MGFNL Season 2026 - Round 3 Preview

Round Three of the MGFNL season feels more like an AFL round than a local league round with games being played across multiple days and time slots. As luck would have it this will allow league partners, Gippsland FM, to broadcast two games over the weekend. Firstly, they will take in the all-important local derby that has Boolarra travel to Mirboo North for a Saturday twilight clash followed by the Sunday battle between Hill End and Fish Creek.

Mirboo North v Boolarra.

To set the scene a very quick history lesson.

Round 18 2025 saw these two teams play in what our friends at the AFL would call, and charge accordingly for, a Wild Card Round. Basically, the winner of this final home and around game would play finals and the loser would not. With scores level at the last change, it was as simple as win the quarter and play finals. As history shows the Demons did precisely that and as magnanimous as the Mirboo North faithful were that evening make no mistake a pretty sour after taste lingered. One they are keen to expunge Saturday night.    

To this year and the Demons find themselves zero and two while Mirboo North are level with the ledger with one win and one loss. By virtue of the uneven draw (13 teams, 18 rounds) it could be argued Mirboo North have an easier path to the top six this year than Boolarra do (the opposite was equally true last year before you scream author bias) but what is not in doubt is the loser of this game will be up against it to qualify for the post season this year.

This of course sets the scene for a ripping contest.    

Adding to the intrigue heading into this game is some player movements over the off season. Could it well be that a couple of former Boolarra players run out against their old side? And might there have been some sort of link between some other Mirboo North 2026 recruits and Boolarra before pen went to paper?

Adds a bit of spice that, to be fair was probably not needed, to an already crucial match-up.

And on the topic of recruits how many of Boolarra’s new ones will make the trip this week? We saw a handful week one, only a couple week two. And if they do make the trip will it be another case of “Dude where’s my car?” for the return journey or will they avoid the sort of terrific company that led them astray when they were last in town?

But back to the footy- both sides got flogged last week. Funnily enough both sides started well and fell in a hole. Well to be fair more of a chasm than a hole. Mirboo North led Fish Creek at the first break and then went down by a neat twenty goals. Boolarra, with their coach in the stands, had the first four scoring shots and trailed by just ten points at the first change. They then conceded 200 points to Foster and went down by near on thirty goals.

So, what does this tell us? Well, we should expect a cracking first quarter if nothing else.

Tim Dowe toiled manfully in the ruck last week against big Mitch Allott but for his team to get the points today he is going to have to be even better this week. The Demons, with both Masons likely at the coal face along-side Tim Potter, need to dominate clearances and play a front half game. Winning centre clearances and converting this to scores or repeat stoppages in their front half should provide them enough opportunity to kick the ten or so gaols hey will need to get up.

Mirboo North arguably have more avenues to goal than their opponents and as they showed in the week one win over Toora they can spread the load of goal kicking. Campbell and Kerr got three each to go with extended periods in the mid field while Hayden Potts provided a strong focal point deep in their attacking area.

After comprehensive defeats in Round Two both coaches were quick to cast their eyes forward to this week. Damien Turner noted after last week’s loss “the twilight contest on ANZAC Day was a special occasion for the club” with the importance only heightened by the opponent and what he labelled “a huge contest in the context of the year”.

Brendan Mason too noted the significance of the occasion and hoped his side would have “plenty of confidence having beaten them at home late last year”.

For what it is worth, Mirboo North at home for me in a real close one.

Tarwin V Yinnar

Tarwin coach Lachie Jones was very much looking forward to his club hosting Yinnar on Anzac Day. He labelled it a “great test for the group” nothing that Yinnar were “a quality team that he was eager to play.”

It might be a case of careful what you ask for though for the Sharks with Yinnar proving too strong for MDU last week in an epic contest. With Yinnar entering that game off a Week One bye it would be reasonable to suggest they will be improved by the run and that their recruits more than anyone will have benefited from a game under their belts with their new side.  

Yinnar coach Sam McCulloch too was enthused at his ANZAC Day clash. He said the side was excited for the chance to play on that stage and looked forward to the challenge Tarwin would provide.

Two and zero Tarwin have made a habit of some decent second halves so far this year so it will take a full four quarter effort for Yinnar to come away with the win on the road. Two of the keys to getting those four points will be putting the clamps on Tarwin forward Troy Harley who is averaging around three goals a game since crossing from Wonthaggi to Sharp Park and Jordan Staley who goes at around a goal a game to go with his hard work across the ground.

Yinnar, here, maybe.

Foster v Thorpdale

With up to five first choice senior players not available for selection and Foster coming off a win over Fish Creek and a recent drubbing of Boolarra it would be fair to say Thorpdale appear up against it as they make the trip to Foster.

Foster seem to have few weaknesses that coach Daneil Taylor can exploit for The ‘Dales to cause an upset here. So rather than trying to exploit an opposition weakness he will need to rely on his one wood to have any chance. Taylor has an unheralded yet very good rucking team at his disposal. Making the game all about stoppages and turning into an arm wrestle achieves two things, it keeps Foster off the scoreboard and keeps his side in the game.

May as well try something and take away a few lessons.

As for Foster, well they will try to get the ball into the attacking fifty often enough to let the talent that call it home do their thing. With league medal winner Norton and skipper Williams both potentially returning to a team that unleashed Jack Weston for the first time last week whilst booting twenty-six goals to two after quarter time it is impossible to tip against the home team.     

Stony Creek V Newborough

Stony Creek coach Troy Shepherdson was hopeful after last week’s loss to get a few players back this week so will run out with the strongest side he has had access to all year. Waiting for him and his side will be a Newborough desperate to chalk up win one for the season.

The Dogs thus far have gone down to MDU and Tarwin after being in the contest at the main break. With both of those sides eyeing off a finals berth one might argue they were honourable losses and see the Dogs entering this clash as favourites. And whilst the tri-colours get the nod in terms of a tip they will need to provide a full four quarter effort to walk away with the points from Stony Creek.

Toora v Morwell East

Ben Marks, coming off the back of his first win as Morwell East Senior coach said his side head to Toora “knowing they are going to give us a real physical challenge.” With the confidence that only comes with winning Marks went onto add he and the lads were very much “looking forward to it” and hoped to rack up back-to-back wins and get the Hawks season into the positive.

Key to him doing that will be he continued good form of enigmatic Cain Iorangi, Zac Mangion and in particular Brandon Francis who played his first game for season 2026 in round two managing to slot three majors and play a pivotal role in last week’s win.

Toora have been on the wrong end of the scoreboard in their first pair of games but could well have eyed this clash off pre-season as one they could open their account in. With losses to Mirboo North and Hill End, both big recruiters and tipped to be vast improvers this season, so far coming up against East, a side they beat by eight goals plus last year, will give the home side plenty of hope heading in.

In what looms as the tightest clash of the round I think East get the chocolates, just.

Hill End v Fish Creek

Jarrod Walker, the Fish Creek coach, referred to this week as “a great building block for his sides season”. Coming off a close loss to Foster in Round One and a 120 point win over Mirboo North Walker said he felt Hill End would be up for the contest and that his side would “need to come ready to play” against a side that will be pumped for their first home game coming of the backoff a pair of “solid wins”.

With Hill End bringing in so many players in the off season they remain an unknown to many, including myself which makes Sundays clash all the more interesting. So to does the fact they are coming off a pair of wins in which they have been strong late. For if they are to get the W Sunday it will be a case of playing the full four quarters at full capacity against a team, a club, that simply knows how to win when it matters.

Rather than a tip let’s call this a guess, Fish Creek by 24.