By Ryan Long.
The Division Four Champion Club, Chirnside Park had great representation throughout the senior level in both Football and Netball.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 3rd (11-5, 118.73%)
Best and Fairest winner:
Leading Goalkicker: Samuel King (33 goals from 17 games)
Summary:
A tale of two halves for the Panthers, starting the year off slowly before hitting some serious form in the second half of the year.
After their Round Nine bye, Chirnside Park was sitting three games outside the top four, having won just three games. The bye came at the perfect time, allowing a few key position players to return to the side from injury.
The Panthers then went on a nine-game winning streak to move well clear of Forest Hill and even pinch third spot from Scoresby.
They did leave their run too late, however, missing out on the double chance and then being knocked out in an elimination-based semi-final. A disappointing finish to the year for a side that was carrying all the momentum into the finals series.
Key Players:
Chirnside Park couldn’t have got much more out of their biggest recruit of the off-season, Leigh Odermatt. An icon of the league, Odermatt had a big season, topped off by being selected as the captain of the Division Four Team of the Year. The experience on and off the field will be massive for the club over this period, as well as the future ahead.
One of the highlights of the season was Grattan ‘Sticks’ Stephens reaching his 300-game milestone in the club’s victory over Nunawading. Hanging the boots up at the end of the season, Stephens capped off a great career with a fantastic final season, named the Team of the Year Ruckman in Division Four.
Charlton Clavant took his game to another level in 2023, earning a spot on the Wing in the Team of the Year. He finished in the best twelve times throughout the year, also kicking 15 goals for the season.
In defence, Kallum Harper and Lachlan Tindal both made the Team of the Year as well as Ben Slattery.
Chirnside Park had six Team of the Year members, more than any other Division Four club.
Best Win: Round 13 – Chirnside Park 12.9 81 def. Kilsyth 4.6 30 @Pinks Reserve
The Panthers were coming off four wins in a row when they took on Kilsyth at Pinks Reserve. The last time the two sides met, it was the Cougars winning comfortably by 46 points.
The roles were reversed big time in their Round 13 encounter. Chirnside Park managed to keep a high-scoring Kilsyth side to just four goals for the afternoon, setting up a massive 51-point win. The Panthers conceded just one goal after Half Time, kicking eight of their own.
The goals were all well spread out with Jacob Rancie the only multiple goal kicker with two.
Chirnside Park proved they were going to be one of the sides to beat after this performance, putting the competition on notice.
Off-Season Focus:
The club have already been busy since the end of the season, recruiting some new players while re-signing their current list. They’ve put together a strong list with a great club culture. They will certainly be looking to add a bit more height to the list after the retirement of Grattan Stephens.
A slow start this year inevitably cost the Panthers in 2023, this was partly due to the injury front which kept many of the key position players off the park. If the side manages to stay fit and time their run correctly, they’ll be every chance of a Grand Final appearance.
They look ready to take that next step and make the transition back into Division Three.
Senior Women’s
Ladder Position: 8th (0-14, 13.48%)
Leading Goalkicker: Jessica Provan (4 goals)
Summary:
A tough year for the senior women’s side, unable to pinch a win in a very competitive division.
The side came close to a win on two occasions, both against Ringwood, just falling short.
Chirnside will take a lot of learnings out of their 2023 season, especially playing against the likes of Boronia and The Basin, both of who have had experience at the Premier Division level.
Key Players:
Alice Jamieson starred for the Panthers, having a very consistent season, finishing in the best nine out of twelve times. Her fantastic year at the club saw her make the Division One Senior Women’s Team of the Year, a great achievement.
Once again, Alice D’Arcy was a clear standout for Chirnside Park, eight times in the best from ten games. D’Arcy has been a consistent performer for the Panthers in recent years, having played 32 games at the club after transitioning across from Norwood.
Matilda Hartley was fantastic in the season, positioned in the Ruck. Her work through the midfield was extremely valuable. Also having another big season was Laura Robinson, showing great experience down back and creating plenty of run and attack.
Off-Season Focus:
The divisional structure of the league hasn’t been revealed just yet, but it’s likely the Panthers will be playing in a new division with different sides. If so, the club will be in a great position to start taking away some positive results on the field.
Like the Senior Men’s side, the club has been busy re-signing their list which has been fantastic to see.
Netball Review
Chirnside Park had four teams compete this year in the Bendigo Bank 2023 Netball season.
In Division Three, the Chirnside Park Panthers Yellow finished eleventh with two wins for the season. Their highest goal shooter for the season was Abbey Gardiner with 190 goals from 14 games.
Chirnside Park Grey competed in Division Five, being highly competitive in a very even top half of the division. They won seven games, and finished seventh, but had a higher percentage than the two sides just above them.
Lauren Hussey had another fantastic season to once again walk away with the league’s Best and Fairest medal. Hussey finished with 27 votes, seven more than the second-place runner-up.
In Division Six, the Chirnside Park Panthers had a wonderful year, winning ten games, finishing in second place and making a Grand Final. After they were defeated in the Semi-Final, Chirnside Park advanced through to a Grand Final after defeating East Ringwood in the Preliminary. Tayla Ferguson starred on the night with 34 goals.
Teamed up with Tracy Cornish, the pair combined for 30 against the Glen Waverley Hawks in the Grand Final, but the side just fell short in the final term after a tight first three quarters.
Tayla Ferguson finished the season as the leading goal shooter of the division with 468 goals.
The final team, Chirnside Park Black, competed in Division Nine, winning nine games for the season to finish third and qualify for finals. The side went on to have what was a fantastic finals run, starting with a one-point win over Nunawading in the Semi-Final. They backed that up a week later, comfortably knocking over Montrose Heat by ten points.
In the Grand Final, they took on Norwood who had lost just one game for the season. They were brave on the night, pushing Norwood every quarter but the Panthers fell just one point short at the end of the final term.
Veterans
Chirnside Park once again fielded a Veteran women’s side in 2023. The Panthers won three games from eight matches to finish third on the ladder.
They qualified for finals, coming up against Blackburn in the Grand Final. Tracy Cornish kicked one major but the side came up short, losing by 34 points.
Both Rachael Cooper and Sarah-Jane Gower finished with four goals each throughout the season.
The club also had a team in the Veteran men’s competition, the side finishing with one win for the year, coming against South Belgrave. Luke Vasey finished as the leading goal kicker for the Panthers with six majors across the season.
Juniors
Chirnside Park continued to develop its junior program in 2023. The club had 9 teams for the season and that number looks set to grow into 2024.
Riley Bickford was the runner up in the 14c Grade EFNL League Best and Fairest, whilst Maya Batson came third in the Under 14C Girls, as did Ryleigh Collins in the Under 17.5C boys.
It’s a great example of some of the fantastic talent coming through the junior program.
The club also hosted the EFNL Under 8 competitions at Kimberley Reserve each week, which was a fantastic advertisement for the new rooms and facilities now on offer at Chirnside Park.