EZYAIR 2025 Season Review | Balwyn

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 season, recruiting the likes of Steven Slimming, Lachlan Young, Sam Durdin, Jarrod Lienert, and Ben Silvagni.

It took the Tigers a couple of weeks to get moving, starting the year with two losses in big games against Blackburn and Rowville. By the second half of the season, they had cemented their place in the top three.

Saving some of their best footy for the finals, Balwyn’s pathway to Grand Final Day saw the Tigers win their Qualifying Final by 11 points over East Ringwood and their second semi-final by 47 points against Blackburn.

The Grand Final lived up to expectations as the two sides slogged it out in a low-scoring, tight battle. Balwyn found themselves 13 points down in the final quarter before finding three late goals to steal victory and cement themselves as back-to-back premiers.

Best Win: Grand Final – Balwyn 8.4 52 def. Blackburn 7.7 49 @ Bayswater Oval

For the second year running, Balwyn won the Premier Division Grand Final in a low-scoring game decided by less than six points.

Just three goals were kicked in the opening half, neither side registering a major in the second term. The game started to open up in the second half, Chevy Anderson duelling with Lachlan Harry in a great ruck battle, both ruckmen finishing with 48 hitouts each.

At the final change, the Tigers trailed by seven points, a slightly different situation than the year prior at this ground. Two of the first three goals from Blackburn saw the Burners 13 points up with 21 minutes gone.

In the space of three minutes, the Tigers kicked three goals in just seven minutes to take the lead, Jarrod Lienert kicking the match-winner, on his way to the best on ground medal.

This marked the Tigers 16th senior premiership win and the club's sixth flag since joining the league 18 years ago.

Key Players:

An outstanding year for Balwyn, Bowen Smith elevated his game once again. Across 20 games, Smith has been the most consistent midfielder in the competition. Averaging 25 disposals per game, the Tiger star has had 30 or more disposals in six games.

Alex Urban was just as key in the side’s midfield group. Only two times this season has Urban had less than 20 disposals in a game.

Defensively, Lachlan Young for a massive inclusion for the Tigers this season. Young averaged over 100 Ranking Points per game, over 21 disposals and 6 intercept possessions.

Jack Tillig kicked a career high 43 goals for the season, also playing a massive role in this year’s finals series including a couple of big-time Grand Final goals.

Off-Season Focus:

A couple of changes for the Tigers in 2026, with already some notable outs, none bigger than two-time premiership captain, Charlie Haley. One of the stars of the competition, Haley, departs the Tigers after leading the club to back-to-back flags, cementing a fantastic legacy at the club.

Another key out is Ruckman Chevy Anderson, the Tigers' ruckman also making the move out of the league.

Bowen Smith has recently been announced as the next skipper of the side, heading into the 2026 season.

Considering the depth of the side, their strong ability to recruit, the Tigers will remain as one of the sides to beat in 2026.

Senior Women’s

Ladder Position: 4th (6-8, 110.44%)

Leading Goalkicker: Cecilia Baldassarre

Summary:

An exciting year for the Balwyn Football Club as they introduced their Senior Women’s team to the Deakin University Senior Women's competition.

Led by 2019 Collingwood VFLW premiership coach Penny Cula-Reid, Balwyn were placed straight into Division One.

They won their first game of the season in Round One at Knox Gardens Reserve, a 26-point win over the Falcons to start their year off on a high note.

In a tight division, Balwyn finished the Home and Away season with a record of 6-8, qualifying for finals in their first year.

The Tigers played off in the first week of the finals with an Elimination Final match-up against Surrey Park. A shoot-out between the two sides saw Balwyn kick five goals to one in the final quarter to almost pull off a comeback finals win.

Best Win: Round One - Balwyn 7.10 52 def. Knox 3.8 26 @ Knox Gardens Reserve

A memorable day for the club as the Tigers started their season campaign with an impressive win on the road.

After a reasonably tight first-half, the Tigers were able to stretch their lead to 20 points with a strong third term before finishinhg with two goals to one in the last.

Cecilia Baldassarre starred up forward in her first game with Balwyn, kicking four goals. Vice Captain Talia Oates kicked two herself while Sam Pritchard starred.

Key Players:

Skipper Sally Lynch was a standout for the Tigers in season 2025. Dominant in the ruck, Lynch was named Team of the Year ruck as well as the Division One TOTY captain.

Cecilia Baldassarre, a proven goalkicker in the league, returned to the EFNL this season, winning the leading goalkicker award for the division with 49 majors. This included a bag of six in the Elimination Final match-up against Surrey Park.

Marlo Cockerill was the third member of the side to make the Division One TOTY. It was her first ull year of senior football, last year playing at the Oakleigh Chargers and Blackburn’s Under 18s before playing the full 2025 season at Balwyn.

What’s Next?

In a strong position moving forward, Balwyn had a very positive start in their entry to the Senior Women’s competition.

They’ll be looking to take the next step, turning this year’s finals appearance into some finals success.

Netball 

Balwyn Tigers (Division Seven): 2nd (10-4)

The Tigers claimed premiership honours in the Ringwood Mazda Netball competition, with the Division Seven flag.

The side won ten games for the season, finishing in second place, where they met Rowville in the semi-final. Rebecca Eddy and Rebecca Reid scored 17 goals each as Balwyn ran out six-goal winners.

Two weeks later, the Tigers met the Waverley Blues on Grand Final Night, a dominant performance seeing them win by 12 goals.

Rebecca Reid finished the year with 224 goals for the season.