Yarra Valley Water 2026 InFocus | Coldstream

By Josh Ward.

A disappointing season for Coldstream’s senior men’s side while its senior women’s side had another stellar season and its netball program showed some promise.

Senior Men’s

Ladder Position: 9th (4-14, 62.60%)

Leading Goalkicker: Darcy Carrigan (35 goals in 18 games)

Best and Fairest: Darcy Carrigan

Summary

It was a very different season this time around for the Cougars senior men’s in comparison to their 2024 campaign, only just avoiding the wooden spoon and relegation to Division 4.

Under a new head coach in Matthew Johnson, things didn’t quite go to plan for Coldstream in the opening nine rounds of the season, picking up only one win in that period.

After only one win between rounds 10 and 13 they then found some form towards the end of the season, picking up two wins against Ferntree Gully and Silvan at home in the final five games of the season to confirm their spot in Division 3 for 2026.

Best Win: Round 18 - Coldstream 7.8 (50) defeated Silvan 5.5 (35) @ Coldstream Reserve

Honourable mention to their win over Ferntree Gully in Round 14, but this one meant just that little bit more for the Cougars as it confirmed their spot in Division 3 for next year.

Things started off evenly, with the Cougars trailing by a point at quarter time before hitting the front by nine points at the main break.

It was the third quarter where they set up the victory, kicking two goals and only conceding one behind before stabilising in the final term to finish season 2025 on a high.

Darcy Carrigan led from the front with a three goal performance while Sam Figg also had a solid game in defence alongside Jake Sherriff.

Key Players

Carrigan was yet again one of the most consistent performers for the Cougars, taking home Team of the Year honours, Coldstream’s leading goalkicker and B&F award.

Whilst they didn’t light it up like last year, Darcy Fritsch and Mitchell Edmonds still had an impact in attack with 23 goals and 18 goals respectively.

Daniel Versteegen was also a solid contributor in defence alongside Leigh Warne and Cameron Shield. 

What’s Next?

Whilst their first season under Matthew Johnson didn’t go quiet as planned, there’s still a bit to build on for the Cougars as they prepare for another season in Division 3.

Johnson has re-signed for a second season at the helm while key players such as Carrigan, Fritsch, Versteegen and Jarrod Healy, who only played half the season, have also re-signed.

They’ve also added a fair bit of youth, with some players from Mount Evelyn’s Under 18 Premiership side in the AFL Outer East competition coming across to help bolster the Cougars youth stocks.

Senior Women’s

Ladder Position: 2nd (11-3, 222.74%)

Leading Goalkicker: Abbey Broughan and Maddy Stark (31 goals each)

Best and Fairests: Maddy Stark and Sophie Stark

Summary

One of two standout teams in Division 3 this past season, the Cougars senior women’s side put together an excellent 2025 season.

They started off with four straight wins before dropping their first game of the season to Heathmont in Round 5.

After winning five on the trot, Coldstream then lost two of their last three games to the Jets and North Ringwood Red, resulting in a second placed finish and a double chance in finals.

The Cougars used that double chance to their advantage, dropping their first final to Heathmont before comfortably defeating North Ringwood Red to book their ticket to a second consecutive Division 3 decider, which they would lose to the Jets.

Best Win: Round 6 - Coldstream 9.10 (64) defeated North Ringwood Red 5.4 (34) @ Coldstream Reserve

Plenty of wins to choose from for the Cougars, but this win is one of their more impressive performances against a top four opponent.

Things started off tight before Coldstream broke the shackles in the second term with a four goal to one quarter, entering the main break up by 19 points.

After only kicking one goal in the third term the hosts then kicked four goals to three in the last to secure a comfortable five-goal victory, their biggest winning margin against a top four opponent in season 2025.

Abbey Broughan starred in attack with three goals and was well supported by Sophie Stark who kicked two. Katie Hamilton and Erin Rackham also had solid games.

Key Players -

Sophie Stark had an excellent season alongside Maddy. Both claimed the Cougars Club B&F, were in the Division 3 + 4 Team of the Year while Sophie took home the Division 3 Women’s League B&F.

Abbey Broughan also made the Team of the Year, kicking another impressive bag of 31 goals alongside Maddy Stark.

Ella Herrmann continued to develop her game while Katie Hamilton and recruit Taleesha O’Kane were also solid, with O’Kane finishing the season on 13 goals.

What’s Next?

Two consecutive grand final appearances for the Cougars who certainly have no shortage of talent in their current lineup.

They’ll be without the coach that’s guided them to the last two Grand Finals in Matt Coghlan who’s hung up the whiteboard after an excellent stint with Coldstream.

Retaining their list will yet again be key, with no re-signings announced as of yet. If they pick up a few then it’ll only enhance their already solid premiership credentials.

Netball

Team by Team

Coldstream Grey (Premier Division)

A slightly improved season for the Cougars Premier Division side in the New Balance Netball Competition, finishing the season in second last after a bottom-placed finish in 2024.

Some promising signs were shown in the opening month of the season when the Cougars won two of their opening four games, with their two losses in that period coming by a combined margin of seven goals.

Then they started to drop off, losing their final eight games of the season to finish with a 2-10 record, one win greater than their 2024 campaign.

Libby McNay put together an excellent campaign and finished the season as the Cougars Premier Division B&F winner. Erin Baker, Jaymee Tough and Tarsha Neal were also solid contributors, with Tough the Cougars Leading Goalshooter for the season.

Coldstream Black (Division 1)

So close but yet so far for the Cougars Black side, yet again finishing just short of making Division 1 finals.

The Cougars started off well with two wins from their opening two games before dropping their next four games.

They then won three on the trot, lost three on the trot, before winning their last two games to finish the season 7-7. It wasn’t enough though as they fell half a game short of fourth-placed Mitcham Amber.

Jess Ford was outstanding throughout the year, finishing as the competition’s second leading goal scorer on 334 goals. Phoebe Brennan took home the side’s B&F while Stacey Evans' solid season saw her finish runner up.

Coldstream White (Division 8)

The Cougars White put together an excellent campaign in the Division 8 competition, finishing in the top two of the Division.

They started off in Division 9 where they won their opening two games convincingly before winning four of their first five games in Division 8 when they entered that competition.

Coldstream White then dropped only one game in the final seven games of the season, to eventual premiers Rowville Hawks Gold, who they went down to in the first weekend of finals.

After defeating Vermont Eagles Black in their preliminary final meeting, they’d go down to the Hawks again on Grand Final day, finishing the year as runners up.

Sarah Billingham finished the season as the side’s leading goalshooter, compiling 378 goals across 16 games. Billingham also took home her sides B&F as well as the Division 8 League B&F and was well supported by Jess Raaymakers and Emma-Lee Jakobs.

Coldstream Blue (Division 13)

It was a successful season for Coldstream Blue, taking home the Division 13 premiership after losing last year’s Division 10 decider.

They won six of their opening seven games of the season, with their only loss in that period coming against their eventual grand final foes in East Ringwood Aqua.

Whilst they dropped two games in the second half of the season, they still had a strong enough start to finish atop the Division 13 table.

Coldstream Blue would win their first final against Ringwood Black by the barest of margins before knocking off the Roos in the decider by seven goals.

Ash Clausen had a stellar season, winning both a league B&F and club B&F. Madison Carroll finished the year as the second leading goalshooter in Division 13 with 247 goals.

Coldstream Pink (Division 14)

Also a terrific year for Coldstream Pink, making this year’s Division 14 decider after a second-placed finish.

They recorded just one loss during the home and away season, which came at the hands of eventual premiers Scoresby.

After losing to the Magpies in the first week of finals, the Cougars responded with an emphatic win over Knox Falcons Red by 21 goals. Meeting Scoresby in the decider, they would fall just short of the ultimate prize.

Sarah Orlandi took home both the side’s leading goalshooter and B&F award, finishing with 287 goals for the season. Alex McInnes and Jayne Bashford were also solid contributors.

Coldstream Green (Division 15)

The Cougars Division 15 side was also excellent in season 2025, also playing in finals after a third-placed finish.

They started off the season strongly with seven wins from their opening eight games before dropping four consecutive games between rounds nine and 12.

Winning their final two games of the season, the Cougars would then win a thriller in their first final against South Croydon White before losing by three goals to Wantirna South White the following week to end their season.

Hannah Ploegsma was stellar alongside Maddy Hicks, with the former winning the side’s Best and Fairest Award. Samantha Chetcuti finished as Coldstream Green’s leading goalshooter with 207 goals.