Ringwood Mazda 2026 Season Review | Chirnside Park
Strong representation across all senior and veteran competitions for Chirnside Park once again in season 2026.
SENIOR MEN’S
Summary:
Ladder Position: 2nd (13-3, 187.91%)
Best and Fairest: Chaz Clavant
Leading Goal Kicker: Josh Swift (71 Goals)
Another strong Home and Away season that unfortunately fell short of the ultimate goal of the senior premiership.
The Panthers finished the year in second, locking in a double chance before going out in straight sets.
Chirnside Park’s attacking prowess was once more a key strength of the side, averaging over 121 points per game, the second most behind the Bullants.
With just three losses for the year, the Panthers secured a double-chance spot by winning their last five games of the Home and Away season.
A brave performance against the eventual premiers Warrandyte in the second semi-final wasn’t enough to get the Panthers across the line. The following week, they ran into a rampant Bulleen Templestowe side who knocked last year’s Grand Finalists out for season 2026.
Best Win: Round Two – Chirnside Park 17.13 115 def. Warrandyte 10.6 66 @ Kimberley Reserve
It wasn’t spoken about as much at the time, but after seeing what the Bloods managed to achieve after this game, Chirnside Park’s dominant Round Two performance stands out as a key highlight of the season.
At home at Kimberley Reserve, Chirnside Park dominated the scoreboard early with five of the first six goals, almost doubling Warrandyte’s inside 50 count. Challenged in the second term, the Panthers responded with a 12 goals to five second half to win by 49 points.
Ryan Kamien had one of his best games of the year, with 27 disposals and two goals. Meanwhile, Josh Swift booted another six majors after four in Round One.
Key Players:
There was great representation for Chirnside Park in the Division Four Team of the Year, with Sam Cannon, Chaz Clavant, Josh Swift and Ben Slattery all making the final 22.
Clavant took club honours of the Best and Fairest, averaging 108 Ranking Points per game, elite in contested possessions with an average of over 13.
Josh Swift was one of the best recruits in Division Four this year, kicking 71 goals this season across 18 games. Swift worked well alongside Trent Castledine, who kicked 36 goals himself this season, including an 11-goal haul against the Zebras.
The ever-reliable Ben Slattery had another great season and was a massive loss to the side not to have him available come the finals series.
What’s Next?
Senior Coach Justin Ficorilli has been re-appointed for the 2027 season as the club has been busy re-signing and recruiting to the list.
Their forward depth has increased with the likes of Zak Knight and Calev Dornan announced as the latest recruits.
They missed some key personnel this year, no bigger than last year’s leading goal kicker Jake Cawsey, who missed the 2026 season due to injury.
Expect the Panthers to be around the mark again next season.
SENIOR WOMEN’S
Summary:
Ladder Position: 5th (6-8, 88.63%)
Leading Goal Kicker: Siena McKee (19 Goals)
One of the more improved teams in the Deakin University Senior Women’s competition this season.
The Panthers finished just one win away from securing a finals berth in a very even Division Three competition.
It may have taken until Round Five to win their first game of the season, but the signs were there early, with a close loss to Coldstream and a competitive performance against eventual premiers, North Ringwood.
Round Five saw the Panthers hold off Vermont in a thrilling contest at Kimberley Reserve. The win started a three-game win streak with strong wins to follow against Berwick and Mitcham.
Back-to-back wins in Rounds 12 and 13 placed Chirnside Park in a mini-elimination final in Round 14 against the Tigers, with the winner set to play finals. The Panthers just fell short at Walker Park on the morning by eight points.
Best Win: Round Five – Chirnside Park 8.7 55 def. Vermont Gold 8.3 51 @ Kimberley Reserve
The Panthers' first win of the season was a memorable one.
For the opening three quarters, Chirnside Park dominated most of the game, making the most of the breeze when they had it, kicking all eight of their goals down one end of the ground.
Siena McKee starred with three goals, while both Rana Khan and Laura Robinson finished with two goals of their own.
The final quarter saw the Eagles charge home with six goals with the breeze.
Chirnside Park managed to hold on for a four-point win and set up the first of three wins in a row.
Key Players:
Siena McKee in her first full senior season of football was outstanding, one of two Panthers players selected in the Team of the Year for Division Three. McKee finished with 16 goals for the season, having an eight-game stretch during the season where she kicked a goal in every game.
Laura Robinson also featured in the 2026 Team of the Year, another big season leading from the front. Consistent across the season, Robinson was listed in the best a total of 11 times from 14 games.
Hayley Heffernan backed up her strong first season with the Panthers last year with another consistent season. All 14 games played, ten of those listed in the best.
What’s Next?
The side doubled their wins from the 2025 season in this division, which shows how well the group is tracking.
A strong junior girls’ program has the side set to further improve again in 2027 and beyond.
NETBALL
Topaz (Division Five): 1st, 13-0, 161.64%
Amber (Division Six): 6th, 5-8, 84.83%
Yellow (Division Eight): 5th, 6-6, 116.39%
Diamonds (Division Nine): 2nd, 9-3, 134.25%
Panthers (Division 11): 8th, 3-10, 78.87%
Black (Division 13): 6th, 7-7, 120.00%
Another successful season for the Panthers, who managed to put together six teams to compete in the 2026 Ringwood Mazda Netball competition.
Their top side that competed in Division Five was the Panthers' most successful team in the competition. An incredible year for the Chirnside Park Topaz, remaining undefeated all season, including a thrilling one-point win over Mitcham in the second semi-final, followed by a dominant 21-goal Grand Final triumph over Glen Waverley.
Madison Marshall had a fantastic season in front of goal, 481 for the season, a season-high of 52 in the side’s clash with Donvale.
Also going on to make a Grand Final in Division Nine was the Chirnside Park Diamonds, who finished second on the ladder after winning nine games in the Home and Away season.
The Diamonds qualified first for the Grand Final after defeating Surrey Park by just one goal in an incredibly tight final. Stephanie Butler scored 30 goals on the night. They fell short on Grand Final Night two weeks later against Mount Evelyn by 13 points.
In Division Six, Lauren Hussey added another accolade to her already impressive career thus far, taking out the league best and fairest at this year’s Chandler Medal Night.
VETERANS
VETERAN WOMEN’S
Summary:
Ladder Position: 2ND (7-1)
Leading Goal Kicker: Danielle Allen (11 Goals)
A terrific season for Chirnside Park in the Veteran Women’s competition, playing off in this year’s decider.
The Panthers were fantastic in the Home and Away season, winning seven of their eight games. The record saw the Panthers tie on points with reigning premiers Blackburn.
Finishing second on the ladder at the end of the season, Chirnside Park earned the right to host the Semi Final. The side performed well on the big stage against last year’s Grand Finalists, South Belgrave, winning by 17 points. Danielle Allen kicked three majors while Christie Lacey was listed as the side’s best on the ground.
Two weeks later, they met Blackburn in the decider at Mulgrave Reserve. A thrilling contest against the reigning premiers saw both sides drawing level at the final siren before Blackburn held on for victory in Extra Time.
Captain Kate Latu was fantastic in the decider, one of the best players on the ground.
VETERAN MEN’S
Summary:
Ladder Position: 8TH (1-7)
Leading Goal Kicker: Clint Fulton (13 Goals)
The Panthers also fielded a team in the Veteran Men’s competition this season.
Their one win this year came from their Round Five clash out at Kings Park. Chirnside Park on the road defeated an inaccurate Upper Ferntree Gully by nine points.
Clint Fulton kicked three in the victory, also the team’s leading goal kicker in 2026.
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