EZYAIR 2025 Season Review | Upper Ferntree Gully

2025 saw Upper Ferntree Gully put together their best season of the 2020's, both senior sides making finals, the Senior Men's first final in almost a decade and the Netball program taking home a premiership.

Senior Men’s

Ladder Position: 5th (10-8)

Leading Goalkicker: Brodie Wilson (36 Goals)

Season Summary:

They were one of the big improvers in the 2025 season, returning to the finals for the first time since 2018 and their first finals win since 2016.

Kris Fletcher took the reins of senior coach at Upper Ferntree Gully this season as the side broke some major milestones this year.

Despite dropping the first two games of the season, Upper Ferntree Gully went on to win five of their next six to set themselves up nicely going into the second half of the year. A big scalp in Round Ten saw Upper Gully knock off the Falcons by 22 points. It was followed by a 79 and an 84-point wins over Ferntree Gully and Fairpark.

Four games lost by less than a kick in the final rounds of the season saw the youthful side miss out on the double chance, finishing fifth at the completion of Round 18.

In a nail-biting Elimination Final, the Kings held on by a point to defeat The Basin, ending an almost decade-long drought. The following week, their season came to an end against Scoresby, losing by 51 points in the semi-final.

Best Win: Elimination Final – Upper Ferntree Gully 9.7 61 def. The Basin 9.6 60 @ Jubilee Park

A memorable day for the Upper Ferntree Gully Football Club, a one-point finals win over the Bears.

In a clash that had lead changes and multiple momentum swings, Upper Ferntree Gully took a three-goal lead into the main break before The Basin kicked the first three goals of the third quarter to level things up at the 25-minute mark.

A crucial goal from Travis Strange at a forward half stoppage gave the Kings a small amount of breathing room at the final change.

Key Players:

Travis Strange put up some ridiculous numbers this season, averaging 27 disposals per game. On six occasions this year, Strange had 35 disposals or more, including a 38-disposal, 4-goal game against Knox in Round Ten.

Buster Todd had a career-best year, earning the honours of the Division Three Team of the Year Ruckman.

Up forward, Brodie Wilson led the goalkicking with 36, Travis Strange and Rory Bailey behind him with 29 and 24 goals respectively.

What’s Next?

This year was massive for the club to make the finals and win one, but next year presents itself as a massive opportunity to go deep into September. The premiership window is open, particularly if they can recruit a few big names to an already strong line-up.

The signing of Damien Johnston from Beaconsfield Football Club for the 2026 season remains one of the biggest signings of the off-season thus far. It's a pivotal pick up, adding a ton of experience and leadership both on and off the field.

Senior Women’s

Ladder Position: 4th (3-8)

Leading Goalkicker: Kate Edmanson (10 Goals)

Season Summary:

Fantastic improvement from the Upper Ferntree Gully Senior Women’s saw the side play off in this year’s finals series.

The club returned to the comp last season but were unable to record a victory in Division Four. With the addition of Division Five, Upper Ferntree Gully managed to win their first game in the opening round of the season after an eight-point win over the Dockers.

The side was able to sneak into fourth and qualify for the finals.

A gallant performance in the Elimination Final against Templestowe at Mulgrave Reserve saw Upper Gully kick the first two goals to put the side 11 points up at the first break. The game remained tight throughout, just one point the difference at the final change before the game opened up late.

Falling nine points short, there was plenty to be happy about from an Upper Gully perspective.

Best Win: Round One – Upper Ferntree Gully 4.4 28 def. Templestowe 3.2 20 @ Templestowe Reserve

After a tough season on-field last year, to start the 2025 season with a win was one of the best stories of the Senior Women’s competition this year.

A tight game throughout, just eight points separated the two sides at the final siren. Kate Edmanson kicked two of Upper Gully’s four goals, while Holly Hodges was listed best on ground.

Key Players:

In the combined Division Four and Five Team of the Year, two Upper Ferntree Gully players were selected in the final team. Both Sarah Boyle and Tahlia McIntosh made the final team after fantastic seasons with the club.

Kate Edmanson had a fantastic season, playing both junior and senior footy in 2025. Edmanson had a great season in the Under 18s with Knox while also playing senior football at UFTG, leading the goalkicking for the team.

Ashley Herrod continued to be one of Upper Ferntree Gully’s most consistent players in 2025, another nine times in the best, following a strong season in 2024.

What’s Next?

So many great signs from the 2025 season, the biggest priority will be the retention of the group and continuing to develop on the back of the progress this season.

Netball

Team by Team

Division Six: 6th (5-8-1)

Division Ten: 8th (1-11-2)

Division 15: 1st (12-2)

Upper Ferntree Gully entered three teams in the Ringwood Mazda Netball competition this year.

Their most successful side was UFTG Black, who competed in Division 15, taking out the premiership after a three-goal win over Wantirna South in the Grand Final.

UFTG Black finished on top of the Division 15 ladder, winning 12 of a possible 14 games. Their two losses came in the opening two rounds, b