Two finals series appearances for the South Belgrave senior sides, a Netball premiership and the Vets Womens go back-to-back.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 2nd (14-4, 137.93%)
Best and Fairest: Liam Kidd and Tim Smith
Leading Goalkicker: Tim Smith (46 Goals)
Summary:
Yet another strong Home and Away season without the ultimate finals success for the South Belgrave Senior Men’s side.
After a 2023 season that ended in a heartbreaking Grand Final loss to Mitcham, spoiling an undefeated year, Luke Galliott stepped aside with Heath Black signed as the next senior coach. Galliott remained at the club as an Assistant Coach under Black across the 2024 season.
A 57-point opening-round win in the Grand Final Rematch against the Tigers was followed by a 67-point shock loss to the Dees.
After that, the side found some consistency with six wins from their next seven games. Their tall targets up forward have been a big talking point of the strength of the side, but notably, it was their defensive set-up that impressed this season, averaging just 60 points against.
A second-place finish at the Home and Away season saw the Saints face Mitcham in the Qualifying Final after the side defeated the Tigers twice during the year. In tough, windy conditions, South Belgrave had trouble converting in front of the big stick, 0.12 by Half Time, a final score of 5.19. They fell 26 points short despite having nine more scoring shots than Mitcham.
The wind played havoc the following weekend at Tormore and the Saints were unable to hold off a fast-finishing Beaconsfield side against the wind as their season concluded.
Key Players:
Two greats of the club, Liam Kidd and Tim Smith, both shared the honours of Best and Fairest for the South Belgrave senior side.
After missing a lot of footy across the previous two years, Kidd played 17 games in 2024, also polling very well in the league's best and fairest. Kidd averaged 20 disposals and 6.5 clearances per game, frequently listed as the best.
Tim Smith remained one of the league’s best, kicking 46 goals for the season, a phenomenal average of 17 disposals, 5 mark and 2.6 goals per game.
Having a stellar season before a season-ending injury, Tyreece Leiu made Team of the Year honours at Full Back. In 13 games, Leiu averaged 17 disposals and 5.2 marks, playing a key role in the side’s successful Home and Away season.
Best Win: Round One – South Belgrave 16.11 107 def. Mitcham 6.14 50 @Walker Park
A statement victory in the opening round of the 2024 season in the Grand Final Rematch.
The Saints reminded everyone of just how strong of a side they were with a convincing 57-point win over the side that rolled them in the 2023 Division One decider at Tormore Reserve.
A twilight opening round fixture saw the Saints and Tigers go head-to-head at Walker Park. It was closer content than what the final score suggested, a few goals the difference early in the last quarter before South Belgrave’s attacking weapons went to work and they piled on the final six goals of the game.
Blake Simondson’s first game with the club was an outstanding one, best-on-ground with 18 disposals, 10 Inside 50’s and two goals. Superstar Tim Smith also managed to kick four goals for the afternoon.
Off-Season Focus:
At the conclusion of the season, Heath Black stepped down from the role of senior coach after a strong season at the helm.
Taking over in 2026 is Kristan Height. Another strong appointment with a great CV, most recently working at VFL side Box Hill as a midfield coach.
There’s plenty to work with at the club. Despite a disappointing end to their finals campaign, the club have been one of the benchmark sides in the division for the last two seasons and the side did suffer some key injuries at the pointy end of the season.
On top of this, their depth has proven to be a significant strength at the club, the reserves side taking out the Division One Reserves premiership with a thumping victory over Montrose in the Grand Final.
Senior Women’s
Ladder Position: 4th (7-7, 88.85%)
Best and Fairest: Jemma Mason
Leading Goalkicker: Olivia Flanagan (34 Goals)
Summary:
Another big year for South Belgrave’s Senior Womens program.
After last year’s Grand Final appearance under the SBL Wolves, South Belgrave made another finals series, winning seven games and finishing fourth on the ladder.
A strong attacking side, the Saints were the third-ranked attacking team in the Premier Division, only behind the two Grand Finalists.
Their position in the top four was in danger with a fast-finishing Vermont on their heels. But two back-to-back wins over the Bears and Pioneers saw the Saints secure their finals position.
They faced Whitehorse in a Semi-Final and led for the entire afternoon, even holding off the Pioneers' late final-quarter charge. They progressed through to a Preliminary Final where they met South Croydon. Although they were able to knock off the Dogs in the previous year’s Preliminary Final, this year they fell short.
Key Players:
Jemma Mason was unstoppable in 2024, playing all 16 games and taking out the club’s best and fairest. The young midfield star was a lock for a starting midfield spot in the Premier Division Team of the Year. Her finish to the season was outstanding, in the best of the last seven games of the season, including the side’s two finals.
Olivia Flanagan also made Team of the Year honours at Half Forward, the star forward kicking 34 goals for the year as well as ten times feature in the side’s best players.
Other key players in the side included Skipper Baylie Withers in defence for the Saints and Port Melbourne VFLW star Georgie Pruden from her 11 Home and Away games for the season.
Best Win: Semi Final – South Belgrave 6.2 38 def. Whitehorse 6.1 37 @H.E Parker Reserve
After facing each other in the final round of the season, South Belgrave and Whitehorse met in consecutive weeks, the two playing off in the first week of the finals.
A perfect start for the Saints saw them jump out of the blocks, three goals to one in the first quarter. By Half Time they had stretched their lead out to 20 points which they managed to hold in the third term.
The Pioneers threw everything they had at the Saints in the final quarter but in a thrilling finish, South Belgrave held on by a single point to advance through to the Preliminary Final.
Olivia Flanagan kicked three out of the side’s six majors, while both Georgia Grimmer and Jemma Mason stood out as two of the side’s best on the day.
Off-Season Focus:
The club announced at the start of October that Shane Mason would be taking over as Senior Women’s coach for the 2025 season.
An extensive CV includes coaching history with the SBL Wolves where he coached premiership sides.
The back-to-back finals series in the Premier Division of the Women’s competition has been a fantastic achievement for the club. With such an even comp next season, there’s no ceiling on what the group can achieve in 2025.
Netball
South Belgrave Saints (Division 11): 2nd (10-2, 180.91%)
South Belgrave Red (Division 11): 4th (6-5-1, 151.02%)
Two sides competed for the club in the 2024 New Balance Netball competition, both in Division Eleven.
South Belgrave Saints finished second on the ladder, winning ten games for the season. Against the odds, they knocked off an undefeated Ringwood side in the Grand Final by ten goals. Ashlea Foster was key in their premiership season, scoring 242 goals for the year, and also awarded the club's best and fairest.
South Belgrave Red had a strong season as well, finishing fourth on the ladder to qualify for finals. Defeating Montrose in the semi-final saw the side meet the other South Belgrave team in the Preliminary Final with a spot in the Grand Final up for grabs.
After a competitive first half, the Saints were able to outscore SB Red by seven in the second half to win by nine points. Piper Damico was awarded the club’s best and fairest.
Vets and Vets Women
A massive achievement for the club to have both Vets and Vets Women compete in 2024, one of three clubs in the league to feature a side in both competitions.
It was back-to-back premierships for the Saints Veteran Women’s side as they completed the perfect season, undefeated in 2024. Seven straight in the Home and Away season, followed by a 54-point win over Chirnside Park in the Semi-Final and a 13-point win over Mooroolbark in the Grand Final at Quambee Reserve.
The Mustangs had a quick start on Grand Final Day before the Saints finished with three goals to one in the second half to come out on top. Anika Carr was crowned club best and fairest winner for the side.
The Veteran Men won two games throughout the season, Cam Smith took home the club best and fairest for the Vets side.