Yarra Valley Water InFocus 2026 | South Croydon

The Bulldogs senior men’s and women’s enter the 2026 season as one of the key clubs to watch.

South Croydon’s senior men’s side had another rollercoaster of a season in Coach Brendan Allen’s second season at the helm.

After starting the season 0-5, the Bulldogs won nine of their last 13 games to finish inside the top five on percentage after a do or die final round matchup with Noble Park before bowing out in the first week of finals to eventual preliminary finalist Rowville.

Allen returns for a third season as South Croydon’s senior men’s coach, stating numbers have been strong this offseason

“You can only put your best foot forward this time of year but you also can give yourself a really good platform (for the season),” Allen said.

“This has probably been the best preseason so far under my tenure at South Croydon, hopefully it translates come the start of the season.”

South Croydon’s offseason so far has seen a fair bit of turnover, with VFL-listed players such as Oscar Van Dam and Trent Marotta amongst the departures.

There’s been high quality inclusions though, led by Anthony Scott who joins South Croydon having played 59 games at the top level with the Western Bulldogs.

“If you look at our group demographic we’ve got a group of experienced guys and then you’ve got a group of young, exciting talent.

“Scotty was a perfect fit for us because of that AFL experience and because he’s in that age bracket between 26 and 30 where we don’t have a lot of players.

“His training standards and his ability to help the young guys has been fantastic. Ripping guy, wouldn’t meet a better bloke and he’s fitted into the group seamlessly.”

Ex and current VFL names such as Fergus Pinnuck and Jack Briskey also cross, with Pinnuck spending last season in Cobram while Briskey joins after two seasons with NFNL club Bundoora.

“When we recruit you look at character, that’s pretty big for our footy club. Those that know South Croydon we’re an extremely community based club.

“And those guys personify that. They’re country boys, Jack’s from Toowoomba in Queensland and Fergus is from Cobram.

“That laid back, gentle, easygoing nature has really fitted in seamlessly. Like Scotty they’re fantastic guys and are already getting along with the group.”

Youth has also been a target this offseason for the Bulldogs, bringing in ex-Montrose forward Michael Schwab, Troy Maggs from Bayswater, Sam Gebert from Mooroolbark and Ned Ford from Outer East club Olinda Ferny Creek.

“There’s specific areas we wanted to improve, but then all of a sudden you get a couple of extra young players that you say ‘yep, 100% if you want to come along no dramas’...

“And then you’ve got some exciting Under 19s kids that have been recruited as well in Sam Hersom and Sid Bushell and we’ve had a lot of our Under 17s who’ve come up to the senior program as well.

“It’s a really exciting time to be around the footy club, there’s a wave of enthusiasm that’s been injected into the place.”

Whilst it’s had a strong recruiting drive and a lick of the finals ice cream the past two years, Allen is still wary of clubs around them also improving this coming season in the Premier Division.

“Clubs aren’t prepared to sit back, wait and sit mid table, they want to win a flag so I think it’s going to be one of the hottest contested Premier Division seasons in my time in the EFNL.

“Early games are going to be key to getting yourself up there and setting yourself up. You also can’t take anyone lightly.

“Even the unknown of South Belgrave, you look at their talent and who’s on their list you know on their day they can blow you off the park. You have to be ready each week you play.”

South Croydon kicks off its season with a traditional Round 1 clash against local rivals East Ringwood at Cheong Park.

The Bulldogs senior women’s program had a slightly more consistent season, with both sides once again making a finals appearance in Premier and Division 3 respectively.

While the Division 3 side bowed out in the first week of finals, the Premier Division side went out in straight sets after a second-placed finish.

Simon Hammersley returns for a seventh season as head coach of the Bulldogs women’s program, saying it’s business as usual so far this offseason.

“We haven’t really had any great need to recruit a new side, we’ve just been looking for a few bits and pieces to try and help us be a bit better,” Hammersley said.

“The list was pretty good last year, aside from some bad luck that probably didn’t see us get it all out there all the time…the group did a really great job last year to compete and keep finding a way to get the job done the second half of the year.”

Numbers have been strong so far this offseason, with a training camp recently held alongside the senior men’s program.

“What we worked out last year was that getting the two programs together through preseason is a bit tough, we train at different times and places, the clubrooms belong to the cricket club as well.

“We don’t have the social interaction and the unity between the sides, it takes a little bit to get that going during the season because we literally come together when everyone starts playing.

“This year we wanted to get that happening early because we know as a club both programs benefit from having the input and support the other program in what we’re doing…we are better together.”

Most of the program has been retained heading into the 2026 season, continuing to build on a strong culture that’s already been created in the South Croydon’s women’s program.

“We wear that as a badge of honour, the retention of players and having a space the players enjoy coming to and want to keep turning up year after year.

“It’s one of the measures of success for us is that people are happy and engaging in what we’re doing.”

On top of retaining the majority of last year’s group, the women’s program is also set to be boosted by the injection of youth this coming season.

“The last couple of years we’ve had better numbers coming through the junior program, and we have some players coming through that can play and add a bit to what we’re doing.

“You have to balance and keep working towards where you are now and where you want to be in the future. It’s great that it’s starting to filter into the senior footy team.”

With a familiar list and some youth coming through, Hammersley is hopeful the side will be in a similar position it’s been in the past few years in what is shaping up to be an evenly poised Premier Division.

“Ideally we hope to put ourselves in a position where we’re in the mix and we’re in a position at the end of the year where we’re got something that we can have a go from. You need a bit of luck though.”

The Bulldogs Women’s program kick off their season with a double header at Cheong Park, with the Premier side facing Whitehorse whilst the Division 3 side face Ferntree Gully.