Please find below important information for supporters and attendees to be aware of for this Saturdays Carlton Draught Grand Final Day at MARS Stadium.
Mars Stadium, Creswick Rd, Ballarat
Saturday 17th September 2022
EFTPOS is available at all gates
NO DOGS
Full catering is available throughout the day with bar facilities from 12pm.
Live scores of all football and netball games are available throughout the day at:
Can't get to the game? Catch the live stream of the Senior Football and A-Grade Netball. The Senior Men's Grand Final will be live on BallaratFNL Facebook and Cluch.tv. The A-Grade Netball will be live on Cluch.tv - links below.
The 2022 Federation BFLW Grand Finals will take over Mars Stadium tomorrow. Find all the Grand Final details below, including match times, parking information, entry details and match vision.
Watch the 2022 Federation BFLW Senior Grand Final LIVE from 1:20pm here: https://bit.ly/3KEBMY2
Federation BFLW Grand Finals – Event Information
Ahead of the first Federation BFLW Grand Final Day at Mars Stadium, please see some important information for supporters and attendees to be aware of:
General Information
Match Schedule
Admission Fees
BFLW Grand Final 2022
Note: Eftpos is available and encouraged as the preferred payment method.
Gates & Parking
Parking is available at the following locations:
Grand Final Filming
Live Scores
Redan started it's 2023 campaign under new coach Gary Learmonth with an emphatic 92 point win over a disappointing Lakers outfit in Good Friday's stand alone fixture at City Oval.
16.14-110
1.12-18
Experienced Lions’ big guns stole the show with midfielder Lachie George named best afield and Grant Bell finishing with a game high five goals.
Reigning Club best and fairest and rising star Isaac Grant joined in bagging four majors while Jack Fitzpatrick's Lakers could manage just one of their own for the entire afternoon coming via the boot of Nathan Pring.
Learmonth and Lions fans would have been all smiles over the Easter weekend before a birds-eye view opportunity, scoping future opponents presents at the conclusion of round one matches this coming Saturday.
For the Lakers, a 15-day break ahead of their round two meeting with Ballarat provides some valuable time to work on the fundamentals and improve connection.
Redan (Goals); G.Bell 5, I.Grant 4, L.McLean 2, H.Lawson, D.Phillips, L.Hoy, D.Bond, L.George.
Lakers (Goals); N.Pring.
Redan (Best); L.George, G.Bell, W.Madden, I.Grant, L.Phillips, J.Werts.
Lakers (Best); P.James, E.Preston, L.O'Connell.
Gary Learmonth (Redan); "I was really happy with our commitment. Our pressure around the ball was excellent and our willingness to share the ball gave us plenty of forward entries to kick a winning score."
Jack Fitzpatrick (Lake Wendouree); "The fact we went from 5 goals down at the 21-minute mark of the third quarter to losing by just under 100 is incredibly disappointing. Redan played very well, credit to them. “They belted us up around the ball and used it better than we did."
The BFLW is proud to announce Federation University as the inaugural BFLW Finals Series naming rights partner.
Federation has today been announced as the naming partner of the upcoming BFLWomens finals series and grand finals, commencing this Sunday the 14th of August 2022.
The partnership will see Federation not only as naming partner of the now Federation BFLW Finals Series and Federation BFLW Grand Finals but will provide valued support to grow female football in Ballarat and regional Victoria.
Since its inception in 2021, BFLWomens has continued to grow and be the home of female football participation across regional Victoria from Melton, Maryborough and across the wider Ballarat district.
Support from Federation will ensure the McDonald's Ballarat FNL, as custodians of female football in the region, can continue to build on the current competition with the stated aim of maximising female sports participation.
Ballarat FNL General Manager, Shane Anwyl
“The partnership with Federation is an exciting step in the growth of female football, and more broadly participation across Ballarat. The Ballarat FNL is committed to the growth of female sport and an 'access for all' priority”.
Federation is Victoria’s leading regional university focused on transforming lives and enhancing communities. They have a 152-year history of partnering with community, industry and government to meet the needs of the regions they serve.
Federation University Vice-Chancellor, Liam Sloan
“We are proud to be partnering with BFLW in the inaugural finals series for the League and look forward to enjoying the competition during the Federation Finals Series and supporting the growth of women in sport in Ballarat and surrounding areas. This collaboration between Federation and BFLW is driven by our shared value of inclusion and common goal of equality in sport."
The McDonald's Ballarat FNL is pleased to announce the Week 1 match schedule for the McDonald’s BFNL Ballarat Toyota Junior Finals Series.
Matches will kick off with the Qualifying Finals at Northern Oval 2 on Saturday 20th August, followed by Elimination Finals at Wendouree Reserve and the Northern Oval on Sunday 21st August.
Once again, the league thanks the City of Ballarat for their support in hosting finals at the premier football and netball venues across the region and country Victoria.
View or download the scheduled football and netball matches for this weekend below.
2022 Junior Finals Week 1 Schedule
Every match from last weekend's Ballarat Toyota Junior Grand Final Day is now available for purchase on BFNL.com.au. And you can find all the match information, teams lists and more in the Digital Record.
All the matches from Sunday's Ballarat Toyota Junior Grand Final Day are available for purchase.
You can find the links to each match by clicking the button below or go to the BFNL Media tab and select 2022 BFNLJ Grand Finals.
Each match is available for purchase for $15.
To download the match to keep or to watch online when you want, follow these steps:
You can also find the Digital Record under the Football tab and select Junior 2022 Grand Final Record or simply click on the cover below.
There has been plenty of movement around the league ahead of a blockbuster 2023 season. Find all the additions to your club below thanks to Quest Ballarat.
The Lions will be savouring their second successive #1 rated draw that, along with their mix of talented youth and experience, makes a finals berth seem likely. Scoop will continue to serve up the pros and cons of the fixture for every BFNL club each day this week.
Draw rating points: 94
2021 draw ranking: #1
Play TWICE:North Ballarat, Melton South, Bacchus Marsh, Lake Wendouree, Darley, East Point
Travel EAST:FOUR times - Melton South (Rd2), Melton (Rd6), Bacchus Marsh (Rd12), Darley (Rd14)
EAST 'highway travel' record (2018 & 2019 home and away seasons):Played 8 Won 2 Lost 6 @25% win rate
PROS:Play only TWO teams (Darley, East Point) TWICE from the 2019 top six.
- DO NOT leave Ballarat after round 14
- Play FOUR of BOTTOM FIVE sides from 2019 TWICE
- THREE of their opening FOUR matches are at home against North Ballarat in Round 1, Ballarat in Round 3, Bye in Round 4 then Bacchus Marsh in Round 5
CONS:
- Arguably the most well-balanced draw in the comp. Even Redan's back-to-back highway travel commitment in Round 12 (Bacchus Marsh) and Round 14 (Darley) is split via a timely bye.
Comment:Once again, Redan have landed with the most favourable draw according to the draw rating formula. With a few select additions to the playing group and the likes of Lachie George and Orron Stephenson likely to go around again, they won’t be far away. Expect the mix of talented youth and experience to see Redan making finals for a second successive season. They won't have any arguments with their draw, that's for sure.
We know the Redan fans are excited and the expectations are running high for a team that had beaten every team in the comp in 2019. Coach Jarrett Giampaolo is thinking big, setting the club's first premiership in eleven years as the pass mark for the season.
2021 Coach:Jarrett Giampaolo
2019 Performance:Finished 6th (home & away) – Played 16 Won 10 Lost 6
2019 BFNL Rankings: Attack - 2nd, Defence - 8th
EXPECT Redan to join a host of BFNL teams in flag discussions (if not already) throughout 2021.
Only Ben Smyth (Darwin) from 2019's mud bath first Semi Final loss to Sebastopol has left the Lions, giving coach Jarrett Giampaolo every reason to think big.
"A Premiership is a pass mark for us this year, why not?" he said.
"It's been 11 years since we won our last one. [We've] thrown in a few Preliminary Final losses along the way and we've had enough.
“We're ready to go."
Reigning Best and Fairest Lachie George looks set to partner up with veteran ruckman Orren Stephenson once again hoping to emulate the club's stunning 7-0 run to start 2019. Experienced campaigners Liam Hoy, Grant Bell and young gun *Lachlan McLean are sure to have found the necessary belief and fire in the belly to lead this current group deeper in September.
"We know we have the talent," Giampaolo said.
"So, the focus for us this year is all about development.
"2019 was a bit of an unknown for us."
Despite the lingering confidence in the current list, Giampaolo is hopeful they can bolster their stocks further ahead of Round One.
"We're still in the market for a relief ruckman for Orren (Stephenson) and a tall key position that can go forward or back," he said.
In the meantime, the club has signed Colby McDonald (Tatura - defender) and are hopeful popular duo Tom Lamb and Chris Giampaolo can play a role after a stint away.
VFL-listed youngsters *Cooper Atchison, *Cooper Craig-Peters and newcomer *Izaac Grant (Hepburn, Rebels - medium forward/mid) will complement the age profile of the group perfectly, and with that, the fitness edge that comes from the VFL program.
The Lions draw reads similarly favourable to 2019, but Giampaolo wasn't phased either way.
"I haven't looked that much into it to be honest. We beat everyone in 2019, that I do remember."
The Lions will be hopeful of starting one step ahead of the competition as they did in 2019 (7-0), given they managed just three wins from the last nine home and away games. Fingers crossed for Redan fans they haven't been worked out already.
Promising up and comer Liam Phillips (AFL Barwon) is the only other notable departure.
*Affiliated players: Lachlan McLean (North Melbourne VFL), Cooper Atchison (North Melbourne VFL), Izaac Grant (North Melbourne VFL), Cooper Craig-Peters (Geelong VFL)
Flag tip (outside Redan): Sunbury
Improvers tip: North Ballarat City
Redan pass mark: Premiership!
Scoop' Reviews the Round 1 Good Friday Match
It was a big day at CE Brown Reserve and an equally big win for new coach Jack Fitzpatrick.
19.8.122
11.13.79
A nine-goal second-quarter blitz has led the Lakers to a convincing 43-point win over Redan in their stand-alone meeting on Good Friday.
It was the perfect start for the Lakers under new Coach Jack Fitzpatrick, banking the four points and posting the club’s highest score since Round 10, 2016.
Donning their new look jumpers in front of a bumper crowd, the Lakers looked swift with their ball movement going forward, particularly after quarter time. Jake Coxall (four goals) was the standout for the Lakers with his inside work around the contest and his ability hurt a loose checking Lions outfit pushing forward. Geelong VFL listed player Scott Carlin gave the Lakers surety across half-back and through the middle of the ground with his clean ball use and distribution.
For Redan, the late withdrawals of Cooper Craig-Peters and Lachie George didn't help their cause, despite the efforts of Cooper Atchison and Pat Fitzgibbon, who shouldered the bulk of the drive with new ruckman Nathan Dunstan. Nonetheless, the Lakers were far superior with their ball use and movement.
Fitzpatrick would be delighted with the shared nature of the Lakers' returns across eight goalkickers, their ability to kick repeat goals - within seconds on occasions - and impose scoreboard pressure, which has been a rare feature for the club in recent times. The scoring dominance proved too overwhelming for a Lions outfit who were given a lesson on how best to use the ball in breezy conditions.
*Photo courtesy: Lake Wendouree FNC
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Scoop' Reviews Round 10
Darley was the only team to win at home in Round Ten of the McDonald’s Ballarat Senior Men’s. After a scare, at the top of the table, Melton and East Point steadied to claim the points, while the Cobras joined three other teams on five wins after downing Sebastopol. North Ballarat resembled more of their best with a commanding win over Melton South.
24.18.162
8.8.56
The Devils recorded their first four-quarter win of the season with a comprehensive 106-point demolition job over the Lakers.
Spearhead forward Nick Rodda finished with nine goals to move on top of the League goalkicking table. Dan Jordan could have named as many as 15 young Devils players in the best before settling on Joel Cadman, Brett Bewley, Dylan Landt, Jack Bewley, Mitch Ward and, of course, Rodda. A 34-point quarter-time lead for the Devils became 64 at the half and 93 at the final change before 106 at the game’s end.
For the Lakers, there was some resistance from Geelong VFL-listed player Scott Carlin and experienced campaigner Nathan Pring, but the day in essence was all about the Black and White and a much-needed percentage boost that may well play a part come to the business end of the season.
Darley meets North Ballarat on Saturday as both sides aim for a second win against top-six opposition - the two teams are currently locked together on five wins, separated by a mere 0.1%. The Lakers will need to show more on the road when they meet Bacchus Marsh at Maddingley Park.
What the coaches said…
JORDAN (DARLEY):Our boys responded well around the contest. We had a good spread of contributors today.
FITZPATRICK (LAKERS):The way Darley used the ball was as good as any side we've played this year. Unfortunately, we couldn't put enough pressure on them, and they were able to cut through us like a hot knife through butter.
18.17.125
6.6.42
North Ballarat kicked 16 goals to three after quarter-time, earning the plaudits of both coaches on their way to an 83-point win on the road. The Panthers led at the first break but were no match for the intensity and pressure of the 2021 Minor Premiers.
Dangerous North Ballarat mobile forward Jack Riding was on fire booting six goals to claim best on-ground honours ahead of Collingwood VFL listed utility Sam Glover. The experienced 'big and small' duo of Cam McCallum and Tim Spiers made significant contributions for the winners alongside the Loader boys, Harry and Fletcher. While it's back to the drawing board for Heath Pritchard’s Panthers, Brendan McCartney's boys looked primed for a Match of the Round meeting with Darley at Mars Stadium.
Pritchard must be scratching his head, frustrated with his club's 0-6 home record heading into their bye in Round 11. One positive to be drawn for the losing side is the run of good form from trio John Kovarik, and youngsters Jarrod Bibby and Riley Theo. Panthers captain Shaun Wyatt and progressive type Mitch Fino were sound on an otherwise disappointing day for the navy blue and white.
What the coaches said…
PRITCHARD (MELTON SOUTH):They beat us at the contest. We pride ourselves on our pressure and work rate and today North Ballarat looked back to their best.
McCARTNEY (NORTH BALLARAT):Team effort against really good opposition. Our pressure game was back and they played for each other. A good day’s work.
10.7.67
6.9.45
The travelling Cobras kept finals aspirants Sebastopol to just six goals on their way to a morale-boosting 22-point win. The Cobras led at every change, joining three other teams on five wins to keep their Top Six chances alive. Once again Cobras captain Jake Owen played the role of General down back in the absence of key defenders Jack Williams and Jason Robinson. In-form Cobras duo Ryley Stuhldrier and newcomer Sam Crea made it back-to-back solid performances to feature among the better players while small forward Tyler Huynh (three goals) pinched his second haul of multiple goals this year.
At the final change and against the breeze, questions would be asked of the Cobras' defence and their ability to hold out a 12-point advantage. The Cobras passed the test with flying colours, aided by the first use of the ball thanks to Daniel Burton in the ruck. Tyson Shea was prominent in game 251 - conditions suiting the in and under veteran down to the ground.
For the losing side, Jack Bambury, Tony Lockyer and Hugo Papst gave their all but a disappointing six-goal return was never going to be enough.
The 'Burra face an ejection from the Top Six when they meet undefeated Melton on Saturday. Seventh-placed Bacchus Marsh can move as high as fifth if they can get a win over Lake Wendouree on home soil. The Lakers have lost their last eight games on the trot.
What the coaches said…
SEARL (SEBASTOPOL): They were cleaner and brought a high level of intensity in the first quarter. We arm-wrestled the game back in our favour through the middle stages but were outworked again in the last. We have to regroup and go again.
GERMAN (BACCHUS MARSH):We moved the ball really well at times and structured up well, which forced errors on their behalf. Our defence held up well in the last quarter against the wind.
15.8.98
13.10.88
In the end, it was the six goals to one scored in the third term by the undefeated Bloods that was enough to warrant a ten-point margin at the final siren.
The plucky Lions were more than competitive for the most part, and coach Jarrett Giampaolo cited the third-quarter collapse as potentially the difference between a win or a loss. Whilst buoyed by the effort, a disappointed Giampaolo said the players are done with ‘honourable losses’.
Redan led the flag favourites by six points at the main break but couldn't maintain their 'better for longer' intensity of play. Bloods coach Aaron Tymms dismissed any suggestion his boys were laboured by the 21-day break. For the winners, Jacob Hickey (three goals), Blake Souter, Harrison Hanley (three goals) and Lachlan Walker were named best, while the Carter brothers Ryan and Liam were held to two goals apiece.
Seasoned Lions Lachie George, Daniel Bond and Liam Hoy featured among the better players in a losing side while goal shark Isaac Grant and experienced forward Grant Bell finished with two goals. The Lions face another footy audit on Saturday when they meet East Point at Eastern Oval.
What the coaches said…
GIAMAPAOLO (REDAN):A valiant effort, but at some point, we need to turn those into wins. I was really proud of the effort and endeavour for the most part, but we just lost composure for five-minute patches, especially in the third quarter against the breeze. You can't let a good side like Melton dictate the game like that. Our young group will take plenty out of it but they're hungry for a win, not just close losses.
TYMMS (MELTON):We certainly didn't play our best football but full credit to Redan, they were very good. They brought the heat and used the ball really well. I liked their game.
12.15.87
11.8.74
Second-placed East Point managed to overcome a spirited Sunbury with a come-from-behind 13-point win at the weekend.
The Lions led at every change but couldn't hold on when it mattered most - the final siren. Coach Travis Hodgson had his boys ready to play early as they opened up a 29-point quarter-time lead. Essendon VFL listed Lions forward Jake Sutton starred with eight goals and very nearly landed the upset of the round.
At the other end, Kangas leading goalkicker Jordy Johnston had his first human day on the footy field for some weeks, held to one goal and four behinds by Willy Wright with aerial support from Tyson Lever. Despite the loss, it was just the second time the Lions have finished with more than 68 points for the year.
So, who led the charge for the reigning dual Premiers as they march back from obscurity? Try the highly talented midfield trio of Mickitja Rotumah-Onus, Matty Johnston and Jackson Merrett, alongside returning duo Dallas Martin and Aiden Nestor. Bryson McDougall (three goals) and Jack Jeffrey (two goals) hit the scoreboard. Sunbury will be hoping for a similar start against Ballarat on Saturday who return off the bye.
What the coaches said…
HODGSON (SUNBURY):A pretty good performance. Unfortunately, our inability to capitalise on a good half-time lead means we go home without the 4 points again. Was pleasing that we were able to respond from our worst performance [in Round Nine] with our best [in Round Ten].
BRIDGES (EAST POINT):We stayed in the game for long enough, went to work and executed when we needed to... a great response after half-time.
