The Weekly Wrap | The last few weeks have seen clubs withdrawing junior grades due to lack of numbers, well this week we had our first senior sides impacted.
After forfeiting the senior match last week, the Dennington FNC in the Warrnambool and DIStrict FNL have decided to put its senior side on hold for the remainder of the season. The club will still fulfill the other football and all netball grades while it works to shore up numbers for a return to senior football in 2027.
In the MIllewa FNL it was the Meringur FNC who have made the decision to withdraw its women's team for the rest of 2026 for similar reason, citing as well, a lack of numbers being available to field a side each week for the remainder of the season. Hopefully both clubs can remerge bigger and better for next year.
We had our first abandoned senior game of the year in the Ballarat FNL match between Lake Wendouree FNC and East Point FNC. During the third quarter of the match, a Lake Wendouree player was knocked-out in a tackle. As a result of the delay awaiting for paramedics to arrive, it meant under league rules the match had to be declared abandoned with the ambulance not able to leave until 5.30pm. As East Point FNC were 43 points up at that point, they were awarded the win.
There were more big scores again this weekend, with the fifth biggest tally for the season kicked when Alexandra FNC managed to pile on 39.20 254 against Powelltown FNC in their Outer East FNL Division 1 clash, winning by 228 points. In somewhat of a strange scenario, there was also a draw in the same league when Yarra Glen FNC and Emerald FNC were tied on 10.19 79 apiece when the final siren sounded. In the Heathcote & District FNL North Bendigo FNC will be ruing their inaccurate kicking in front of goal when they managed 12.18 90 to end up drawing with Mount Pleasant FNC who kicked 13.12 90.
It was another thrilling finish in the Ovens and Murray FNL where the Albury FNC came from the clouds against the undefeated Wangratta Rovers FNC. Trailing by 31 points deep into the third quarter, Albury rallied to edge in front of the league leaders with a minute to go. Just as the upset seemed complete, Wangratta Rovers captain Xavier Allison goaled in the final second to lead his team to a 1 point win, 13.12 90 to 13.11. The Ovens and Murray FNL have a bye this weekend as their interleague side takes on the Bendigo FNL in an interleague clash for the first time in twenty nine years.
Former Melbourne FC and West Coast Eagle Jayden Hunt lined up for his first game for Drysdale FNC in the Bellarine FNC for season 2026. In a dominant performance Hunt kicked 7 and was named best on ground, but that wasn’t enough as his side went down to Newcomb FNC by 14 points, 15.16 106 to 14.8 98. His former Dees teammate, James Frawley kicked his second haul of five goals for the season to help South Bendigo FNC to a healthy 48 point win over the formerly undefeated Sandhurst FNC. Rounding out AFL related news, Penshurst FNC in the Mininera and District FNL announced last week the signing of former Port Adelaide FC player Trent Burgoyne would be joining them for the remainder of the season.
Another 8 forwards had a day out in the match splayed over the weekend, with Pyramid Hill FNC’s Jhye Baddeley-Kelly leading the way kicking a bag of 14 goals in his sides 113 point win over Mitiamo FNC in the Loddon Valley FNL. Alexandra FNC’s William Stewart helped himself to a dozen goals in the weekend's biggest score while Patrick Kerr from MDU FNC in the MId Gippsland FNL also finished his day's work with twelve goals of his own in his teams 20.6 126 to 5.10 40 point win over Toora FNC. An interesting side note to this was that Kerr was only named third best on ground for his efforts!
The race to be the first forward to fifty goals for the season is well and truly on. Our current overall leader is Kiewa Sandy Creek FNC’s Guy Telford has taken the outright lead after kicking eight of his own to sit on 45 goals so far this season, six ahead of Allansford FNC’s Robbie Hare who has 39, while ex AFL Demon Michael Newton from Whorouly FNC sits in third place on 38 goals. Baddeley-Kelly’s weekend haul of 14 rockets him to equal fourth place alongside early season leader, Greta FNC’s Harry Moran, with both now on 37 goals.
