MPFNL: Frankston YCW player Blake Mullane hurt in overseas motorcycle accident

A league best and fairest winner has undergone surgery after being hurt on an overseas holiday. Here are the details.

Blake Mullane of the Stonecats handballs during the 2023 MPFNL Division One grand final. (Photo by Josh Chadwick)

A leading player from a Mornington Peninsula league club has suffered a broken collarbone in a motorcyle accident while holidaying overseas.

Frankston YCW player Blake Mullane underwent surgery in Melbourne on Monday.

The 2022 MPFNL Division 1 best and fairest winner faces six weeks of recovery.

Frankston YCW coach Paul Goonan said the injury won’t affect Mullane’s 2024 season.

“He’s had surgery, fully successful,’’ he said.

“It’s already driving him crazy because he’s a heavy trainer, a 12-month a year trainer, just loves getting himself fit and in good condition.

“He can’t do any running for a month so that’s killing him. But he’ll be fine.

“The positive for us is he’s going to take our conditioning, our running training before Christmas which is his way of being involved and he will do a bit more coaching stuff as well.

“He’ll have his hands full with us, with a slightly younger and newer group.’’

Kyle Hutchison will play with East Brighton in 2024.

Frankston YCW has lost a couple of premiership stars in recent weeks, with BJ Credlin signing with Mornington and Kyle Hutchison to East Brighton in Southern league.

Promising young player Kaiya Deas has also left the Stonecats, returning to Langwarrin, where he played junior football.

But Jaxson Mead has returned to YCW after a season with Mornington.

The Stonecats have also recruited Karingal forward Riley D’Arcy.

Goonan said Frankston YCW — who won the 2022 flag and were runner-up in 2023 — would look to promote their next wave of young players.

“It’s very much a time for us to put a bit more pressure on some of the young guys coming through and there are some absolute rippers coming through and getting better and better,’’ he said.