Yarrawonga co-coach Drew Barnes clearly remembers the way many people reacted when his club signed Brendan Fevola on the eve of the 2012 season.

There's not much left of the once-thriving township of Bungaree.

The passionate followers of the Picola United Football-Netball Club know plenty about finals droughts.

It has been a case of feast or famine for the Ultima footy club over the past 15 years.

Port Fairy's footballers are usually free to do as they please when the finals roll around. But things are very different this year.

Between 2008 and 2014, Pyramid Hill was among the best performed clubs in the Loddon Valley league.

There were concerns aplenty for the Leitchville-Gunbower football club late last year.

Perennial Geelong league battlers St Albans turned a few heads among their local football community when they started this season by winning four of their first five matches.

Plenty of heads were turned in the Gippsland football community late last year when Yallourn-Yallourn North signed Adam Bailey as their new coach.

Around 12 months ago, a sense of pessimism surrounded the Jeparit-Rainbow football-netball club.