Kinglake looking to make a splash in return to Northern Football Netball League

After more than a decade away, there were several key reasons behind Kinglake’s return to the Northern league and the Lakers are ready to surprise in 2023.

Kinglake's practice match against Roxburgh Park. Picture: JRoar Sports Photography

Kinglake is back and ready to make an immediate impact in the Northern Football Netball League.

The Lakers will play their first game in the league since 2007 when it hosts Reservoir at Kinglake Memorial Reserve on April 15.

After reaching the Outer East Division 2 grand final last season, the club is confident it has what it takes to challenge for a top-four finish.

Kinglake departed the newly renamed Northern league in 2007 after a winless season in Division 2 – two years before Division 3 was established.

President Billie Cvijetic believes it returns in 2023 a stronger club.

Kinglake's practice match against Roxburgh Park. Picture: JRoar Sports Photography

“We started to talk about it in 2018 but then obviously COVID hit and it got prolonged but it was always in the back of our minds,” she said.

“The majority of our players and committee members live in the northern suburbs so it was always a question of when to come back, not if.

“When we went through the numbers, who lives in the north, who lives up on the hill, travel time and we asked all our members and it was almost unanimous yes.

“When we left, the Diamond Valley was only two divisions, and at that time we needed to be in a third – we were getting smashed.

“We settled in the Outer East for a while but we moved back when we thought the time was right, so we’re very excited.”

Kinglake has retained the majority of its grand final squad and reinforced its list with Joe Slattery (Lancefield), Rye Johnson (Whittlesea) and Rory McIntyre (Mernda) and Jayden Petrucelle (Bundoora) signing on.

It will join a hotly contested battle for the top-four with relegated Fitzroy Stars, grand finalist Laurimar, finalists Old Eltham Collegians and Kilmore and Heidelberg West and Mernda all having claims.

If not this season then the Lakers are happy to bide their time but not for long.

“All the boys keep telling me to bite my lip but I’m a very optimistic person, so I think we’ll be finals contenders,” Cvijetic said.

“I tell them you’re never going to make it if you don’t say you are but we are happy to just compete this year and finals is the goal.

“Hopefully in the next couple of years we can compete for a grand final, win and go into Div 2 and continue up the ranks.

“It’s a whole new experience, we haven’t really played Northern teams before, we’ve played a few in practice matches but practice matches aren’t exactly the same.

“Northern plays a different style of footy to Outer East and I think we play more along the lines of how the Northern teams play.”

The club will open the season at home before facing arguably two of its longest trips, travelling across to Kilmore in Round 2 and down to Lalor in Round 4.

It has warmed up with practice matches against EDFL Division 1 outfits Craigieburn and Roxburgh Park as well as Riddell District outfit Romsey.

Travel will be one of the big changes for the club, with the longest trip about an hour into Fitzroy Stars’ Sir Doug Nicholls Reserve.

Outer East Division 2 rivals, Powelltown, Yarra Junction, Warburton, Alexandra and Broadford were all an hour away.

With the easier commute the club hope to have increased home crowds and improved return for local sponsors.

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“Most of the players live in the northern suburbs, so instead of travelling an hour and a half, two hours to a game – that is meant to be local – now a local game is 15-20 minutes,” Cvijetic said.

“It just means more family time for our players and committee members, even for some of the young boys they can work on a Saturday morning and still make it to footy.

“It’s our sponsors day and family day (in Round 1) so hopefully we should get a good crowd.

“Our sponsors are mixed, we’ve got our local sponsors, which is great and they’re going to get the same amount of advertisement and we have a lot of northern sponsors as well so they’re very happy to see us make the move.”