Yarra Valley Water 2025 Season Review | Templestowe

By Ryan Long.

Templestowe came up one-point short of the Division Two premiership, while the club celebrated the return of it's Senior Womens program that played off in the finals.

Senior Men’s

Ladder Position: 1st (16-2)

Leading Goalkicker: Andrew Fasanella (28 Goals)

Summary:

It was a near-perfect season for the Dockers, who just missed out on a premiership by one point on a dramatic Grand Final Day at Walker Park.

With the departure of Boronia from the division, the race for the 2025 premiership opened, and the Dockers were one of the sides in a position to take the next step in Division Two.

Some key recruiting saw EFNL Matt Mariani return home to Templestowe, the club also landing a big fish in South Croydon’s Daniel Cooper.

A very strong Home and Away season saw the Nick Batsanis led Dockers finish as Minor Premiers with a record of 16 wins and 2 losses.

Key highlights across the season included an opening round blitz at H.E. Parker Reserve, comfortably beating the Jets, and a 130-point thumping win at Croydon Oval, kicking 21 goals to one in the second half.

As finals rolled around, Templestowe snuck across the line against Surrey Park in the semi-final by three points to qualify for the 2025 decider.

Plenty of ‘what if’s?’ can be pondered after Grand Final Day. A one-point heartbreaking loss after leading Wantirna South by 36 points in the second term. They’ll rue a six-goal run by the Devils in the third term. To the Dockers' credit, after being 24 points down in the final term, the side kicked four of the last five of the day to give themselves a chance.

Best Win: Semi Final – Templestowe 8.11 59 def. Surrey Park 8.8 56 @ Walker Park

It wasn’t as dominant as most of their Home and Away games this season, but what makes the semi-final so impressive is how much they had to earn this finals victory.

An even first half saw the two sides tied on 36 points each. The Dockers dominated the third term, doubling the Inside 50 count of the Panthers. Against a strong defensive side, they held just a ten-point lead at the final change.

Surrey Park hit the lead 11 minutes into the final quarter before Templestowe took back the lead in red time, holding on for a three-point win.

Beau Mitchener was massive in the ruck once again, 21 disposals and 10 clearances to go with his 74 Hit Outs. Daniel Cooper played his role with three majors on the day.

Key Players:

Another big season for Beau Mitchener, the Division Two Team of the Year Ruckman, averaging almost 60 hit outs per game, an elite average.

Back at the club this season, Matt Mariani was outstanding for the Dockers. An average of 22 disposals per game, Mariani was also able to hit the scoreboard in a big way, including a dominant best on ground performance against the Devils, kicking three in a 27-disposal game.

Carl Giovannini and Michael Fogarty also made Team of the Year honours. As skipper, Fogarty, who missed almost half of the 2024 season, was back to his best. One of the key figures on Grand Final Day, trying to lift his side with some big-time moments, including two goals in the fourth term.  

What’s Next?

Nick Batsanis announced he would step down prior to the conclusion of the season. A fantastic run as senior coach, Batsanis leaves the senior group in a great position moving into the future.

The club announced that Paul Fiorenza, Senior Assistant Coach, will be the next Senior Coach of the Templestowe Football Club.

With the current list, they'll remain as one of the key teams to keep an eye on in the premiership race.

Senior Women’s

Ladder Position: 3rd (5-7)

Leading Goalkicker: Dimi Doumas (13 Goals)

Summary:

A great success for the club was the return of the Templestowe Senior Women’s team.

Travis Wason stepped up to the plate as the team’s senior coach, bringing great experience through the club’s junior program.

The new senior side contained many former Templestowe Junior Football Club players, and the side joined Division Five of the competition alongside Norwood in their first season as well.

A big moment for the side was Templestowe’s first win in Round Six when the Dockers took down Upper Ferntree Gully by 15 points at Kings Park.

The Dockers made significant improvements throughout the year, four wins from their last five games locked in a finals spot.

Finishing third on the ladder, the Dockers took down the Kings in week one of the finals, progressing through to a Preliminary Final, going down to the Jets.

Best Win: Elimination Final – Templestowe 5.7 37 def. Upper Ferntree Gully 4.4 28 @ Mulgrave Reserve

A fantastic achievement for the Dockers to not only qualify for finals but to win their finals game.

In the Elimination Final, Templestowe and Upper Ferntree Gully played out a tight encounter, the Dockers winning by nine points.

After giving up an eleven-point lead at the first change, Templestowe managed to swing the momentum back in their favour, leading at the final change by a point. A big final quarter saw the Dockers kick three goals for a taste of finals success.

Dimi Doumas booted two of the five goals for Templestowe, while Jelena Simic was listed best on ground.

Key Players:

In her first senior season, Violet Muleta won the league's best and fairest for Division Five. To make the achievement even better, Muleta played just seven games for the season, taking out the league honours.

Dimi Doumas has had some great performances in big wins for the Dockers this year. Not only the leading goal kicker for the side, Doumas finished third for the division with her tally.

Shana Miller was arguably the most consistent player this season. In her 14 games, Miller was listed in the best players on eleven occasions.

What’s next?

With such a super young list, Templestowe is only going to get better in the long run.

They ticked plenty of boxes this season, and under Travis Wason, the group will be looking to build off the promising start in the senior competition.