It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Bellarine Football Netball League stalwart, Geoff Donnelly.

Following a distinguished involvement with Ocean Grove Football Netball Club, Geoff dedicated nine years of service to the Bellarine Football Netball League Board. During that time, he served as Junior Vice President for two years, Senior Vice President for three years, and President for four years, providing outstanding leadership and commitment to the competition.

In recognition of his significant contribution, Geoff was awarded Life Membership of the Bellarine Football Netball League in 1997.

Geoff also played an important role in helping guide the League through its transition into the Football Geelong era, leaving a lasting legacy on the competition and the broader football and netball community.

On behalf of the Bellarine Football Netball League and AFL Barwon, we extend our sincere condolences to the Donnelly family, Geoff's many friends, and everyone at Ocean Grove Football Netball Club. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.

Newcomb midfielder Logan Wagener has capped a remarkable 2026 campaign by claiming the Bellarine Football Netball League’s Les Ash Medal.

Wagener was awarded the Les Ash Medal for the Best and Fairest player in the competition after polling 31 votes in the count.

Wagener had a dominant season where he averaged over 37 disposals a game in the regular season with his strength around the contest on full display.

He racked up 15.8 contested possessions a game while also averaging 9.9 clearances to show he could distribute as well as win possession.

Wagener’s consistency was just as impressive as he was named in the best for Newcomb in every single game he played across the season.

The 2026 season marked a return of a favourite son for Wagener at Newcomb after he had played for the Power during 2019 and then 2021.

His latest stint at the Power has now seen him clock 43 games.

As a junior at Leopold, Wagener was highly regarded and played 26 games for the Geelong Falcons.

In his time at Leopold, Wagener played in three senior premierships which included a best-on ground performance in the 2023 grand final.

His football journey also took him to the second highest level of Australian Football with both the Gold Coast and Werribee in the VFL.

That experience proved invaluable as Wagener’s 2026 season came against the backdrop of Newcomb first finals series in almost two decades.

A comprehensive win against Barwon Heads in the elimination final showed the Power weren’t just there to make up the numbers in September but were there to perform.

Wagener was at the heart of that performance as he inspired Tony Mirabella’s side into the semi-final with 44 disposals.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Wagener’s output may have dropped the in finals after a long season performing so well.

That was not the case though as Wagener racked up 90 disposals over the course of the two finals.

In Newcomb’s 41-point semi-final loss to Geelong Ammo’s, Wagener tallied 46 disposals to go with a goal as he was named best on ground for the Power.

While it was a disappointing end to a successful season for the Power, Wagener’s contribution across the season left little to be desired.

From his supremacy around the contest to his remarkable consistency, Wagener proved himself one of the competition’s most influential players throughout 2026.

His return to Newcomb has delivered more than just a premiership push for the Power, it has produced one of the BFNL’s most memorable individual seasons in recent years.

And with the Les Ash Medal now added to his list of achievements, Wagener’s outstanding 2026 campaign has been deservedly recognised.

Les Ash Medal Leaderboard:

Full list of votes can be found here.

The Don Cole Medal saw a close count with the top honour awarded to Avery Knight of Modewarre with 15 votes.

Knight was named in the best eight times in his 13 games across the season.

Runner up to Knight was Torquay’s Chad Grossman who finished just behind on 14 votes.

Grossman’s 10 reserve games saw him named in the best seven times.

Third place on the podium was a 3-way tie between Troy Anderson of Modewarre, Cody Diana of Ammos and Hugh Mckay of Barwon Heads.

In Anderson’s first season with the club, he compiled 16 reserves games where he found himself in the best nine times.

Diana managed to find the goals 10 times in his 16 games to go with his 10 mentions in the bets.

McKay was named in the best eight times for the Seagulls in his 14 games across the season.

A full leaderboards can be found below.

Don Cole Medal Leaderboard:

Full list of votes can be found here.

The Geelong Advertiser Coaches Player of the Year is an award voted by each Senior coach on a 5,4,3,2,1 basis after each home and away game, acknowledging outstanding effort by an individual player in a season.

There are individual awards for the Bellarine FNL Seniors, Geelong FNL Seniors, and the Division 1 Senior Female Football competitions.

Drysdale vs Anglesea 

7 Nicholas Egan (Drysdale)

5 Luke Preece (Drysdale)

4 Christopher Tainton (Drysdale)

4 James Breust (Drysdale)

3 Lachlan Smith (Anglesea)

3 Jack Jenkins (Drysdale)

2 Cameron Delaney (Drysdale)

1 Will Batson (Anglesea)

1 Matt Piggott  (Drysdale)

Modewarre vs Queenscliff

8 Nat Matthews (Modewarre)

8 Josh Finch (Modewarre)

6 Matt McKim (Modewarre)

4 Caleb Whitley (Queenscliff)

2 Zac May (Modewarre)

1 Will Thrum (Modewarre)

1 Jonty Rush (Queenscliff)

Geelong Amateur vs Portarlington

9 Paddy Dowling (Geelong Amateur)

7 Blake Sutterby (Geelong Amateur)

5 Tom Zeitz (Geelong Amateur)

3 Brayden Poole (Portarlington)

3 Riley Ferguson (Geelong Amateur)

2 Cameron Lewis (Geelong Amateur)

1 Kelly Pickard (Portarlington)

Torquay vs Ocean Grove

9 Ben McNamara (Torquay)

6 Patrick Hughes (Torquay)

5 Jacob Talarico (Ocean Grove)

4 Matt Boag (Torquay)

3 Baxter Mensch (Torquay)

2 Max Hurley (Torquay)

1 Billy Henderson (Torquay)

Barwon Heads vs Newcomb

10 Cooper Ward (Barwon Heads)

7 Mason Andrews (Newcomb)

6 Riley Stuhldrier (Barwon Heads)

5 Luke Davis (Barwon Heads)

1 Charlie Harvey (Newcomb)

1 Michael Philp (Barwon Heads)

 Round 3 Leaderboard

19 Riley Ferguson (Geelong Amateur)

17 Patrick Dowling (Geelong Amateur)

14 Edward Dayman (Ocean Grove)

13 Blake Sutterby (Geelong Amateur)

13 Luke Davis (Barwon Heads)

12 Teia Miles (Portarlington)

12 Patrick Hughes (Torquay)

AFL Barwon has announced the introduction of an innovative White Card Policy aimed at enhancing the match day experience for all stakeholders. This comprehensive policy, developed in alignment with Rule 8 "Coaches" and 17.3 "Officials" of the AFL Barwon Handbook, is poised to play a pivotal role in fostering a safer, more inclusive, and positive environment within the sport.

The primary objective of the AFL Barwon White Card Policy is to ensure the well-being and safety of everyone involved in the game through the implementation of a structured approach to address unacceptable behaviour directed at umpires from the coaching box area.

At the heart of the policy lies a three-phase system designed to address instances of unacceptable behaviour promptly and effectively. This system provides field umpires with the necessary tools to intervene in real-time, with warnings (white cards) issued to offending coaches during the first two phases and escalating penalties for repeated infractions. The ultimate sanction, a red card resulting in ejection from the match, underscores the seriousness of any breaches of conduct.

Field umpires are empowered to implement the appropriate phase of the policy upon observing or hearing unacceptable behaviour from the coaching box area. Importantly, the process is characterised by clarity and decisiveness, with umpires instructed not to engage in conversation or debate during card issuance. By adhering to these procedures, AFL Barwon aims to maintain order and always uphold the integrity of the game.

Instances of white and red card issuance are recorded by timekeepers and documented in umpire match reports for further review if necessary. Cases involving breaches of the policy are subject to scrutiny by the Match Review Panel (MRP), ensuring that any disciplinary action taken is fair and consistent with the values of the organisation.

The AFL Barwon White Card Policy represents a significant step forward in promoting a culture of respect toward players, coaches, umpires, volunteers, and spectators of community football. In addition to addressing behaviour within the coaching box area, the policy also emphasises the responsibility of clubs to address spectator conduct. By holding clubs accountable for the actions of their supporters, AFL Barwon seeks to create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all attendees.

As AFL Barwon prepares to roll out the policy for the 2024 season and beyond, stakeholders can anticipate a renewed focus on ensuring that every match is conducted in a manner that reflects the values of fairness, integrity, and camaraderie that define the sport.

Bec Winch of Geelong Amateurs has been crowned the 2026 BFNL A Grade Netball Best & Fairest following a close finish at the top of the count.

Winch claimed the prestigious award at the Bellarine FNL Presentation Night at Buckley’s Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night, with the competition’s leading players recognised following another strong season of netball across the league.

Winch was crowned the Best and Fairest in a close finish for the top two where she polled in the last round to secure the medal.

Runner up to her was Ocean Grove’s Zanna Punshon who finished the count on 28 votes.

In third position was Torquay’s Ariana Luamanu who polled 24 votes on the night.

In the Bellarine FNL B Grade Buckleys Cup there was also a close count as Meg Patterson of Geelong Ammo’s took home the Best and Fairest by only one vote after polling 26 votes in the count.

There was joint runners up as Queenscliff’s Millie O’Shea and Torquay’s Elanor Van Dyk both finished the count on 25 votes each.

In the Bellarine FNL C Grade Town and Country Pizza Cup Geelong Ammo’s Kellie Gibbons topped the count with 25 votes.

Joint runners up went to Newcomb’s Courtney Betts and Modewarre’s Sharni Thebes who both polled 22 votes in the count each.

In the Bellarine FNL D Grade Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong a close finish saw Charlotte Bland of Queenscliff awarded the Best and Fairest after polling 17 votes.

Closely following Bland was Modewarre’s Hannah Rounds who finished the count on 17 votes.

In the Bellarine E Grade Epworth Cup Alicia Gangell from Torquay was the runaway winner after polling 28 votes to be crowned the Best and Fairest.

There was a tie for runner up with both Portarlington’s Lorelle Chapman and Geelong Ammo’s Eden Holdsworth polling 18 votes in the count.

The full list of award winners and leaderboards can be found below.

Bellarine FNL A Grade Dow Cup Leaderboard:

Full list of votes can be found here.

Bellarine FNL B Grade Buckleys Cup Leaderboard:

Full list of votes can be found here.

Bellarine FNL C Grade Town and Country Pizza Cup Leaderboard:

Full list of votes can be found here.

Bellarine FNL D Grade Holiday Inn & Suites Geelong Leaderboard:

Full list of votes can be found here.

Bellarine E Grade Epworth Cup Leaderboard:

Full list of votes can be found here.