Eastland 2026 Division One Senior Men's Grand Final Preview

By Josh Ward.

Both Mitcham and North Ringwood will be out to return to the Premier Division when they duel for the Division 1 premiership this Sunday at Pinks Reserve.

Neil Winterton’s men qualified first for the decider after winning a tight Second Semi Final by nine points at Tormore Reserve to make it eight finals wins in a row.

North Ringwood then followed up that loss with a 14-point victory over Park Orchards in last Sunday’s Preliminary Final, booking their first Grand Final ticket since their 2014 Premiership.

VFL-listed star Ry Cantwell was excellent alongside skipper Aaron Fenton while Matthew Sheppard kicked three goals in the win.

They’re set to play key roles alongside Kieran Rice and Ben Livingstone who have both compiled excellent seasons, with Rice earning himself a VFL debut whilst Livingstone sits atop the division’s goalkicking charts with 59 goals.

The Tigers will be once again looking towards skipper Jesse Uren and young gun Rod Ali, with the latter playing two big roles in the finals series so far.

Will Kellar also had an excellent second semi with four goals and 21 touches while Jake Parente has kicked six goals in two finals so far.

They’re yet to lose to the Saints this year and they’ve defeated North Ringwood on all seven occasions since the 2023 season.

While Mitcham will be out for a third Division 1 premiership in the past four years, the Saints will aim to win their sixth senior men’s premiership and make a return to the Premier Division for the first time in five years.

2026 Head-to-Head Results

Round Four - Mitcham 15.13 (103) def. North Ringwood 9.16 (70) @ Walker Park

An arm wrestle of a contest saw the Tigers in the end come out on top to remain undefeated after the opening month of the season.

Trailing by one point at the final change, Mitcham kicked five unanswered goals in the last to run over the top of an inaccurate Saints outfit.

Cam Olden kicked five on the day and was influential alongside Flynn Maguire and Nat Barnes while Luke Patterson and Cameron Livingstone put in excellent shifts for the Saints.

Round 13 - North Ringwood 5.10 (40) lost to Mitcham 9.4 (58) @ Quambee Reserve

In a game with a finals feel and similar earmarks to their early season encounter, the Tigers were able to run over the top of North Ringwood away from home.

Holding a one-point lead at the final change, Neil Winterton’s men once again kicked five goals and held an inaccurate Saints team to just two goals to reaffirm their premiership credentials.

Mason Porter stood tall in defence alongside ruck Danny Baglava while North Ringwood defenders William Waller and Riley White both had strong performances.

Second Semi-Final - North Ringwood 8.10 (58) lost to Mitcham 9.13 (67) @ Tormore Reserve

In a hard-fought contest at Tormore Reserve, the Tigers were once again able to finish off stronger to secure a Grand Final berth and a week off.

With scores level at three quarter time, Mitcham kicked one goal and had six scoring shots whilst keeping North Ringwood to two behinds to secure another victory over the Saints.

Rod Ali starred in defence alongside VFL-listed star Will Kellar while Saints duo Jason Sharp and Kieran Rice collected 67 disposals between them.