By Ryan Long.
A historic Senior Women’s premiership, back-to-back Netball flags and a successful transition into Premier Division sums up another strong year from the East Ringwood FNC.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 4th (12-6, 130.00%)
Best and Fairest: James Belo
Leading Goalkicker: Trent Farmer
Summary:
East Ringwood’s transition into Premier Division was a successful one, making the finals after a fourth-placed finish.
Prior to the 2023 Roos, just two teams in the last decade have made the finals after coming up from the division below.
Winning nine of their first eleven games, East Ringwood set themselves as the early benchmark of the division. A few slip-ups to the other top-four side in the back end of the season saw them fall out of reach of the double chance, slipping to fourth.
A great achievement to make the finals, East Ringwood didn’t get the result they were after in the Elimination Final, falling to Doncaster East by 49 points at Jubilee Park.
Key Players:
James Belo’s season was first class, the runner-up in this year’s Chandler Medal. Belo was consistently strong each week, averaging 24 disposals, 7 clearances and 9 tackles per game in 2023.
Proving to be one of the best recruits of the season, Adam Swierzbiolek starred in the blue and white, the Premier Division Team of the Year ruckman. Averaging an incredible 48 hitouts per game as well as 17 disposals and 8 clearances, Swierzbiolek was key in their improvement.
The inclusion also helped the 2022 premiership ruckman for the club Hannin Mundy develop further. Versatile, Mundy was used in different roles across the season, also kicking 19 goals.
Key Forward Trent Farmer took out this year’s Leading Goal Kicker award for the Premier competition, with 56 goals kicked from 16 games. This included a ten-goal haul against Berwick and a six-goal performance against Vermont in Round Three.
Best Win: Round Three – East Ringwood 25.10 160 def. Vermont 10.9 69 @East Ringwood Reserve
A purely dominant display against an old arch-rival was one of East Ringwood’s best highlights of the 2023 season.
It was a second-quarter blitz from the Roos that left Vermont stunned as they kicked 11 goals in a quarter, the Eagles failing to score. A phenomenal effort from the Roos midfield, dominating the clearance battle.
Despite a few consolation goals from the Eagles late in the game, East Ringwood knocked off the eventual Grand Finalists by 91 points.
Sam Lowson and Trent Farmer combined for a total of 13 goals and the Roos had officially arrived to Premier.
Off-Season Focus:
No ceiling on what the Roos can achieve in 2024.
The club have announced a few new inclusions already this off-season. Of those players, Tristan Tweedie returns to the Pouch, after five years with the Norwood Football Club. Massive inclusion, one of the top defenders of the division, and a four-time Team of the Year defender that includes this season.
They’ve also managed to add some further firepower to an already dangerous forward line with Josh Fox coming across from the Cheltenham Football Club. Fox led the goal kicking in the SFNL with 77 majors, earning a team of the year nomination.
With the competition going back to ten teams with a final five, things are likely to need to even up at the top. Huge opening three weeks against the Dogs, Lions and Tigers will certainly give the Roos an indicator of where they sit early on.
Senior Women’s
Ladder Position: 1st (14-0, 1381.25%)
Best and Fairest: Nicola Davidson
Leading Goalkicker: Hayley Thompson (54 Goals)
Summary:
A phenomenal record-breaking year that finished with an undefeated season and a thumping Grand Final victory.
Redemption was complete after just missing out on the flag last season. The Roos went through the Home and Away season undefeated, with 14 wins straight. Not only that, they had a percentage of 1381.25%, by far the most of any senior team in the EFNL.
The closest any side got to the Roos this season was the Panthers, 23 points the difference in Round Eight. Reaching triple digits a total of ten times throughout the season, East Ringwood had double the points of the second-best ranked attacking team in the competition.
At the other end of the ground, East Ringwood gave away just 112 points all season, conceding one or fewer goals in ten out of fourteen games of the year.
They powered through the finals series, defeating Surrey Park in the Semi-Final and Grand Final on their way to a historic flag.
Key Players:
Young star Nicola Davidson won East Ringwood’s Best and Fairest, a fantastic achievement in a Premiership year. Davidson finished with 36 goals, also playing a vital role on Grand Final Day, lifting the side to the flag.
Hayley Thompson was unstoppable as the side’s key forward, kicking 54 goals for the season. This included back-to-back weeks of seven-goal hauls against East Burwood and the Waverley Blues.
Their ability to score is one of the side’s biggest strengths, Teagan Hudson, Meg Thompson, Katia Giannetti, Paris Gebel-Lamb and Taylah Mount all finished with 20 goals or more.
Both Hudson and Wotherspoon who finished second and third in the club’s Best and Fairest, also made the Team of the Year alongside Davidson and Thompson.
Best Win: Grand Final – East Ringwood 12.15 87 def. Surrey Park 3.1 19 @HE Parker Reserve
By far their most important win of the undefeated year.
Grand Final Day at HE Parker Reserve, the Roos met the Panthers for the second time in a matter of three weeks. They were without a doubt challenged at times by a competitive Surrey Park outfit. But as they had done all season, East Ringwood broke the game open with their fast-flowing style.
East Ringwood went on to win by 68 points, claiming the Division Two premiership in historical fashion.
Paris Gebel-Lamb stood up on the big stage with three goals, winning the Blue Ribbon Medal for her performance.
Off-Season Focus:
Adrian Fittolani re-signed as senior coach of the side, this year’s coach of the Division Two Team of the Year.
The club will be moving up a division so there’s no doubt that things will certainly be a lot more challenging. Following Knox’s footsteps from this year can certainly see the side transitioning into a new division with ease.
Netball
East Ringwood for the second year in a row, claimed the Premiership in the top division of the Bendigo Bank Netball Series.
It was a three-horse race for most of the season in Division One. East Ringwood Black finished second with a record of 13-2-2, the same record as third-placed East Burwood.
However, they faced Minor Premier Croydon in the first week of the finals. The game went down to the wire in another thriller, East Ringwood pinching a one-point victory to qualify for the Grand Final. The decider was a tight encounter for three quarters until East Ringwood stretched out their lead late, winning by seven points.
Molly Heymanson was best on court with 21 goals, winning the Blue Ribbon Medal for her performance.
Celebrating a fantastic season was Emily Salmon who won the Division One Netball Best and Fairest with 26 votes. In the club’s best and fairest award, Alana Couper was crowned winner.
Their second team, East Ringwood Blue was almost just as successful, finishing third in Division Two with a record of 10-5-2. Unfortunately, they fell short in the Semi-Final, overrun by the Falcons. The club’s best and fairest award was tied between Madison Hume and Lucy Philp.
In Division Four, East Ringwood Teal won five games to finish eight. Matilda Bichol was fantastic in her twelve games, taking out the side’s best and fairest.
East Ringwood White was the third Roos Netball team to make the finals series. After another third-place finish, East Ringwood progressed through to a Preliminary Final after defeating Vermont in the Semi-Final. They fell short against the Panthers in a gallant performance.
Chloe Love took out the side’s best and fairest award.