One of the leading benchmark clubs across both senior competitions and the Netball, East Ringwood achieved a lot in 2024.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 1st (16-2, 165.28%)
Best and Fairest: James Belo
Leading Goalkicker: Josh Fox (39 Goals)
Summary:
A phenomenal year saw East Ringwood finish just one kick short of a premiership on Grand Final Day.
Although it was Balwyn who had the red-hot start to the year, the Roos quickly cemented themselves as one of the premiership favourites when they knocked off the Tigers in Round Twelve, a statement victory, also handing Balwyn their first loss of the year.
The Roos won 16 games for the season, locking up their position on top of the Premier Division ladder and earning themselves a bye in the first week of the finals series. The Semi-Final saw the Roos face the Tigers for the first spot in the Grand Final. A defensive battle ended with Balwyn holding for a three-point win.
In brutal conditions, East Ringwood handled the weather well in the Preliminary Final to defeat the Hawks by six goals. Corey Preston proved to be a handful, with 25 disposals, 7 clearances and 7 tackles on the day.
Qualifying for the Grand Final, a rematch with Balwyn turned out to be a similar type of low-scoring defensive game with less than a kick separating each other. The Roos impressed particularly in the third term and hit the lead for the first time in the game through James Belo from 45 out on the run in the fourth term.
The Tigers managed to wrestle back the lead and hold on for the premiership but there was still a lot to be proud of from an East Ringwood perspective.
Key Players:
There is no better place to start than with the best player of the 2024 EFNL season, East Ringwood Skipper James Belo. Finishing the year as the 2024 Chandler Medallist, Belo was outstanding on and off the field in leading the Roos to the Premier Division Grand Final. Averaging 23 disposals per game, 14 contested and 7 clearances, the inside mid had a year to remember.
Belo was also the winner of the club's best and fairest award, the Vincent-Read Medal, the fifth time he achieved the honour.
Corey Preston was ultra impressive and consistent throughout the season. Just one game last season with East Ringwood due to VFL commitments, Preston played 15 games this season with the Roos, kicking 27 goals and listed in the best ten times. In a memorable outing against Berwick, Preston had an incredible 37 disposal, 6-goal game in the 100-point victory.
Crossing over from the Southern Football League, Josh Fox had an immediate impact, the side’s leading goalkicker with 39 goals from 19 games.
At two different ends of the ground, Tristan Tweedie and Sam Lowson were also incredibly important to the side’s success, both Team of the Year members with Belo, Preston and Fox.
Best Win: Round 2 - East Ringwood 23.15 153 def. Doncaster East 3.5 23 @ East Ringwood Reserve
Hard to single out one particular game as the best of the year, the Roos had two tight victories over Blackburn, an impressive on-the-road scalp of the reigning premiers but their Round Two thumping of the Lions was an early warning of what East Ringwood could achieve in 2024.
After losing to the Lions in the 2023 Elimination Final, the two sides met early in the year in a twilight fixture.
A clinical outing saw East Ringwood post a 130-point win over Doncaster East. Josh Fox’s breakout game for his new club, six goals on the night,
Skipper James Belo kicked three and was listed best on the ground, a sign of things to come.
Off-Season Focus:
Ben Osborne resumes his position as Senior Coach as the club aims to put themselves in a position to get back to the Premier Grand Final in 2025. He was named as the Premier Division Team of the Year Coach.
A couple of key changes include the loss of Sam Lowson, who has signed with VFL club Southport Sharks. One key inclusion includes Josh Tovey, a Team of the Year member and Norwood senior best and fairest winner. Signed for the next two seasons, a young star who joins a very strong Premier Division club which will only see him take his game to another level.
Not much to fault from a side that went 16-2 in the Home and Away season, they’re one of the top contenders this year to keep an eye on.
Senior Women’s
Ladder Position: 4th (7-6-1, 138.10%)
Best and Fairest: Nicola Davidson
Leading Goalkicker: Nicola Davidson (19 Goals)
Summary:
After their dominant 2023 campaign which saw East Ringwood claim the premiership after an undefeated year, the Roos were promoted to 2024, making a finals series in the first season.
It was an impressive outing in their new division, winning seven games and drawing with the Magpies once. Their season started off with a 13-point victory over Knox which saw the Roos come from behind at Three Quarter Time to walk away with the four points.
Finishing fourth on the ladder, they qualified for finals and were the second-ranked attacking side in the division, behind North Ringwood.
Their year came to an end in the Elimination Final, falling short to Park Orchards, the eventual premiers.
Key Players:
Another outstanding season for Nicola Davidson who took home the club Best and Fairest for the Roos as well as another Team of the Year representation. Playing through the midfield and up forward, Davidson finished with 19 goals and was in the best in almost every single game she played in.
Taking out the league's best and fairest for Division One was Paris Gebel-Lamb who was also a Team of the Year member. Continues to improve and stamp herself as one of the elite midfielders of the division with an incredible season.
Kay Wotherspoon was a vital part of the side’s success through the ruck, another Team of the Year representative and a third-place finish in the side’s best and fairest count.
Best Win: Round Five – East Ringwood 7.13 55 def. North Ringwood 7.9 51 @ East Ringwood Reserve
Once again, plenty of choices to pick here but one win that stands out above all others is their come-from-behind victory over North Ringwood.
The Saints who went on to make a Grand Final led the Roos all afternoon, with three goals at quarter time, 11 points at Half Time and back out to a 20-point Three Quarter Time lead.
In the final quarter, it was an East Ringwood masterclass, kicking four goals to zip to take a four-point win. The usual suspects were dominant for the Roos including Paris Gebel-Lamb who finished with three for the day.
Off-Season Focus:
Adrian Fittolani who has been the senior coach over the last three seasons announced earlier in the season that this would be his last year coaching the side. Fittolani who’s been very important for the success of the women’s program will be coaching the Under 18 Girls this year.
Netball
East Ringwood Black (Premier): 8-4
East Ringwood Blue (Division One): 10-4
East Ringwood White (Division Eight): 11-2
Three sides competing in the New Balance 2024 Netball season for East Ringwood, all three making the finals series.
It was the Division Eight Roos that took home the premiership, defeating the Pioneers by 12 points in the Grand Final. The Pioneers had gone through the season undefeated but the Roos managed to impress in the finals series, knocking them off in both the Semi Final and Grand Final.
Hannah Whiting finished the year with 223 goals, a fantastic year as a shooter.
The Premier Division East Ringwood side which has had plenty of success in recent years, winning two Grand Finals back-to-back, made yet another finals series, finishing third on the ladder. They weren’t able to reach the heights of previous seasons but the Roos still managed to make a Preliminary Final after a 13-pointy win over East Burwood in the Semi Final.
Emily Salmon finished the year with 378 goals, this included a historic performance against Coldstream during the season, shooting 78 goals in a single match. Salmon was well supported by Molly Heymanson who had 256 goals for the year.
The Division One East Ringwood Blue side made it three from three for the finals. They won ten games for the year, finishing fourth on the ladder. They made it to a Preliminary Final after a thrilling three-goal win over Park Orchards in the Semi-Final.