2026 Ringwood Mazda Season Review | Ringwood FNC
By Ryan Long.
The Redbacks rallied late in the 2026 season to secure their survival in Division Two, while a strong Netball season saw Ringwood Black make a Grand Final.
Senior Men's
Summary:
Ladder Position: 8th (5-13, 82.55%)
Best and Fairest: Jayden Cairns
Leading Goal Kicker: Jacob Broad (25 Goals)
Despite plenty of challenges in 2026, Ringwood turned their fortunes around late to avoid what looked like a relegation season.
After 14 rounds, the Redbacks sat last on the Division Two ladder with a 2-12 record.
In danger of relegation, Ringwood rallied late with three wins in the last four games of the season to finish with five wins and an eighth-place finish.
A significant milestone this year was senior coach Brett Rowe breaking the all-time Ringwood coaching record. Rowe coached his 130th gam for Ringwood in May this year, surpassing Rod Allison's 129 game record.
Another positive sign to see Rowe re-appointed as senior coach in season 2027.
Best Win: Round 17 – Ringwood 10.22 82 def. Scoresby 5.2 32 @ Jubilee Park
Even though the Redbacks managed to knock off Templestowe a week later on the road, their Round 17 victory over the Magpies was more dominant and significant, considering a loss at the time would see Ringwood enter Round 18 last.
Dominant in all areas, a 50-point victory could have been greater, with 32 scoring shots to seven.
Tyson Calder and Jacob Bell combined for 63 disposals between them, while up forward Jacob Broad converted five goals, with three marks inside 50s.
Key Players:
Jayden Cairns was reliable all season for the Redbacks, the winner of the club’s Best and Fairest, the Cameron Parker Medallist.
The runner-up in the club best and fairest was Tim Jones, averaging 20 disposals per game and over 100 Premier Data Ranking Points.
Although Tyson Calder missed nine games in season 2026, the former Vermont man proved his worth, averaging over 30 disposals from nine games.
Returning to the side in the second half of the season, he was a big reason for the Redbacks putting together some wins late to remain in Division Two.
What’s Next?
The Redbacks did claim some silverware in 2026 with a strong Under 19s group winning the premiership this year. The side lost only two games for the season, with some members of the Under 19s premiership earning a taste of senior football this year, including Lauchlan Gorman and Patrick Burgess.
This will be an area that will hold them in good stead moving forward.
A massive recruit announced thus far is Zac Thiessen, the Vermont key forward signing with Ringwood for the next two seasons. Thiessen’s a reliable goal kicker who’s spent plenty of time in Premier Division, playing for the Eagles in the 2023 Grand Final, and was also a runner-up in the club best and fairest in 2024.
Another potential target up forward is Isaac Barassi, who has also signed in season 2027. Moving from Kyneton, Barassi previously played Premier Division footy in the EFNL with Doncaster. It’s another great signing, with the ability to play up forward or as a strong big-bodied midfielder.
Defensively, Ringwood ranked second in the Division, even ahead of premiers Surrey Park. However, as the tenth-ranked offence by a considerable margin, the Redbacks have addressed this as a key priority heading into 2027.
Netball
Division Seven (Ringwood White): 6th (5-1-8)
Division 12 (Ringwood Black): 1st (12-1-1)
Division 14 (Ringwood Red): 5th (4-7-1)
Ringwood White was the side’s top team competing in the Ringwood Mazda Netball competition, winning five games and a draw.
It was a big season for Nicole Stagg, not only winning the club best and fairest, but also taking home the league Best and Fairest for Division Seven. In 13 games, Stagg finished with 266 goals for the season, with seven games with 20 points or more.
Ringwood Black had a dominant season, winning 12 games to finish on top of the ladder. The Redbacks defeated Coldstream in the Semi Final 2 by ten points, before going down by a single point in the Grand Final to Fairpark.
Zoe Cant took home the club best and fairest award, ahead of runner-up Sophie Haddock and Tiana Johnson.
Ringwood Red just missed out on a finals berth by percentage, with Amber Waugh winning the side’s best and fairest.
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