL

U8’s/Auskick – Brad Witmitz & BJ Hawker

U11’s – Sam Salt & Joel Wagg

U14 Saint Cougars – Brett Jewell & James Ferguson

U17 Saint Cougars – Ash Grant Reserves – Travis Lannin Seniors – Jonno Hicks & Jacob Eats NETBALL

A-Grade – Kylie King

B-Grade – Carlee Feder

C-Grade – Annika Munn

C-Reserve – Annika Munn U13’s – Robyn Staehr & Kat Harris

Thanking

KANIVA-LEEOR UNITED

Consistency goal

Kaniva-Leeor

United’s A Grade netball team made a triumphant return to the Horsham District competition in 2024, reaching the finals a year after being unable to field a team.

But the Cougars were unable to repeat the feat last season, sliding to 10th place on the ladder with a 2-14 record.

In 2026 returning coach Kylie King has her eye on long-term success, as the club looks to lay a foundation for sustainable success in the future.

With a few experienced players from last year’s A Grade squad set to depart through relocation and family leave, King said success this season would be measured by metrics other than wins and losses.

“The focus for us is improvement and consistency. We want to be more competitive week-in, week-out and close the gap against the top sides,” she said.

“For us, success is about growth – both individually and as a team. If we can see clear improvement in our performance, build strong connections on court and put ourselves in a position to challenge more consistently, we’ll be really happy with that.”

Offsetting the losses for the Cougars will be familiar faces Nikki Hawker and Blair Burke, both returning from family leave, and Abby Feduniw, who will slot back into the side after an injury layoff.

The team has also recruited midcourt player Hannah Melling from the Lobethal Tigers in Adelaide’s Hills Netball Association.

King said the Cougars had worked to entice other recruits to fill out their team.

“We’ve picked up a few new faces to the senior ranks this year, including players from neighbouring clubs, some returning to netball

COACHES

A Grade: Kylie King

B Grade: Carlee Feder

C Grade: Annika Munn

C Reserve: Annika Munn

17-and-under: Robyn Staehr and Katrina Harris

13-and-under: Robyn Staehr and Katrina Mellington

Modified: Louise Willersdorf and Mel Fischer

after time away and some who have moved to the area for work,” she said.

“They’ve brought great energy to the senior group and have settled in really well.”

King said the team had been training strongly, and with development and a clean bill of health, could start building towards a bright future.

“We’re still working through combinations, but the new and returning players give us great flexibility across the court,” she said.

“We’ve got strength through the midcourt and some versatility in both attack and defence. There are a few young players who are developing coming through into the senior grades. They’ve shown great composure and willingness to learn, so we’re keen to see how they handle that next step.

“A number of players have had really strong pre-seasons. The commitment across the whole group has been excellent, and it’s been pleasing to see the consistency at training.

“After a challenging season last year with multiple season-ending injuries, the focus for us is improvement and consistency.”

ON THE BALL SWIFTS

Sibson takes reins COACHES

With a new coach, new players and a new game style in 2026, the Swifts hope to retain the competitive spirit that has made them one of Horsham District Football Netball League’s most consistent sides in recent seasons.

Nigel Sibson takes the senior coaching reins at the Baggies from Brett Hargreaves, who will remain as a player.

But several mainstays of recent seasons have departed, including Hargreaves’ co-coach last season, Ryan Folkes, who has moved to Ballarat.

Also departing are Folkes’ fellow midfield star Angus Murray and running defender Joseph Martin, who have both departed for Wimmera Football League club Stawell.

However, Sibson said a healthy list of recruits would help offset the loss of some star power.

Headlining the new brigade are Daniel Clee and Thomas Motlop, who join from the Northern Territory Football League’s Wanderers.

Motlop, a member of one of football’s most famous families, has previously played in the SANFL, WAFL and NEAFL, while Clee was a standout for the Wanderers last season.

Former Swifts players Hamish Smith and Hayden Hamilton have also rejoined the club after stints at Stawell, with other recruits including Edward Turner and Teague Vincent.

Seniors: Nigel Sibson

Reserves: Barry Neville and Alex Close

Under-17s: Noah Stirling

Under-14s: Macka Padley

Under-11s: Todd Matthews

“Daniel and Thomas both play as mid-forwards and are both very highly credentialed and experienced footballers,” Sibson said.

“Edward Turner will play off a wing or half back, Hayden will play in our backline as well and Hamish Smith and Teague Vincent will play as midfielders.”

Sibson himself will give the Baggies an on-field boost after a lengthy stint at Mininera-league team Great Western, where he was a premiership captain and best-and-fairest winner.

Sibson said he felt quickly at home with Swifts after signing in September.

“The club has been really good. They’ve been really welcoming and embraced me, and that’s from a club level and a playing-group level,” he said.

Sibson said he strove to create a positive environment for his players.

“We just want to play an enjoyable, attacking brand of footy. Everyone wants to play footy that their players enjoy being a part of, so

we’ve put a lot of focus this off-season into ball movement,” he said.

“Hopefully if we can put what we’ve practiced in the pre-season out into the home-and-away season, it will give us opportunities to score and score heavily.

“Pre-season has been challenging in some ways, both physically and mentally with learning a new game style and new structures, but everyone seems to have enjoyed it and the group seems to be pretty happy.”

Sibson said another focus would be the development of the club’s emerging young talent.

“With some of those guys moving on, it’s probably made our list a bit younger and it’s going to give some of those younger guys an opportunity to grow and hopefully play some good senior footy,” he said.

“Jack Cann is one who has played a decent amount of senior footy now, but he’s probably getting to the stage where he’s ready to take the next step. His pre-season has been really strong and he’s been a real leader for us.

“Cameron and Will Wickham have had really good pre-seasons and are probably in a similar position of having played a bit of senior footy now.

“Even someone like Hamish Smith who came across to us from the Warriors is still quite young. He looks like he’s taking some good steps towards being a really solid senior footballer for us as well.”

SWIFTS

The next step COACHES

After three seasons of incremental improvement, Swifts’ A Grade netball team is determined to take another step forward in 2026.

The Baggies finished eighth in 2023, seventh in 2024 and sixth last year, missing out on a finals spot by only six premiership points.

Now with new playing coach Jayde Ellis in the fold, the team will aim to promote young talent as it builds towards the future.

Ellis, who joined the Baggies from Pimpinio, said consistency would be a priority for her side.

“Obviously the goal at the end of everyone’s season, particularly in A Grade, is to be making finals,” she said.

“Swifts’ A Grade side was sixth on the ladder last year, so they just missed out by one spot.

“In an ideal world we’d like to remain where we were or push further up into that top five and get a finals spot.

“But remaining consistent is going to be the key. I think it will be another good year competition-wise – I think everyone will be fairly competitive across the board.”

Swifts will lose last season’s co-captain Michaela Carey, who is pregnant, while midcourter Erin Freeland and goalie Rebbekkah Seeary will also depart.

In an ironic twist, one of the players in line to replace Freeland is her daughter Willow, who Ellis said would be given opportunities at senior level while balancing commitments in the Baggies’ 17-andunder team.

“It’s is a bit of a funny situation. Her mum’s gone across to the Stawell War-

A Grade: Jayde Ellis

B Grade: Jade Bird

C Grade: Caitlin Holden

17-and-under: Tahlia Hoffmann

15-and-under: Kathryn Boag

13-and-under: Amy Kenny

Modified: Amanda McLeod

riors but she’s stepping up into the team to help fill that spot,” Ellis said.

“Then we’ve got Lylah Slorach who is another junior stepping up into A Grade as well.

“Willow is down in the defence end and Lylah is more of a goalie, so that’s where we’ll swing them throughout the season.

“They’ve been performing really well over pre-season, so I’m excited to see their games grow and develop, both in juniors and seniors.

“I think senior netball is a great place for juniors to develop and better their skills, so I’m really excited to see how they go against some tough competition and some stronger bodies.”

Above all, Ellis said she was excited to play for her new club.

“I couldn’t have asked for much more to be honest,” she said.

“I drive up and down the highway a couple of times a week and I always leave feeling really positive, so it’s been great.

“Everyone has been really welcoming. There’s a really positive vibe going around and everyone is looking forward to the season, which is really good.”

ON THE BALL NATIMUK UNITED

Eyeing long-term success COACHES

Consistency, effort and execution are words that Natimuk United senior coach Jarred Combe will repeat this season.

After slumping to a wooden spoon in 2024, the Rams were a muchimproved outfit last year, albeit one still well off the Horsham District league finals pace.

A win against eventual premier Harrow-Balmoral in round 10 highlighted what the team was capable of, but subsequent losses to fellow also-rans Rupanyup and Taylors Lake – the latter by a single point –showed there was still a gap between the Rams and true finals contention.

But Combe, now entering his sixth season with Natimuk United, said the Rams would not be swayed into making high-risk, win-now moves, instead eyeing sustainable long-term success.

“We’ve made a concerted effort over the past few years on player retention and stability of our list,” he said.

“With that we’ll field a very similar side to 2025 – a couple of players have departed and we have the addition of a few new faces who we think will complement what we have in the team.”

Among the new faces are gun ruckman Henry Gould, who last season played for Lucindale and was picked in the Kowree-NaracoorteTatiara interleague side.

Also on board is Jacob Medwell from the Geelong West Giants in the Geelong and District league.

Seniors: Jarred Combe

Reserves: Jono Lovel

Under-17s: Cody Frizon

Under-14s: Evo Hennessy

Under-11s: Sean Schmidt

Auskick: Jason Skiller

The pair will help offset the loss of a trio of talents to the Wimmera Football Netball League, with Oscar Reading moving to the Stawell Warriors while Bailey Brennan and Drew Harris join the Horsham Saints.

Combe said it would be his team’s ability to perform at a high level consistently – not the inclusion or loss of any players – that would determine whether the Rams could make the leap towards true finals contention.

“Our main focus throughout preseason has been consistency – in effort, execution and decisionmaking,” he said.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on our contest work, defensive structure and ball movement, while also continuing to build connection within the group.

“We want to be a team that competes hard for four quarters and can sustain our game style regardless of the situation.”

Combe said maturing younger players would also be afforded senior opportunities during the season.

“A number of our younger guys showed flashes last season and have had strong pre-seasons, both physically and in terms of understanding their roles,” he said.

“We’re excited about their potential, but more broadly we’re focused on collective improvement rather than putting too much expectation on individuals.

“Our primary goal is continued growth. We want to see clear improvement in how we play, how we compete and how we handle pressure.

“Of course we want that to translate into more consistent results, but we’re realistic about where we’re at in our journey.

“If we can stay true to our process, keep developing our young talent, and remain competitive each week, the outcomes will take care of themselves.”

Combe said 2025 had laid a solid base from which the Rams could build.

“Last year was a positive step forward for us. Given how young and relatively inexperienced the group was, the growth we saw across the season was pleasing,” he said.

“We were still inconsistent in parts throughout the season – we played some really exciting and poor football at times.

“There’s obviously still plenty of improvement ahead of us.

“The foundation we laid last year gives us real confidence moving forward.”

NATIMUK UNITED

Future looks bright

Natimuk United’s A Grade netball side remains a team building towards the future in 2026, but the future could arrive faster than many onlookers realise.

The Rams have retained the majority of a young squad that won seven games in 2025, with wins against finals sides Laharum and Noradjuha-Quantong highlighting the group’s promise.

Coach Danielle Hanson said her goal was to continue the team’s positive trajectory as it looked to return to the finals for the first time in years.

“Hopefully we can make finals this year. Last year we were knocking on the door, so hopefully we can take one step further this year,” she said.

Last year Emma Uebergang continued her emergence as one of the league’s best young goalies, playing in both the Rams’ A Grade and 17-and-under squads.

This year she will be joined in the goal circle by recruit Stacey Hopwood.

“She’s been a really good addition in the goal-shooter position – she’s a good holding goalie,” Hanson said.

Another young talent, Phoebe Sudholz, will also step into the side full-time after being a development player last season.

Hanson said Sudholz was primed for a break-out year.

“She’s unreal. She’s a tall girl who gets her hands on a lot of the ball,” she said.

“We’ve always been a bit short in the midcourt, so just having her extra height in there means she’s getting a tap on nearly every ball.

“She’s a fit young girl too, so I really think she’s ready to step up to the plate.”

Defender Beth Sudholz is another inclu-

COACHES

A Grade: Danielle Hanson

B Grade: Ben Perkin

C Grade: Cheryl Sudholz and Michelle Trigg

C Reserve: Cheryl Sudholz and Michelle Trigg

17-and-under: Kate-Lyn Perkin

15-and-under: Cheryl Sudholz and Erica Blake

13-and-under: Danielle Hanson

sion for Natimuk United this season after two years spent studying in Geelong, with midcourter Tahlia Dufty stepping up from B Grade.

Hanson, Keeta Scown, Ebony Rintoule and Emily Hateley will all return, giving the Rams good depth.

But regardless of this season’s outcome, the coach said the future was bright at Natimuk United.

“We won games that we probably shouldn’t have won last season to be honest,” she said.

“We beat Laharum and Noradjuha-Quantong during a good run in the middle, and then we lost games that we shouldn’t have lost like our game against Taylors Lake, which hurt us a little bit.

“We didn’t finish the season off the way we wanted to, but we’re slowly edging closer to the top five.

“Obviously we’ll keep striving to do that this season, but we’re still a very young team, so it’s going to be about developing those young players to try to keep standing up and progressing.”

ON THE BALL TAYLORS LAKE Lakers

The right direction COACHES

While several Horsham District league teams position themselves for premiership glory in 2026, Taylors Lake senior coach Lee Marshall has his eye on longer-term success.

Marshall, who previously coached the Lakers in 2022 and 2023, returned to the helm last year after former coach Justin Beugelaar stepped down mid-season.

Initially hesitant to make the transition from caretaker coach to full-time appointment, in a year when the club celebrates its 80th anniversary, Marshall said he was convinced by a vision for long-term success shared by the Lakers’ hierarchy.

“We’ve got the right people in the right positions and there’s a genuine feel across the whole club about trying to get better, whether it be from junior grassroots through to senior football and netball – everyone is on the same page, trying to push the club to the next level,” he said.

“I obviously came on board last year just to help out and then I ended up becoming the interim coach. But I was unsure about coaching this season because of work commitments – I didn’t think I’d have the time to commit fully to what the club needed.

“But the playing group is what sold it for me. I get along with them all and we’ve got a pretty close group.

“I couldn’t speak more highly of them all.

“Once we had the meetings and talked about this year, the only condition that interested me in terms of

Seniors: Lee Marshall

Reserves: Craig Healey

Under-17s: Brett Monoghan and Adam Borgas

Under-14s: Simon McKinnon

Under-11s: James Dixon

Auskick: Scott Walker and Harrison Penny

taking on the job was if they all committed again, and I’m pleased that 99 per cent of them have.”

Marshall said the only significant loss from last year’s senior group was big-bodied midfielder Bray Cullinan, who has moved to Perth for work.

But the Lakers have enticed back former star and 2015 Dellar medallist Deek Roberts from the Wimmera league to serve as Marshall’s playing assistant, with other recruits including the hard-running Dylan Bates from Pimpinio, full forward Chris Fletcher from Sandgate in the AFL Queensland League, half forward Jude Poyser from Newcomb in the Bellarine league and former player Trae Martin.

Marshall said Roberts had helped set a tone for the younger Lakers during pre-season training.

“Having Deek come back to the club is massive for us. He’s obviously got a very good football resume, and for him to commit to coming back and finishing his career where it all started is a real positive for us,” he said.

“Since day one of pre-season he’s set

the standard with the boys and let the younger fellas know what is expected if you want to play at a higher level and take that next step.

“With his training standards he’s been really good for the culture of the group.”

Marshall said the team’s recruits would help shore up areas of concern from last season.

“We’ve addressed where we fell away a lot last year, which was with turnovers. We won enough of the football and had enough forward entries, but we turned it over at the wrong times and in the wrong parts of the ground,” he said.

“We’ve recruited quality and pace around the ball.”

While Marshall said most clubs entered a season with finals as an expectation, a post-season appearance was ‘not a KPI’ for the Lakers.

“As long as we continue to improve – and we can improve in ways other than winning; things like culture, training standards and having the senior group have more input with the junior program – and continue to make the club a place people want to come to, that’s a win for us,” he said.

“We’ve ticked the box of having our standalone under-17s and under-14s.

“If I was going to put one expectation out there, obviously we’d want to win more games than we did last year and continue to show that we’re going in the right direction as a senior group.

“It’s looking pretty positive for us, so as long as everything stays on track I think it will be an exciting year for the club.”

TAYLORS LAKE Lakers

Solid platfor m

After residing near the bottom of the ladder in recent seasons, Taylors Lake’s A Grade netball side made positive strides under new coach Sharon Fedke in 2025.

Now a returning Fedke is determined to build on the solid platform the Lakers have laid for themselves.

The Lakers again figure to be one of the league’s youngest teams, but Fedke said the group had a chance to build something special in the coming years.

“You strive to play finals and if you get that opportunity, that’s great. If you don’t, then you look to continue building,” she said.

“For me, success is rated differently. It’s not just about what happens on the court, it’s also what happens off the court and how you deal with your group as a whole.

“It’s about the type of young ladies that our players are, not just playing the game, but what they’re like off the court.

“That’s something I pride myself on trying to teach as well.

“For me it’s not a short-term thing. This is a really young group of girls, so this is more of a long-term project.

“If we can keep this group of girls together, I’m not just looking at this year, I’m looking at the future and trying to build towards that.”

Fedke said her team had shown plenty of positive signs last season, finishing with a 6-10 record and a healthy percentage after going 2-14 in 2024.

COACHES

A Grade: Sharon Fedke

B Grade: Sharon Fedke

C Grade: Bianca Kettle

C Reserve: Abbey Featherstone

17-and-under: Kelly Knoop

15-and-under: Gaie Wheeler

13-and-under: Makaidee Knoop

The Lakers will lose three players from their 2025 squad, with Olivia Revell moving to Tasmania with work commitments, Isabelle Hedt attending university and Harriet Overman also departing.

But Fedke said the return of former player Kaleisha McKerron in defence and the emergence of young midcourter Makaidee Knoop from the junior ranks would help fill the holes left by the departing trio.

The coach said she saw a continuous trajectory of improvement for her young charges if they continued to work hard.

“We’ve been stuck back into training and pre-season and it just seems to have gone on from last year,” she said.

“It’s just about trying to reinforce the processes that we put in place last year and continuing on with that.

“I think the girls took some great strides last year in the type of game play that we want to execute and I want to continue to improve on that again this year.”

Lakers

Wishing all teams a successful season

ON THE BALL RUPANYUP

Work in progress

As it enters the 2026 season, Rupanyup’s senior football side is still a work in progress.

But lest anyone underestimate the Panthers, coach Cam Weston believes his young side is capable of surprising more than a few onlookers.

Rupanyup, after playing an elimination final in 2024, slid to a ninth-place finish last year, and Weston said the off-season had been about recalibrating and adding depth to the team.

“We’ve tried to recruit locally as much as possible and then branch out from there,” he said.

“It’s a bit of a challenge in this area because there’s such a dense population of teams, which makes it hard, but we’re happy with what we’ve done.”

Locally, the Panthers have signed half forward Xavier Pumpa from Noradjuha-Quantong, ruckman Sam Kamstra from Taylors Lake and wingman Jed Dickerson from the Horsham Demons reserves.

Former club junior Sam Chapman has returned after a stint with Echuca United in the Murray league, while 2022 premiership player Jack Kreuzberger looks set to play more this season after taking the field only three times in 2025.

From further afield, the Panthers have added hardworking midfielder George Wilkes from the Northern Territory Football League’s Wanderers, with defenders Connor White and Luke Yeates joining from Melbourne’s University Blues.

Rupanyup is set to lose seasoned performers Elliot Kelly and Domonic ‘Junior’ Grant, and Weston said his side would be a relatively young and inexperienced outfit.

But with the coach tipping several young players to bloom with regular senior opportunities, he said the Panthers’ development could be rapid.

“I think last year we placed too much emphasis on our win-loss ratio in terms of success, whereas we probably should have been looking

COACHES

Seniors: Cam Weston

Reserves: Jakob Davis and Dylan Eats

Under-17s: Scott Finnigan and Nash Field

Under-14s: Brenton Hurley

more internally for growth,” he said. “This year we have got a really young bunch of kids and so we’re just looking for internal growth.

“As that progresses throughout the year, I think if we’re following our system then the win-loss record will take care of itself.

“Our ultimate goal is to play finals this year and build on each week and each performance as a team.

“We’re not putting a ceiling on how far we can go, we’re just trying to achieve our best each week.”

Weston tipped youngsters Jimmy Finnigan, Sid Kingston, Jaxon Coote, Will Noble and the Greater Western Victoria Rebels-listed Riley Downer as players with plenty of development potential.

“We’re looking for those boys to continue their growth, and they should get senior opportunities during the year,” he said.

“It’s been a really promising pre-season. We’ve had 25 on the track most nights. Last year we really struggled for numbers, which is why we targeted recruits locally.

“That’s been a real benefit for us. It helps us and it helps our twos no end, because it means they’re not calling blokes who are in their 40s on a Saturday morning trying to get them to play.

“It builds a positive culture around the club because there’s pressure on spots in the seniors.

“It’s been a great pre-season for us so far, and hopefully we can take that into round one.”

RUPANYUP

Panthers optimistic COACHES

Not often does a reigning premier find itself in the midst of a rebuild, but that is the case for Rupanyup’s netball side in 2026.

Only a few months after breaking through to claim the club’s firstever Horsham District Football Netball League A Grade premiership, the Panthers are set to field a completely new side this season.

After the departure of several key players from last season’s squad, coach Georgia Hiscock resigned, returning to the Wimmera league’s Horsham Demons where she previously played.

Taking the reins in her stead will be Kayla Weidemann, a former A Grade defender who played in Rupanyup’s B Grade side last season due to the depth of the club’s netball program.

Rejoining the A Grade side along with Weidemann will be midcourter Gemma Morgan, who also played B Grade in 2025, along with emerging young gun Phoebe Downer.

The club has also picked up several recruits, including versatile defender Rhianan Woods from Geelong West, former Laharum and Harrow-Balmoral midcourt player Jemma Nagorcka, midcourter Caitlin Kreuzberger from Melbourne club St Mary’s and emerging goalie Chloe Reinheimer from Kalkee.

Weidemann admitted it had been a difficult off-season to navigate after the entirety of last season’s premiership team departed, but said there was still plenty of reason for optimism at the Panthers.

“It’s disappointing, but that’s what happens sometimes,” she said.

“We’re in a fresh rebuild, but we’ve

A Grade: Kayla Weidemann

B Grade: Emily Hurley

C Grade: Kelly Matthews

C Reserve: Mackenzie Gooden

17-and-under: Jenni Downer

15-and-under: Jenni Downer

13-and-under: Grace Turner

got some really exciting young recruits and the team is coming together really well.”

With young talents like Downer and Reinheimer in the fold this season, Weidemann said there would be a strong focus on player development.

“I think as a club, our whole priority is developing those young players that we have,” she said.

“Even the ones who are in B Grade this season, we want them to be stepping up into A Grade in the future as well.

“Development is key for us across all our teams.”

With all senior netball squads training strongly during the pre-season, Weidemann did not rule out a finals appearance for her young side either.

“We obviously want to come together really well and gel quickly, being a new team,” she said.

“We want to be competitive. Finals are always a goal, but we just want to play some competitive netball as a young and new group.

“The season has come around quickly, but we’re excited to see where we go.”

ON THE BALL KALKEE

Smith brings new level

While a new year has brought another influx of well-credentialled recruits into the Horsham District Football Netball League, only one has multiple seasons of AFL experience under their belt.

Kalkee’s Tanner Smith has been one of the league’s talking points this summer after rejoining the club he last played for as a junior in 2011.

The intervening years saw Smith drafted by AFL side Fremantle in 2012, spending four seasons with the Dockers before joining SANFL side North Adelaide in 2017.

Playing as a key defender, Smith helped the Roosters break a 27-year premiership drought in 2018 and spent several years with the team before returning to the Wimmera to join Minyip-Murtoa in 2022.

Now he is back where he started, and Kalkee coach Clint Burdett could not be happier.

“Tanner has played at a very high level, and you can see that at training,” Burdett said.

“With his brain and his IQ across the footy field, he sees things at training that other players just don’t normally see.

“You can see when he’s got the footy that he’s just poised and relaxed with it. He doesn’t panic, he sums up the situation and I suppose you could say he’s just a step ahead of everyone.”

But Smith is far from the only recruit for the Kees.

The club has also picked up players like Jye Walter, who kicked 44 goals for 2025 grand final side Noradjuha-Quantong, and Jacob Harris, who returns to the club after spending the past two seasons at AFL Barwon’s Bell Park.

Cooper Jardine will cross to the Kees from Wimmera league side Horsham as he returns from injury.

“Jye Walter has been as fit as a fiddle and set the track on fire. He’ll be very handy for us,”

COACHES

Seniors: Clint Burdett

Reserves: Dylan Kemp

Under-17s: Paddy Mills

Under-14s: Brendan McDonald

Burdett said. “Cooper Jardine didn’t play a lot of footy last year after he had a knee done, but he looks to be moving pretty well.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to add a few handy recruits.”

Burdett admitted the Kees were coming from a long way back, having won only four games and finished second-last on the ladder in 2025.

But he said the new recruits, combined with an intense pre-season training regimen, would hold his side in good stead.

“We did a six-week block on the track before Christmas and had regular numbers there, which was terrific,” he said.

“Then we fired up three nights a week in late January and we’ve been training pretty well.

I’m pretty happy with it.

“We played Horsham in a practice match, which was a good hitout for both sides. We were able to move the ball pretty quick.”

Other reasons for optimism at Kalkee include youngsters Jye Dolan and Jett Martin, who Burdett said could be in line to earn senior playing time this season.

But the coach stressed that patience and development would be the team’s goals this season.

“If we can have more wins than losses that would be a start,” he said.

“Early wins will be important if we can get them. Obviously everyone aims for finals –that would be a bonus.

“We will be pretty lively this year I reckon.”

KALKEE

Ready to raise the flag COACHES

For a club synonymous with Horsham District league success, it has been a long time between drinks for Kalkee’s A Grade netball side.

After winning a staggering 20 premierships in a 25-year span between 1986 and 2010 and 28 in total, the Kees have gone 15 years without raising a flag at the league’s top level.

But with a solid base to build on following a preliminary final appearance last season, new coach Millie McRae hopes a return to premiership glory is not far off.

The midcourter made a welcome return to Kalkee last season after a year away from the club and said she was enjoying the transition to a coaching role in 2026.

“It has been a really positive experience so far,” she said.

“I have great support around me in assistant coach Mel Schultz and the netball committee.

“The biggest adjustment for me has probably been shifting from being a friend and teammate to now being the coach.

“I think I’ve built the trust and respect from the girls over the past few years though, so as long as I can keep a good connection within the team, both on and off the court, I’ll be happy.”

McRae said she was expecting her team to work hard on building connections and combinations across the court, asking them to commit to playing consistently high-quality netball.

“If we are consistent in doing these things I think we’ll be strong contenders throughout the year and come finals time,” she said.

The Kees will miss goalie Jenna Bywaters with family commitments, while former playing coach Paula Wiedermann will step down into B Grade this season.

But McRae said an emerging cadre of young

A Grade: Millie McRae

B Grade: Jessie and Herb Lakin

C Grade: Rebekah Caccaviello

C Reserve: Claire Lawes

17-and-under: Emma Kemp

15-and-under: Meaghan Pohlner

13-and-under: Katie Ruwoldt

talent at Kalkee could provide the basis for a new era of club domination.

“We have retained our two junior development girls Georgia Schultz and Abbey Williams from last season,” she said.

“It is their first year as senior players alone, so with the experience of a few key players in the side I’m excited to see them grow and improve as senior netballers each week.

“Izzy Schorback is stepping up from last year’s B Grade side. She is an accurate little goalie who showed us she deserves a position in the side after filling in for a few games last year.

“Lotus Martin is coming off a great season last year, so I am keen to see her step up and be someone the younger girls around the club can aspire to be like.”

With the experienced Emily Langley crossing from Harrow-Balmoral and capable of playing at either end of the court and former Rupanyup and Minyip-Murtoa player Tamika Mentha bolstering the midcourt, McRae said her team had the firepower to match it with the league’s best sides.

“We have so much depth and versatility this year, which is what we have lacked in the past, so I think we will be able to use that to our advantage,” she said.

ON THE BALL

Player boost promising COACHES

After a winless 2025 campaign, new EdenhopeApsley coach Toby Ferguson had one mission during the off-season – add depth.

Ferguson has achieved that in spades, signing players from Adelaide, Melbourne, Warrnambool and Ballarat, as well as enticing some local players to return to the club.

The added depth has the coach confident his side can make a quick return to form after a year in which little went right.

“Obviously it wasn’t a great year for the club last season,” Ferguson said.

“Numerous things were happening, but there were a lot of injuries as well.

“It didn’t start too well with a couple of early injuries, and then it snowballed from there.

“A big goal this season is to bring in a lot more numbers and get the returning locals who haven’t been playing for the last few years back and around the club, which has started to have a big impact on the preseason so far.

“At every club the top five players are going to be top-end talent, but if you can bring your list up to where your bottom five to eight players can be competitive, that’s where the real difference is.

“Last year we saw it with ourselves – the numbers really dropped off in the second half of the year and there were a lot of players having to double up and play two games of footy, which is never going to be good for anyone.”

Seniors: Toby Ferguson

Reserves: Jackson Finnigan

Under-17s: Ash Grant

(combined side with KanivaLeeor United)

Under-14s: Brett Jewell and James Ferguson (combined side with Kaniva-Leeor United)

Under-11s: Bryce Kelly

Under-8s: Grant Coxon

Among the Saints’ Adelaide-based signings this season are Matt Hodge from O’Sullivan Beach-Lonsdale, former Adelaide Crows SANFL-listed player Matt Spencely, Mitchell Park’s Dylan Gerner, key forward Luke Cooper from Reynella and former Central Districts SANFL player Billy Cameron.

Ferguson is himself Adelaide-based, although he played junior football for Edenhope-Apsley in the KowreeNaracoorte-Tatiara league and has travelled to play for the Saints in the past two seasons.

He said the Adelaide-based players trained together each week and were working to integrate themselves with the team.

“All the Adelaide boys are looking really sharp. We train at Morphett Vale just south of Adelaide, and Billy Cameron is looking very good on the track.

“The local boys are also really buy-

ing into what we’re doing this year, so it’s been good. It’s really promising.”

Ferguson said emerging talent from the Saints’ combined under-17 side with Kaniva-Leeor United that came within a kick of winning last season’s grand final would be another bonus.

“Some of the juniors – names like Levi Linto, Marcus McIntyre, Thomas and Oscar Dunstan – the talent they’re showing is ridiculous,” he said.

“I think there is a great opportunity there to give some of those guys a run in senior footy, which would be nice.

“Juniors-wise, the numbers and talent, there is a pretty positive sign for the club.

“They’ve been standouts for us on the track locally. They’re out there every week.”

Ferguson said the Saints would be out to prove themselves from the opening bounce of 2026.

“We’re looking to win round one. That’s the goal we’ve laid out since the start of pre-season,” he said.

“I’ve come in very clear that we want to improve coming off a season where we haven’t won a game.

“We want to be competitive. I wouldn’t have taken the role if playing finals wasn’t something we were trying to do.

“We’ve brought in enough players that we’re pretty confident we’ll have a good crack at it.”

HORSHAM DISTRICT Football Netball League

EDENHOPE-APSLEY

Premiership in sights COACHES

Edenhope-Apsley A Grade netball

coach Lavinia Fox did not mince words when asked about her team’s aspirations for season 2026.

“Definitely the goal for us is to win a premiership this year,” she said.

“I think we’ve got some good depth in our team going into this year, so it should be a good season for us.”

Fox’s premiership-or-bust mentality appears well founded – after coming within two goals of a grand-final victory last season, the Saints have retained their entire A Grade team, while reigning premier Rupanyup has undergone significant list turnover.

But with other sides including 2024 premier Laharum and perennially powerful sides like Kalkee and Noradjuha-Quantong lurking, Fox knows a premiership victory remains a difficult task.

While many other teams look to recruits to give them a boost, Fox said her side’s improvement would come through continuity.

“We’re looking forward to having a more consistent season with the same group of girls,” she said.

“For us last year, our goal was always to make finals, and the fact that we got into the grand final exceeded expectations.

“We were a very new group of girls last year – it was our first season playing together – and I think this year we’ll find some more consistency in our combinations, which should hold us in good stead and hopefully lead to more consistent performances throughout the season.”

Three Saints – goalie Dee Dee Lambert, defender Olivia Spence and Fox herself – have signed with Victorian Netball League sides this season, while young players Jasmine McIntyre and Holly Whitehead were selected in a Wim-

A Grade: Lavinia Fox

B Grade: Nashira Lees

C Grade: Paris Hardwick

C Reserve: Toni Nolan and Nicole Marks

17-and-under: Renae Feder

15-and-under: Carolyn Middleton

13-and-under: Jasmine McIntyre

Net Set Go: Jess Mulraney and Bryony Brinckman

Mods: Izzy Payne and Layla Linto

mera Mallee squad for the under-17 state titles, showing the strength of the team’s line-up.

Fox said Lambert and Spence looked in peak form during the pre-season, with both continuing to gain confidence and fitness as they rebounded from ACL injuries sustained in the past two years.

The Saints coach said all her players were on the same page.

“It’s always hard when you get pipped at the post by two points, but I think for us our ability to combine as a unit and have a great team connection will hold us in good stead for this year,” she said.

“We didn’t know what to expect last season in terms of how we’d perform as a side, but going into this year the goal will be to go one step further than what we did last year and win a flag.

“That’s the big goal at the end of the day, but certainly there will be many mini goals week by week, trying to put out consistent performances and respecting the great standard of teams that we have in our league.”

& DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Eagles primed for

Ajourney towards premiership success continues for the Mininera and District league’s northern clubs in 2026, but while the Ararat Eagles and Tatyoon are coming off deep finals runs last season, Great Western and Moyston-Willaura have plenty of ground to make up in the race.

The Eagles nearly added a second senior premiership to their trophy cabinet last year, topping the ladder for much of the season before eventually finishing runner-up to Lismore-Derrinallum in the grand final.

The team has added a few key recruits in their quest to go one step better this season, picking up big-bodied midfielder Jett Mills from Anakie in the Geelong and District Football League and utility Flynn Toner, a multi-time senior premiership player with the Wimmera league’s Ararat Rats.

The Eagles have also added onballer Ben Skubnik from MoystonWillaura as the team seeks to add to its midfield depth around the returning Andrew Cameron.

Creating additional intrigue is the announcement that former AFL Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell will play a one-off game for the Eagles in round three against Tatyoon, and is set to speak at a sportsman’s evening following the game.

With playing coach Tom Taurau returning for a third year at the

helm – this time alongside new co-coach Trent Fiscalini – the team looks to be primed for another season of premiership contention.

But while the Eagles chase the benchmark set by Lismore-Derrinallum, they will also need to be wary of last season’s preliminary final opponent.

Tatyoon started its 2025 campaign slowly before coming home with a wet sail, winning seven of their final eight games to scrape into the finals, where they downed Glenthompson-Dunkeld and a banged-up Penshurst before falling one point short of a grand final berth in a preliminary final against the Eagles.

With coach Andy Challis re-signing, the Hawks have added players like key defender Arthur ‘Alfie’ Armstrong, a former clubman who played with the VFL’s Northern Bullants in 2023, also appearing in strong country leagues such as the Ballarat and Hampden competitions.

Big man Henry Armstrong is another player returning to the club after playing for Charles Sturt University in the Farrer Football League for the past three years, and will play at ruck and full back.

A huge signing for the Hawks is two-time Geelong and District Football Netball League best-andfairest winner Matt James from Corio, who will add pace and ballwinning ability to the team’s midfield.

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MININERA & DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE

premiership contention

With the Hawks having retained many of last season’s players, they look set to figure prominently in this year’s premiership race.

Trying to inject themselves into the finals conversation are

Great Western and MoystonWillaura, who finished 10th and 11th respectively on last season’s ladder.

The Lions started their season with two strong wins from their first three games but fell away thereafter, finishing with just three victories for the year.

The team has installed a new coaching duo of Tom Randone and Adam Bonner and will look to a handy group of recruits as they attempt to climb the ladder.

Defender Dan Ladgrove is a former premiership player and best-and-fairest winner for Bannockburn in the Geelong and District league, and will bolster the team’s backline alongside returning Great Western premiership player Marcus Elliott.

Brothers Kaiden, Logan and Jakobi Cooper will also make their way back to the club after playing for Moyston-Willaura, with Kaiden set to slot into the ruck while Jakobi plays as a small forward and Logan can play across the ground.

Brent Norfolk, recruited from Tatyoon, should add poise

and defensive pressure, while B-Jay Enriquez crosses from Horsham District league side Swifts to add further to the Lions’ midfield depth.

The Pumas have added talented utility Jade Burton from the Ararat Rats’ under-17 side, with the youngster expected to slot into the senior ranks this year.

Homegrown talent Darren Pederson returns to the club after winning a best-and-fairest award with Otway Districts in the Colac and District league.

His goal-sneak talents are set to provide a welcome boost to what was the league’s lowestscoring team last season.

Also set to provide scoring punch is Riley Pevitt from Ararat, whose face on the wing and ability to push forward and kick goals will be welcome.

The Pumas have an unenviable first-up test, playing reigning premier Lismore-Derrinallum on the road at Derrinallum on April 11.

Great Western will also travel to play Glenthompson-Dunkeld, but Tatyoon and Ararat Eagles will kick off their seasons at home, playing Woorndoo-Mortlake and Penshurst respectively.

New-look on-air crew ready to roll

As the local football and netball seasons are about to get underway, a new-look lineup for 3WM’s Local Football Live broadcast is set to roll out.

The originals – Kuges, Cobber and Easty – will again be on hand to call all the action across both leagues’ senior games, but joining the team this year is Hugh Dougherty.

‘Hugh Doc’ is already a member of the ACE Radio Horsham crew, hosting a weekday show from 12-3pm on MIXX FM.

Dougherty has also dabbled in a bit of commentary, with one footy game under his belt, as well as calling the recent T20 bushfire fundraiser cricket match at Horsham City Oval, where he proved he is a natural behind the mic.

Grant Kuchel will lead the team as the main match-caller, with Dougherty working alongside him.

Brian ‘Cobber’ Cassidy will provide special comments, while Daryl ‘Easty’ Eastwell returns on boundary duties.

The addition of Dougherty comes at an opportune time for the 20-yearold, who is currently recovering from major surgery on his left leg following an on-field incident involving a goalpost in a semi-final against the Burras last year.

The injury sidelines him from his usual sporting commitments, including his role in Horsham Saints’ reserves footy team, cricket, and the Horsham Hornets senior basketball side.

While a devastating setback to his playing career, the timing has opened the door for Dougherty to step into the commentary team.

The young broadcaster said one of his long-term goals was to make sports media his full-time profession.

ACE Radio’s Emma Clark, currently managing the team, said Dougherty’s

inclusion was an important step forward.

“Bringing Hughie into the team gives us a chance to build for the future and ensures we have flexibility,” she said.

“It means we can potentially send a call team member to a different location if there are two big games on at

the same time. That way, we can keep our main call team on the marquee match, and for example, for the other game, someone can cross back in during breaks to update listeners from another ground.

“It also gives us coverage if one of the team is unavailable – we’ve got someone ready to step in.”

3WM, MIXX FM and The Weekly Advertiser general manager Brendan O’Loughlin said having another addition to the call team made the future more viable.

“It’s good for the station and gives us the opportunity to offer more content to listeners who love their footy,” he said.

“While we can all agree the joint knowledge from Kuges, Cobber and Easty with their years playing footy, coaching and sitting on boards is invaluable, having someone young call the game through a different lens is exciting.

“We are planning to feed Hughie pies all year, so there is never any chance of him returning to playing sport.”

Meanwhile, 3WM’s sports show The Shirtfront will continue as usual on Saturday mornings from 8am, with Kuges, Cobber and Easty discussing the latest sports news and results, alongside local guests sharing their insights on upcoming and recent matches.

The team’s first broadcast for the season will be the traditional Good Friday clash this weekend between Ararat and Stawell, live from North Park.

3WM’s The Shirtfront airs every Saturday from 8am to 10am, while Local Footy Live broadcasts each Saturday afternoon from 1pm, along with coverage of the traditional Good Friday and ANZAC Day games throughout the 2026 season.