All the snippets from across Geelong sport

Clubs from a region in Geelong will meet with key figures to discuss the future of the game, and one club says it is ‘well overdue’.

Northern clubs will meet with powerbrokers, including North Shore. Picture: Mark Wilson

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Northern clubs to meet with powerbrokers at footy summit

Footy clubs from across northern Geelong will meet with key powerbrokes to at a summit to discuss the future of Aussie Rules in the region.

Northern clubs Anakie, Bell Park, Bell Post Hill, Corio, North Shore, North Geelong are set to meet with community organisations, government representatives and more on Friday afternoon with a particular focus on junior football.

North Shore and Corio are among the clubs who have struggled for junior participation in the growing multicultural region of northern Geelong.

It led to the creation of the Northern Stars to help promote juniors to play for the Seagulls and Devils.

Other northern clubs like Bell Park — who fielded around 15 junior sides — haven’t been as heavily affected.

Anakie, 30 kilometres north of Geelong, fielded just two junior sides this season — one of those combined with Bell Post Hill.

Roos president Heath Menhennet said that a summit like this is “well overdue”.

“We are excited to see what comes of it, I don’t think there has been enough opportunity to discuss the elephant in the room for us north based clubs,” Menhannet said.

“We discussed it many years ago before they tried to start up the Northern Stars, the demographic has moved and more families are moving to the north end of town than the south end of town.

“We have got this changing of the guard of where the population demographic is situated. Clubs from the north side have had to bunch over their weight a bit and work a lot harder to attract the bases that they need.”

Surfcoast Chargers search for new mentor

The Surfcoast Chargers are on the hunt for a new men’s senior coach after David Scott stepped down after three seasons in the hot seat.

The Surfcoast Basketball Association announced on social media earlier this month it was seeking a passionate and experienced mentor as it strived for “greater success in 2025”.

Scott guided his team from a bottom finish in its inaugural Big V division two season in 2022 – winning just three games – to a grand final this year.

Dexter Graham dominated for the Surfcoast Chargers in 2024. Picture: Wes Cusworth.

After a 7-11 regular season, the Chargers went down by nine points to Craigieburn last month.

Scott told this masthead it was time to “pass the mantle after three years of solid growth”.

Meanwhile, Stef Grayson has recommitted for 2025 and will guide the Chargers’ division two women’s team.

Grayson, who won the Big V coach of the year award this season, guided her team into finals after finishing the regular season on top of the ladder.

“After taking the team to the brink of the division two grand final last season, Stef is more determined than ever to push the team to new heights,” the association said in a statement earlier this month.

Spence set to pull on green and gold

Geelong baseball product Liam Spence will attempt to help Australia to their best showing at next month’s WBSC Premier12.

The 26-year-old was unveiled as part of Australia’s 28-player squad, with fellow Geelong product Graeme Lloyd named the ballpen coach for an international tournament which pits the 12 best national teams against each other every four years.

Spence, who was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2021, previously represented Australia at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and 2023 Premier12.

Also among the squad is Travis Bazzana, who made history earlier this year as the first Australian taken first in the MLB draft.

The team travels to Japan on October 31 for a 10-day training camp, before tournament play starts November 13.

In group B, Australia face the likes of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Dominican Republic and Cuba, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Australia, whose first game against Japan is expected to have a Japanese TV audience of more than 30 million, finished in sixth in their first appearance at the tournament in 2019.

Top marks for lawn bowl duo

Victoria claimed overall silver at the U18 national championships last week, with Winchelsea’s Max Heaton—Harris and Drysdale’s Maya Rees among the 11-strong state squad.

Competing in Tweed Heads, the team — coached by Ocean Grove’s Matt Flapper — finished overall runner-up behind NSW, with Rees also taking home a bronze medal in the girls fours.

Inverleigh lawn bowler Harry Coleman was part of Victoria’s gold medal success at the SSA 18&U National Bowls Championships in September. Picture: supplied

All Australian nod for young lawn bowler

Promising Iverleigh lawn bowler Harry Coleman has his sights on cracking into Victoria’s U18 squad in 2025, following a strong showing at a recent national tournament.

The Geelong Baptist College student helped Victoria to outright gold at School Sport Australia’s 18&U Bowls Championships at City of Geelong Bowling Club in September, with the 14-year-old’s individual efforts recognised with selection in a 10-player All Australian squad.

In the inaugural two-day tournament, five 10-player state teams — VIC, NSW, WA, QLD and SA — were split into two sides of five, with Victoria’s two line-ups boasting mixed results on the opening day, winning four of a possible eight games to sit third behind NSW and Queensland heading into the final day.

But it was a 7-1 record on day two which saw Harry, who played singles and pairs and pulled off an important win over the defending U18 national gold medallist Riley Gerick, and his Victorian teammates, including Winchelsea’s Max Heaton-Harris, leapfrog their rivals for the goal medal.

“It felt good, I was very surprised (by All Australian selection) because I didn’t bowl my best on the first day,” Harry said.

“I knew the first day, Victoria were way out of it but we seemed to win all the games the next day so I put my head down and kept bowling the best I could.”

Harry, who has been bowling competitively since he was seven, hopes to be selected in the U18 Victorian side within the next 12 months, while short-term his attention turns to the upcoming pennant season with new club Deer Park.

Previously bowling at City of Geelong, Harry joined Deer Park’s newly established Youth Bowls Academy this year, which he attends twice a week for trainings under coaches Mark Casey, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Chris Green and decorated Geelong state bowler Nathan Bush.

“It’s so good learning from them all,” Harry said.

With round 1 of pennant season kicking off this weekend, Harry said he hoped to improve his overall game, with another long-term aspiration of playing in the highest grade — the premier division — in Melbourne.

Young stars shine at soccer tournament

A group of talented soccer youngsters from across several Geelong clubs tasted success on the weekend.

Under-10s players from eight teams combined to form a side known as Geelong United which competed in the Werribee City Cup and it proved to be a successful weekend for the rising stars.

Geelong United enjoy their success.

They took out the under-10 boys division after an impressive display of goalscoring power.

Playing in pool B, United started their competition with a 0-0 draw against Altona City Grey before recording massive 8-0 and 7-0 wins over Werribee City and Keilor Park respectively.

The Geelong side then won its semi-final against Altona City Gold before facing Grey in the final where they won 1-0.

Connor Murphy was man of the match in the final with Rooke Sobevski scoring the winner goal from an Arthur Judd assist.

This was just the second time the players had come together with Kav Threadgold and Sean Flannagan the coaches.

Team: Aiden Coumans, Rooke Sobevski, Xavi Corica, Xavier Grainger, Darko Lefevre, Connor Murphy, Albie Threadgold, Zak Felmingham, Ollie Fullerton, Rocco Tanic, Hadley Eaton, Arthur Judd, Solomon Coventry.

A positive run for Richie

Geelong runner Richie Egan has smashed his personal best by three minutes in a top-15 finish at Sunday’s Melbourne Marathon.

Nine weeks after finishing second in the Sunshine Coast Marathon and shaving another three minutes off his personal best, Egan ran a 2:25:43 in a field of more than 8700 runners, pushing into the top 20 by the 30km mark and into the top 15 in the final kilometres of the 42.195km race, as Geelong’s fastest.

Originally published as All the snippets from across Geelong sport