By Blake Tennant. A youthful Falcons are striving to go again in 2026 after remaining in Division Two despite a tenth-place finish. No relegation from the division last season means the Falcons have been given another chance to consolidate their position in Division Two. Senior Coach Mark Sandilands will take the reins after stepping into the role halfway through last season. Despite winning just the two games for the season, there were plenty of positive signs, even push

The Eastern Football Netball League has released the trial squads for the AFL Victoria Metropolitan Junior Development Series. All players selected in the trial squads will be trialling for a position in the league's representative teams in the upcoming AFL Victoria Metropolitan JDS. View the full squads below for both Under 14 and Under 15 Boys and Girls.

By Davis Harrigan. North Ringwood were one step away from the Division One Grand Final in 2025, only just missing out to eventual premiers South Belgrave in the preliminary final. What that has translated to, however, is a playing group hungry to go again in 2026. They’re young, they’ve been working hard, and have started to find the right groove. Senior coach Matt Price, in his second year at the helm, has had time to develop and build something since the start of 2025. Fr

VFL clubs confirmed their team squads ahead of this weekend's opening round of the 2026 season, with plenty of EFNL representation across the competition. The league is excited to see more representation in the 2026 season with a rise from 74 players last season to 89 players to have been selected on a VFL list. A total of 57 players from the Premier Division competition have landed a spot on a list, with Rowville once again leading the way with nine representatives having se

By Christopher Kourtis. Bulleen Templestowe are ready to push for finals footy in just their second season in the Eastern Football Netball League. The Bullants came so close to a finals spot in their inaugural season, missing out after falling short in their Round 18 win-and-you’re-in game to Kilsyth. Senior coach Andrew Verga returns for another year at the helm and is ready to help his side take the next step. “Last year was a great experience,” Verga said. “Nothi

The Bulldogs senior men’s and women’s enter the 2026 season as one of the key clubs to watch. South Croydon’s senior men’s side had another rollercoaster of a season in Coach Brendan Allen’s second season at the helm. After starting the season 0-5, the Bulldogs won nine of their last 13 games to finish inside the top five on percentage after a do or die final round matchup with Noble Park before bowing out in the first week of finals to eventual preliminary finalist Rowvi

By Josh Ward. The Norsemen senior men’s get a chance at redemption in Division One after a winless 2025 while its Senior Women’s will be looking to continue building on a successful return. Last season saw Norwood compete in the second tier of the EFNL in 19 years after suffering relegation from Premier Division in 2024. Despite some improvements throughout the year and patches of promise in games, the Norsemen went winless for the first time in 32 years last season. Br

The Magpies of Scoresby are set to continue their re-emergence up the EFNL ranks as they prepare for Division Two footy in season 2026. Scoresby’s return to the third tier of the EFNL senior men’s competition comes after an astonishing season in Division Three where they finished in second, only percentage behind minor premiers Donvale. After losing their first final to Knox, the Magpies then won their last three finals against Upper Ferntree Gully, the Falcons and the Va

By Josh Ward. The Blues will be looking to bounce back this coming season in Division Two after injury and an inconsistent lineup cruelled a promising 2025 season. Following a Grand Final appearance in their new division in 2024, Croydon fell short of that mark this past season. Sitting with a 6-5 record after 11 rounds, the Blues then lost six of their last seven games to end the season, resulting in an eight placed-finish. Rhett Jordon is set for a third season as Cro

By Blake Tennant. After missing out on the finals last season, the Demons have made some big changes ahead of the 2026 season. Last year brought an end to the reign of Hawthorn legend Gary Ayres after a four year stint coaching Montrose. It now sets up a new chapter with returning premiership coach, Brett Johnson, taking on the role as senior coach. Johnson is no stranger to the Montrose Football Club, having last coached the club to a flag in 2013. He was there up until

By Christopher Kourtis. Bayswater’s new look Men’s side are ready to compete in Division One, while the Women’s program aim to replicate their regular season dominance in 2026. The men’s side finished 2025 with three wins and are now looking forward to the fresh start of a new season. Senior coach Luke Harris has given his side a boost over the off-season, bringing in eighteen new players to the club. Despite the number of new faces, Harris says that the side is already

By Josh Ward. After yet another excellent season across the board, the Panthers of Surrey Park will be looking to go one better in season 2026. In their second new division in as many years last season, Surrey Park’s senior men’s side was once again one of the benchmarks. Unlike previous seasons though, they fell just one game short of making a fourth consecutive Grand Final, going down to Templestowe and Wantirna South in the Division 2 second-semi final and preliminary

By Blake Tennant. After a successful 2025 season, last year’s minor premiers, Chirnside Park, are eager to put their Grand Final loss behind them and contend once again. Returning as the club’s senior coach, Justin Ficorilli, has labelled this year as ‘unfinished business’ heading into the 2026 season. “We need to bring back that level we had last year but also lift due to the division being even with sides coming after us,” Ficorilli said. Chirnside Park had a domina

By Christopher Kourtis. Balwyn’s senior men’s program enter 2026 with aims of a three-peat in Premier Division, while their senior women’s side will look for similar finals success in just their second year of existence. The Tigers sealed back-to-back Premier Division premierships in 2025, coming from behind to beat Blackburn in a brilliant Grand Final. If they want to make it three-straight, they’ll have to do so without some of their greatest clubmen of recent history

By Josh Ward. After a promising 2025, the Hawks senior men’s and women’s look set to contend once again this coming season. Boronia’s return to the second tier of the EFNL men’s competition was fruitful, finishing in fourth place with nine wins. However they bowed out in the first weekend of finals to eventual preliminary finalist North Ringwood by 55 points. Three-time Hawks premiership coach Matt Clark has re-signed for a ninth season at the helm, saying that the group

By Christopher Kourtis. South Belgrave’s senior men’s side face new horizons in the season ahead, as the senior women’s side are out for redemption after coming agonisingly close to conquering Premier Division in 2025. The Saints are the new kids on the block in the EFNL’s topflight of the Senior Men's competition, having earned promotion to Premier Division. South Belgrave enter the competition with momentum, having dominated Division One last year. The club went throu

By Ryan Long. An exciting opportunity awaits former Eastern Football Netball League Goal Umpire, James Rizio, as he prepares for his umpiring debut at AFL level. Last November, James Rizio was promoted from the VFL to the AFL Goal Umpires List for the 2026 season. It’s marked over a decade of hard work and persistence, including eight years of umpiring at the VFL level, to achieve the AFL promotion. After receiving the call from the Head AFL Goal Umpiring Coach, Rizzio descri

The Eastern Football Netball League has released all five of the Senior Men's fixtures for the 2026 EFNL season. The major highlight is the return of both the Doncaster and Nunawading Football Clubs, entering Division Four next season. Officially, the 2026 season will kick off on Friday, 3rd April (Good Friday) with a Premier Division Grand Final Rematch between Balwyn and Blackburn at Balwyn Park, and Rowville's clash with South Belgrave at Belgrave Sth Recreation Reserve in

The Eastern Football Netball League has released the 2026 Division Four Senior Men’s fixture and is pleased to announce the return of both the Doncaster Football Club and Nunawading Football Club. Division Four will expand to a nine-team competition with the return of the Nunawading Lions and Doncaster Sharks. Both clubs did not field a senior team the 2025 Eastern Football Netball League Senior Men’s season, and the league is thrilled to welcome back both to the competit

A dynasty in the making, the Tigers completed back-to-back premierships in Premier Division, while debuting their Senior Women's side in the competition. Senior Men’s Ladder Position: 3rd (12-6, 119.03%) Leading Goalkicker: Jack Tillig (43 Goals) Summary: Back-to-back premiers! Balwyn’s spectacular finals form continued in 2025 with three crucial finals wins to secure their second senior premiership in two years. The Tigers were big on the recruitment front ahead of the seaso