EZYAIR 2025 Season Review | Boronia

The Hawks Senior Men's entered Division One footy, making the 2025 finals series, while the Senior Women's side took a big step forward with a new-look side.

Senior Men’s

Ladder Position: 4th (9-7, 115.37%)

Leading Goalkicker: Ben Robertson (38 Goals)

Season Summary:

The Hawks hit Division One at full steam after back-to-back Division Two premierships.

The club added to their list prior to the opening round with key recruits such as Ferntree Gully’s Jordan Church, 2018 Boronia premiership player Jake Godwin, and Mitcham’s Daniel Houeix.

Playing away from Tormore, the Hawks played the season out at Miller Park. The side won nine games for the season, missing the double chance after a goal after the siren loss to Mooroolbark in the final round.

Their season concluded after an Elimination Final loss at Pinks Reserve to North Ringwood.

Best Win: Round 13 – Boronia 9.15 69 def. Beaconsfield 9.12 66 @ Miller Park

A must-win game for the Hawks and their chances of finishing inside the top three for a double chance.

However, the odds seemed unlikely in the early stages of the game, Beaconsfield kicking the first goals of the game to lead 30 to zip halfway through the opening term.

By half-time, Boronia was able to even things up, the side hitting the lead in the third term to take a five-point lead at the final change.

Four of the next five goals from the Eagles set the challenge for the Hawks, who responded well, Damon Fairchild kicking the match-winner at the 27-and-a-half-minute mark of the final term.

Key Players:

Mitch Mellis won his third straight league best and fairest after a dominant season in Division One, becoming an EFNL Legend. From his 17 games this season, Mellis averaged 33 disposals, 16 contested possessions, and 8 tackles per game.

Joining the Hawks this season, Jordan Church had an outstanding first season with the club, a Team of the Year member on the Half Back line, and finished second in the club’s best and fairest.

The experienced likes of Jayden Collins and Josh Hannon both stood out in 2025 with strong seasons.

Ben Robertson continued to present up forward, 38 goals from 17 games. The experienced Hawk kicked four goals or more on six occasions, including the Elimination Final.

What’s Next?

One of the big movers of the off-season, Boronia has been busy on the recruiting front, picking up several key players ahead of the 2026 season.

Jake Arundell joins the Hawks from Rowville. This season, he didn’t play a game with Rowville, instead playing a full season at VFL level with the Box Hill Hawks, which has followed time in the SANFL with South Adelaide. A huge inclusion for Boronia, a strong forward and goalkicker who has the pace and skill to spend a lot of time in the midfield.

East Ringwood’s Corey Preston also joins the Hawks this season, coming off an ACL injury. In his last full season of football, Preston was a key reason for East Ringwood’s success at the Premier Division level, a member of the Premier Division Team of the Year.

Matt Barkas, Mason Storr, Blair Hudson, and Harrison Kimmit have also been announced as new recruits. On top of this, they’ll welcome back a fully fit Josh Begley, who missed the majority of the 2025 season.

Senior Women’s

Ladder Position: 5th (6-8, 115.73%)

Leading Goalkicker: Cadhla Schmidli (16 Goals)

Season Summary:

The big improvers in Premier Division, Boronia who finished last in 2024, moved into finals calculations with a strong season.

Sean Buncle was selected as the club’s next senior coach, bringing a wealth of experience from the VFLW level. Buncle worked alongside Boronia premiership coach Scott Nicholas as the Hawks recruited well for the 2025 season.

The recruitment of the likes of Cadhla Schmidli, Jasmine Coney, and Kelsie Ternes for the Hawks pushed the side into finals contention.

The Hawks started the season with three wins on the trot, an 80-point thumping of Whitehorse, a 35-point win over the reigning premiers, and a 16-point win over the Eagles in a shootout.

After a thrilling one-point win against the Pioneers in Round Eight, the side had a record of 5-3 and were in the conversation of finals. Three very close losses in the back half of the season saw Boronia finish in fifth.

Key Players:

Cadhla Schmidli was outstanding in her first season at Boronia, a certainty for the Premier Division Team of the Year. The leading goalkicker for the Hawks with 16 majors, finishing fifth overall in the division.

After missing most of 2024, Rachael Quirk was back to her best, leading the way for the Hawks. Quirk notched up a Team of the Year spot as well as Cleo Smith, both having great seasons.

Another Coates League talented young player in Jasmine Coney, was a great recruit from Blackburn, in the best eight times from 13 games.

Jenna Basse starred in ten games, kicking 15 goals of her own, including a bag of four late in the season against eventual premiers, Park Orchards.

Best Win: Round Two – Boronia 9.10 64 def. South Croydon 4.5 29 @ Cheong Park

A statement victory against the reigning premiers on ANZAC Day.

Boronia conceded the first three goals of the game at Cheong Park before a dominant display against high-quality opposition. The Hawks kicked eight goals to zip after Quarter Time as Kelsie Ternes booted four goals in her first game in Hawks colours. Jenna Basse added three goals of her own, and Captain Rachael Quirk was dominant across the ground.

A 35-point win over the Dogs was an early sign of what this new-look Boronia outfit could achieve when at full strength.

What’s Next?

Premier Division is only going to get tougher in 2025 with North Ringwood entering the division. The Hawks are well set up to take on the challenge, and with a full list available, they are certainly a big chance for a spot in the Premier Division finals.

Senior Women’s (Division Four)

Ladder Position: 6th (2-10, 27.83%)

Leading Goalkicker: Tamlyn Collins

Season Summary:

The Hawks had great numbers in their Senior Women’s program once again in 2025, possessing numbers for two teams.

The Development squad played in Division Four this season, winning two games. The victories came against The Basin Green and Nunawading.

Best Win: Round Nine – Boronia Gold 7.9 51 def. Nunawading 4.2 26 @ Miller Park

The Hawks were big winners in Round Nine after a 25-point win over the Lions at Miller Park.

The victory set up a strong first term, kicking three goals and keeping Nunawading scoreless.

Maddison Butler kicked three on the day, Emily O’Reilly kicking two, both girls coming up from the Hawks Under 18’s side.

Rebecca Carpenter continued her best form with best on ground honours.

Key Players:

Rebecca Carpenter led the way again in 2025, in the best eight times from her12 games, putting together an exceptional season.

Crossing over from South Croydon, Ella Otte had a very consistent season, constantly listed in the best eight times from eleven games.

With the influx of recruits this season, the side had multiple Premier Division players compete in the development squad at times this year, Lucy McLennan was in the best five times from five games.

What’s Next?

The culture at Boronia remains strong, and the women’s program continues to grow year on year.

Netball

Boronia Hawks (Division Seven) – 4th (8-6)

Boronia Gold (Division 15) – 7th (2-11)

The Hawks' top Netball side in Division Seven made the finals this year after finishing fourth on the ladder with a record of 8-6.  The Hawks won four of their last five games to qualify for the finals, before falling short in the semi-final to the Waverley Blues.

Alisha Clark took home the club’s best and fairest award, while Meaghan Edmondson scored 210 goals for the season.

The club’s second side in the Netball competition competed in Division 15, winning two games for the season. Darcy Langford winning the side's best and fairest award.

Vets and Vets Womens

Veteran Men’s: 6th (4-4)

Veteran Womens: 6th (1-7)

Boronia competed in both Veteran competitions in 2025.

The Veteran Men’s won four of their eight games to finish sixth on the ladder, just two games outside of the top four. Boronia finished with a three-game winning streak, defeating Croydon North MLOC, Chirnside Park, and South Belgrave in consecutive rounds.

After a wonderful senior career, Dean Grice excelled at the Veterans level, winning the 2025 Vets League best and fairest medal.

The Veteran Women's Hawks side won one game this season, a 40-point win over Belgrave in Round Five. They kept the Magpies scoreless, Julia Bortoli kicking three goals in the win.