After a wild first week of finals, our semi final match ups will provide many intriguing battles with grand final glory and season-over consequences on the line. 

When North Ballarat finished the home-and-away season fourth, Annie McCartin probably didn’t picture her side playing for a Grand Final spot in week two of finals.

But with Lake Wendouree knocking off third-placed Redan in week one, that’s exactly where the Roosters now find themselves.

The season’s earlier meetings don’t give stat-heads much confidence that North can topple the reigning premiers — but with a double chance, anything’s possible.

Sunbury will line up much the same as they did in their qualifying final.

The midcourt battle between Tayla Honey and North’s Brydi Hutchinson will be one to watch.

Both are athletic and sharp at reading play, so expect plenty of contests and turnovers through the middle.

North Ballarat’s line-up, meanwhile, could have a few unknowns.

Georgia Bodey earned the starting GA bib while Poppy Douglas was overseas late in the season, and her speed plus long-range shooting gave the Roosters a different look in attack.

Down back, Maggie Smith (GK) and Emma Trigg (GD) combined strongly in their first final, with support through wing defence.

Against Sunbury’s Simona Di Fillipo, McCartin may look to rotate Milly Simpson, Alana Bodey or Hutchinson through that role to keep things tight.

For Sunbury, Sarah Croft looms large.

North will need to be smart with their ball movement — fakes and borks galore — to counter her ability to not only play tight one-on-one, but also peel off and cut off space.

Stacey Matthews’ nous could be key here, using her body positioning to protect the ball and draw contact.

It’s a huge task for North Ballarat, but that’s the beauty of a second chance — the chance to test combinations on the big stage.

For Sunbury, the job is simpler: stay disciplined, stick to their brand, and keep doing what’s worked all season.

Tip:Sunbury

Having already sent a strong message to the competition, Courtney McLean’s Lake Wendouree crew are perfectly placed to send another this weekend — by giving Darley a one-way ticket out of the finals race.

And judging by the Lakers’ recent form against the remaining three sides, it’s definitely a chance.

The two teams drew earlier in the season, but both are very different outfits since that meeting.

For the Devils, Montanna Holmes and Emily Fitzgerald featured, while Lucy Taylor didn’t.

For the Lakers, Mel Allen was sidelined with a calf injury, replaced by U17s and current Maryborough Giants shooter Lacey Broad.

Elonie Hooper returned, while Sadie Cheeseman and Bella Clark were notable outs.

So, with neither side yet seen at “full strength”, what can we expect from Shannon Blackman’s Devils and McLean’s Lakers?

For Darley, the main threat is Liv Cawthray (GS), who will no doubt face plenty of attention from Kate Drew (GK) and Remi Hooper (GD). That means Mon Nagle and Ailish McCormack will need to step up as scoring options through goal attack.

For the Lakers, feeding from the circle will be crucial.

Sadie Cheeseman (C) will look to work with Kara Hart, Bella Clark and Eliza Williams to keep supply flowing.

But if last week was anything to go by, Darley defenders Matilda Elliott (GK) and Anna Lawley (GD) won’t give an inch — no high ball is safe, and space is rarely what it looks like.

Expect Mel Allen to slot into the goal ring at some stage, bringing her experience to steady the Lakers’ young attack.

With both teams stacked with defenders who can generate plenty of turnover, making shots count will be the difference.

Lake Wendouree will want to replicate their commanding start from last week’s final. If the Devils can hold them early, apply pressure, and convert, they’ll give themselves every chance to control the game.

The Lakers have shown they’ve got options galore to throw at the match — the question is, do Darley have the answers?

Tip: Darley

An enthralling first week of A Grade finals raised eyebrows across the courts. From heavy-weight battles, dominant wins and upset victories, the weekend's action had it all.

North Ballarat have reminded the BFNL’s premier netball competition that they’re here to go all the way.

Annie McCartin’s Roosters produced a commanding win over the Cobras, extending their lead at every break and proving once again their ability to perform in finals.

With Poppy Douglas returning from overseas on Saturday, youngster Georgia Bodey earned the starting GA bib and more than rose to the occasion.

With goal shooter Maddy Selmon the main target under the post this season, Bodey added a new look to North’s goal ring — shooting 13 from 14 in the first half alongside Selmon’s 14 from 16.

Nichole Gleeson kept her side unchanged through the first half, letting them settle into their first finals appearance in six years.

But trailing by 12 at the main break, she made a series of changes heading into the third and throughout the second half.

Lauren Shankland, part of the winless Cobras line-up last season, was injected into wing attack, while Eliza Moodie shifted from goal defence to goal attack to take some pressure off youngster Jasmine Paama.

McCartin made changes of her own, showing the depth of the Roosters’ line-up.

Douglas slotted into goal attack, feeding Selmon as she has for much of the season, while Stacey Matthews brought fresh legs and plenty of finals experience at wing attack.

By three-quarter time, the margin had stretched to 20.

All Bacchus Marsh could do in the last was fight it out, and to their credit they did.

Kimberley Phillips became a target under the post, opened up by Paama’s movement, and the Cobras managed to take the final term 13–12.

While the season ends here for Bacchus Marsh, making finals probably feels like a win in itself — a sign of what hard work and club culture can build.

North Ballarat, meanwhile, turn their focus to Sunbury as they look to lock in a spot in the 2025 A Grade Grand Final.

If there was a team capable of writing the fairy tale of sixth beating third, we said it would be Lake Wendouree. And on Saturday at Maddingley Park, they did exactly that.

A commanding start from the Lakers was all it took to book their spot in this weekend’s Semi Final 1.

Led by defenders Kate Drew (GK) and Remi Hooper (GD), the Lakers capitalised early, feeding young shooters Ade Funcke (GS) and Ebony Porter (GA), who converted 11 of 16 attempts to Redan’s 6 from 9.

The Lions looked to shift momentum in the second quarter with the injection of recruit Tahlia Thompson into GA.

She made an immediate impact, shooting 6 from 8.

But Courtney McLean’s Lakers had a response of their own, calling on the experience of Mel Allen at GS, who steadied with 4 from 5.

Trailing by four at half-time, Redan threw everything at the contest through the midcourt.

Lily Francis and Sadie Cheeseman fought hard through the centre position, while defenders Erin Riley (GK) and coach Ash Smith (GD) started to generate turnovers in the Lakers’ attack.

The Lions dominated possession, producing 15 scoring shots to the Lakers’ 9, but Allen and Porter were clinical, finishing the quarter at a flawless 100%.

With just two goals in it heading into the last, the game was there for the taking.

Redan clawed back the lead late and looked set to spoil the fairy tale.

But the composure and relentless defence of Lake Wendouree came to the fore, just as it had in the first quarter, sealing the win by a single goal.

The Lakers now continue their dream run as they prepare to face Darley in Semi Final 1 on Sunday.

The qualifying final between Sunbury and Darley could well have been a Grand Final preview.

With the two sides boasting more players than any other team with high-level netball experience, the scoreline reflected the class of netball on display.

Sunbury wasted no time on their journey to back-to-back flags, finding competition leading goal scorer Becca Hicks under the ring, missing not a single shot in the opening term.

Down the other end, Sunbury’s Elly Randall (GK) and Eliza Gollant (GD) were able to double team Darley’s Liv Cawthray (GS) and limit the feeds to the dominate shooter.

However, captain Mon Nagle (GA) lead from the front, providing another scoring option in the goaling ring for her side.

Whilst Shannon Blackman’s side remined unchanged heading into the second term trailing by one, Kim Bailey experimented with the wing defence position across the opening half, seeing who out of Georgia Hellyer, Sarah Croft and Abigail Inglis could provide a shutdown of the speedy Lucy Taylor (WA) and provide connection in transition.

Darley’s reliable duo Anna Lawley (GD) and Matilda Elliott (GK) were able to limit the Sunbury’s feeds to Hicks in the second quarter, covering the high ball beautifully.

Similar to the Devils, it was goal attack Caitlin Hill who then provided the go to option, contributing 7 goals from 9 attempts.

With both Blackman and Bailey having done their homework on how one another’s sides play, changes at the main break were made by both teams.

For the Lions, Croft came into the centre to limit Blackman’s influence and Tayla Honey was moved to wing defence. For the Devils, Ailish McCormack entered the game into wing attack and Lucy Taylor was given the task of combating reigning dual Sally McLean medallist Simona Di Fillipo.

The game started to drift in the hands of Sunbury, extending their lead throughout the third term.

Darley responded though, bringing McCormack into the goal ring, and Jaime Smith back into wing defence.

They clawed the game back to trail by three heading into the last.

As the final quarter progressed, Sunbury extended their lead out to as much as six goals.

But the relentless pressure from the Devils and perhaps complacency from the Lions saw back-to-back turnover through attack.

The Devils capitalised and brought the score back within one.

However, it took one turnover for the Lions to find their rhythm again and remain composed and in control to take a three-goal win.

Darley will now face Lake Wendouree to keep their finals hopes alive, with Sunbury set to take on North Ballarat after Redan’s shock exit.

The McDonalds Ballarat FNL are pleased to announce its new partnership with RAD Centre - Strength & Conditioning Gym and Sports Physiotherapy for the upcoming season.

Since its foundation in 2015, RAD has built a reputation as a highly respected team of expert practitioners based in Ballarat, but servicing right across Western Victoria, helping athletes of all ages and abilities to improve their physical performance or recover from an injury.

RAD Centre offers a large range of fitness models for all different types of athletes with development plans, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, dietitian, and strength & conditioning services all available. 

An athlete is anyone seeking to be the best version of themselves.

As part of this exciting new partnership, RAD will be the premier supporters of the BFNL Football Interleague and Netball Representative programs for the 2024 season.

“The Ballarat Football Netball League are really excited about our partnership with RAD Centre," said BFNL Operations & Netball Manager, Gemma Murphy.

"This is an incredible opportunity for our players and community to have access to athlete development programs, strength and conditioning, physio and injury rehabilitation as well as dietitian services.

"This is a place for the whole of the Ballarat Football Netball League, RAD Centre is a great community with plenty of resources and we are really lucky to have formed a partnership together. We look forward to exciting times ahead.”

“We are super excited to be on board as a partner with the Ballarat FNL and can’t wait to help support everyone throughout the 2024 Footy/Netball season," said RAD Centre Director, Chris Radford.

"If you do suffer an injury at training or during a game, get in touch with our team to get it assessed and a rehab plan put in place to get you back to your sport as soon as possible.”

Find out more about RAD Centre by heading to their websiteand get started today!

2018 E-Grade Netball Grand Final - Ballarat FNC vs Melton South FNC.

A modern day Netball GF classic saw Ballarat FNC take on Melton South FNC in the 2018 E-Grade decider!

Sit back and enjoy the extended highlights, followed by the tense last quarter, all thanks to Buxton Ballarat

Get your copy of Photos taken from this game at the link to Red Photos below:

The McDonald's Ballarat FNL has called time on the senior competition for 2021.

It is with regret the board of the McDonald's Ballarat FNL have made the tough decision to cancel the 2021 senior competition finals series. This outcome will also apply to BFLW Women’s competition. 

The announcement today by the government that metro restrictions will next be considered for easing on September 23rdgives a clear timeframe of how the balance of the season could progress. 

With the unlikely ability of community sport to return to competition from this date, the earliest a game of football and netball could be conducted would be October 9th, given the need to provide a minimum 14-day period for training. 

This period would take the date of return beyond the leagues previous latest date of October 2nd. 

It is the belief of the board, given the above, certainty should be provided to our many players, volunteers and supporters who have been in a holding pattern as we live through the current COVID-affected period. 

As a result of the cancellation of senior finals for 2021, the highest-ranked clubs will be recognised as “2021 Minor Premiers” in each grade. 

The Henderson Medal for the best and fairest senior footballer and Sally McLean Medal for the best and fairest A Grade netballer will be held as an online event on Wednesday 15thSeptember. 

The junior competition will be assessed during the week of Monday 6thSeptember when the government is expected to make an announcement on regional restrictions. 

It is at this point that further advice will be provided to clubs on the junior football and netball and BFLW Youth/Girls competitions. 

On behalf of the league board, thank you to every player, official and volunteer for their patience and resilience as we tried to get the best possible outcome for the Ballarat FNL and member clubs. 

END RELEASE

Please find below important information for supporters and attendees to be aware of for this Saturdays Carlton Draught Grand Final Day at MARS Stadium.

General Information

• Mars Stadium, Creswick Rd, Ballarat

• Saturday 17th September 2022

Match Schedule

Admission prices:

• Adults $15.00
• Family (2A / 2C) $35.00
• Pensioners $8.00
• 8 - 16 y/o $6.00
• Under 8y/o Free
• Football Record $5.00

EFTPOS is available at all gates

NO DOGS

Gates:

• Main entry - Gate 1 on Creswick Rd
• Beech Ave, Wendouree (Best entry point for netball and carparking)
• North Ballarat Sports Club from 10am

Catering

Full catering is available throughout the day with bar facilities from 12pm.

Live scores

Live scores of all football and netball games are available throughout the day at:

• Football - https://bit.ly/3Q4H8gg
• Netball - https://bit.ly/3KPteh6

Live Streaming

Can't get to the game? Catch the live stream of the Senior Football and A-Grade Netball. The Senior Men's Grand Final will be live on BallaratFNL Facebook and Cluch.tv. The A-Grade Netball will be live on Cluch.tv - links below.

• Melton v Sebastopol Senior Mens Football: https://bit.ly/2022-GF-Melton-vs-Sebastopol
• North Ballarat v Darley A-Grade Netball: https://bit.ly/2022-GF-A-Grade-NorthBallarat-vs-Darley

General Parking:

• Creswick Road. No parking within concrete barriers stationed outside Gate 1.
• Around Northern Oval 2. MUST enter via Beech Avenue – Cars will NOT be able to move between the North Ballarat Sports Club Car Park & Northern Oval 2.
• STRICTLY NO PARKING IN NORTH BALLARAT SPORTS CLUB.

Disabled Parking:

• Designated disabled parking can be accessed through North Ballarat Sports Club Entry. Patrons must be always a disabled parking permit holder and display permit.

Football and Netball plays a vital part of our communities and is an important link in the social fabric of our society and we want to ensure the league is able to provide football and netball when it is possible to enhance the health and wellbeing of those connected with our sports.

Shane Anwyl has been employed by AFL Goldfields as the Operations Manager of the League for the last three years and will now be employed by the League directly to undertake all aspects of management of the League through this period of recess.

This will include engagement with our partners, social media and being available to our clubs to provide advice and assistance.

Do you make great coffee? Are you mobile and would love serving a finals crowd? Applications are now open for coffee vendors for 21 events across the McDonald's Ballarat junior, women’s and senior football and netball finals series.

The McDonald's Ballarat FNL invites expressions of interest from coffee vendors through the three BFNL finals series in 2022. There are 21 separate finals events across seniors, juniors and female finals.

All details of the finals series, venues and logistics are included in the information document (see attachment), and interested parties are required to complete the online form below. For further information or questions, please contact league general manager Shane Anwyl at 0409 072 403 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Expression of interest close Friday 22nd July 2022.

Online application form for interested vendors: 

https://www.cognitoforms.com/BallaratFNL/BFNLCoffeeVendorApplicationForm

All McDonald's Ballarat FNL competitions are paused under current restrictions as the board considers the next available steps.

With the latest restrictions placed upon regional Victoria at short notice, the board of the McDonald's Ballarat FNL is currently considering the next steps available as we look to the completion of our 2021 premiership seasons. 

As the situation stands, the senior football and netball competition is stopped until such time as restrictions allow metro and regional clubs to compete in the finals series. This also applies to the BFLW Open competition. 

It was anticipated that BFNL Junior and BFLW Youth/Juniors would commence last weekend but that did not occur due to lockdown. 

Both competitions will be paused until clarity is provided around the current restrictions. This will allow the league to consider the timeframes available for the finals series in both competitions. 

There are many factors involving several stakeholders that need to be considered, including ground availabilities and club resources. 

END RELEASE 

The McDonalds Ballarat FNL today announces a number of changes to the 2021 season based upon the recently announced COVID lockdown.

The health and safety of the wider BFNL community is of the utmost importance in any decision that is made regarding competitions, along with the advice provided by health authorities, state government and AFL Victoria.

Given today's announcement, the league wishes to advise the following impacts upon the various competitions:

SENIOR FOOTBALL & NETBALL

• The Round Seven matches scheduled for 29th May 2021 will be abandoned.
• No points or percentage shall be awarded to any team.
• Points previously allocated for a bye will be removed, with no further points awarded for future scheduled byes to ensure ladder integrity.
• The possibility of shifting Round Seven to the Queen's Birthday weekend will be investigated pending discussions with clubs.

JUNIOR FOOTBALL & NETBALL

• The Round Seven matches scheduled for 30th May 2021 will be abandoned.
• No points or percentage shall be awarded to any team.
• Points previously allocated for a bye will be removed, with no further points awarded for future scheduled byes to ensure ladder integrity.

BFLWomens

• The Round Five matches scheduled for 28th - 30th May 2021 will be abandoned.
• No points or percentage shall be awarded to any team.
• Points previously allocated for a bye will be removed, with no further points awarded for future scheduled byes to ensure ladder integrity.

It is anticipated all competitions will resume fixtured games from the weekend of 5th June 2021, pending the ongoing advice from health authorities.

The league would like to thank all our volunteers, officials and players for the tremendous work undertaken to date to ensure the various competitions of the McDonald's Ballarat FNL can be played for our communities.

Further advice and updates will be made available directly to clubs as they come to hand. The league website and social media will also have updates as they are made.

END RELEASE

As was announced through media over the weekend AFL Victoria has received approval on its Return to Play requirements from the Victoria State Government providing the opportunity for community clubs to commence training in a limited form from Monday 25th May.

The McDonald's Ballarat FNL fully supports and welcomes these measures to provide clarity for clubs on how they may take the steps to resume training.

There are steps which the club need to undertake under these protocols before training can start. 

These include:

• Each club must have a nominated Covid Safety Officer, (more than one can help to share the load)
• A maximum of two groups of ten players on an oval at any point in time.
• There is to be no swapping between members of these groups.
• Physical distancing should still be practiced wherever possible.
• Players need to arrive at training ready to train and then leave immediately after training. Get In, train and Get out
• Changerooms are not to be used, access to toilets only.
• Minimal equipment to be used. Footballs should be wiped down as often as possible and after each session.
• A register of participants maintained and retained by the club.
• Permission obtained from Local Government to use the oval.  

To further support the health and wellbeing of our clubs moving forward, a number of other measures have been put in place that include clubs completing a register of trained players with further resources available through the AFL.

There is no length of time announced of how long these restrictions will apply to training before larger group training or full training will be permitted. It will be reliant on state government announcements and then as with this current step preparation on how it will need to be implemented determined with health departments.

Further to the details announced through AFL Victoria, Netball Victoria have also released details that are consistent with this same advice.

Similarly, there is no announcement yet on any possible date to commence seasons and this will not be expected until there is a significant easing of the restrictions which currently remain in place.

It must be stressed the welcome guidelines provided for a return to training do not provide any indication or details around if and how the 2020 McDonald's Premiership Season may commence or look. That will continue to be reviewed based upon the ongoing discussions being held.

The Ballarat FNL will continue to work with our clubs at both senior and junior level through this period to provide the advice and guidance that is required. 

The McDonald's Ballarat FNL is pleased to announce a new partnership with Gawk Outdoor for Season 2022.

Look out for the promotion of various league events on the Gawk digital billboard and other exciting initiatives through 2022.

Gawk Outdoor is an outdoor advertising business with billboards across Regional Victoria. Providing high-quality outdoor advertising to Victorian businesses – both large and small - the newest digital board can be found at the corner of Mair and Humffray Streets, Ballarat.

“We are stoked to be on board for 2022 with BNFL. Our long-term vision has always been to support local business and sporting organisations, so it’s great to get the opportunity to help promote the league with our digital site. To have the flexibility to promote upcoming events, key rounds/games and league partners, we are excited to showcase the capabilities this site has to offer," said James Course, Director of Gawk Outdoor.

Following a recruitment exercise, the board of the McDonalds BFNL is pleased to announce Gemma Murphy has been successful and will be appointed Netball Manager for the league.

Gemma would be familiar to most netball contacts as a current member of the league board. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the role through umpiring across a number of leagues, previous experience as the umpire coordinator for the BFNL her role understanding the strategic direction of the league as we move through change and her desire to enhance the netball competitions in the Ballarat FNL.

With two children playing football and netball in the league, Gemma has a first hand understanding of the challenges facing clubs in this current environment.

Gemma will commence the role on a part time basis (three days per week), commencing February 1^st 2021, but will still continue in her role as a board member until the league AGM. 

The McDonald's Ballarat FNL will introduce an Independent Tribunal for season 2022. Expressions of interest are welcome from suitably qualified applicants to join the Tribunal panel. 

The McDonald's Ballarat Football Netball League will introduce a new Independent Tribunal in 2022 to hear disciplinary matters arising from the various competitions of the league.

Applications are now invited for suitably qualified people to become a member of the Independent Tribunal. Working with the Tribunal chairs, panel members will hear reports and other matters referred according to the guidelines of the AFL, AFL Victoria and Netball Victoria.

This role is ideally suited to a person who has recently retired from the game or who has a passion and interest in football and/or netball.

To express your interest, please email BFNL General Manager Shane Anwyl at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by COB Tuesday 5^th April 2022.

For further information, please contact Shane Anwyl on 0409 072 403.

Adrian Bettio, Chairman of the McDonald's Ballarat Football Netball League, has issued a joint statement alongside President of the Central Highlands Football League, Doug Hobson, asking the local football and netball community to respect and abide by the crowd restrictions put in place by government and health authorities.

 The boards of the Ballarat FNL, Central Highlands FL look forward to finals commencing this weekend after an interrupted season. 

The entire football and netball communities across the wider Ballarat region are to be commended for adapting to the everchanging protocols that are in place to keep us all safe and healthy. 

One of those protocols that are in place is the need to limit the number of people who can attend sporting events. This of course has a profound impact on our competitions, but we understand the need to have such measures to ensure we can move to a more normal environment soon. 

Whilst both leagues would welcome public, family and club members to support their teams competing, the current restrictions do not allow anymore than the minimum number of people to conduct the games of football and netball. There is, however, an allowance for one parent or carer to attend for junior players. 

Across this weekend, we ask that the football and netball community respect the restrictions put in place by government and health experts, that both leagues must abide by. 

Good luck to all teams and clubs competing this weekend and beyond. 

Regards,

Adrian Bettio - Chairman, McDonald's Ballarat FNL

Doug Hobson - President, Central Highlands FL

The McDonald's Ballarat FNL is pleased to announce the Week 1 match schedule for the McDonald’s BFNL Ballarat Toyota Junior Finals Series.

Matches will kick off with the Qualifying Finals at Northern Oval 2 on Saturday 20th August, followed by Elimination Finals at Wendouree Reserve and the Northern Oval on Sunday 21st August.

Once again, the league thanks the City of Ballarat for their support in hosting finals at the premier football and netball venues across the region and country Victoria.

View or download the scheduled football and netball matches for this weekend below.