MGFNL 2026 Senior Football Review

Tarwin V Yinnar

A resolute Yinnar held on over a fast finishing Tarwin in the opening clash of the MGFNL ANZAC Day Split round action. Rolling out a line up that had several forced changes to their Rond Two match Yinnar headed to Shark Park with returning ruckman Jesse Bowe in her side and certainly took advantage of the big man’s handy work early.

At the main break it was the visiting Pies who led by over five goals with their small forwards proving mightily hard to stop for the home side. Co- skipper Ben Cheffers finished with three for his side with key forwards Grinstead Jones and Will Roberston managing two apiece.

Like last week the returning Sam Wlash was in everything for the black and whites as was co-captain Blake Van Der Meer who were named in the Pies best. Mid field weapon James De Virgilio showed positive signs with a game under his belt with his new club.

The second half however saw the script flipped and the Sharks mounts a comeback that saw them get oh so close to giving the competition the upset result it has been searching for over the opening few rounds.

Perhaps inspired by best afield Ben Ellen, playing his 150^th game for the club an inaccurate Tarwin piled on six goals, seven behinds to Yinnar’s lone two majors in the second half to fall agonisingly short of the win. Tarwin coach Lachie Jones said in the post-game Ellen played “a terrific game for us and really led the way”. He along with forwards Taite Cumming and Toby Mahoney “were great all game” with veterans Kane McCathy and Dan Houston who the coached also said “played strongly” in a case of so near so far. 

Jones went on to say his team “had our chances late to pinch the win” noting his sides “contest work and ability to stick to the task allowed them to surge late”. But alas it was too little to late in the end.

His counterpart Sam McCulloch was “pleased to come away with the four points” noting “it was encouraging we were able to steady late and secure the result”. He did however go on to say “we will review and address the factors that led us into the position during the week.

McCulloch credited Tarwin for their ability to “control much of the second half “and said his opposition had winners all across the ground”. In the end though the coach was content with the win and happy his chargers were showed “resilience to hold on after being challenged late while playing with seventeen on the ground for much of the last quarter”.

The other split Round Saturday games were not quite as close; Foster keeping it’s winning run alive with a comfortable fifty-three point victory over Thorpdale and a full strength Mirboo North taking care of Boolarra to the tune of sixty-eight points while.

Foster v Thorpdale

Foster got off to a fast start in their match and led Thorpdale by over six goals at the main break. But for inaccuracy that margin my have been higher with the home side kicking ten behinds to go with their seven majors. This was something Best spoke about post-game noting “we had a lot of scoring shots and couldn’t capitalise”.

But at the main break it was Jack Weston and James Morris who led the way for the Foster as they headed to the sheds with what was probably a match wining break.

Thorpy coach Daniel Taylor got the sort of response he would have been looking for after the break however and the “Dales were more than competitive with the reigning premiers and current flag favourites. A six goal to eight goal second half means Foster won the half but Taylor walks away at least knowing his side is competitive with the best in the league.

After the game Taylor said he was “beaten by a very good side” that is “stacked with talent”. He felt his team “showed they could match it with them in stages but were unable to sustain it for the full four quarters”.

He praised his defensive end “led by Jacob and Jesse Patullo and forward turned defender Cougar Millsom who had the big job on Brett Eddy”. Clearly the remainder of the match committee agreed with Taylor with Jesse Patullo named. Joining him among the vanquished sides better players was Millsom and boom recruit Ayden Ramm. In a sign of perhaps an area where Taylor needs to find some more firepower it was all single goal kickers for his side.

A front half that certainly doesn’t lack for firepower saw Foster with five multiple goal kickers. While Eddy and Best were well held with two each Lachlan Rathjen continued his electric start to the year booting three as did live wire small forward Shaun Chasling. Even though the scoreboard showed a near nine goal margin Foster coach Jake Best quipped after the match the contest “felt a lot closer than the scoreboard.”

Mirboo North v Boolarra

Coach Damien Turner had at his disposal a powerful Mirboo North line up Saturday night, with the inclusion of Liam Nash, Josh Hamilton Luke Marriot adding to an already strong line up. And with the club putting on a great spectacle to mark the significance of the day everything was in order for a terrific game.

Turner reflected post- game it was a “special occasion for the club, the weather God’s were kind and hearing the last post at sunset really set the scene”. 

His side hit the ground running from the first bounce. Youngster Hayden Barnes slotted a pair of early goals to put some separation between the home side and the Demons on the scoreboard and that gap kept widening across the evening.

Inaccuracy in front of the big sticks didn’t help the visitors and had they made more of their ten scoring shots to seven at the main break the game may well have ended differently. As it was, they managed only the sole first half major and went into the sheds at half time on the back of a second quarter that saw them kick five behinds in a row trailing by seventeen points.

After the break it was all Mirboo North who piled on ten goals to two and ran away sixty-eight point winners. Turner said afterward “it was great to see my boys stick to our plans and set up’s and come away with the win. Despite the margin Turner said he and his side got the “intense battle expected in any Mirboo North versus Boolarra contest.”

Hudson Kerr was again in everything for Mirboo North, with the veteran aided by youngsters Barnes and Woodall who appeared in the better players along-side him. Barnes and Kerr managed three each in front of the big sticks with Josh Hamilton joining Woodall in kicking two. The real sting in the tail for Boolarra however was Ducky Marriot, who crossed from the Demons to Mirboo North in the off season also kicking a couple.

For Boolarra it was small forward Matt Devon with two and the ever-improving Tarmah Little with one. Co-captain Mason Porykali again featured among his sides’ better players along with key defender Tom Reiske. Beaten coach Brendan Mason noted his side “weren’t up for the fight, and the scoreboard reflected that”. He did however add “some early missed shots proved costly” in a sign that all is far from lost for the demon side that last year played finals.

The Sunday set of ANZAC Round games in he MGFNL threw up the odd surprise and reinforced the gap between the top end and those trying to catch up in what were some excellent games of footy.

Toora v Morwell East

The Toora team that had a raft of finals contenders looking over their shoulders late last season finally surfaced in season 2026 when they got the better of Round Two winners Morwell East to the tune of thirty-two points. The home side Pies jumped East from the get go and led all day.

With young gun Tex Dyson finding his feet at senior level after a trio of games, having played just the one under age game last season,  the Pies found the avenue to goal they’d be searching for over the opening rounds. Dyson’s three majors complimented the work of Jake Smart who slotted two including the opener about five minutes in.   

With Lachi Smart in everything it was all Toora early as they headed to the sheds at the first break having kept East off the scoreboard.

East coach Ben Marks rallied the troops at the first change, and they fired back with three second term goals but as the game started to open up the home side managed to kick a further four o head to the main break with a more than handy twenty two point lead.

After the break it was six goals to three in the home sides favour and as East did last week Toora got to taste their first victory of the season.

Stony Creek v Newborough

The closest match of the round was played out at Stony Creek as Newborough came from behind to record a two point win. The win was their first for the year and leaves Stony Creek with Boolarra as the only two sides to yet chalk up a win for the season.

The middle two quarters saw Stony Creek outscore Newborough six goals to three to take a handy lead of eleven points into the last term. Not enough of a lead to be safe of course but certainly one you’d rather have then try to chase down.

With Wade Anderson again leading the way the Dogs kept coming in the last. Crucially they got the first major of the last term to sew the seeds of doubt and when they hit the front with sixteen minutes played in the last hopes were high for the visiting side. The Dogs missed a chance to seal the result late which led to a frantic final few minutes but ultimately the tri-colours held on for their first win of 2026.

Jennings with two goals, joined Liam Fitzpatrick and Pat Chrles in the best players for the winners while for Stony Creek it was a case of so close yet so far with Aidan Simmons and Julian Stone their best pairing. 

An understandably disappointed Stony Creek coach, Troy Stephenson, was kind enough to offer up his thoughts after the match reflecting on a game he felt his boys “let slip through their fingers”. He was quick to credit Newborough however noting “they always fight back” and lamented his sides inability to start well saying his team played well “once we got our game going.”

Hill End v Fish Creek

Sundays Gippsland FM Match of the Round took in the game between an undefeated Hill End and the powerhouse Fish Creek side. With Hill End going two and zero after a couple of trips to South Gippsland to open their season the home side fans were out in huge numbers on a brilliant day for football to see the Rovers test themselves against one of the competitions top few sides.

After a spine-tingling rendition of the last post and national anthem the ball was tossed in the air to start proceedings. Fast forward a few minutes and Hill End were yet to really touch the ball while Fish Creek were three goals, one behind and you would’ve been excused for thinking a one-sided drubbing was about to unfold.

Fish Creek, firstly through best on ground Jack Wiedermann, then live wire forward Charlie Wilson who finished with five for the day, took advantage of multiple centre clearances and had the goal umpires screaming for double time.

Bailey Sword, who played with a feisty edge to him all day, steadied for the home side with a crafty goal and when this was followed up by Aaron Fawcett things were somewhat back under control for the Rovers heading into the first change. With the elder heads of Morrow and Johnstone wresting back the momentum it was seventeen year old Taylor Riley with a huge run down on the quarter time siren that had the locals, both players and supporters, swarming to the huddle with some extra pep in their step.

After running the risk of being blown off the park an eleven point margin was more than acceptable and gave hope of a much more super competitive game than might have been expected fifteen minutes prior.

And so it proved over the next twenty minutes or so with an arm wrestle taking place with the game being played primarily between the arcs. Hayes was stopping everything coming his way in the Fish Creek back half while at the other end youngster Callum Paul was playing years beyond his age and turning defence into attack for the Hillmen.

Again, however class rose to the top for a period and Fish Creek were able to negate all of Hill Ends good work in the final few minutes of the second term. Firstly, through Charlie Wilson then Blaine Caates and when Buckland marked and kicked truly at the twenty four minute mark the contest was effectively ended.

As the sides headed to the rooms at the long break the visitors had a thirty-seven point lead over a side they’d held to just two goals.

When things resumed after the break any hopes of a comeback were snuffed out early with Fish Creek starting the 3^rd term like they started the first. This time it was Jarrod Wlaker, who must have lost his GPS when finding his way to the offensive goal square, who took a strong pack mark and converted. Then, after some “globetrotter” style football through several sets of hands, Brady Mitchell kicked one of his two majors for the day.

Whilst it might have seemed party time had started Hill End dug in and kept at the task. Johnstone, Morrow, Calway and the Paul boys powered on. Uliando started to come into the game and the Rovers faithful cheered on every bump and tackle.

As if riding the wave of support from the other side of the fence Ash Hermanus slotted an absolute beauty from the boundary and when this was followed by a clinical a finish from Cumiskey the green and gold masses charged to the huddle yet again to urge their side on. Despite the insurmountable forty point margin the huddle dispersed with a roar of encouragement and those in attendance settled in for a cracking final term.

As if sensing that the Hillmen still had a glimmer of hope Jacko Weidermann put on a ten minute clinic. He won stoppage after stoppage, took pack marks, was clean with the ball on the ground and was lethal by foot. First up he hit Wilson on the lead who put the result beyond doubt with a huge finish from outside fifty and then he found his brother, Rhett.

Whilst Rhett had seen plenty of the ball in his three games in the Fish Creek colours, he was yet to trouble the scorer so when he kicked truly every team mate on the ground got around him.

His major was followed by another to Will McTaggart who had started the last term in the ruck and things were getting ugly.

As they did all day though the green and gold kept on keeping on. Firstly, it was Calway, then Hermanus conjured some magic when snapping truly for another after Callum Paul set up a Hill End forward foray with three bounces followed by a long left foot drop punt that found a leading teammate.

In what would have been a huge and fitting finish to the game Tom Johnstone pushed forward and took a strong grab. His kick sailed over the goal umpires head and the locals went nuts.

The only reason it wasn’t the fitting finish however was that Hill End had one more in them. As if to typify their never say die attitude Kyle Baker ran down an opponent. The loose footy found its way into the arms of Hermanus who unselfishly passed to an unmarked Ulliando who drilled home his second for the day.

The final siren shortly thereafter ended the contest and the visitors got to sing their song. To the winners go the spoils, of course they do, but sometimes in defeat you can gain a few things too. And I think Hill End had that sort of day on Sunday.