The Burners sneak into another finals series in Brendan Allen’s last season as senior coach while the senior women improved in leaps and bounds.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 6th (10-8, 105.57%)
Best and Fairest: Kade Answerth
Leading Goalkicker: Patrick Lawlor (27 Goals)
Summary:
The Burners finished in sixth for the second year running, benefiting from the recent top-six system to play in back-to-back finals series.
Due to their marquee games at the start of the season, Blackburn had one of the toughest opening fixtures to the season with Balwyn on Good Friday, and South Croydon on ANZAC Day, ahead of their first home game against Doncaster East.
Despite losses in the first two games, they pinched a vital four points against a wasteful Doncaster East side. It set up a nice winning streak of six wins from seven games, including a three-goal win against eventual Grand Finalists Vermont.
Losing four of the next five, Blackburn fell out of the top six, relying on not only their own results but those of sixth-placed Noble Park. In the final round of the season, they pulled off a 26-point upset over East Ringwood as the Bulls fell to the Tigers, leapfrogging them into sixth position.
The Elimination Final was over before it began, Balwyn putting on eight goals to zip in the opening term, eventually going on to win by 64 points.
Key Players:
Kade Answerth was not only a standout for Blackburn, but a standout in the overall league. The Ron Eade Medallist for 2023 averaged 24 disposals, 7 clearances and 8 tackles per game. He took his game to another level when Jason Read went down with an injury, missing six games at the end of the season.
The loss of Read hurt the side’s finals chances in the second half of the year, certainly a much better team when he’s available. He averaged 23 disposals this season, managing to make it back in time for the Elimination Final against Balwyn.
Skipper Patrick Lawlor had another great season, also finishing as the side’s leading goal scorer with 27 goals for the year. A man for the big occasions, Lawlor stood up on all of the big occasions including ANZAC Day where he kept the Burners alive with four goals.
Lachlan Bugeja was also a prominent figure of the 2023 Blackburn side, in the best 13 times from 16 games this season.
Best Win: Round 18 – Blackburn 13.5 83 def. East Ringwood 7.15 57 @Morton Park
Most impressive win of the season in terms of importance, needing a win to qualify for the 2023 Premier Division finals series.
It was always going to be a difficult task against an East Ringwood outfit that was already locked in for an Elimination Final the following week.
East Ringwood had five more scoring shots at Three-Quarter Time, yet trailed by 15 points. With the lead going into the final break, Blackburn piled on five goals to three to secure their place in the top six.
Billy Hicks played his role to perfection, with four goals in his ninth game for the season. Skipper Patrick Lawlor also stood up as required, a captain’s performance with 26 disposals, 7 clearances and 2 goals.
Off-Season Focus:
The biggest change next year is the senior coach role. After six years as senior coach, Brendan Allen has moved on. It’s been quite a strong era for the club that saw the side peak in 2019, making the Grand Final. Taking over in 2024 is former Blackburn skipper Anthony Fagan.
Signed for 2024 is Jake Hammond, a fantastic option up forward returning to the club for the first time since 2021. In Blackburn’s Grand Final season of 2019, Hammond kicked 54 goals across 22 games. Another strong key forward was something they desperately needed this year so that’s a big tick for the off-season.
The club still sits in a fantastic position with one of the best junior programs in the league, a strong Under 19’s side and a Reserves team that has been nothing short of dominant in recent times. It hasn’t translated into the ultimate success at the senior level that they’re looking for.
With the way the season panned out, they were lucky to sneak into a final but moving back to a top-five system next year, they’ll be looking for a more consistent brand of football to see them reach that point again.
Senior Women’s
Ladder Position: 6th (4-9-1, 68.80%)
Best and Fairest: Mia Chadwick
Leading Goalkicker: Veronica D’Cruz (11 Goals)
Summary:
Plenty of improvement for the Blackburn senior women’s side in 2023.
Competing in Division Two, the club found a lot more success on the field, winning four games and drawing once with Montrose.
Overall, their improvement from last year was significantly noticeable. Blackburn was a lot more dangerous up forward in converting their scores, the fifth-best attacking side of the division.
After going through the 2022 season without a win, one of the big highlights of the year was their Round Two victory over Heathmont, putting together a big score of 98 points.
Key Players:
Mia Chadwick was phenomenal in 2023, not only winning the club’s best and fairest but the league’s best and fairest award as well. A loyal player having come through the Under 16s and 18s, Chadwick has been vital to the success and improvement of the side.
Finishing in second place of the club’s best and fairest was Allie Libertone who missed just one game for the year, starring for the club.
Up forward, Veronica D’Cruz led the way with 11 goals throughout the year. Her biggest performance came in the side’s Round Two win over the Jets, six goals on the day!
Best Win: Round Six – Blackburn 15.12 102 def. Croydon North MLOC 1.3 9 @Morton Park
A massive performance in Round Six saw Blackburn trounced the KangaRams by 93 points.
A dominant display saw the Burners in front by 47 points at half time, kicking eight goals to one. They continued to extend that lead in the following two quarters.
With their highest score of the last couple of season, Blackburn had a wide range of goalkickers, with nine players kicking at least one goal. Leah Charalambous and Mia Chadwick both finished three goals each.
Off-Season Focus:
Blackburn is in a great position moving forward. The club have announced their new senior coach for the 2024 season, Luke Paramanathan.
They’ve also announced a lot of players who have been quick to re-sign and commit to the 2024 season.
Netball
Blackburn returned to the Bendigo Bank Netball competition this year, competing in Division Two.
In a highly competitive division, Blackburn finished sixth, with seven wins and a draw. Their percentage was very healthy, having scored more points than two of the sides that finished above them on the ladder.
Eliza Wilson had a great season, winning the club’s MVP award, while Lillie Allen scored an impressive 340 goals from 15 games.
Blackburn Masters
One of just five senior clubs to have a team enter the Veterans Women’s competition. The club was just one of three sides last season, and the competition growing in 2023.
Blackburn finished second on the ladder, winning seven games from eight matches. Qualifying for finals, Blackburn hosted Chirnside in a Semi-Final, winning by 34 points. Janelle Mccluskey starred with three goals in the victory.
The following week, the Burners faced off against the Saints in the decider. Although competitive, they weren’t able to slow down South Belgrave, going down by 39 points.
Meagan Harvey had a fantastic first season with the club, going on to win Blackburn’s Masters Best and Fairest award. She was closely followed by Catherine Fredrickson and Felicity Langton, both runner-ups.
