Southern Football Netball League 2025 season preview
A cracking year of footy awaits in the Southern league and many believe it’s the strongest it’s been in some time. Here’s a look at the season ahead, plus the players to watch and big calls.
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There are burning questions aplenty heading into the 2025 Southern Football Netball League season.
Has the chasing pack, led by Dingley, closed the gap on Cheltenham? Can Narre Warren challenge for the in its first season? What about Division 3, who is the favourite there with four new sides joining the mix?
Regardless, a thrilling season of footy awaits across the board.
One club president noted the competition was at the strongest he’d seen in his 15 years involved. It would be fair to say that’s not an unpopular view.
Gunning for a three-peat, Cheltenham – despite a relatively quiet off-season – head into 2025 as the hunted in Division 1. The Rosellas will be without rising star Josh Lai, who was adjudged the best on ground in last year’s grand final and has since earned an SSP list spot with Port Adelaide in one of the feel good stories of the summer. His twin brother, Sean, has also earned a VFL deal with Richmond but will remain affiliated with Cheltenham.
Another VFL player who has been added to Cheltenham’s list is Casey’s Riley Bonner, fresh off a 112-game AFL career. Bonner is expected to turn out for the Rosellas in Casey’s bye rounds and has figured at pre-season training.
It can’t be forgotten however, this is a young Cheltenham group who have lost just five of their past 61 matches. There is still plenty of room for improvement within.
Cheltenham’s rivalry with Dingley is sure to excite again this season, given the pair met twice in the finals last year, with the Rosellas prevailing in both clashes for a combined winning margin of three points. It doesn’t get much closer than that.
Dingley has enjoyed a bumper off-season, adding a plethora of talent including Jacob Duscher from Highett — who ran second in the Division 2 best and fairest — returning three-time premiership player Chris Horton-Milne, and Mitch Gent, who has over 100 VFL games to his name.
It’s not hard to see why Dingley is tipped by many to be Cheltenham’s greatest challenger to the throne under the highly rated Zach Horsley.
You can throw a blanket over the likes of Springvale Districts, East Brighton, Port Melbourne Colts, St Paul’s McKinnon, and Narre Warren — who have all the potential to be a premiership dark horse.
Noble Park champions Jackson Sketcher and Kyle Martin have both joined Springvale Districts, while East Brighton has notably secured the services of ex-AFL men Alex Keath and Ben Reid.
Formidable Outer East side Narre Warren, who has averaged a flag every two years for the past 18 seasons, will be a fascinating watch to see whether their dominance carries over to Southern. The Magpies have been buoyed by the return of champion goalkicker Jake Richardson. Richardson has been overseas and last played in 2022, where he delivered 74 goals and won the league best and fairest in the Outer East.
In Division 2, Hampton Park shape as one of the favourites for the flag under new playing coach Luke Bull, with talented Vermont ruckman Mason Hawkins among their strong list of recruits.
Mordialloc has also been on a recruiting spree as it looks to bounce back from a winless Division 1 campaign in 2024. Frankston Dolphins, buoyed by a strong junior base, have continued their rise through the Southern league ranks and could contend in Division 2 after two dominant Division 3 campaigns.
Division 3 is shaping as a flip of the coin and could be the hardest to pick a possible premier in, given the additions of both Skye and St Kilda City from Division 2, Hampton from Division 4, and Berwick Springs who have crossed from the Outer East.
Grand finalists South Mornington and preliminary finalists Heatherton should be strong contenders again, while lower-end 2024 teams Black Rock and Ashwood have both recruited heavily in search of improvement.
In Division 4, Lyndale and Hallam were the closest challengers to eventual premier Hampton and seem to be the flag fancies heading into 2025.
Key forward Mark Stevens, who will double as an assistant playing coach, should be a valuable addition to Lyndale as the Pumas look to continue their remarkable turnaround. Stevens kicked 11 goals in a game for Oakleigh Districts last season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
— Jackson Sketcher (Springvale Districts)
— Jacob Duscher (Dingley)
— Alex Keath (East Brighton)
— Kye Beveridge (St Paul’s McKinnon)
— Jake Richardson (Narre Warren)
THE BIG CALLS
— Berwick Springs and Narre Warren both push deep into finals in their Southern debut seasons
— Dingley win the Division 1 flag after last year’s heartbreak
— A team cruelled by double relegation bounces back
— Another SFNL-listed player gets an AFL opportunity
‘Bring something different’: Rosellas buoyed by late signing
A new motto and a new recruit could provide the impetus for Cheltenham’s quest for a famous three-peat, as the club looks to unearth the next Josh Lai.
‘Attacking brand’: What to expect from new-look East Malvern
SFNL Division 2 grand finalists East Malvern have recruited strongly under a new coach as they steel themselves for a promotion tilt. Inside their pre-season.