Weekly Wrap | With the King’s Birthday Long Weekend, there were only a few leagues gracing the fields, which given the wintery weather was in hindsight a good fixturing decision.
So with only 16 leagues in action, there wasn’t too much high scoring going on as the wet and cold conditions impacted the whole state.
Off field this week more clubs have shown interest in changing leagues for the 2026 season with current Outer East FNL Premier Division clubs Wandin FNC and Upwey Tecoma FNC are looking at the options to make a potential move to the Eastern Football League, while fellow Premier Division club Officer FNC and Division 1 club Pakenham FNC are also looking at the opportunities that an expanded and possible two tiered West Gippsland FNC might provide for them.
On field this week we saw a return to Interleague football action for the Geelong and District FNL and the Colac and District FNL who did battle on the King’s Birthday Monday at Winchelsea. In a thrilling game, the GDFNL who led by 28 points at three quarter time, had to withstand a fast finishing CDFNL with a point kicked in the final seconds putting the Geelong and District Raiders back in front. A goal after the siren made the final scores 11.13 79 to 10.12 72. The result see both leagues sitting around the even mark for wins and losses in total interleague games they have played against any opposition over the past 25 years. The CDFNL has a 54% winning rate and the GDFNL now has reached 50%, winning 6 out of the 12 games they have played. Overall the best winning percentage of any league in interleague clashes, based on a minimum of playing 5 representative games in the past quarter of a century, is the now defunct Alberton FNL who had an 80% winning success rate.
A couple of ex AFL players may have been out of their comfort zone this weekend with the wet and muddy grounds after having spent careers playing under the roof at Marvel. Ex Bomber Dyson Heppell headed back to his old home ground in Leongatha to play another game for his beloved Parrots. Heppell kicked 2 goals and was named in his side's best as they had a comfortable 72 point win over Wonthaggi FNC who are coached by former Collingwood premiership player, Jarryd Blair.
His ex Essendon teammate, backman Michael Hurley, returned to the Swan Hill FNC team for the Central Murray FNL clash against Tyntynder FNC. Hurley kicked 3 goals to help his side win their first game of the 2025 season, winning 7.7 49 to 3.8 26. Another Bomber and Hurley’s former teammate Michael Hartley, who is currently playing coach for Castlemaine FNC in the Bendigo FNL , was named as part of the initial Interleague squad, alongside former Bulldog and Hawk Fergus Green (Sandhurst FNC), for the game against the VAFA on July 13th at the QEO in Bendigo.
The wet weather certainly didn’t hinder the forwards with three more bags of 10+ goals kicked this weekend.
In the Ellinbank and District FNL, Neerim South FNC’s Mason McGarrity continued his red hot run of form kicking 12 in his team's 106 point win over Catani FNC, 24.13 157 to 7.9 51. McGarrity has kicked a total of 47 goals in the past 4 weeks. In the Geelong FNL, St Mary’s FNC’s Patrick Dowling kicked 11 in the biggest score of the week and the 10th so far for the season, when his side managed 36.18 224 to North Shore FNC’s 2.1 13. Up in the Loddon Valley FNL Bridgewater FNC’s Lachie Sharp passed the 50 goal mark for the season with a haul of 10 in his club's 72 point win over Mitiamo FNC. Sharp now has 53 for the season.
Joining Sharp in passing 50 this week was Nathalia FNC’s Liam Evans who kicked 5 and now has 54 however they both sit behind the overall leader, Jason Wells from Longwarry FNC in the Ellinbank & District FNL, who has 75 with the fast moving McGarrity in second with 64. Former Roo and Blue Aaron Mullett sits in 3rd with 63 goals, but will return to the field next week refreshed after having the week off with a league bye.
