Former AFL forward Aaron Black will play for the Surf Coast Suns in the BFNL in 2026
Three mentors down at Kardinia Park are poised to face off in the BFNL after an ex-AFL forward joined the Bellarine’s 11th club.
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It may point to the sometimes intimate nature of the Geelong sporting community, but three Cats coaching assistants are set to battle it out in one local footy competition next year.
The Surf Coast Suns, who will become the BFNL’s 11th team in 2026, unveiled former AFL forward Aaron Black as its first playersigning this week.
However, the 34-year-old will be making a return to the Bellarine after playing with Modewarre in 2022 through a connection with four-time Ash medallist Josh Finch.
After Black joined the Cats in an off-field capacity several years ago, Finch, working with the Cats’ AFLW team, was delighted to hear the former Roo ask if the Warriors needed a full forward for the coming season.
Naturally, the answer was a resounding yes.
“We became good mates and I ended up signing there,” Black recalled.
However, after 11 games in a one-and-done season, Black will be back in the Bellarine with the Suns in 2026.
While his actual playing commitment will depend on the VFL fixture next year, Black is excited and keen to contribute whenever and wherever he can, whether it be pulling on the boots, being a mentor or just socialising and supporting his son’s own footballing journey.
Some big name recruits in local footy have only concerned themselves with their pay packet and personal statistics, but Black sounds like he’s keen to roll up the sleeves and pitch in.
“I can’t commit to being there 100 per cent of the time,” he said.
“It could be anywhere from five to 15 games (in 2026), you just don’t know with the fixture.
“I’ll be there and any chance I can, that’s the beauty of it, it’s only three minutes down the road from my house.
“I’m happy to do whatever, I’m looking forward to it.”
Meanwhile, in-form Barwon Heads target Mitch Herbison, who has 14 goals from his past two BFNL games, is also a forwards coach with Geelong’s VFL program, and had worked with Oli Wiltshire before his AFL debut against Hawthorn.
“We won’t see each other, we’ll be at opposite ends,” Black said of coming up against his Cats colleague.
“We’ll shake hands as we cross over.”
Having lived in the Torquay area for nearly a decade, Black says he was never tempted to return to his native WA after his AFL career ended in 2018.
“I’ve always been in that sort of north Torquay area, we love it down there and want to stay there,” he said.
“The young fella goes to school down there now and my other one will as well.”
And it sounds like Black has been on the Suns’ radar for a few years now, as the junior outfit transforms into a legit BFNL club in 2026.
Watching the club grow from afar, Black had previously told his partner how he’d love to be aligned with the Suns and making it “our home club”.
“Obviously being from WA, I didn’t have a home club over here,” he said.
“We’ve got a couple of kids born and raised in the area, playing their footy there, I thought it would be cool to be a part of it.
“I love it down here.”
Black is genuinely excited about what the Suns can do next year, praising the “mountain of work” president Jay Williams has done in recent years.
“It’s exciting to be part of something new, in a great town,” he said.
Three Cats assistants set to play in the Bellarine in 2026
When the Surf Coast Suns went searching for a key pillar for its new senior program for 2026, they didn’t have to look too far.
Suns president Jay Williams was aware that former AFL player Aaron Black was living in the area and his son was registered with Auskick at the club.
Black, who was unveiled as the Suns’ inaugural player signing this week, had been in discussions with Williams for over 12 months.
“I knew that he was around,” Williams said.
“His son was registered in Auskick with us, so I knew there was a good chance that he’d be open to get involved.
“So I just gave him a call.”
The 34-year-old played 57 games with North Melbourne and then Geelong before his career wrapped up in 2018 after rupturing an ACL in Round 12 that season.
However, it will be Black’s second stint in the Bellarine having played 11 games with Modewarre in 2022, kicking 24 goals for the Warriors.
Black is currently working at Kardinia Park in an operations management and coaching capacity.
And Williams said Black’s desire to play had grown after telling this masthead back in 2022 his playing days would be limited in the future.
The 34-year-old has played five games over the past 12 months with Hampden league outfit, the Warrnambool Blues.
“It was just a bit hard for him travelling, especially with his schedule,” Williams said.
“Having the new club, coming in and playing a part in building it, being local, having his son play, pulling on a jumper, I think it’s turned something on inside for him.
“He only has to stroll up the road to play ... we’ve fired him up.”
With Black’s son playing under-9s next year with the Suns, Black is also assisting the club with recruiting ahead of season one.
Williams said it had a list of players it was keen to speak to – but was respectful of their existing club connections – was expecting a handful of under-18s to make the grade in 2026 while there were a couple of 30+ players in mind that will provide crucial leadership.
With two under-18s teams this year, the Suns have produced strong results from its grading matches.
However, former Carlton player Ross Young – one of the AFL’s first mature aged recruits – who won a Sandover Medal in 2009 has put his hand up to assist the Suns next year.
“He’s keen to play,” he said.
“He’s a bit older, but his experience is invaluable, we’ve got a good mix of older guys at the moment that are pretty keen to jump on.”
However, he said the key now was to pick a core of players in their early to mid 20s, that might not be getting opportunities at other clubs, like Torquay or Lorne.
“I feel like we’re not going to have any problems in terms of filling a playing list,” he said.
Williams said he pushed AFL Barwon to get 60 player points – up from an initial offer of 55 – and will enjoy a $110,000 salary cap.
“Sixty’s probably the bare minimum that we need,” he said.
“Hopefully we’re competitive from the start which I think everyone will want to see.”
Meanwhile, Williams said the club would have adequate facilities for its inaugural season in the BFNL.
It was unable to secure any Federal funding through local member, Libby Coker but will now eye off the next state election.
The Suns’ footy and netball teams will have to share changerooms while the existing pavilion will play a key role in building off-field culture.
“It just takes a little bit of work with scheduling, but we do have enough to get going,” Williams said of the changerooms.
Williams said the past 18 months had been an incredibly busy period.
“There’s a bit on, for sure,” he said.
“A lot of it’s behind the scenes, not many people know what goes into it, you can’t physically see much yet but now we’re starting to have announcements and things are becoming clearer to everybody else with what’s actually going on.”
Originally published as Former AFL forward Aaron Black will play for the Surf Coast Suns in the BFNL in 2026
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