SFNL 2025: Inside Bentleigh’s surprise SFNL Division 1 unbeaten run

With 11 home and away games still to play, Bentleigh is already on the cusp of its best Southern league season post-Covid. Discover what’s behind the turnaround.

Bentleigh players in the rooms. Picture: Bentleigh Football Netball Club Facebook.

The tide has turned at Bentleigh.

Undefeated in their past four games, the Demons are sitting pretty in third place on the Southern Football Netball League Division 1 ladder, and are on the cusp of surpassing their highest wins total for a season since Covid with 11 games still to play.

“We’re an effort-based footy side,” said Bentleigh coach Jack Jess of what he attributes to his side’s rise this season.

“We might not be the most skilful or the most talented or tallest or most athletic, it’s just our effort and intensity around that contest and relying on winning that contest first and then just hurting the opposition the other way.

“Our whole team defence has been fantastic and our backline’s been solid this year.

“There’s nothing in particular or a game style or game plan, it’s more that effort and pressure around the ball which has been fantastic from the start of the season.”

The addition of ruckman Mitch Smart from Warragul has also proved a masterstroke, with the big man establishing himself as one of Southern’s premier rucks.

“It’s really helped having an A-class quality ruckman in Mitch Smart this year, he’s helped us get first hands on the footy a lot of the time and getting that ball going forward,” said Jess, who is in his first season at the helm of the Demons.

“He’s provided us with a real opportunity in the contest which is great.”

Bentleigh coach Jack Jess addresses his troops against Narre Warren. Picture: Bentleigh Football Netball Club Facebook.

The Demons undefeated record was kept intact by the barest of margins in round 7 after drawing with Narre Warren at Kalora Park.

“(Narre Warren) would’ve been disappointed that they didn’t make the most of their opportunities, they kicked 2.5 in the first quarter when they could have easily been three or four goals up at quarter time,” Jess said of the match.

“Our group knew they hadn’t put us away and that was the bonus for us, we knew that we could keep coming. No one really dominated or got on top, it was just a real grind.”

Despite constant pressure from Narre Warren, the Demons consistently responded. It’s one of the facets of their game Jess has been most pleased with across the past four matches.

“That’s what I’ve been really proud … we’ve always been challenged and we’ve kept on responding,” Jess said.

“Previously we’ve probably caved in and conceded a lot of points and had a real substantial loss, this season our guys have dug in and fought back and gone back to the way we’ve wanted to play.”

A week earlier in round 6, the Demons had upset a formidable East Brighton which was fresh off downing the reigning premiers by 84 points.

Bentleigh’s Callum launches a kick.

“We probably struggle to prove ourselves, we knew that we’d been playing pretty good footy that could be thereabouts with the best and we really primed ourselves for that game,” Jess added.

“It instils a massive amount of belief in our group that we can compete with the best, it can be a really dangerous thing for a young group to have that sort of belief, it’s really pleasing.

“We haven’t achieved anything yet, we’ve taken one big scalp and are on the right track but there’s a whole half of a season to go and we’re really realistic of where we are.”

The post-Covid years had been lean at the senior level for Bentleigh, with three wins in 2022 followed by five in each of the next two seasons.

In that same period the club has been a force at under-19 level, reaching the past three grand finals with two premierships to show.

Jess said that the fruits of those successes are now filtering into his senior program, with Bentleigh’s reserves side also undefeated.

Few outside of Bentleigh had expected the Demons to enjoy such a fine start to the season, but Jess maintained his side was “exactly where we deserve to be”.

“I spoke to the group during pre-season that if we’re not aiming big and there’s no use coming here to just compete,” he said.

“We’re aiming to win premierships and we’re not going to apologise for that, that’s our aim. First of all we’ve got to make finals for a start, that’s our first goal, and give ourselves a chance to compete for a premiership.

“We’re on the right track at this stage, we’ve just got to keep our head down and keep banking wins.”