Yarra Valley Water 2025 Season Review | Bulleen Templestowe

By Ryan Long.

A historic year for the Bulleen Templestowe Bullants, making a strong impression in their first-ever season in the Eastern Football Netball League

Senior Men’s

Ladder Position: 5th (7-8)

Leading Goalkicker: Thomas Davis (33 Goals)

Season Summary:

One of the highlights of the 2025 season was the Bulleen Templestowe Football Club’s first season in the Eastern Football Netball League.

The Bullants crossed over from the VAFA, joining the EFNL’s Division Four competition and having an immediate impact in the competition.

The season started on perfectly for the Bullants, winning their opening clash against Warrandyte in a three-point thriller. New to the competition, it was a feeling-out stage for the side that spent most of the first half of the season.

The improvement was clear, with a very strong second half of the season, as the club won five of its last seven games of the year. This included two big wins over the KangaRams, a 116-point win over the Zebras, and a gutsy 27-point win on the road against the Cougars.

The side only just missed the finals in their first season, with Kilsyth coming from behind in their Round 18 clash to win by nine points.

Finishing fifth with a record of 7-8, Bulleen Templestowe has a lot to celebrate in its first season in the competition.

One of the big highlights for the club was the Under 19.5’s side advancing through to a Grand Final at East Ringwood Reserve. The Bullants fell just short on Grand Final Day against a strong Kilsyth side but it was a huge achievement for the side and the overall club.

Best Win: Round 1 – Bulleen Templestowe 7.5 47 def. Warrandyte 6.8 44 @ Ted Ajani Reserve

It’s hard to go past the first-ever senior win in the Eastern Football Netball League on a special day in Round One.

The Bullants hosted Warrandyte at Ted Ajani Reserve on the 5th April, the club’s first game within the league.

 The game itself was played out in perfect sunny conditions and remained a tight encounter throughout. At halftime, it was all level, three goals each. The visitors were able to stretch out the lead with three goals on the trot in the third term, which included a goal from Alex Simpson right at Three-Quarter Time.

15 points down at the final change, the Bullants dominated the final term, particularly through the clearances via Jake and Josh Sticca. Three goals in the final term, including two from Thomas Davis, saw the Bullants hit the lead by three points.

They managed to lock down the game from their to walk away with a big-time win.

Jake Sticca took the honours of best on ground in the side’s first victory.

Key Players:

When speaking about key players for the Bullants, it’s difficult to go past both Jake and Josh Sticca.

After being a part of Balwyn’s premiership side in 2024, they’ve come back to the Bullants and have achieved plenty throughout the season. Jake Sticca was crowned on Chandler Medal night as the Stephen Jones medallist, the league's best and fairest.

Both were selected in the EFNL Team of the Year for Division Four, and Jake was elected captain of the side. Josh Sticca was also crowned the club’s best and fairest winner.

Tom Davis was key up forward as the leading goal kicker, 33 goals for the season, he also finished third in the club’s best and fairest and made the Team of the Year.

What’s next?

The future looks good for the Bullants, who now know their opposition and their grounds a lot better after a full season.

Their Under 19.5’s had such a great run, which is promising for the future of the club.

Earlier this year, Senior Coach Andrew Verga was announced that he would be once again leading the club in 2026. With the current group, there’s a great opportunity for the Bullants to make their move up the ladder next season.