Hampden Friday grand final far from locked in
Hampden league's Friday public holiday grand final faces an uncertain future as clubs push back against the change despite strong crowd numbers.
The Hampden league playing its grand final on the Friday public holiday before the AFL decider again is far from a done deal, ahead of its 2026 fixture being released this month.
Despite unfavourable weather, the Friday grand final crowd to witness North Warrnambool win its first Hampden premiership was the biggest since Covid with estimates of more than 5500 fans at Reid Oval.
League chairman Shane Threlfall said clubs were being surveyed on keeping the Friday grand final in 2026.
“Some of the feedback from clubs to date has been that they would prefer the grand final on the previous Saturday,” he said.
“We’ve highlighted some of the advantages of Friday, including flexibility of being able to do some other things with our draw.
“Feedback from clubs was they felt everything was rushed with end-of-year activities including presentation nights, which weren’t as well attended as other years.
“I’m not prepared to say it’s locked in for the Friday at this stage.
“There were some positives, but the clubs are our stakeholders and we have to listen to them.”
Hampden and Geelong were the only country leagues to stage grand finals on the Friday public holiday this year with no league to date making the switch.
Geelong’s grand final crowd was slightly down on the 2024 turnout with the Cats playing in the AFL grand final and involved in the parade the previous day being a factor.
Meanwhile, Barooga’s planned switch to the Picola District league will force neighbouring rival Cobram to seek another opponent to keep its Good Friday traditional clash going.
The Cobram-Barooga Good Friday game has been a longstanding fixture in the Murray league.
League general manager Dale Norman said he expected to release its 2026 draw in mid-December after a call is made on Barooga being accepted into the Picola District league.
The Murray league can’t play a Friday grand final because of its NSW-based clubs, Moama, Deniliquin, Finley and Mulwala, where there is no public holiday for the AFL grand final.
The Murray league’s three-year deal to play the grand final at Moama has ended with an announcement expected in the new year.
GIPPSLAND
Sunday footy is back big time in the Gippsland league next season.
Thirteen matches will be played on Sundays in 2026 including three on the day after Anzac Day when Traralgon hosts Moe and Wonthaggi plays Drouin, both under lights, due to the restrictions on when community sport can start on April 25.
Drouin, which attempted to leave the Gippsland league this year, will play three Sunday matches including two with nearest rival Warragul, which has four Sunday games against Drouin (twice), Moe and Traralgon.
Maffra, Sale, Bairnsdale and Morwell have three each.
There were only three Sunday games this year.
Gippsland’s 2026 season will start on April 11 when Leongatha will unfurl its latest premiership flag against Moe and Hawthorn legend Gary Ayres will coach his original club, Warragul, for the first time the next day against Drouin at home.
The grand final will stay in its traditional timeslot on the third Saturday in September.
Moe will be playing home games away from its home ground, Ted Summerton Reserve, for the first half of the season.
An upgrade of the playing surface and other infrastructure that was originally planned to be completed before the 2026 Commonwealth Games is still going ahead despite the Victorian government pulling the pin on the event in mid-2023 due to escalating costs.
Venues for Moe home matches will be announced closer to the season.
Club president Matt Howlett said works were already underway and hoped disruptions can be kept to a minimum.
“It will disrupt the start of our season, but for how long, I’m not sure,” he said.
Moe’s home game on the King’s Birthday long weekend has been shifted from the Saturday to Sunday, but Howlett said there were “mixed feelings” on playing Sundays.
“I’m not too disappointed with our Sunday game because it falls on a long weekend,” he said.
“Some of our players are not enamoured with them.
“But the league is being proactive in doing it because there are a lot of other major leagues that do these marquee, stand-alone fixtures.
“You’ve got to move with the times because if you’re not a step ahead, you’re a step behind.”
The Wimmera league 2026 fixture has also been released with the Stawell-Ararat clash to kick the season off again as a stand-alone match on Good Friday, April 3.
The Horsham Demons-Horsham Saints Anzac Day clash will be a stand-alone match with the balance of the round to be played the previous Saturday.
Wimmera will stick with its Saturday preliminary final after previously playing Sunday to avoid a clash with the Horsham District league grand final.
“We’ve got our draw out nice and early to give them plenty of time to work it through,” acting Wimmera chairman Bart Turgoose said.
“But this year when our prelim was on the same day as their grand final, we had our biggest prelim since Covid and they had their biggest grand final since Covid.
“We also had our biggest grand final gate since Covid as well.
“Our clubs are also getting their full seven-day break between the prelim and grand final on top of bigger numbers attending.”
The Wimmera league grand final will be played on September 19.
The North Central league 2026 fixture has also dropped with the most significant change being the grand final being pushed back a week to the third Saturday in September.
League general manager Lance Standfield said a majority of clubs didn’t want to play on Anzac Day with the result being an extension of the season by one week and the grand final played September 19.
The North Central also has a bye on the King’s Birthday weekend in early June.
The option of playing the second semi-final and first semi-final on the same weekend to avoid the season going one week longer was also rejected.
The North Central league will also start the weekend after Easter and reigning premiers Calder United and Birchip-Watchem will meet in the grand final replay in round 2 on April 18.
