MGFNL Season 2026 - Round 9 Preview

Round Nine of the MGFNL sees us reach the half-way mark of the season. And whilst each team is yet to play each other the ladder has really taken shape. There are three clear stand outs, in Foster, Yinnar and Fish Creek. They’re followed by a chasing pack of anywhere up to six ides looking for the other three spots in the finals, and a handful of sides at the wrong end of the ladder all playing to avoid the indignity that comes with finishing on the bottom.

 And as luck would have it this week sees some cracking, season defining contests, all the way from the top of the table to the other end. And starting at the top we have…….

 Yinnar v Foster

Foster have not really been challenged since Round One when they held off a determined Fish Creek to claim the first of what was to become, at least, seven wins in a row. During that winning streak they have managed to outperform inflation running up a percentage of over four hundred and have kicked over one hundred and fifty points in four separate games.

 Fair to say they have a decent offence. 

Well, their defence says hello too. The highest score they have conceded this season is fifty-three points which they coughed up to Thorpdale. On average they give up a meagre thirty-three points per game.

 Some season hey? 

All of that is as good as irrelevant come Saturday though when they make the trip to the Yinnar Recreation Reserve. The scoreboard will read nil all when the ball gets tossed into the air around twenty past two and what happens over the next four quarters of footy could well shape the rest of the season.

 As good as Foster have been Yinnar too have played some seriously good footy. And with a team full of recruits it would be fair to say they have only really hit their best form in the last month or so. A drubbing of Toora by 161 points, a narrow loss to Fish Creek and then another lesson dolled out to Boolarra to the tune of 151 points. All this before a fifty-two point defeat of Thorpy, the very same Thorpy side Foster rolled by fifty-three points.

 Game on I say!

 Both midfields run deep. Three of Luke Tapscott, Jack Weston, Angus Norton and Tom Schnider will likely lead the way for Foster at ground level up against a combination of Sam Walsh, James Jacobsen, Jaxon Notman and James Devirgilio for Yinnar. 

With the Foster mid’s roving to big man Mitch Allott and Yinnar’s to Jesse Bowe the tone will be set in the middle from the first bounce. Centre clearance goals will be on offer to whichever side can win this battle as both front halves are loaded with weapons.

 Sure, no two compare with Jake Best, named this week after a couple of weeks coaching from the coach’s box, and Brett Eddy but when the battle extends to six front half players the ledger levels somewhat. While each side will likely allocate a forward flank to a defensive role, Yinnar potentially looking to lock down Weston- if he starts back- or Liam Bentley- who the MGFNL are yet to see the best of-  while Foster will be keen to negate the run and carry off half back of Harry McColl and or Tom Robertson there is still plenty of fire power in each side. 

Foster have Jack Flavelle and Shaun Chaseling riding shot gun with their superstar duo of Eddy and Best (who have 2,162 career goals between the two of them!) while Yinnar have Grinstead Jones, Mick Geary, Lachlan Platt and Will Robertson all more than capable of hitting the scoreboard. And should their skipper, Ben Cheffers, return this week he too can provide more than the occasional headache for Foster in front of the big sticks. 

The match-ups in this contest run deep as does the feeling. As we all know Foster are reigning premiers but they only won their way into the Grand Final by breaking the hearts of Yinnar with the narrowest of Preliminary finals wins so while wanting to cement a top two spot is their chief motivation the boys in black and white will also be keen to wash the taste of that defeat from their mouths on Saturday night with a few winners beers. 

Impossible to tip a winner here, it is merely a guess- especially as we may not even know the final sides until lunch time on match day- but I am going for the home side in an absolute nail biter. 

And of course if you cannot get along on Saturday tune your radio to 104.7 on the FM dial or head to gipplsandfm.org.au for all the live action as it unfolds

. Thorpdale v MDU

These two sides are trying to secure finals berths again in season 2026 with both having hit an unexpected hurdle or two along the way. These sorts of games however, what we call “eight-point games”, are simply must win from here on in.

 (For those wondering how they are eight-point games it is as simple as this- the winner takes four points and prevents a side it is battling with from getting four points. Four plus four equalling eight.) 

Thorpdale have had a revolving door at the selection table that looks to continue into this week with at least one new face and one returning face seen on the track this week. Combine that with the absence of at least two seasoned players and coach Daniel Taylor is again left throwing the magnets around. 

MDU on the other hand have, to my eye at least, been relatively consistent with their line ups but a little less consistent with their form. Coach Rhett Kelly has been big on “effort” in his communications of late and will no doubt be reminding his side that regardless of which side on Saturday has the most talent on the park it will all come down to effort. 

MDU seem to have the upper hand when it comes to front half firepower. With at least three players in their forward fifty having proven this season they can kick bags of goals Thorpy are going to need to lock down hard in their defensive areas. Whomever gets the jobs on Kerr (31 goals), Nagel (two lots of three goals and one lot of five) and McRae (two bags of five) will have their work cut out for them.

 At the other end Thorpy have experimented with a few key forwards and combinations in recent weeks with even gun on baller “Tank” Rosato spending considerable time playing out of the goal square a couple of weeks ago.

 With Jesse Patullo out of the side their leading goal kickers are Mitch Gorman with thirteen and Travis Pattern with nine. Simply put the ‘Dales need someone to step up and given them an avenue to goal to complete with the stronger sides like MDU. 

You just have to think MDU get it done this week on the basis that they will kick a dozen plus goals and Thorpy look likely to struggle to match them in that area. 

Newborough v Mirboo North

This week has a “last chance saloon” vibe to it for these sides, sides who are struggling to stay in touch with the top six and have very low percentages to boot. Another of our eight-point games but this one has a bit of a fatalistic feel to it in terms of aspirations for the post season.

 Newborough have been good on their home deck so far this year with just the one loss coming at the hands of Tarwin. And with a raft of games at home to finish the year Pat Frendo and his lads will be fired up to make a late run at the top six, and that run needs to start at 14:20 on Saturday.

 With Jack Robinson and Nathan Wheildon in good from the Dogs will go in as favourites against a Mirboo North side that is yet to win on the road this season.

 No time like the present though for Damien Turner and his charge’s.

 Hudson Kerr has been awesome for Mirboo North this year and the time is nigh for some of his younger teammates to step up and do some of the heavy lifting for him. This is the type of game Turner will have his lads ready and raring to go for with their season on the line. 

Tough game to tip with so much to play for but on the basis of being on their own turf I have a slight leaning toward the Dogs in a close, competitive contest.

 Boolarra v Tarwin

When Stephen Milne came to town for Boolarra last year the little big man slotted five and set up a win over Morwell East that saw Boolarra get on a run that took them all the way to the finals. With the number of injuries and absences facing coach Brendan Mason this week Milney may need to kick ten against Tarwin on this visit and that still might not be enough!! 

Tarwin were highly competitive for large periods against Fish Creek last week and look to be too strong for a struggling Demon line up. I for one will be fascinated to see if coach Lachie Jones uses both Troy Harley and Jordan Staley up front this week. Last week Staley was required in defence to curtail Fishy’s cult hero Will McTaggart but with Boolarra presenting a smaller front half Jones could well swing both big boys forward. 

The midfield battle will be key here. Boolarra have been running the likes of coach Brendan Mason and skippers Mason Porykali and Joel Mason through their midfield but they are in Dyer need of help, which may just arrive this week. 

Tarwin’s engine room wants for very little also with Matt Williams, who eased back into Shark life well last week, Ben Ellen, Kyle Yann, Dylan Garnham and Rem Dal pozzo all well known to followers of the league.

 Where Tarwin slot in their recruits will be of interest. One of them, Jacob Proctor, won’t have the benefit of being set up for goals by former Elder Berwick Medallist Andrew Brown like he was last week for Redcliffe (that’s right, our research knows no bounds!) but will add plenty to the Sharks line up.  

The ruck battle will be fascinating. If Boolarra’s Tim Dowe can beat Harrison Cumming in the ruck and provide first use to the home side the Demons might just be a punchers chance.

 Logically though, unless Boolarra pull off a few selection miracles (they have only the two thus far) the visitors have too much to play for and too many fit players to be dropping this one.

Fish Creek v Stony Creek

The battle of the two creeks, on paper at least, sees the Stony variety in the metaphorical barbed wire canoe sans a paddle. In having said that Stony Creek would argue winning form is good form and they are of course coming off a win. 

The only issue with that is that Fish Creek are coming off eight in a row themselves.

 After a weekend that saw Fishy roll their annual midseason ball Saturday night into their reverse raffle on Sunday there is some hope of a sub-par performance from them this week. 

So, you are saying there is a chance? 

We gave Stony a chance against MDU and they provided the upset of the season; a win here would surpass that and be the upset of the decade. 

Sadly, for Stony Creek Fishy have the bye in two weeks’ time too so the chances of them resting anyone are minimal.

 The Kangas by a margin, and J Wiedemann, three votes. 

Morwell East v Hill End

The East are probably limited to the role of disruptors as we head into the back end of the year. A club who knows exactly where they are but also that they are capable of raining on a few parades between now and seasons end. Hill End will do well to avoid that fate this week with the Hawks loving nothing more than putting the slows on the Rovers march toward a finals berth.

 In theory Hill End are too strong, bat too deep and have too much to play for leading into this match but don’t say you weren’t warned when the final siren sounds and the scores are much closer than everyone thinks!

 Toora has the bye this week.