By Josh Ward.
A historic season for the Saints senior women’s program while unavailabilities for its men’s side saw them slip down the Division One ranks this season.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 7th (5-13, 85.11%)
Leading Goalkicker: Luke Patterson (31 goals in 18 matches)
Best and Fairest: Aaron Fenton
Summary:
Injuries and an inconsistent lineup saw the Saints senior men’s side have a much different 2024 than its previous year where it made, and won, a final.
The first half of the season was a case of so close yet so far, challenging the likes of Park Orchards, Montrose and Beaconsfield but failing to defeat Doncaster and Mooroolbark.
Not much changed in the final nine rounds, however they were able to notch up three wins in that period to see them finish as the top ranked team of the bottom four sides.
Key Players:
One shining light for North Ringwood throughout the season was the consistency of captain Aaron Fenton. Averaging 24.1 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 8.2 tackles and 7.5 clearances per game, Fenton took home the Saints B&F and was the only player selected for them in the Team of the Year.
Key defender Michael Locco also led from the front, being named in the best in 10 out of a possible 15 games.
Jason Sharp was one who had a solid season, playing in all 18 games and averaging 21.6 disposals per game. Young guns such as Luke Patterson, Lachlan O’Donnell and Kieran Rice also stepped up their game this year.
Best Win: Round 1 - North Ringwood 17.13.115 defeated Bayswater 4.5.29 @ Bayswater Oval
Going back to the opening round of the season where the Saints made an early season statement on Bayswater’s home deck.
After a tight opening half North Ringwood dominated in the second half, keeping the Waters to just one goal and kicking 11 themselves in the final two quarters enroute to the 86-point victory.
VFL-listed star Tom Wilson stole the show, accumulating 32 disposals, six clearances and kicking two goals. Coach Robin Nahas and Aaron Fenton had 28 disposals each while Samuel Law and Luke Patterson both kicked four goals.
Off-Season Focus:
North Ringwood have been just as active as any side so far this offseason, with some players moving on and some new personnel coming in.
Among their outs includes Nahas as playing coach, with former Coldstream coach Matt Price replacing him. Price joins the Saints after a year off coaching, with his most recent stint at Dromana seeing him win a flag in 2023.
Joining him from Dromana is big man Taylor Davidson who looks set to form an entertaining duo with ex-Collingwood tall Aiden Begg, who returns to Quambee Reserve after four seasons in the AFL system.
There’s even more young talent coming in too, with VFL-listed player Ry Cantwell returning to the Saints while Connor O’Brien joins from East Ringwood and Brodie Howie comes across from Doveton.
While they may lose Nahas and Tom Jackson, the Saints recruiting could see them make a quick jump back up the ladder.
Senior Women’s (Division 1)
Ladder Position: 2nd (9-4-1, 186.67%)
Leading Goalkicker: Eliza Wilson (36 goals in 16 matches)
Best and Fairest: Jess Begg
Summary:
A historic season for the Saints, making their second ever Grand Final in one of the most even division’s in the women’s competition.
The opening seven games of the season set them up nicely, with their only two losses coming at the hands of rivals Park Orchards and East Ringwood away from home.
They were then challenged in the second half, but their healthy percentage saw them hold onto second spot on the Division 1 table.
After winning their first final in comfortable fashion against minor premiers Donvale, the Saints just fell short of the Sharks in the decider at H.E. Parker Reserve.
Key Players:
Young stars Eliza Wilson and Jess Begg both had a massive impact up forward and through midfield.
Both made the Division 1 Team of the Year, with Wilson leading the division’s goalkicking and Begg taking home the Saints B&F in her first senior season.
Fellow Team of the Year members Ella Rhodes and Carli Forbes once again had stellar seasons. Rhodes was named in the best in 12 of 15 games whilst Forbes kicked 13 goals in all 16 games this year.
Best Win: Semi-Final - North Ringwood 6.7.43 defeated Donvale 2.4.16 @ H.E. Parker Reserve
An honourable mention to their Round 1 victory over the Vales but this one was slightly more impressive.
Heading into finals having won only two of their final five games, the Saints got off to a fast start down the hill with four goals, two of those coming in the final five minutes.
After Donvale got on top in the middle two terms, North Ringwood then came charging home, kicking the final two goals of the match to seal a historic win.
Ella Rhodes once again starred off half back alongside Jess Begg in midfield. Eliza Wilson led the way up forward with another two-goal bag.
Off-Season Focus:
Not too much needs to be changed for the Saints who fell just six points short of not just a premiership, but promotion to Premier Division.
They’ll get more depth with more Under 18 girls set to come through after winning a premiership in the U18B grade this year.
All is looking up for the Saints senior women’s side who look set to be a contender yet again in Division 1 next year.
North Ringwood Red (Division 4)
Ladder Position: 7th (4-10, 52.84%)
Leading Goalkicker: Shannon Harris (15 goals in 13 matches)
Best and Fairest: Asha Pongho
Summary:
On top of their strong Division 1 side, North Ringwood introduced a development side into its women’s program for the first time.
Competing in Division 3, whilst they only won twice in its first 10 games they still showed some promising signs, particularly against Mitcham and Coldstream.
They then finished the season off strongly, winning two games in the final month of the season to finish the year with four wins
Key Players:
In her first season of footy, Asha Pongo had a major impact. Being named in the best in seven of nine games, Pongo’s season was rewarded with a Best and Fairest along with a spot in the Saints Division 1 team.
Stevie Bailey also performed consistently throughout the season, being named in the best on nine of 13 occasions.
Emily Kane also had a strong season while forward Shannon Harris finished third in the division’s leading goal kicking charts.
Best Win: Round 14 - North Ringwood Red 3.7.25 defeated Heathmont 3.4.22 @ H.E. Parker Reserve
Their win a couple of rounds earlier to Mitcham was a good one, but this was a slightly better one against eventual finalists Heathmont on the road.
After kicking the first three goals of the match, the Saints were then able to hold off a Jets charge in the final three quarters to see them end their season on a high.
In only her third senior match Riley Hall starred in midfield while Asha Pongo had a strong return to the lineup on a wing.
Off-Season Focus:
The North Ringwood Red side will certainly continue to improve as was the case towards the backend of season 2024.
As previously mentioned they’ll be bolstered by the U18 girls potentially coming through, which could see them become a dangerous side next season.
Vets
Vets Men’s: 1st (9-0)
Another historic season for the North Ringwood Veterans side who made it consecutive flags and back-to-back seasons of being undefeated.
The regular season saw them win by an average margin of 73 points in the seven games they played. They would then defeat Scoresby by 31 points and Waverley Blues by two points to remain undefeated after 18 games.
Juniors
A total of 26 sides took the park for North Ringwood in the junior competition this past year.
Of those 19 sides from U11 up, 13 would go on to play finals footy whilst a further six would play off in Grand Finals in their respective grades.
The Saints Under 17A and Under 18B girls side would go on to win Grand Finals, defeating Vermont and Wantirna South respectively, whilst its Under 13D side would also be victorious over Montrose in their decider.
Another strong season from the North Ringwood juniors which continues to be one of the strongest junior programs in the EFNL.