Yarra Valley Water InFocus 2025 | Boronia

By Jared Beanland.

With a spot in Division One not up for grabs in 2023, the Division Two premiers that year, Boronia, had to wait patiently for a shot at promotion. Season 2024 showed that the Hawks had maintained the hunger and resolve required to go back-to-back, and have now finally achieved their aim.

Only two losses in the past two years speak volumes to the enduring drive for success at Tormore Reserve, which senior men’s coach Matt Clark looks to harness as he and his boys take on the next level of Eastern footy.

“It’s been a long, sustained journey where we’ve had to stay steely-focussed on what we really want to do, and that’s play the higher level. I think what that’s done is it’s allowed us to keep focussed on ourselves, and be really well prepared, hopefully, for what’s to come," Clark said.

"We’re under no illusions that Division One is so even as a competition that we’re going to have to be up for every moment of every game. So we’ve attacked our preseason with that mentality, to really keep building on what we’ve built. I think in 2024 we were better than in ‘23, and we hope that we’ll say the same for ’25.”

Two seasons is a long time for any football club to navigate, and Clark is full of praise for the leaders amongst the team for helping maintain the focus.

“I think the biggest challenge for us some weeks, if we looked at the ladder, if we looked at what we did last week against an opposition, we could easily get distracted and go in with the wrong energy. So we kept the list changing around, but we also made sure that our leadership at the club was really strong,"

"Full credit to our leaders, they were able to drive the group, and drive the mood of the group. There were no lapses, no weak moments, and that was the mentality we wanted. But it was challenging, there’s no doubt about that. We had to manage the group and make sure we were all well-rested when we needed to be, and worked hard when we needed to.”

A 63 point defeat of Croydon in last year’s Grand Final was indeed a comfortable margin to win a premiership by, however Clark and his team are not looking to rest on their (many) laurels.

Acknowledging that the challenges to be faced this year will be more than most of the playing list has faced in footy, he speaks to the preseason work required to find further success this year.

“The focus is on development again. Our fitness has always been strong, and I think that’s helped our mindset and belief. So we’ve had another really strong, tough preseason where we feel that we’re really fit, and ready, and match-hardened,"

"I think the group’s excited. It was instant relief when we won the Grand Final, but that turned quickly to ‘hey we’ve worked really hard to get here, now we want to make sure that we’re giving ourselves the best chance to do the best we can in this division.’ ”

Not only covering new ground in a competitive sense, the Hawks will also be doing that literally. With the facilities at Tormore Reserve receiving a makeover this year, the senior side will be playing their home matches at Miller’s Reserve.

It’s not completely unfamiliar territory for the team, however, as they have had match experience there in the past.

“We’ve got the clubrooms under development at the moment. So we’ve trained the whole preseason at Tormore Reserve, we’ve played both practise matches at Tormore, and the ground’s in unbelievable nick, but there’s no facilities for us to have a social room, etc at the club,"

"So we’re moving down to Miller’s which is our junior club. We’ve embraced that heavily, and are really excited about that. We have played a couple of practise matches there in the past, and trained during the finals series down there as well. So we’re really comfortable with the ground, and it’s similar dimensions to Tormore. It’ll create a great opportunity for us to play at our second home, and make it our first home for a year.”

The competitive mindset that has kept Boronia at the top of Division Two for two years running is what Matt Clark wants his team to match this year. The preseason seems to confirm that. Not only has he seen this in training, but in practise matches against old foes.

“What I’ve seen this preseason is that in our running, in our game drills, everything we’re doing, the leaderships been really strong. And more importantly the players are really competitive, so I’ve noticed in everything we’ve done they’ve challenged each other to get better. Whatever testing we’re doing they’re all trying to outdo each other.”

“I think the mindset in both practise matches has been really strong – we played Waverley Blues and Heathmont in both matches – and I think what it did was solidify that we have grown and progressed from the times we had played them in prior years,"

"I think we’re on the right track. Our game with the footy has been advanced in my opinion, we’re moving the ball, differently and a lot better. And we’re still competing really strongly when we don’t have it. I think we’re really confident that we have progressed, what we’re excited about is finding out where that stands in Division One,"

"We know it’s competitive, we know it’s harder for longer in most games, and bursts won’t get us the job done in this division. So the guys have been making sure their training standards have been high, so when challenged in games we’re going to be able to reset the mindset and have the fitness and resolve to stay in there for a lot longer. That’s what’s going to be required for this division.”

One of the hallmarks of the Boronia team has been a requirement for the players to master two or more different positions on the ground.

The players’ abilities to change roles mid-game has given Clark a large degree of flexibility to work with on game day, and he says this aspect of the team will be pivotal to success in a higher Division.

“We’ve tried to address a couple of areas, and build depth in them through the preseason. But I think it’s always important for any player to have at least a minimum of two positions they can play, and that’s always been my philosophy,"

"When in games, it really hamstrings us as a group if we’ve got a person who can only play one spot. It gives no flexibility for coaching to make moves and try things, and zero flexibility when it comes to selection if we’ve got only one trick to that pony."

"So I think everyone that we pick every week has got at least two to three positions. It gives us options during games if something’s not working. That’s going to be the strategy and focus again for 2025.”

Recruiting has been strong at Tormore Reserve this year, with multiple strings being added to the Hawks’ bow. 2023 premiership backman at Mitcham, Daniel Houiex comes over to strengthen an already formidable back six. He will join Team of the Year backmen Harry Burgess and Jarrod Lake to defend for the Hawks.

“We think our back six is really strong – it was anyway, but we’ll run Churchie (Jordan Church) though it. And Houiexy (Daniel Houiex) has been really good for us, he’s trained exceptionally well. He’s got really high standards that he sets, and is another person who’s got some leadership about him. He’s really professional in the way he goes about everything,"

"For me he makes really clean decisions with the football, executes really well, and I think in the practise matches, and all our match simulations so far he’s been really solid down in the back half. He’s settled in really well with Harry (Burgess) and Lakey (Jarrod Lake), Fletcher Duke, and Churchie across half back as well. So I think of our recruits our half back line will probably have two of them, and that gives us flexibility.”

An influx of players has also coming up two divisions from Ferntree Gully, including the aforementioned Jordan Church along with Tom Gasparroni, who will add to the team’s younger brigade. In the mix will also be the dashing Charlie Lavender from The Basin, along with a selection of players from the Eastern Ranges stock in the Coates Talent League.

“We’ve got under 19s for the first time in four years, and it’s a really strong line-up. And we’ve taken the opportunity to play a couple of them in the practise matches. Will Jones has rucked both games for us in conjunction with Josh Hannon, just to try another look, and he’s been really solid. Charlie Lavender from The Basin has been really exciting, he’s got pace to burn, and the way he’s come in and played both practice matches, trained the house down through the whole preseason is really exciting,"

"Tom Gasparroni albeit a young bloke, and Churchie’s won a Best and Fairest at a Ferntree Gully as an under 19s player playing seniors. So we’ve got a couple of really good young kids from Ferntree Gully. We’ve got some good talent coming through, and there are others in there too who will play mainly at Eastern Ranges that we’ll get a look at during the year, and decide at the time whether we bring them straight in or have a look at them in the 19s. We’re future-proofing the club.”

Not only will there be new faces, but Clark is excited to welcome back a few old faces who have been absent for varying amounts of time.

“There’s plenty of people who have been in and out of the ones over the last couple of years who will get opportunities. We do get the return of a couple of people who have had injuries or been absent like Kieran Edwards who missed the second half of last year,"

"Jake Godwin is another who’s been really strong footballer before playing in the QAFL, he’s back and done really strong things. Tyler Steele is another 6 foot 4 mobile player, a premiership player in 2018 who’s back at the club.”

“We’re under no illusion, it’s going to be a really tough and even competition, and we’re going to have to be at our best most weeks. And I think that’s the exciting part for the group, that it’s going to challenge us in a lot of ways that we might have gotten a little bit comfortable for in the past,"

"But I think the way we’ve handled the last two years is going to set us up for some interesting result. We’re excited as a group, we haven’t set expectations other than going into games being competitive, and if that gets us enough wins to play finals, that’ll be really exciting for the club.”

Boronia will begin the year with a bye, as they were originally slated to face Doncaster in the first round. Their first foray into Division One will now begin in Round Two against Bayswater, away from home.

The Boronia Senior Women’s side finished the season with just two wins – against Vermont and Mount Evelyn. Despite that record, the Hawks maintain their spot in the Premier Division of the women’s competition, and will now look to capitalise on a very busy offseason.

Scott Nicholas has since stepped down as head coach, yet remains at the club as an assistant to Sean Buncle. Buncle has had experience coaching women’s football at the state level, winning the VFLW Premiership with Port Melbourne in 2023. Taking a step back from a higher level of coaching, Buncle is excited for what community football has to offer as a club, explaining that Boronia is the perfect club to explore that opportunity. 

“It’s been a perfect fit so far, honestly. Stepping down from the VFL was something that needed to happen for family reasons. I obviously love coaching and being part of the community, helping people out. It was just hard at Port Melbourne, VFL level, three nights a week away from home,"

"So Boronia’s been awesome, it’s just five minutes down the road, less of a commitment, just two nights a week. And choosing Boronia – I was coming out of the VFL, wanting to be part of a club, I wanted to be there for long term, and I felt like Boronia is a great family, connective, community club. I’ve absolutely loved my time so far, there’s some really great people at the club.”

“I used to work with Scott at the AFL a long time ago, so we’ve stayed in touch over the years. I’ve always admired the way what he’s done with the programme,"

"I did try to steal him at some point and get him to Port Melbourne to help me, but I knew at the time he was obviously coaching, so he didn’t come across. So it’s funny that it’s worked out the other way, and he’s poached me,"

"So Scott is coaching in the team, but does a lot of stuff around the club in the women’s space in general. So he’s a really important figure, and will continue to be that. He’s a great person to work with, he’ll be my right-hand man, and he’s been one of the biggest reasons I came down.”

Not just a powerhouse in the men’s competition, Tormore Reserve has become a hub for women’s sport as well, and Buncle praises the state of the club across all levels of competition.

“Across the club they’ve got everything – in the girl’s pathways, I think they’ve got an age group every junior level, all the way through to the senior women. They’ve got netball across all the grades as well. So I feel like when you start to meet people around the club there’s so many different connections between netball, footy, they’ve all come together.”

Having come from a higher level of women’s football, the new Hawk coach is keen to see the continued development of the sport at a local level. As women’s footy strengthens at the top end, that growth is reflected at the grassroots level.

“I think from the juniors going up Eastern is an extremely strong region for women’s footy. Eastern Ranges has been a really successful programme getting eastern football players drafted each year into higher levels, and that’s a reflection on the work that the clubs put in, and the strength of the footy. I think what we’re finding as time goes on, each year there’s several clubs that have VFL players on them, and that’s increasing which is a great sign,"

"Particularly in the top divisions there are probably more VFL listed players than before. And more players coming out of the talent pathway under 18s to seniors than we’ve seen before as well. I think it’s really exciting, that it’s getting to the point that the depth from the top level is starting to filter back as the AFLW gets stronger, and then the state leagues in turn down to local footy. I’m expecting the competition will be the strongest it’s been this upcoming season.”

The numbers around Boronia have swelled in recent years, as the existence of the development side in Division 4 demonstrates. Also only managing two wins in year 2024, the side is set to improve in season ’25, as the preseason has focussed on player connectivity, and player engagement, as well as the usual skill development and game understanding.

“We’ve got a lot of different teams between the 18s, the masters, the two senior women’s sides. We’ve got a lot of new players across those groups, so the biggest focus was to welcome in all the new people, to really build the connection and enjoyment,"

"We want to make it an engaging place where people love coming to be part of, and somewhere they’re really proud of. There’s also been a really big focus on development, whether that be understanding the game, skill development, and as a new coach introducing new ideas around how we want to play the game,"

"We had a training camp this year as well, which was fantastic. We went down to Mornington, and that was a great opportunity for people to get to know each other, and build on values and behaviours.”

Boronia has welcomed – and welcomes back – a plethora of talent from various levels and back grounds. Buncle describes some of the girls who have come across to Tormore Reserve, excited to see the impact they’ll all have upon the Hawks’ year. 

“Rachael Quirk is one of them who’s been looking good, Cleo Smith returns from injury this season as well. These are two who were injured and didn’t get a great amount of footy in, so it’s exciting to have them back looking good. We’ve also had Sam Mellis return, she’s related to Mitch, so that’s a good family connection. Allie Gottliebsen has come back from Darebin, and she’ll be our vice-captain. There’s plenty you could name who are coming back from time off from the club for multiple reasons.”

“There’s some exciting new players on the track as well, Jasmine Coney has had a great preseason so far. Shae Denny is one who’s come in, she’s been great, and has previously played for Blackburn and Rowville."

"Clara Nicoll is another one who’s been playing really well, it’s her first time playing footy, she’s come from a soccer and baseball background, she’ll likely come in and have an impact. We had Briannan Lambe come and play with us in a practise match from Eastern Ranges, and she was probably our best player on the ground, so that’s exciting."

"There’s certainly going to be a lot of new players in there, and a lot of them are still listed with VFL and Eastern Ranges. The VFL ones in particular are probably ones who will come in and out, so you’ll see them occasionally.”

“Then there are some basketballers who have just come across, being Georgia Baldwin and Hannah Griffiths from Box Hill. They come from college basketball in the US, and state league basketball respectively. These are both first year players, so I suspect they’ll end up playing a bit of local footy to get themselves where they need to be for VFL. It’ll be exciting to see them play for us, because they’re great athletes. There’s been a bit of a history of these types coming in and doing pretty well. They’ll be raw, but they could make a really big impact in this division.”

“I think we’re an emerging team that will get better each week as we learn and build that on-field connection more, which we’ve seen throughout the practise games. Each one got better and better, we’re understanding how to play with each other more, and the way we want to play. I think we’ll be the type of team that will be competitive each week, and as the year goes on, I really think we’ll get into our stride. It’s a really exciting time. It was a tough season last year, but the team we’ve got now looks very different from what we had last year. There’s a lot of unknowns to that, but we’ll see how that all lines up in round one.”

The Boronia Premier women’s side will start off the year at their new home, Miller Park, against the formidable Whitehorse Pioneers, who will be well in the hunt for a finals berth in season ’25. Meanwhile the development side start the year with a bye, and will begin their campaign against Nunawading at Miller Park in Round 2.