Weekly Wrap | As they say a week is a long time in football, so a fortnight seems like an eternity since the last Weekly Wrap, given last week saw our focus being on our Mid Season scoring summary, which you can find and read here

So a quick recap of last week's major off field issue has seen the eagerly anticipated Northern Futures Project report which was released with its recommendations for football in the region. The Central Rivers Leagues Board, with support from AFL Central Victoria, presented eight key recommendations designed to address declining participation and operational challenges across the Golden Rivers FNL and the Central Murray FNL.

Among these recommendations was to look to conclude and celebrate the Golden Rivers FNL at the end of 2025, encouraging Golden Rivers FNL clubs to pursue sustainable futures through transfers to appropriate leagues and for all clubs to explore amalgamation opportunities with neighbouring clubs. As you can imagine this has created a real talking point in and around the region about how feasible these recommendations are in practice. Time will tell.

Staying in this space and the Gisborne FNC is actively looking at their league options for next season. Currently in the Bendigo FNL, the club is investigating whether to move back to the Ballarat FNL, which they left in the year 2000. Leaving would reduce the Bendigo FNL to a seven team competition for the 2026 season if Broadford FNC are unable to emerge from recess and join the league.

Unfortunately last week saw the need for a local umpiring organisation having to issue an open letter regarding their concerns about the level of abuse their members are receiving each week. The Bendigo Umpires Association wrote the open letter to the communities involved in the Bendigo FNL, Heathcote and District FNL , Loddon Valley FNL and North Central FNL calling out cases of abuse against their umpires, including some as young as 12. Remember, no umpires equals no games.

This weekend on field saw another long standing losing streak come to an end. Last week Bunyip FNC in the Ellinbank and District FNL sang the club song after a breakthrough 27 point win over Poowong FNC ending the second longest active losing streak of 45 games and in doing so broke a drought that lasted 1036 days going all the way back to round 18 of the 2022 West Gippsland FNC season. This weekend we had another long dry spell of losses broken. In the Geelong FNL North Shore FNC won by 14 points against Lara FNC breaking a run of 20 straight loses This means Lara FNC now moves to 15 straight losses, ironically with their last win coming over North Shore FNC in round 12 of the 2024 season.

Staying in the Geelong FNL and Sunday saw a thrilling come from behind 1 point victory to the Geelong West Giants FNC who came from 31 points down at three quarter time to overpower Grovedale FNC who could only manage 1 solitary goal in the final quarter, winning 13.10 88 to 13.9 87. There was another 1 point thriller in the Mid Gippsland FNL where Tarwin FNC also trailed at three quarter time in their match against Boolarra FNC to run out winners 9.15 69 to 10.8 68 while we saw a draw in the Heathcote and District FNL where an inaccurate Huntly FNC cost themselves victory kicking 8.17 65 to Lockington Bamawm United FNC’s 9.11 65.
Despite the inaccuracy from some clubs this weekend, the forwards continued to be on fire with another 7 reaching the 50 goal milestone this weekend. John Spencer from Cudgewa FNC in the Upper Murray FNL and James Regan fromTrentham FNC in the Maryborough Castlemaine District FNL did so by booting a bag of 10 goals each, alongside eight others who managed double digit efforts in front of goals.

However, of this group, nothing compared to the massive haul kicked by the state's leading goal kicker Jason Wells from Longwarry in the Ellinbank & District FNL. Wells kicked 20 of his teams 34 goals in the big 34.14 218 to 5.3 33 win and in doing so moved to a total of 95 goals for the season so far from just 11 games and also making him a near absolute certainty to hit the 100 goal achievement next weekend.

Overall, Wells now sits twenty goals ahead of ex AFL Blue and Roo Aaron Mullet who booted another 6 goals for Wandin FNC to take his season tally to 75, three ahead of Birchip-Watchem FNC’s Ben Edwards who has 72, while another Ellinbank & District FNL forward, Neerim South FNC’s Mason McGarrity, sits in fourth place with 70.