Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 2nd(12-6, 112.32%)
Best and Fairest: Joel Hatch
Leading Goalkicker: Josh Williamson
Summary:
Another strong Home and Away season finished in a quick straight sets finals exit for the Waverley Blues.
A second-placed finish at the end of the Home and Away season for the Blues, winning 12 games for the year. It’s the second consecutive season the side has finished second in the Division Two Home and Away season.
Despite having to move home grounds for the season, the Waverley Blues played extremely well at their new home, Central Reserve to start the season. Scott Savage took the reigns as Senior Coach after Tom Langford moved on from the role last season.
The Waverley Blues won eight of their first nine games before mid-season form slump put the double chance at risk. Finishing strongly, the side won their last three games in a row and slip-ups from Croydon and Mulgrave saw them confirm the double chance.
Despite a much better finals performance than last year’s straight sets exit, the Waverley Blues blew five-goal leads in both finals against the Lions and Blues at Walker Park.
Key Players:
Joel Hatch finished his great season with a well-deserved club Best and Fairest win. Reliable and ultra-consistent, Hatch averaged 19 disposals and 6 Rebound 50s across the 2024 season.
Despite missing some games, Omar Mohammad was outstanding again for the Waverley Blues, averaging the most disposals and Inside 50s of any player on the senior side.
Mohammad was selected in the EFNL Team of the Year alongside teammates Josh Williamson and Sam Hale. Williamson finished the season with 43 goals, the second most of any player in the division, an average of 2.3 goals per game.
Best Win: Round 17 – Waverley Blues 11.10 76 def. Croydon 7.12 54 @Central Reserve
It was an important win for the context of their season with how tight the Division Two ladder was from second to fifth.
A tight contest with Croydon saw Waverley put together an impressive 22-point win. Croydon hit the lead in the final term with the first two goals of the quarter. Waverley responded with the last four of the game, placing them in a strong position to take out the double chance with one round to play.
Josh Williamson was dangerous as usual up forward, kicking three goals for the game. Kyle Viccars also hit the scoreboard with two majors and played his role to perfection.
Off-Season Focus:
Scott Savage informed the club at the conclusion of the season that he would be stepping down as Senior Coach. Announced in October as the new senior men’s coach was Sam Bates, who most recently worked with the Vermont Football Club as Senior Assistant Coach.
The makings of a successful side are there, despite their disappointing finals series, they’ve proved to be a real threat over the last two years. With Boronia’s departure from the division, it opens up the premiership race with several sides in serious contention.
If they can just get over the hump of winning their first final at Walker Park in Division Two, there’s not much stopping them.
The Under 19.5’s also progressed through to a Grand Final this year with many of those young players set to make their transition into senior footy over the next couple of years.
Senior Women’s
Ladder Position: 2nd(10-3-1, 225.88%)
Best and Fairest: Renee James
Leading Goalkicker: Stephanie Peacock
Summary:
A similar story to the Senior Men’s, the Waverley Blues Senior Women’s side finished second at the end of the Home and Away before their season came to an end in the second week of the finals.
The club have had great success with their senior women’s program since re-joining the competition last year.
Ten wins from the Home and Away season for the Waverley Blues, the second-best ranked attacking side in the division, averaging over 64 points per game in 2024. At the other end of the ground, they averaged just 28 points per game against.
Two finals played for the side, their season ending with a tight battle against Montrose in the Preliminary Final.
Key Players:
Renee James had an outstanding season for the club, taking out this year’s Senior Best and Fairest Award.
She also took home Team of the Year honours, alongside teammates Stephanie Peacock, Emma White and Abbey Russell. Russell was also named the captain of the Team of the Year side for Division Two.
With such a strong forward line, the side had multiple key goalkickers across the year. Stephanie Peacock led the Waverley Blues scoring with 36 goals from 16 games. Elise Hoole and Madeline Flood also had big years in front of goals, 25 for Hoole and 19 for Flood.
Best Win: Round 13 – Waverley Blues 8.10 58 def. Berwick 1.0 6 @Edwin Flack Reserve
Against a finals competitor nearing the end of the Home and Away season, the Waverley Blues had a fantastic win over Berwick at Edwin Flack Reserve.
One of the tougher grounds to play at, the side did a fantastic job of blowing open the game in the first quarter with six straight goals, leaving Berwick scoreless. They managed to keep them scoreless for the majority of the game, scoring 58 points themselves.
A big win coming into the finals series. Stephanie Peacock starred with three goals on the day with Jaquelyn Gunn listed as the side’s best on-ground performer.
Off-Season Focus:
The club is in a really strong position with its Senior Women’s program. Clint Martin has done a fantastic job as the senior coach over the last two seasons. Joining him as an assistant next year is Lucy Milkeraitis.
This year, the club also celebrated its first female football premiership team with the Under 14 Girls premiership.
The culture and strength of the senior side as well as the building junior program sets up the Waverley Blues for the future.
Netball
Waverley Blues Red (Division Seven): 1st (9-4)
Waverley Blues White (Division Eight): 9th (1-12)
Waverley Blues Blue (Division Nine): 3rd (9-4-1)
Waverley Blues Vixens (Division Eleven): 9th (1-12)
Waverley Blues Kestrels (Division Twelve): 1st (9-2-1)
Waverley Blues Mavericks (Division Twelve): 9th (1-12)
A total of six teams competed for the Waverley Blues in this year’s New Balance Netball competition with three of their teams playing off in the finals.
The Division Seven Waverley Blues side finished on top of the ladder in one of the tightest divisions across the league. All four sides in the top four finished with 9 wins each. With how tight the division was, the Waverley Blues missed the Grand Final after hard-fought losses to Warrandyte and Lilydale.
Gabriella Hatch was outstanding as a shooter, with 261 goals for the season. Rachel Skinner’s year was also celebrated with a best and fairest win for the club.
The Waverley Blues Kestrels had a similar season in Division Twelve, Minor Premiers with nine wins and a draw. Two very close losses in the finals series saw the side end their season in a Preliminary Final. Charlotte Pearson was named the club’s best and fairest.
Samara Lagioia (Waverley Blues White), Ella Harley (Waverley Blues Blue), and Lilly Finnegan (Waverley Blues Vixens), Jeni Raftopoulos (Waverley Blues Mavericks) also won club best and fairest for their respective sides.