A sixth-placed finish on the ladder saw Blackburn make their fourth consecutive finals series.
By Ryan Long.
Blackburn
Ladder Position: 6th (9-8-1, 93.39%)
Best and Fairest: Patrick Lawlor
Leading Goalkicker: Ryan Bathie (25)
Summary:
The senior side is a much different outfit to the experienced side that played off in a Grand Final in 2019. The club has plenty of youth running around such as Kristian Zalac who was the only Blackburn player to play every game of the 2023 season.
After a tricky start to the year that saw the club lose to two premiership contenders in Balwyn and South Croydon in the opening fortnight, the side found its feet. By Round Nine, they had five wins and a draw and had positioned themselves nicely within the top six of the competition.
Besides a surprise loss to Berwick late in the season, Blackburn had a solid run home in the back end of the home and away season. They finished sixth on the ladder, qualifying for finals.
In an Elimination Final, Blackburn took on South Croydon, the third time the sides had met in season 2022. Having lost to the Dogs twice, the Burners came in as big underdogs. Keeping South Croydon goalless in the second quarter, they took a nine-point lead into the Half Time break, looking for an unlikely victory. However, seven goals to one in the second half saw the Dogs run out 27-point winners.
Key Players:
Skipper Patrick Lawlor led the way this season, in the best 11 times from 17 games. Lawlor averaged 19 disposals and 6.7 marks per game, earning him the best and fairest honours.
Finishing high in the club’s best and fairest count was Jason Read. He averaged 21.3 disposals and 5.9 tackles per game, a clear standout for the senior side.
Meanwhile, Ryan Bathie was the club’s most reliable goal kicker, with 25 goals from 16 games in season 2022.
Best Win: Round 12 – Blackburn 17.11 113 def. Balwyn 10.13 73 @Balwyn Visy Park
A stunning display in Round 12 saw Blackburn produce a 101-point turnaround from their Round One loss to the Tigers.
Away from home, the Burners got out to a handy 31-point lead on the smaller ground with an eight-goal quarter. Despite Balwyn cutting back the lead in the second quarter, Blackburn ran away with the game in the second half to win by 40 points.
Ryan Bathie was dominant with eight majors from 15 disposals and 9 marks.
The win proved to the league that Blackburn wasn’t just going to make up the numbers come finals and could instead, challenge the top five sides.
Off-Season Focus:
Blackburn is currently in an interesting position, they weren’t in a position to challenge for a flag this year but they proved to be well above the bottom six, consistently beating the sides below them.
Up forward, they were without Jake Hammond who recently retired. It did put a lot more pressure on Ryan Bathie to perform for the Burners to stay on the winners’ list. It’s a noticeable difference comparing that to some of the sides above them such as a Balwyn or a Doncaster East, who don’t have to rely on a single goal kicker.
So far this off-season, they’ve had some good news with multiple of their VFL-listed players committing to the club on a full-time basis in season 2023. The club also has the most successful Reserves team in the league, coming off a premiership this season along with the Under 19’s 2022 premiership win. With the depth Blackburn currently has, it’s hard to see them dropping off majorly anytime soon. Once again with a top six in the senior competition, finals should be the ultimate aim.
Blackburn Women’s
Ladder Position: 7th (0-12, 15.41%)
Best and Fairest: Mia Renee Chadwick
Summary:
It was new era for the senior women side who came into the year with a very different-looking side. Blackburn lost a series of key players over the off-season, forcing the side into a minor rebuild and a fresh start.
They battled hard in Division One, competing against some strong sides. Despite not being able to pinch a win across the season, they did improve their form as the season went on.
The young group will certainly learn a lot from the experience which will put them in a great position going forward.
Key Players:
Mia Renee Chadwick had a fantastic year in 2022, not missing a game all season to win the club’s best and fairest. Coming in as Runner Up of the B&F was Renee James while Veronica D’Cruz impressed with the equal most goals of any Blackburn player and won the most improved award.
Off-Season Focus:
2023 will be a fresh start for Blackburn with a division restructure that will hopefully lead to a more successful year on the field for Blackburn in terms of results. The club has had success in the past and the biggest focus right now will be retaining its current list and seeing it grow and develop over the next couple of years.
Blackburn Veteran Women’s
Blackburn also featured a women’s Veterans side, just one of three clubs to have one. They won one game in the seven-round season, defeating the eventual premiers Mooroolbark by 5 points at Morton Park, coming from behind at three-quarter time. Winning the side’s best and fairest for the season was Kamahl Cogdon and Liz Prendergast.
Blackburn Juniors
The Blackburn Junior Football Club were one of the strongest junior clubs in the league with 23 teams. They were quite successful over the season, winning four Grand Finals in the age groups of Under 17s, Under 112s and two Under 15s teams in the boys. Mac Stewart in the Under 12A boys side won the league best and fairest while Georgie Brisbane won the Under 16A Girls league best and fairest. The club is certainly set up well for the future with what’s set to be another big season in 2023.