EFNL 2025: Bulleen Templestowe edges Warrandyte in nail-biting Eastern league debut

Bulleen Templestowe has made it a debut to remember in the Eastern league, with the former VAFA club pinching victory from the jaws of defeat in Division 4 on Saturday.

ONE word sums it up for Bulleen Templestowe coach Andrew Verga.

“The word is ‘relief’ – round one is out of the way and our first game in the EFNL,” he said.

The Bullants snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to mark their Eastern league debut in style on Saturday, edging cross-town rival Warrandyte 7.5 (47) to 6.8 (44) in a Division 4 nail-biter.

EFNL 2025: Bulleen Templestowe celebrates its win on debut in the EFNL.

Bulleen Templestowe – which moved to the Eastern league late last year following five storied decades in the VAFA – trailed by 15 points at the final change after the sides were locked at 21 apiece at the half in a low-scoring arm-wrestle.

But the Ants marched home in a pulsating last term through two final-quarter goals to key recruit Tom Davis – before Andrew Sinclair pounced on the winner with 18 minutes expired, courtesy of a Josh Sticca burst out of the middle.

A bumper Bullants crowd rose to their feet at Ted Ajani Reserve.

“The boys dug deep and full credit to Warrandyte, they were a very impressive side,” Verga said.

“The supporters definitely turned out for us … (and) it was just a good game of footy.

“All we want to do is have a crack and we tried hard … Warrandyte brought the heat (and) were electric with their pressure.”

Swinging the momentum in the third term following a goal-for-goal opening half, Warrandyte gained the ascendancy through the ruckwork of Taylor Hayton, as the Bloods increased their lead to 15 points with a goal to Alex Simpson after the three-quarter time siren.

Seemingly a long way back with goals at a premium in the low-scoring tug-of-war, Verga urged one last effort of his side in the final quarter.

He got it.

“It’s hard to give votes when it’s a good team performance … I thought it was a good team effort – I know it’s a cliché,” he said.

“Ben Ellery battled manfully in the ruck … they (Warrandyte) have a pretty good ruckman – we knew he was going to be a tough match-up.”

Jake Sticca, Harry Vogler, Maxwell Donovan, Andrew Sinclair and Josh Sticca also featured among the Bullants’ best, with Daniel Martino and Sinclair matching Davis’ two majors.

And little, if anything, separated the VAFA from the Eastern league according to the coach.

“It was a very high standard … from year to year the VAFA was a good standard and this was as well,” Verga said.

Bulleen Templestowe 2.1, 3.3, 4.3, 7.5 (47)

Warrandyte 1.2, 3.3, 6.6, 6.8 (44)

Goals

BT: Andrew Sinclair, Daniel Martino, Tom Davis (2), Terry Boukouvalas

Warrandyte: Alex Simpson, Ben Ogilvie, Harvey Wilson, Jack Bradford, Josh Beasley, Josh Meyers

Best players

BT: Jake Sticca, Harry Vogler, Maxwell Donovan, Ben Ellery, Andrew Sinclair, Josh Sticca

Warrandyte: Josh Meyers, Zak Carroll, Taylor Hayton, Lukas Fellows, Mitchell Wilson, Nick Sharpe