MCDFNL 2025 discussion

[Master of Disaster]

Will be a tough job to get the Maryborough players back after a year at a new club, especially the ones who spend a year playing in the MCDFL

That’s it. Whilst I love to see loyalty in country footy, players love winning above all else and they’re going to get a years worth of that winning feeling. Will be an interesting watch for the season nonetheless.


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[johnnymossop]

Pies will be back and dominate the comp forever more

 

[KnowsAllLocal]

Harrison Frye, was the injury big gun recruit for talbot think he did his ACL Last quarter, Clunes won by 11 goals and reserves 4 goals. Just shows difference in leagues everyone thinking talbot will be top 4 to 6 and losing to clunes who will finish bottom 3.

 

[Master of Disaster]

Harrison Frye, was the injury big gun recruit for talbot think he did his ACL Last quarter, Clunes won by 11 goals and reserves 4 goals. Just shows difference in leagues everyone thinking talbot will be top 4 to 6 and losing to clunes who will finish bottom 3.

Scoreboard said 9 goals at end of game but that’s splitting hairs. Clunes will be far better than bottom 3 I reckon.

Didn’t realise it was Fry, that will hurt if true but doubt they know the extent of the injury as yet.


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[Vlodrive]

Pies will be back and dominate the comp forever more

Doubt it.


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[MortlockWatcher]

I hope the Pies do end up in the MCDFNL either as a merger or as a stand-alone entity, but they would be far from dominant though.
At this point in time, they would probably be happy just to have 1s, 2s and 3s and be competitive.

 

[Master of Disaster]

Righto. Haven’t seen as many teams this pre-season as I would have liked but based I’ve what I’ve seen, heard on the grapevine and gut feel……. here’s my 2025 ladder prediction.

1) Harcourt - They’re the best team
2) Natte - Sneaky feeling they might drop off this year….
3) Trentham
4) Talbot
5) Carisbrook
6) Dunolly
7) Newstead
8) Lexton

9) Maldon - toss up between them and Lexton for the last finals place.
10) Navarre
11) Avoca
12) Giants
13) Creek

Bottom 3 week below the pack. Creek could be a sneaky chance again Giants and Avoca.


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[Wild Thing]

Righto. Haven’t seen as many teams this pre-season as I would have liked but based I’ve what I’ve seen, heard on the grapevine and gut feel……. here’s my 2025 ladder prediction.

1) Harcourt - They’re the best team
2) Natte - Sneaky feeling they might drop off this year….
3) Trentham
4) Talbot
5) Carisbrook
6) Dunolly
7) Newstead
8) Lexton

9) Maldon - toss up between them and Lexton for the last finals place.
10) Navarre
11) Avoca
12) Giants
13) Creek

Bottom 3 week below the pack. Creek could be a sneaky chance again Giants and Avoca.


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Why do they have a top 8? Rewards mediocrity 8/13 play finals….surely the bottom couple are token spankings first week of the finals!

 

[Grimmett]

Why do they have a top 8? Rewards mediocrity 8/13 play finals….surely the bottom couple are token spankings first week of the finals!

Competition had more teams when the Lexton Plains FL clubs joined. Main reason is the admin hub in Ballarat was running the comp and the final eight has more games that they could claim the gate takings from.
Obviously nobody has proposed changing to an alternative with less finalists.

 

[Master of Disaster]

Yeah it’s all to do with finals revenue. If they lose another club they’d have no choice to but to drop back to a Top five or six system.


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[Spudpicker 2025]

I’ll attempt a bit of an around the grounds, although im fairly well out of the loop with most clubs these days.

Natte - Fairly quiet on the recruiting and resigning front. Cameron out the door hurts. They seem to do their business once the season concludes.

Trentham - retained most and recruited a few more Dads army type players. Can it get them over the hump? New coach Adamson well credentialed to take over from Raak, who did a pretty good job overall.

Harcourt - Team to beat I reckon. Picked up a couple of handy players and have good retention. Will be stinging after not making finals last year.

Lexton - I expect them to fall. Sargent and McLean back to Skipton and struggling to recruit im hearing.

Dunolly - Should be pushing top 4. Picked up some more outside speed and haven’t lost too much.

Carisbrook - seem to have lost their aura of late. They’ve gone local with their coaching appointment and only a couple of recruits thus far. Key players aren’t getting any younger.

Maldon - not a bad side but too slow on the bigger decks. Haven’t heard much.

Newstead - Picked up a new off field coach who seems well respected. If they can have some luck with injuries to last years recruits they could push into the 8.

Talbot - Been in football no man’s land for a while in the senior comp, judging by recent results. Bit of buzz on the internet about their recruiting but time will tell. Don’t know much about the new coach. Hind boys go ok but one of them is old. Britten not a bad recruit from Maryborough.

Navarre - Merger seems off. Most of their premiership stars have finished up now. Couple of handy young blokes coming through in Olly Notting. Don’t expect them to feature in finals.

Giants - I expect their performance to nose dive this season. Coaching appointment from last season has set them back years. Lot of disgruntled players and we’ve already seen Bates jump ship. New coach is a club stalwart but doubtful he can recruit. I really hope they can find a way to turn this around and get the club firing sooner rather than later.

Avoca - Been quiet. Expecting the same standard of team to be rolled out. Club has great facilities and a decent sized town, unsure why they don’t perform better at senior level.

Creek - the positive is they played better last year. Retained their coach. Have only announced one recruit on social media, a back man, so he’ll be busy and earn his cash. Not sure what the answer for them is going forward.

Saints be right , Couple of handy signings last 2weeks , more pace this year and lot more depth

 

[Master of Disaster]

Any other late practice matches this weekend? I heard Talbot gave a undermanned Great Western a fair touch up at Talbot. They’re socials showing they’ve picked up another highly rated recruit in Jamieson House from Deer Park. Wouldn’t come cheap you’d think. Good luck to Talbot though it will be good to hopefully see them push up the ladder and make the comp interesting.

Round 1 Match ups and my tips.

Trentham v Natte - Interesting round 1 match up. I’m tipping a round 1 upset with Trentham getting up at home.

Harcourt v Lexton - Harcourt comfortably

Dunolly v Carisbrook - Match of the round this one could either way as well. Tipping Dunolly at home.

Newstead v Navarre - Few late recruits for Navarre but I expect Newstead to get the win at home.

Avoca v Giants - Avoca at home.


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[CurtyB103]

I'm pretty excited to see what Talbot can roll out, but will have to wait another week, of course. Will be quite interesting to see how they handle the points cap and which of their recruits will be regulars!

Hopefully Creek can be more competitive week to week and they can build towards long term sustainability.

Maldon have been quiet on the socials, looking forward to see how they can offset the loss of some key guys in Seb Greene, Brodie Leonard-Shannon & Billy Miller.

Trentham V Natte: Natte, just - Will Cameron and Jye Mortlock are big losses, but should have the depth to cover. No one come close to them last year and should be the outright premiership favorites until proven otherwise. Trentham will be looking bounce back after a poor showing in the GF, always tough at Home (which doesn't seem to translate to big finals games). They seem to have kept most of their side with the exception of a couple. Hopefully Baird can have a big impact on field, Cooper Webber-Mirkin a handy returning player, They might be very big up forward with those 2 mentioned, Regan & Ferrier, could stretch a lot of defense's.

Harcourt v Lexton: Harcourt - They seem to be firing on all cylinders early days and key guys look fit. Despite the Talbot hype, I think Threllfall from Golden Square will be the big recruit of the year. A handfull of key guys in and out for Lexton, will take a while to get it right, but expect them to be in the finals race when it counts.

Dunolly v 'Brook: Carisbrook in a close one - Coach of the year Bailey Goodwin is a huge out, loved by his players. Jay Mcdonald is a star and will be keen to see how he tweaks the game plan. Some key guys regaining fitness in Nick Wright, Jackson Bowen at Carisbrook, a couple of recruits from up North & a local star but in Angus Mckinna, expect them to be pushing for top 4 again.

Newstead v Navarre: Stead, in a close one - A new coach, an influx of recruits from Castlemaine and some key guys coming back from bad injuries last year, expect them to pick up and be a lot more competitive. Plenty of questions marks over the quality of recruits at Navarre (With the exception of Riley Bibby - GUN), but seem to be local and returning guys so hopefully they can dig their heels in provide a boost. A coaching change will bring optimism.

Avoca v Giants: Avoca, just: Both sides with coaching changes and both have been quiet on the recruiting front. How many will The Borough get from the Magpies folding, will there be any new players who can make a significant on field impact? Matt Johnson is a good in, but might struggle to win his own footy now. Johns & Bates are significant losses at Giants. With the exception of Winter, Avoca seem to have kept their list together, hopefully they can bring in 5 or 6 and become more competitive on a regular basis. Some honorable losses last year (as well as some bad ones), too big of a club to continue to stay at the wrong end of the table.

 

[johnnymossop]

I'm pretty excited to see what Talbot can roll out, but will have to wait another week, of course. Will be quite interesting to see how they handle the points cap and which of their recruits will be regulars!

Hopefully Creek can be more competitive week to week and they can build towards long term sustainability.

Maldon have been quiet on the socials, looking forward to see how they can offset the loss of some key guys in Seb Greene, Brodie Leonard-Shannon & Billy Miller.

Trentham V Natte: Natte, just - Will Cameron and Jye Mortlock are big losses, but should have the depth to cover. No one come close to them last year and should be the outright premiership favorites until proven otherwise. Trentham will be looking bounce back after a poor showing in the GF, always tough at Home (which doesn't seem to translate to big finals games). They seem to have kept most of their side with the exception of a couple. Hopefully Baird can have a big impact on field, Cooper Webber-Mirkin a handy returning player, They might be very big up forward with those 2 mentioned, Regan & Ferrier, could stretch a lot of defense's.

Harcourt v Lexton: Harcourt - They seem to be firing on all cylinders early days and key guys look fit. Despite the Talbot hype, I think Threllfall from Golden Square will be the big recruit of the year. A handfull of key guys in and out for Lexton, will take a while to get it right, but expect them to be in the finals race when it counts.

Dunolly v 'Brook: Carisbrook in a close one - Coach of the year Bailey Goodwin is a huge out, loved by his players. Jay Mcdonald is a star and will be keen to see how he tweaks the game plan. Some key guys regaining fitness in Nick Wright, Jackson Bowen at Carisbrook, a couple of recruits from up North & a local star but in Angus Mckinna, expect them to be pushing for top 4 again.

Newstead v Navarre: Stead, in a close one - A new coach, an influx of recruits from Castlemaine and some key guys coming back from bad injuries last year, expect them to pick up and be a lot more competitive. Plenty of questions marks over the quality of recruits at Navarre (With the exception of Riley Bibby - GUN), but seem to be local and returning guys so hopefully they can dig their heels in provide a boost. A coaching change will bring optimism.

Avoca v Giants: Avoca, just: Both sides with coaching changes and both have been quiet on the recruiting front. How many will The Borough get from the Magpies folding, will there be any new players who can make a significant on field impact? Matt Johnson is a good in, but might struggle to win his own footy now. Johns & Bates are significant losses at Giants. With the exception of Winter, Avoca seem to have kept their list together, hopefully they can bring in 5 or 6 and become more competitive on a regular basis. Some honorable losses last year (as well as some bad ones), too big of a club to continue to stay at the wrong end of the table.

Can't wait to see my old mob in this comp next year. Will tear it apart - carnage and change on the horizon.

 

[Master of Disaster]

I'm pretty excited to see what Talbot can roll out, but will have to wait another week, of course. Will be quite interesting to see how they handle the points cap and which of their recruits will be regulars!

Hopefully Creek can be more competitive week to week and they can build towards long term sustainability.

Maldon have been quiet on the socials, looking forward to see how they can offset the loss of some key guys in Seb Greene, Brodie Leonard-Shannon & Billy Miller.

Trentham V Natte: Natte, just - Will Cameron and Jye Mortlock are big losses, but should have the depth to cover. No one come close to them last year and should be the outright premiership favorites until proven otherwise. Trentham will be looking bounce back after a poor showing in the GF, always tough at Home (which doesn't seem to translate to big finals games). They seem to have kept most of their side with the exception of a couple. Hopefully Baird can have a big impact on field, Cooper Webber-Mirkin a handy returning player, They might be very big up forward with those 2 mentioned, Regan & Ferrier, could stretch a lot of defense's.

Harcourt v Lexton: Harcourt - They seem to be firing on all cylinders early days and key guys look fit. Despite the Talbot hype, I think Threllfall from Golden Square will be the big recruit of the year. A handfull of key guys in and out for Lexton, will take a while to get it right, but expect them to be in the finals race when it counts.

Dunolly v 'Brook: Carisbrook in a close one - Coach of the year Bailey Goodwin is a huge out, loved by his players. Jay Mcdonald is a star and will be keen to see how he tweaks the game plan. Some key guys regaining fitness in Nick Wright, Jackson Bowen at Carisbrook, a couple of recruits from up North & a local star but in Angus Mckinna, expect them to be pushing for top 4 again.

Newstead v Navarre: Stead, in a close one - A new coach, an influx of recruits from Castlemaine and some key guys coming back from bad injuries last year, expect them to pick up and be a lot more competitive. Plenty of questions marks over the quality of recruits at Navarre (With the exception of Riley Bibby - GUN), but seem to be local and returning guys so hopefully they can dig their heels in provide a boost. A coaching change will bring optimism.

Avoca v Giants: Avoca, just: Both sides with coaching changes and both have been quiet on the recruiting front. How many will The Borough get from the Magpies folding, will there be any new players who can make a significant on field impact? Matt Johnson is a good in, but might struggle to win his own footy now. Johns & Bates are significant losses at Giants. With the exception of Winter, Avoca seem to have kept their list together, hopefully they can bring in 5 or 6 and become more competitive on a regular basis. Some honorable losses last year (as well as some bad ones), too big of a club to continue to stay at the wrong end of the table.

Great contribution mate.

I’d love to know what issues Avoca have out there and why they can’t get themselves up
And going and competitive. They’ve got a big town and strong juniors, but it never seems to translate.


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[chimp2022]

Natte didn’t even have to enter 2nd gear to touch up Trentham. Literally was training drill stuff for the majority of the 1st half. Still with a a couple of guns to enter the side. Trentham looked all of a bottom 5 side. Playing with no ruckman certainly makes things hard. McKenzie did what he pleased in the ruck all day.

 

[Master of Disaster]

Went out and watched Avoca v Giants today and caught up with a few old friends. Wasn’t a great spectacle in the first half, with both woeful by foot.

Game opened up in the second half and Avoca were far too good. Avoca seemed to have a few dangerous forwards. Lubeek is a smart footballer but is slow. Whelan and Coghlin chipped in with 4 each.

Both sides have zero height. Cody Wright was easily the best for the Giants and racked it up. Giants have a few older blokes and then a lot of really young kids. Kid with the goggles/glasses showed a bit.

I hope the Giants have a few more to come in or they’re in for a long year. Don’t think Avoca will get close to making the 8 from what I saw today. Good crowd out there and a ripper day of country footy.


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[localfootyguru]

Went out and watched Avoca v Giants today and caught up with a few old friends. Wasn’t a great spectacle in the first half, with both woeful by foot.

Game opened up in the second half and Avoca were far too good. Avoca seemed to have a few dangerous forwards. Lubeek is a smart footballer but is slow. Whelan and Coghlin chipped in with 4 each.

Both sides have zero height. Cody Wright was easily the best for the Giants and racked it up. Giants have a few older blokes and then a lot of really young kids. Kid with the goggles/glasses showed a bit.

I hope the Giants have a few more to come in or they’re in for a long year. Don’t think Avoca will get close to making the 8 from what I saw today. Good crowd out there and a ripper day of country footy.


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A good summary Master of Disaster. I also went along as I am planning to go and watch footy around the traps this year since the demise of my club.

Wasn’t a great game but I really enjoyed the community feel of the day. Great to see so many families and children there.

Avoca were too good with Lubeek and Coghlan the stand outs. Giants whilst undermanned have some excellent younger players which may augur well going forward.

Was speaking to a few Giants people who spoke about the issue of the coach appointed for 2024 and how it put the club well back post the merger. Many are still shaking their head about how he got the job considering his history and the mess he has left in his wake.

The new coach has a bit of work ahead of them to get things back on track.

 

[Arnold Horshack]

A good summary Master of Disaster. I also went along as I am planning to go and watch footy around the traps this year since the demise of my club.

Wasn’t a great game but I really enjoyed the community feel of the day. Great to see so many families and children there.

Avoca were too good with Lubeek and Coghlan the stand outs. Giants whilst undermanned have some excellent younger players which may augur well going forward.

Was speaking to a few Giants people who spoke about the issue of the coach appointed for 2024 and how it put the club well back post the merger. Many are still shaking their head about how he got the job considering his history and the mess he has left in his wake.

The new coach has a bit of work ahead of them to get things back on track.

who is the new coach? I think they had a crack at a few good coaches and ultimately didn't get any so left with Cupido which predictably went sour.

 

[CurtyB103]

who is the new coach? I think they had a crack at a few good coaches and ultimately didn't get any so left with Cupido which predictably went sour.

Matt "Snowy" Walker, who is one of the old Bushy boys. He is a playing coach. Matt Johnston has made the move to the Giants from Maryborough BFL side as well, where he was co-coach with Coby Perry. Not sure if he is involved in any coaching capacity or not with the Giants, but will provide some leadership, and whilst he is well past playing his best footy, should provide them with a decent target to kick to up forward.

 

[The Local Footy Man]

Went and watched the Trentham v Natte game on the weekend and it’s looking dire for the saints this year.
There were 3 or 4 running around that wouldn’t play in some reserves teams.
Quick glance at last years GF team and there’s 10 missing from that side.
Looks the same with their selected side this week.

Natte good without being super. Definitely didn’t look as quick and classy as they did last season.

Harcourt the team to beat after round 1 with a sizeable gap to second IMO.

 

[Sherman41]

Lewis Rinaldi back playing at Carisbrook full time now?

I noticed he was back on the weekend and best on. Very good player.

His brother and Harry still at Ballarat by the look.

 

[Stats101]

Lewis Rinaldi back playing at Carisbrook full time now?

I noticed he was back on the weekend and best on. Very good player.

His brother and Harry still at Ballarat by the look.

Just a one off game will be back at Ballarat

 

[KnowsAllLocal]

Talbot Harcourt, Natte will be the 3 teams competing for the flag. Talbots new gun recruit 6 FT 3 midfielder best player in the comp by a mile. Jamieson House.