BFNL Football Review - Round 15, 2026

Star forward Jake Owen gave fans a timely reminder of his ‘invaluable’ status in the BFNL with five match winning goals in his return game for the Cobras at the weekend.

The former Williamstown VFL talent had missed the last seven games with a high-grade hamstring tear.

Worth noting it was Owen’s third bag of five goals from his last four games dating as far back to May 9 (Round 5 v Redan).

The timing could not be worse for Marc Greig’s Lions, as an Owen led quiver essentially ended any slim chances of the Pride pinching an unlikely spot in the finals action.

The presence of Owen alone changes the dynamic of the Cobras and for the second time this season the Lions have worn the brunt.

Sure, he wasn’t on his own but structurally the Cobras are a different proposition altogether.

Ball magnet Josh Huxtable was prominent again, named alongside Owen in the best players ahead of Adam Blain, Ben Locke (one goal), Joel Freeman (one goal) and Armi Wakefield.

Cobra fans have every reason to be pleased with the morale boosting win given Redan have (recently) played well above their ninth placing suggests.

The young pride has recorded wins over Sunbury (5th) and Melton (6th) and pushed top four opposition Sebastopol (8 points), Darley (6 points) and North Ballarat (18 points).

The spirited win for Dennis Armfield’s Cobras keeps their finals mission alive as they draw level with Melton (sixth) on six wins.

For the record the Cobras (82.6%) have East Point (H), Sebastopol (H) and Lakers (A) on the way home compared to the Bloods (126.03%), Darley (A), Redan (H), Sebastopol (A).

The Cobras will need little motivation getting up for their matchup with the Kangas (8th-20 points) who haven’t given up on any finals aspirations of their own following their upset win over the Swans.

Redan however, while disappointed with the 29-point loss, had a handful of warriors flying the flag for veteran forward Grant Bell in game 200.

Zac Mortlake, Nick Barker, Brodie Pope, Taj Bond (two goals), Lachie Clark and Jacob Werts were acknowledged by the Lions hierarchy while forward Lachie Bond finished with a team high three goals.

The Lions are away to Alfredton Oval this Saturday to face Ballarat.

Tough ask!

STATS THAT MATTERED

Luke Goetz (Bacchus Marsh) -  55 hitouts, 22 disposals, 14 contested possessions

William Madden (Redan) - 27 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 9 tackles

Josh Huxtable (Bacchus Marsh) - 28 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 7 clearances

COACHES’ VERDICT

Marc Greig (Redan)
“A bit of an off day for our lads. We certainly didn’t play at the level we have played for the last 8 weeks but that’s bound to happen occasionally with a young group. We still had chances to get over the line early in the last quarter but couldn’t get it done. Baccus Marsh used their leg speed well with ball in hand and their full forward was the difference and capitalised on their good play. A small bump in the road but plenty to learn from the day.”

Dennis Armfield (Dennis Armfield)
“Great result to get the four points against Redan at City Oval. They were an inform team of the comp and we executed our plan for most parts. I felt we were in control most the day, a small scare early in the last, but our boys steadied the ship to finish off strong. We now get back to Maddingley to take on East Point who have changed a lot since our first game of the year.”

Darley ticked off their wish-list mission in fine style with a thumping 149-point win over the Lake Wendouree at CE Brown Reserve.

The reigning premiers were rapt to get through relatively unscathed (tick) following the return of key trio Brett Bewley (one goal), Billy Myers (six goals) and Harley Inglis (four goals).

The nature of the win gave the Devils a much needed percentage boost (tick), moving them into third place on the BFNL ladder after Ballarat’s upset loss to East Point.

Scoreboard aside, the Devils resembled every bit of a top four side (tick) as coach Dan Jordan looked for a response from his players after the disappointment of Round 14’s loss to Sebastopol.

Nick Hind (seven goals) was the star of show in his mid-forward role running rings around his Lakers opponents who did not have the answers.

Defenders Matthew Brett and Mitch Gardiner had a day out denying the Lakers who provided some cheek, in the first quarter especially, to be within seven points.
Devils midfield trio Ethan Matthews (ruck), Luther Baker and Andy Azzopardi were compliant in their roles earning the nod from Jordan and his crew to feature in the best.

The visitors booted 10 goals in the first half and a staggering 20 in the second as nine Devils hit the scoreboard.

The task was never going to be easy for the winless Lakers who extend their run of outs to 33.

Interim coach Jake Lohmann would’ve been thrilled with the buy-in early before the Devils really hit their straps.

Lakers youngster Aiden Wiltsher kept the Devils honest with four goals while Timmy Collins (two goals) was the only other multiple contributor.

Archie Todd (best) was the pick of the bunch for the hosts in general play ahead of Wiltsher, Collins and consistent performer Corey Rich.

The season gets very real for the Devils in the run home with Melton (H), Ballarat (A) and North Ballarat (H) to come.

Three wins would guarantee the Devils a prized top three finish.

The Lakers meet Sebastopol (A), North Ballarat (A), and Bacchus Marsh (H) in the coming weeks before any thoughts of putting the cue in the rack.

STATS THAT MATTERED

Brett Bewley (Darley) - 41 disposals, 20 contested possessions, 14 clearances

Nicholas Hind (Darley) - 37 disposals, 21 contested possessions, 18 score involvements

Will Clark (Lake Wendouree) - 36 disposals, 18 contested possessions, 7 clearances 

COACHES’ VERDICT

Jake Lohmann (Lake Wendouree)
“Losing two key players early in the game - puts you on the back foot with a team that had the foot on the throttle for most of the day. We owned territory and should’ve been up by 2-3 goals at quarter time if we finished our work. We showed 10-12 minutes of really good patches each quarter the way we want to play just not doing it for long enough. Darley flexed their muscles, were able to get first use, spread from the contest get the ball to the outside shifting angles and understand where the ball needed to go. All on the same page. Something that we admired and will continue to learn and get better from this experience.”

Dan Jordan (Darley)
“Pleased with the four-quarter effort from the boys. We were able to kick away after halftime - Lakers definitely had a crack early. Got some time into some boys returning and worked on a few things we sort improvement on from last week. Onto next week.”

North Ballarat surged to equal first on the BFNL ladder following a hard fought 17-point win over Melton at MacPherson Park.

With three rounds to still play before a highly anticipated finals series the Roosters have put themselves in the box seat for a top three finish with Sunbury (A), Lakers (H) and Darley (A) to determine their fate.

Roosters’ coach Clint Proctor will hope his contested ball brand continues to stand up with a relatively inexperienced group, compared to some rivals.

While this contest was even for the most part, the Bloods would be rueing too many turnovers across their half forward line.

It was as if the Bloods were beaten at their own game given we’re accustomed to their signature rebound off half back.

The Roosters ability to strangle the Bloods, between the arcs especially, was palpable.

Proctors high press put pressure on the Bloods ball carrier while the Roosters will to provide the outnumber at the ground level source was another key ingredient denying the hosts any continuity in transition.

When the Roosters held possession from inside to out, they would ask questions of the Bloods to EARN the ball back - a draining watch essentially if you’re not a North Ballarat fan.

The physical toll on both parties was noted late in the game. Examples of cramp on the firm deck and players labouring late to the finish line was testament to the hard-fought nature of the affair.

A perceived (to the eye) increase in stoppages, boundary throw ins, ‘on the fulls’ and lasso rebound free kicks just added another layer of evidence to the pressure gauge.

Melton kept their number one rank for first quarters in check with a narrow win in isolation but thereafter you couldn’t deny the Roosters the road win.

North Ballarat are gettable that is true but be prepared to roll up your sleeves and bring your work boots.

Proctor is up for any challenge but the one that provides arguably more intrigue is the battle of who will crack first.

In a nutshell, the Bloods were solid with their intent, but their execution was found wanting under the stress of the competitions number one ranked team defence.

Sam Glover, Henry Shea and Seb Collins were named best for the winners while Liam Carter, Jaycob Hickey and Jordy Cotter provided much of the resistance for the hosts.

Bloods’ forward Braedan Kight finished with a game high three goals.

STATS THAT MATTERED

Sam Glover (North Ballarat) - 25 disposals, 15 intercept possessions, 12 marks

Jaycob Hickey (Melton) - 27 disposals, 8 score invovlements, 8 tackles

Jye Lockett (North Ballarat) - 26 disposals, 10 marks, 7 score involvements    

COACHES’ VERDICT

Troy Scoble (Melton)
“Was a fast high transition game of footy. Perfect conditions. We felt we set the ground up well for large parts of the game and gave great effort to the final siren. North converted their opportunities well very efficient in their attack phase. We did not convert well today 3.6 in the last. They nailed the key moments to separate the teams. We just have not been able to close that couple goal gap on the top teams. Another big challenge for us next week.”

Clint Proctor (North Ballarat)
“High octane game - Melton play such a fast system! At times they were too clean and moved the ball well. I thought we adjusted well and played a North brand when it mattered. Happy to come away with the win! It’s been a very long time for the club (winning down there)”

East Point secured further validation for their season rebuild, claiming a top four scalp in the form of Ballarat at Eastern Oval.

Under stand-in coach Tommy Molan the troops gave club favourite Jacob Brown 100 a day to remember as he celebrated 100 games.

Brown was proud as punch in the aftermath confirming his pre-game vibe that Saturday would be the day the Kangas get the job done after a number of near misses.

The Kangas kept themselves in it with some accurate finishing on goal including one of the goals of the year (second quarter) from x-factor forward Jarrod Joyce who evidently played a starring role with his game high six goals.

The undermanned Swans led at quarter time before trailing at the half by eight points 5.5 to the Kangas’ 7.1.

All the Kangas needed was a sniff at the main break to find a way through the Swans, who trounced them by 55 points at their first meet back at Alfredton Oval in Round 5 (May 9).

Just two points separated the two sides at the final change with many anticipating the Swans to runover the Kangas given their (then) impressive number one ranking in each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters across the competition.

Someone forgot to give the Kangas the memo as they fought doggedly to hang on.

The Kangas survived a last quarter challenge before steadying late with the final two goals of the game.

The result gave the Kangas their second win in a row and fifth win of the season, just one game and percentage shy of Melton (sixth) and Bacchus Marsh (seventh).

Mickitja Rotumah-Onus was named best for the winners ahead of Joyce, Jack Jeffrey (three goals), Brown in his milestone game, Dylan Hiscock and Jessie Cairns.

The Swans named Patrick Graham, Fraser Perkins, Luke Gray, Jake Drever and former AFL pair Alex Keath and Brad Crouch in their best while the goals were shared among eight of the bevy.

Kudos to Ash Baker and the Swans acknowledging the effort of the Kangas in the post-match rather than blaming injury and unavailability as their reasoning for falling short.

For the record East Point were the only ‘home’ team to win across the five games in Round 15.

Moving forward, the Swans get a chance to atone quickly at home this week hosting Redan while the Kangas have a throw at the stumps opportunity keeping their slim finals chances alive when they travel done the highway to meet the Cobras.

STATS THAT MATTERED

Patrick Graham (Ballarat) -  79 hitouts, 19 disposals, 12 contested possessions

Jacob Brown (East Point) - 34 disposals, 11 intercept possessions, 10 marks

Mickitja Rotumah-Onus (East Point) - 37 disposals, 20 contested possessions, 11 clearances

COACHES’ VERDICT

Tommy Molan (East Point stand-in coach)
“The boys were really good today. We identified what our role needed to be at stoppage and how we could stop Ballarat’s outside run. We were probably a little lucky getting Ballarat with a few out, but we were happy with how our boys implemented the game plan and worked for each other. Our forwards are starting to connect and create opportunities for each other, and our defenders are winning one on ones consistently. We finished the game without a bench, so it was great to see the boys respond after Ballarat edged in front with a few minutes to go.”

Dean Hetherington (East Point Team Manager)
“Very happy with the effort. When the experience in Micka (Rotumah-Onus) and (Jacob) Brown play well, it drags the young group along with them. We are loving the progression of blokes who haven't played 20 games yet. Special mentions to Jarrod Joyce, Dylan Hiscock and Deng Lual. Looking forward to playing on a fast deck next week at Bacchus Marsh.”

Ash Baker (Ballarat)
“Disappointing result for us today after a promising start. We were well beaten around stoppages and on the spread. Credit to East Point, they applied plenty of pressure all day, resulting in us turning the ball over far too easily. Plenty of learnings from the game and will be looking to bounce back next week.”

Seven goals from reigning Henderson Medallist Jake Egan has Sunbury one step closer to securing a finals berth in 2026 and a 2-0 clean sweep against the high flaring Burra.

Sebastopol simply had no answers for Egan (7.8!) in his return game after he suffered a fractured arm against Darley on June 20 (Round 10).

To the Burra’s credit, testament to their character, they did come home with a whirlwind six goals to one final term but fell agonisingly short.

Great learnings for both clubs will be drawn from the game. Just the fourth quarter as an exercise in isolation has merit - defending a lead and secondly chasing one down. In this case the ask for the Burra was overcoming a 34-point deficit at three quarter time.

The Lions benefited kicking with the breeze in the opening term establishing a handy 32-point lead that was reduced to 15 at the half.

Sunbury matched their return of the first quarter (5.5)

with the advantage in the third largely on the back of Egan’s individual brilliance.

Sebastopol coach Tony Lockyer would’ve had complete confidence in his boys running down a 34-point deficit as long as his core group continue to perform the way do. The chase was gallant, but three points shy at the final siren.

No doubt Sunbury coach Matty White was both relieved and super proud of his boys eventually holding out the new benchmark.

While Egan was ‘ridiculously’ good, Jack Newitt and Jordyn Gillard (three goals) continued their run of recent good form in the Lions third win in a row.

Last year’s runners up look like they’re coming good at the right time of year as Mitch McLean, Riley Miller and Zach Stevens moved freely around Marty Busch Reserve with fond memories of their last visit still etched in the back of their minds - the 2025 Preliminary Final extra time win over Melton.

The Burra were brave, gee they kicked 91 points - a total that would win most matches.

However, they were 16 points shy of their season average at home while the Lions were up almost five goals (excluding their Lakers games) on their own, up from 66.

For the gallant hosts Adam Forbes finished with a team high three goals to be among nine of the Burra to hit the scoreboard.

The midfield contingent of the Burra were good again, combining for six goals but were not afforded the same luxuries of the previous week that amounted to 13 of their teams 15 goals.

No concerns for either team to be drawn from Saturday’s nail biter.

Sunbury will continue to build ahead of another tough assignment this week albeit at home against North Ballarat.

Sebastopol will use this Saturdays hit out against the Lakers to harness whatever advantage Lockyer chooses, around the management of his players.

STATS THAT MATTERED

Toby Hutt (Sebastopol) - 39 hitouts, 25 disposals, 17 contested possessions

Jake Egan (Sunbury) - 25 disposals, 16 score involvements, 7 goals

Tyson Lever (Sunbury) - 30 disposals, 9 intercept possessions, 6 1%ers 

COACHES’ VERDICT

Tony Lockyer (Sebastopol)
“Poor start to the day ended up being difference. Sunbury got the jump on us and it took too long for our boys to adjust. Improved after quarter time, more consistent with our brand getting us back in it. Credit to our boys never giving in, nearly getting it done late. Good learnings to come from the game against a slick Sunbury team. They’ve got some great quality. Well done to Matty and his boys deserved winners.”

Matty White (Sunbury)
“Great hard-fought win in the end. Egan’s return was a huge plus for us. 7 goals on return brilliant. Got off to a fast start which is always a good thing and had to withstand a fast-finishing Sebas. Can see why they are at the pointy end of the ladder in that last quarter. We celebrate as normal but turn our focus to North at home for another ladder leader clash.”