By Josh Ward.
Plenty to like for the Demons, with its senior men’s and women’s side both making finals and its netball program continuing to grow.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 4th (12-6, 137.85%)
Leading Goalkicker: Ryan Garthwaite (56 goals in 13 matches)
Best and Fairest: Bradley Watson
Summary:
Another finals appearance for the Montrose senior men's side in Division 1, with plenty of promise shown in Gary Ayres’ third year at the helm.
Their first half of the year set them up nicely, picking up big wins against 2023 grand finalists South Belgrave and Mitcham whilst only losing to Beaconsfield and Park Orchards in that period.
They had some solid performances in the second half of the season, however injuries to key players such as Ryan Garthwaite saw them drop off and finish fourth.
Ultimately their season came to an end in the first week of finals, going down by 50 points to Beaconsfield at Tormore Reserve.
Key Players:
Team of the Year midfielder Brad Watson was stellar all season long. Averaging 27.2 disposals, 16.7 contested possessions and 7.2 clearances per game, Watson was rewarded with Montrose’s Best and Fairest.
Ex-Richmond forward Ryan Garthwaite was near unstoppable when he played, finishing as the Division’s leading goalkicker whilst averaging 14.6 disposals, 9.9 score involvements and 3.8 marks inside 50 per game.
Beau Tennant and Greg Lord’s strong seasons in defence saw them make the Team of the Year. Taj Heap also impressed, taking home the MEGT Rookie of the Year award on Chandler Medal night.
Best Win: Round 2 - Montrose 19.9.123 defeated South Belgrave 7.14.56 @ Belgrave South Recreation Reserve
Possibly one of, if not Montrose’s, best performances with Gary Ayres as coach against the Saints on their home deck.
It was a near flawless performance from the Dees, particularly in the first three quarters where they rushed out to a 67-point buffer.
Ryan Garthwaite stole the show up forward with a nine-goal outing, adding to his seven goals the week prior against Doncaster.
Taj Heap, Ben Dessent and Brad Watson also dominated in midfield, with Heap having a total of 11 score involvements and seven goal involvements for the match.
Off-Season Focus:
There’s some change afoot at Montrose Recreation Reserve for the senior men’s side. Whilst Ayres has signed on for next year, key players have departed.
Among those is Garthwaite himself who’s moved to Albury whilst captain Ben Dessent has signed at Southern club East Brighton.
They’ve been quick to add some exciting youth to the side though, with Hayden Smith and Brayden Laplanche some of the names to sign on at Montrose.
If they’re able to add a bit more experience to replace Dessent and Garthwaite, then the Dees will once again be a contender in Division 1.
Senior Women’s
Ladder Position: 3rd (10-4, 211.81%)
Leading Goalkicker: Jaclyn Healy (22 goals in 15 matches)
Best and Fairest: Rachel Hardy
Summary:
A stellar season for the Montrose women’s side, breaking through for not only a first finals appearance, but a Grand Final in Division 2.
Shilette Baker’s side started and ended the season strongly, winning four of their first five games before losing just once in the second half of 2024.
They used the momentum gained to win their first two finals against Berwick and Waverley Blues respectively to book a date with Surrey Park on Grand Final day.
Despite falling short of the ultimate prize Montrose were valiant in defeat, falling just 20 points short of the undefeated Panthers.
Key Players:
Team of the Year member Rachel Hardy was once again at her dominant best in ruck, winning Montrose’s best and fairest in the women’s.
Hardy was well supported by ex-Donvale midfielder Chloe Jones, with both being named in the Dees best a minimum of 12 times this season.
Jaclyn Healy led the charge up forward while Tiana Witnish marshalled the troops in defence, the latter being named at full back in the Division 2 Team of the Year
Best Win: Preliminary Final - Montrose 5.3.33 defeated Waverley Blues 3.13.31 @ Quambee Reserve
Honourable mentions to their first finals win against Berwick and their Round 10 win against the Blues on their Girls Day Out, but hard to go past the win that booked their Grand Final ticket.
Against a strong Waverley Blues outfit, and without Rachel Hardy, the Dees led at the first two breaks before trailing by three points heading into the final break.
Montrose were then able to kick what would be the only goal of the final quarter to come from behind again and defeat the Blues for the fourth time since 2023.
Emily Rogers, Tiana Witnish and Hannah Lawson all starred in the win whilst they were also able to find five individual goalkickers on the day.
Off-Season Focus:
Plenty to build on for a Montrose side that has continued to improve since they first entered the women’s competition in 2021.
They’ll continue to get juniors through into the side, with their Under 18 Girls once again competing in the U18 A competition.
Add them into the mix, as well as retain their list from this season, then the Dees will continue to improve and contend once again in 2025.
Netball
A total of seven sides took to the netball court for Montrose in the 2024 winter netball season along with an additional three teams in the inaugural summer netball season.
Of those seven sides in the winter netball competition, five would compete in finals, with Montrose Demons and Thunder missing out in finals in Division’s 2 and 6 respectively.
The Montrose Devils and Raptors were the only two to play off in grand finals, with the former winning the Division 10 premiership and the latter finishing as Division 12 runner up.
Many of the Montrose netballers took home individual accolades on Chandler Medal night. Rebecca Hincksman, Rebecca Gorfine took home the Division 3 and 10 leading goal shooter award while Kate Nott and Mandy Bell won the Division 9 and 11 B&F awards.
Tammy Hall’s season for Montrose’s Division 12 side was particularly stellar, taking home the league B&F and the leading goal shooter award on the night.
All three of Montrose’s summer netball sides also played off in finals, with its Division 2 and 3 sides playing off, but unfortunately losing their Grand Finals.
A strong overall season though for the Montrose netball program which continues to go from strength-to-strength
Juniors
Montrose had a total of 24 sides competing in the junior competition this past season from Under 8s up to Under 18s.
From Under 11s up, nine sides played off in finals whilst a further four would go on and play in Grand Finals.
The Dees Under 17.5B, Under 15A reserve and Under 11A sides would go on and win their Grand Finals, defeating Ringwood, The Basin and Lysterfield respectively.
Montrose also held its second Girls Day Out in the middle of the year, with all of its junior girls side, along with their senior women’s, playing on Sunday June 23rd.
A terrific initiative from the Dees and another strong season for its junior program.