South Barwon coach Mark Neeld says Lara’s success with basketball participation can transfer to local footy
A GFNL coach says the league’s two most struggling clubs can take some heart and inspiration from local success in another winter sport.
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South Barwon senior coach Mark Neeld has belief the GFNL will turn the corner in terms of its overall competitiveness.
Regional Victoria’s premier football competition has been marred by some horrific beltings in 2025, with North Shore and Lara routinely on the receiving end.
However, with the Seagulls downing the Cats by 14 points on Saturday at Bisinella Oval – their first victory since Round 4 last year – the Swans coach said nurturing the next generation of a talent with robust junior programs was the key.
It comes after Corio Cricket Club president Mitch Grace told this masthead that plenty of talent existed in the northern suburbs, it was just a matter of getting them engaged in sport.
“I’m a coach of another (GFNL) team but I do have a sports administration (background),” Neeld said.
“I’d like to be involved in some kind of discussion there.
“There will be a regeneration of people that will move (to the north of Geelong) with young children, it’s already started to happen.
“For the sports of netball and football, we need to do what we can to keep them well and truly alive and thriving in that area.”
Neeld, the chief executive of the Geelong United Basketball Association, said Lara was a success story in local hoops and he believed that local talent, if properly nurtured, would eventually transfer to its football team in time.
“In the basketball world, Lara is one of our most successful teams and it’s based on number of participants and success of the kids and adults on the court,” Neeld said.
“Lara Basketball Club field in Geelong United Basketball competitions approximately 100 teams every week, that’s one of our biggest (clubs).
“There is a population of young sports people to be nurtured, so I would suggest there’s an opportunity there.
“That will come through, the population out there is large.
“But right now, it hasn’t come through to the seniors ... (but) things can change quickly.”
Meanwhile, the Swans bounced back from a “perfect storm” of unavailability to down St Mary’s in an old fashioned GFNL arm wrestle on Saturday.
The Swans were missing 23 players last round across the seniors and reserves against St Joseph’s, losing both matches by a collective total of 139 points on a forgettable afternoon at Herne Hill Reserve.
However, on Saturday at McDonald Reserve, the Swans brought back a host of players with grand final experience from the past two seasons in Kelly O’Neil, Thomas Peirce, Ethan Borys and Jack Driver while Doyle Madigan was a late out with Geelong’s VFL team after Ollie Henry was called up as the sub for the Cats’ game against Brisbane.
When Sam James booted a goal in the 12th minute, the Swans had taken a game-high 11-point lead.
And Lachlan Noble’s third major would be the final goal of the game, ensuring the Saints’ second loss in a row.
“An arm wrestle of a game,” Neeld said of the contest.
“It was at times extremely congested and contested, both us and St Mary’s did have our own momentum swings at times and got to kick a couple of goals, probably against the run of how the game was being played.
“We were happy to be in the contest for the full four quarters, that’s something we’ve been working on and something we’ve spoken about a lot.”
Neeld said the club was obviously better placed in Round 9, following a raft of players missing last Saturday, calling it a “one-off event, not a pattern”.
“We had 23 unavailable across our squads, that really challenged us,” Neeld said.
“It was a combination of injury, a couple of people on holidays and VFL selection.
“That’s just something at community footy (level) we need to be flexible and adapt to.
“That was an absolute perfect storm, I’ve been at South Barwon for two and a half years, that’s never happened before.”
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