Yarra Valley Water InFocus 2026 | Berwick

By Josh Ward.

The Wickers senior men’s will be looking to build off a promising 2025 season in Premier Division while its senior women’s program continue its rebuild in a new division.

Berwick were one of the most improved sides in Premier Division the past season after a changing of the guard at the top.

Whilst they ultimately finished ninth for a third consecutive season, they still snared five wins, defeating the likes of East Ringwood, Rowville, Vermont and Doncaster East throughout the season.

Ex-AFL player Andrew Williams returns for his second season as coach, saying the group is going along really well so far this preseason.

“Obviously we’re trying to continue implementing all the things we want to do, how we want to play, try to get the players fit, healthy and running on top of the ground this time of year.” Williams said.

“We’re ticking along really well. We had a competitive hit out last week with Cora Lynn Football Club, thought we’d try something different and we got a fair bit out of it.”

Retention has been strong by the Wickers, with their only losses being that of club greats Tom Brennan and Jordan Andrews to retirement.

The Wickers recruiting has been much stronger though than in recent seasons, highlighted by the signings of former Berwick juniors Jaxon Binns and Miller Bergman, who are set to play at the VFL level this season.

“Both have signed with VFL clubs so we don’t expect to see too much of them. But when we do it’s going to be a massive lift for all the players.

“They bring another level of professionalism and standards that they set, which I think will be great for our young group.”

The three Nelsons in Matthew, Thomas and Luke also cross over alongside ex-Berwick juniors Lewis Hill, Jahvon Bergman and ex-Beaconsfield player Ryan Williamson.

“The signings we’ve made have all been pretty close to home, most of them are obviously coming back to their roots.

“It’s exciting. We’re playing a really high standard of footy, seeing the potential with our young group, which showed some really good signs.

“I think we’re heading in the right direction to hopefully see some success in the near future.”

Ex-Noble Park and Collegians Luke Nelson is particularly set to bolster the side, bringing with him 85 games of VFL experience with Richmond and Carlton’s VFL programs plus Coburg.

“Luke’s super professional, really clear with the players and instructions and just a really calming influence among the group. He’s all class on the footy field.

“It was a massive bonus when we signed him. And to get his two brothers down, Matt’s obviously with Frankston in the VFL but Tom’s been super impressive, hasn’t missed a beat.”

After a strong offseason, Williams believes the group has endless opportunities to once again be competitive in Premier Division.

“We want to give ourselves chances to win games. We’re another year on in understanding my philosophy, how I coach and what’s expected.

“Our leaders have stepped up massively. Now the group needs to focus on being in games long enough to give ourselves chances to win and hopefully win enough games to play finals.”

The Wickers begin their season with two home games against Division 1 premiers South Belgrave and Doncaster East.

Meanwhile Berwick’s senior women’s program had its toughest season since joining the EFNL women’s competition.

Whilst there were some promising performances, particularly in the final three rounds of the season, the Wickers ultimately went winless in Division 2 last year.

Marcus Kleinert has taken over as coach of the women’s program, bringing with him experience as head coach of Endeavour Hills for seven years along with a season as an assistant with VFLW club Sandringham.

After two years travelling, Kleinert was attracted to Berwick by its junior program and developing the young group coming through the ranks.

“Berwick was on the front foot with me very late in their 2025 campaign, and that got me excited to get involved and feel like we can build something from the ground up the right way,” Kleinert said.

Kleinert is set to take over a Berwick side that’s seen plenty of change this past offseason, with players departing predominantly for Rowville as well as other clubs.

But with those players departing, this coming season will see more current Under 18s from Berwick come through the ranks and play senior footy.

“I was lucky enough to receive a call from Berwick’s Under 18s coach Ned Mujovic the week before we started preseason.

“And we’ve been running our preseasons alongside each other and we will continue to train together and be connected throughout the 2026 season.

“It’s been fantastic, that’s something I haven’t had in previous experiences, a junior club underneath with girls that are looking for senior opportunity and who want to continue their path in football.”

Key names such as reigning B&F winner Brooke Watson, Amy Watson and Cassie Martin are set to pull on the Wickers jumper again this season, with Kleinert stating they’re treating this season as a chance to refresh and go again.

“I can’t speak on previous seasons, but I think they’re taking this year as an opportunity for a fresh start and to build the environment they want to be a part of.

“And that’s crucial for me to have their buy in and constant communication because that encourages and helps me with what we need to do as a club to ensure that we have that environment people want to be a part of.”

Some players have also come across to the Wickers, including ex-Talent League player Sami Lane as well as Natalie Brown from Blackburn’s 18s and Milly Kumbara from The Basin.

“What I’m finding at Berwick that you don’t see at every club is the connection and the names of past players and juniors that do come out of the woodwork.

“It’s such a big community and club that the place, once you get some hype around and some positivity the program and the club they do start coming from everywhere.

“We’ve been building quite steadily. But having Sami Lane there is really good and exciting for me.”

And development is the key focus this season for the Wickers as they enter a new division and continue building a foundation for their women’s program.

“We just want to see development in 2026. (Hopefully) we can have positive development and create an environment that allows us to eventually succeed.

“I think Division 3 is a great fit for now, but I’d be lying if I wasn’t saying that I think we can be very competitive in this division.

“The lynchpin is going to be the development that we see this year and that sets us up for our future.”

Berwick kickstarts life in a new division with a home fixture against two-time Division 3 runners up Coldstream.