Fifth spot up for grabs in the BFNL with just five rounds to play
With just five rounds to run in the Bellarine, we’ve predicted who will finish where after the regular season and the key players for your side’s fortunes heading into finals.
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There’s just five rounds to run in the BFNL after one of the most even seasons in recent memory.
At the top, it appears Geelong Amateur, reigning premier Torquay, Drysdale and Queenscliff – in what would be the first time since 2018 – have booked a place in the finals, barring a nightmare finish.
The Ammos dropped four of their last five games in 2024 to bow out in an elimination final to Modewarre last August after dominating the majority of the regular season.
Meanwhile, fifth spot is up for grabs between Barwon Heads, an Anglesea team which has lost its past five in a row, Modewarre and Portarlington.
There were 17 Roos who played in the BFNL grand final last year who weren’t in the side for the rematch in Round 13, either through injury, unavailability or had simply moved on from Ellimatta Reserve.
After getting within two goals of the Tigers, Anglesea could be the big risers over the next five weeks, with Dylan Featon and Noah McGregor-Dawson to return soon, plus Simon Umbers who has been overseas.
And it would be a stunning reversal of fortunes if the Demons were to pinch a place, after last playing in September back in 1994.
We’ve looked at your team’s season so far and predicted where they might finish after 18 rounds and which players will have the biggest say over the final five weeks of play.
Geelong Amateur
Current position: first
Last premiership: 2016
Last grand final appearance: 2017
To come: Drysdale, Portarlington, Torquay, Ocean Grove, Newcomb
Predicted finish: first on 64 points
Toughest match: Torquay in Round 16 at Queens Park Reserve
Flip of the coin match: Torquay in Round 16 at Queens Park Reserve
Key players: Mitch Day, Sam Lloyd, Tom Gribble, Dan Weigl, Blake Sutterby, Tom Zeitz, Riley Ferguson, Jordan Toll.
The league’s leading goal kicker, Mitch Day, will miss the first game after the break against Drysdale this Saturday due to a striking offence on Queenscliff’s Harry Gower, which will open the door for the BFNL’s third-tightest defence.
With 58 goals from 13 matches, Day has been the key reason behind the Ammos kicking six per cent more total points than its nearest rival in the Tigers.
Co-coach Sam Lloyd has been the club’s next best in front of goals with 35 from 13 games and leads the competition for marks with Zeitz third.
Weigl has led the back six after shifting from Lara, overseeing the BFNL’s second-tightest defence after 13 rounds.
Will face the league’s bottom two teams before a finals campaign.
Overview:
Barring a nightmare finish to the season like last year, where they dropped four of their past five games, the Ammos should remain in top spot after Round 18 with currently a three-win buffer on the defending champions.
The Ammos appear to have one of the easiest runs home for a BFNL premiership challenger with three games against bottom five teams.
If they maintain their winning ways, the Ammos may be tempted to rest sore bodies against the Grubbers and the Power over the remaining two matches of the regular season.
Torquay
To come: Modewarre, Drysdale, Geelong Amateur, Queenscliff, Ocean Grove
Current position: second
Last premiership: 2024
Predicted finish: second on 56 points
Toughest match: Geelong Amateur in Round 16 at Queens Park Reserve
Flip of the coin match: Geelong Amateur in Round 16 at Queens Park Reserve
Key players: Matt Boag, James Darke, Banjo Dyer, Ben McNamara, Olive Tate, Charlie Ham, Will Montebello, Nathan Mifsud, Sheldon Ham.
Boag, the reigning Les Ash medallist, needs no introduction and has enjoyed another strong season — in the best players on nine occasions from 12 games while second for clearances, third for contested possessions and fourth for handballs in the BFNL.
Barring injury, the former Eagle should hit the remainder of the regular season with momentum, having been in his side’s best from his past five fixtures and has only missed one match this year.
Darke is second in the comp for handballs, equal fifth for contested possessions and eighth for clearances while Dyer has gone from the periphery to one of the league’s leading forwards with 30 majors from 13 games and is fourth in the league for marks.
Overview:
The reigning premier returned to its destructive best through the middle third of the season, with massive wins over bottom four teams in Newcomb, Ocean Grove and Portarlington by an average of 122 points.
However, the Tigers face one of the tougher runs for BFNL challengers with consecutive games against the other three in the top four while the Warriors will be no pushover this Saturday.
Games against the Hawks, Ammos and Coutas will be a huge litmus test to see how this side stacks up against its previous, title-winning seasons.
You get the feeling the defending champions, after a 4-4 start to the season, are getting things together with a historic third flag in a row on offer in September, after winning their past five in a row.
Drysdale
To come: Geelong Amateur, Torquay, Ocean Grove, Portarlington, Barwon Heads
Current position: third
Last premiership: 2010
Last grand final appearance: 2023
Predicted finish: third on 48 points with superior percentage to Queenscliff
Toughest match: Torquay in Round 15 at McCartney Oval
Flip of the coin game: Torquay in Round 15 at McCartney Oval
Key players: Jack Jenkins, Ben Fennell, Lachlan Nelis, James Breust, Chris Tainton, Jake Hargreaves, Mitch McGuire, Luke Preece, Tom Ruggles
Jenkins, the Hawks’ star defender and vice-captain, has enjoyed a stellar 2025, named in his side’s best on 10 occasions.
Playing in all 13 games this year, Jenkins leads the BFNL’s third-tightest defence.
Meanwhile, Fennell is third for clearances and second for contested possessions.
Small forward Jake Hargreaves found some form before the break with nine majors from three matches to be Drysdale’s leading goalkicker.
Overview:
The Hawks have gathered momentum heading into the bye, winning three in a row and appear to be a lock for their fourth successive finals series.
However, they’ll find it difficult to win four games on the bounce for the second time this year with the Ammos looming on Saturday, albeit without Mitch Day.
The Hawks are one of the form teams of the competition, 7-1 since early May.
Queenscliff
To come: Newcomb, Modewarre, Portarlington, Torquay, Anglesea
Current position: fourth
Last premiership: 2013
Last grand final appearance: 2013
Predicted finish: fourth with 48 points
Toughest match: Torquay in Round 17 at the Couta Bowl
Flip of the coin match: Torquay in Round 17 at the Couta Bowl
Key players: Jordy McIvor-Clark, Lachie Kidd, Caleb Whitley, Che Durran, Lachlan McKane, Jordan Monahan, Kai Keenan
Overview:
The Coutas had been the story of 2025 with wins over Geelong Amateur, Barwon Heads, Torquay and Anglesea in a stunning five-game block.
However, the loss of Izaac Grant to a ruptured spleen against Ocean Grove will hurt with Grant leading the club for goals until that point and had 36 majors from his past eight games.
Dropping two from their last three, and against top five teams, will have given senior coach Heath Jamieson plenty to ponder over the break.
Fortunately, the Coutas have a relatively softer run home with just one fixture against a side in the top bracket and they beat the Tigers back in Round 8 by 18 points.
Appear locks to play their first finals campaign since 2018.
Barwon Heads
To come: Ocean Grove, Anglesea, Newcomb, Modewarre, Drysdale
Current position: fifth
Last premiership: 2022
Last grand final appearance: 2022
Predicted finish: fifth on 40 points
Toughest match: Drysdale in Round 18 at Howard Harmer Oval
Flip of the coin match: Anglesea in Round 15 at Ellimatta Reserve
Key players: Damian McMahon, Zach Walter, Jack Henderson, Luke Davis, Jake Whybrow, Kyle Polley, Kyle Maher
Overview:
While it’s been far from a commanding season for the Seagulls, they at least have destiny in their own hands — currently in fifth position on the same amount of points as an off-the-boil Anglesea who haven’t won since late May.
Heads have a very handy run home, facing four teams in the bottom five before the Hawks in
Round 18.
The Seagulls beat them comfortably by 43 points back in Round 10 at Mortimer Oval.
However, Barwon Heads have only once won consecutive matches this year, a form line which could throw a spanner in the works as they look to redeem themselves after last season’s sixth place.
Anglesea
To come: Portarlington, Barwon Heads, Modewarre, Newcomb, Queenscliff
Current position: sixth
Last premiership: 1999
Last grand final appearance: 2024
Predicted finish: sixth on 32 points
Toughest match: Queenscliff in Round 18 at Ellimatta Reserve
Flip of the coin match: Barwon Heads in Round 15 at Ellimatta Reserve, Modewarre at Mount Moriac Reserve in Round 16
Key players: Lachlan Smith, Ayden Gras, Jordan Keras, Dylan Featon, Max Virgona, Harrison Ling, Noah McGregor-Dawson
While relatively quiet over the past four games, Gras has enjoyed a tremendous first BFNL season at Ellimatta Reserve, second behind only Mitch Day with 53 majors according to Play HQ.
Meanwhile, Keras has been the Bellarine’s clearance king with 42 more than his nearest rival in Matt Boag and teammate Smith.
Keras has also had 34 more contested possessions than Drysdale’s Ben Fennell, second in the league.
Smith has capped off his fine midfield work with 20 majors, and will easily beat his 22-goal season of last year.
Overview:
The BFNL’s most intriguing club of 2025.
The season is well and truly on the line for last year’s grand finalists, after dropping their past five in a row.
Scoring has been a major issue for the Roos over the past four matches, with an average tally of 59 points.
A shock 41-point loss to Ocean Grove in Round 11 was a sign of how far they had fallen in five weeks after downing Drysdale, Barwon Heads and getting within striking distance of the league leaders on two occasions by early June.
Dylan Featon, who has been overseas, has been a big loss since Round 9, while McGregor-Dawson is expected to return soon from a knee injury after missing the past five games.
Their number one forward, Ayden Gras, has been kept to a relatively quiet eight majors over the past four games.
A team without last year’s scoring options in Tom Couch, Dylan Pettingill, Lewis Beers and Simon Umbers (three games for the year) has relied on Gras booting a third of the Roos’ goals this season.
Umbers, who has been overseas, will also be back in coming weeks.
Incredibly, it went into the grand final rematch in Round 13 against Torquay with 17 players missing from the 2024 decider, either injured, unavailable or having moved on from Ellimatta Reserve.
Departures include Pettingill (Quinns District), Anton Woods (Ocean Grove), Jarod Bacon (Inverleigh).
However, getting within two straight kicks of the Tigers, and the injection of Tevan Nofi, will provide some belief.
The Roos have a great opportunity to revive its season with the Demons this Saturday and will be the big watch over the next five games.
Modewarre
To come: Torquay, Queenscliff, Anglesea, Barwon Heads, Portarlington
Current position: seventh
Last premiership: 2018
Last grand final appearance: 2019
Predicted finish: seventh on 28 points
Toughest match: Torquay in Round 14 at Mount Moriac Reserve
Flip of the coin match: Anglesea at Mount Moriac Reserve.
Key players: Oscar Cooke, Connor Joseph, Morgan Fenton, Scott Morter, Callan Farrell, Tom Hornsey
Joseph booting 12 goals from his past three games is a great sign for the Warriors’ chances of a late run at finals qualification.
He was electrifying in an elimination final win against the Ammos last season with a bag of five.
Meanwhile, skipper Morgan Fenton has been in his team’s best on 10 occasions from 13 matches while Cooke is number one in the competition for total kicks.
Morter leads the offence at Mount Moriac Reserve with 29 majors.
Overview:
It’s been a largely disappointing season for the Warriors so far with just two wins against teams higher than them on the ladder: Queenscliff in Round 4 and Barwon Heads a month later.
A semi-finalist last year, Warriors fans would have expected to be higher up the ladder at this late stage.
However, barring Queenscliff’s Round 6 victory, no other team has got closer to the league leaders, going down by just two points in Round 10.
A win off fifth place, it doesn’t get any easier with the Tigers and the Coutas first up after the break and will be season-defining.
Portarlington
To come: Anglesea, Geelong Amateur, Queenscliff, Drysdale, Modewarre
Current position: eighth
Last premiership: 1992
Last grand final appearance: 1994
Predicted finish: eighth on 20 points
Toughest match: Geelong Amateur in Round 15 at Queens Park Reserve
Flip of the coin match: Anglesea in Round 14 at Portarlington Recreation Reserve
Key players: Teia Miles, Scott Greenhough, Connor Menadue, Tom Pannucio, Caleb Kennedy, Riley Hayden, Mitch Turnbull, Kelly Pickard
Overview:
Many would argue to be sitting a win off fifth place with five games to go would be a massive win in 2025.
And they’d be right, with the Demons remaining largely competitive after suffering injuries to key players during the middle of the year and the departure of their senior coach after seven games.
Port have one of the toughest run homes for a BFNL finals challenger, facing teams currently above it on the ladder, but would back itself in against an out of form Anglesea straight after the break to collect its sixth win of the year.
Newcomb
To come: Queenscliff, Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Anglesea, Geelong Amateur
Current position: ninth
Last premiership: 2007
Last grand final appearance: 2007
Predicted finish: ninth on 16 points
Toughest match: Geelong Amateur in Round 18 at Queens Park Reserve
Flip of the coin match: Ocean Grove in Round 15 at Shell Rd.
Key players: Jack Duke, Dion Johnstone, Jacob Watson, Finn Anscombe, Jarrod Stafford, Jarrad Duncan, Ryan Jackman, Tom Webster.
Duke has largely backed up a sensational season last year with 37 goals including three bags of five — two of which against quality opposition in Geelong Amateur and Torquay.
New recruit Johnstone has been a shining light for the Power, currently fifth in the league for contested possessions and clearances.
Overview:
The Power, who started the season so strongly with three wins after Round 4 and taking the scalps of top four teams in Torquay and Queenscliff, have struggled ever since.
Newcomb dropped its next nine in a row but still have an outside chance of emulating its five-win season of 2022 with Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads and Anglesea to come.
Defence has been a big issue, being the most scored against team in the BFNL in 2025.
They also face the Ammos, currently three wins clear on top, in the final round who will have little to play for barring a pre-finals tune up.
Ocean Grove
To come: Barwon Heads, Newcomb, Drysdale, Geelong Amateur, Torquay
Current position: last
Last premiership: 2003
Last grand final appearance: 2014
Predicted finish: last on eight points
Toughest match: Torquay in Round 18 at McCartney Oval
Flip of the coin match: Newcomb in Round 15 at Shell Rd
Key players: Joe McDonald, Jamison Hallam, Rhys Devlin, Gus Bourke, Josh Lange, Taj Wyburd, Jye Walker
Overview:
It’s been a rough year for the Grubbers with a raft of goalless quarters and some terrible starts to games.
Highlights have been few and far between but a recent victory over last year’s grand finalists was reward for effort.
However, they can end their season on a positive note with a gettable game against the Power in Round 15 before facing the top two teams over the final rounds.
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