With Round 1 fast approaching, Scoop has caught up with all ten senior footy coaches as they prepare for season 2026!
Sunbury will look to go one better following a grand final berth last year, but the Lions will have their challenges ahead of them.
Scoop: Matty, tipping most fans of the BFNL want to know what Jake Sutton’s movements are given his link to a move to Sydney with his partner. Can you elaborate the club’s intentions with Jake moving forward?
Matt White: Jake Sutton has moved to Sydney and like Melton last year we are able to get him back for enough games to qualify for finals.
S: Jake Egan and Tyson Lever have spent their off season with Essendon VFL - have you planned a season without them - where do they stand at the Bombers?
MW: Egan and Lever are both at Essendon. Egan has been training really well from the reports I’ve got back, and Lever has been battling a foot issue but has recently joined back into their training. Tyson has been at most session either watching or coaching for Sunbury. Would expect them to get games but unknown how may both will get at this stage with a full Essendon AFL list to choose from.
S: Great run to finish off last season before falling short in the Grand Final - what’s one area in particular you can share you need to improve to make up the ground against the Devils given you were 0-4 against them in 2025?
MW: Improvement will come from another year running a similar game plan but like the best clubs around (Darley included) they don’t reinvent the wheel, it’s about building on what we have and finding other ways to break opposition momentum.
S: When we will see Josh Guthrie (ankle) and Cody Bramble (knee) who missed a large chunk of last season?
MW: ‘Guth’ is looking for a Round 1 return at this stage. We aren’t going to rush him back in under any circumstances. He’s a key cog to our midfield and forward so we’ll weigh up the risk v reward early on. Cody is looking like a return early in the season, all dependant on how his rehab progresses. Best thing for Sunbury is he’s down at Footscray VFL being managed by AFL/VFL physios and rehab specialists. We can’t wait to get both back on the park.
S: How’s the pre-season - have you seen reason to change it up on previous campaigns or is it essentially the same prep?
MW: Really light pre-Christmas. Was more about touching footies and being around each other. 27 odd games last year with pre-season games and all four finals games so it was more about management and making sure we didn’t burn them all out as it’s still a reasonably young group. We’re ramping up now and looking forward to practice games starting in March.
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
Projected improvement is going one better. Happy to have gotten there last year but we got a taste and as a group and club we want to be back there.
INS & OUTS
In: K. O’Shea (Caroline Springs), J. Gillard (Montmorency), L. Tudor (Caroline Springs)
Out: J. Coles (Sunbury Kangaroos), S. Morris (Broadford), L. Brennan (Macedon)
VFL AFFILIATED PLAYERS
Jake Egan, Tyson Lever (Essendon), Daniel Johnston, Jordan Gillard (Coburg), Harry Minton-Connell (Williamstown), Hamish Pearce (North Melbourne)
PRACTICE MATCH SCHEDULE
March 14 - Sunbury v Hoppers Crossing (VTBD)
March 21 - Gisborne vs Sunbury
CLUB IMPROVERS TIP
MW: North looks set to explode with the recruiting and locking in vfl boys full time, bacchus are still on the up as well with who they’ve been able to bring in.
FLAG TIP
MW: It’s hard to go away from Darley. Lost a ruck and some fridge players over the off-season but the core is still there, and Dan is a super coach, so he’ll have something up his sleeve. North as a smokey.
SCOOP SAYS
Won seven of their last nine games last year – the only two losses for the period came against the Devils. All the damage was done in the Lions’ worst hour of the season outscored (collectively) 14 goals to 1 in the last quarter of the second semi final and first quarter of the grand final. Depending on how much VFL time Jake Egan and Tyson Lever get with Essendon will surely play a role in where they finish at the business end. Star forward Jake Sutton is the only forward in the BFNL averaging more than 3.5 goals per game over his last 50 games. His move to Sydney will ask questions of the remaining pride but I can’t see them missing the finals action. The return of Josh Guthrie and later Cody Bramble will help their finals standing. I have them in the mix behind Darley and Melton.
Projected finish: 3rd
