Deakin University 2026 Season Review | Croydon
A late fade in the 2026 season saw the Blues just miss out on a return to finals, while the Premier Netball Blues qualified for their fourth consecutive Grand Final appearance.
Senior Men's
Summary:
Ladder Position: 6th (8-10, 94.08%)
Best and Fairest: Matt McKenzie
Leading Goal Kicker: Rhett Jordon (39 Goals)
A change in personnel didn’t slow down the Blues, who showed improvements from 2025 in their sixth-place finish in Division Two.
After the first eleven rounds of the season, Croydon had seven wins next to their name and had a stranglehold on a top-four spot.
Strong wins included two victories over their local rivals in Lilydale, a 44-point thumping of Mulgrave and two six-point wins over East Burwood and Heathmont.
However, Croydon will look back at the season as a missed opportunity after dropping the final four games of the season to lose their position in the top five and miss finals action.
Despite this, they did prove themselves a lot of ways that their best could match it with some of the top teams of Division Two.
Best Win: Round Eight: Croydon 16.17 113 def. Mulgrave 10.9 69 @ Croydon Oval
There’s been much said about the side’s inability to put up high scores in recent years, this was much improved in 2026 and was on show in Round Eight.
In a 44-point win at home against the Lions, the Blues had 33 scoring shots to 19 in a dominant performance.
A seven-goal haul for senior playing coach Rhett Jordon, 17 disposals and 10 marks to go with it. Meanwhile, Matt McKenzie was involved in everything, 32 disposals, nine clearances and seven tackles for the afternoon.
Key Players:
Another outstanding season for Matt McKenzie, the senior best and fairest winner for the Blues in 2026. Averaging 26 disposals per game in season 2026, McKenzie was the side’s most influential midfielder.
Adrian Ficorilli wasn’t far behind in the best and fairest count, the runner-up for the Blues. Captain of the club, Ficorilli averaged over 20 disposals per game.
Missing most of the 2025 season due to an ACL injury, senior playing coach Rhett Jordon returned and played all 18 games. Jordon led the goalkicking for the Blues with 39 for the season, the sixth-place finish in the division.
What’s Next?
Not much movement over the off-season for the Blues yet, with no major signing announcements.
Croydon’s depth proved to be quite strong in 2026, with their Reserves side making a second consecutive Grand Final with many of their experienced players still playing good footy.
Netball
Croydon (Premier One): 1st (13-1, 187.25%)
The benchmark of the EFNL Netball competition, Croydon played off in their fourth straight Premier Division Grand Final.
The Blues won 13 games in the regular season, dropping just one game, which came back in Round Three by seven points.
Once finals hit, the two best sides of the divisions faced off for the first spot in the Grand Final. In a very tight game in which the Blues came from behind to almost pinch victory, Norwood held on by a point. Hanlen, Corless and Hayes all had strong contributions in attack, combining for 49.
The loss sent the Blues to a Preliminary Final match-up with East Ringwood. Croydon’s massive second-term scoring 20-7 gave them a strong 18-point lead at Half Time which they extended in the second half, winning by 28.
A fourth straight Grand Final for the Blues, a competitive game against Norwood, the Blues came up ten points short.
Two members of the Blues side made EFNL Premier Division Team of the Year honours. Celine Dodd in Centre and Amy Pickard in Wing Attack celebrated strong seasons.
Danika Corless top-scored for Croydon in 2026, with 393 goals from 14 games.
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