Football
Seniors
On a mild, calm and overcast day, Monbulk faced an improving Officer side at their Moores Road reserve. The winless Hawks were coming off a big loss to Woori while Officer had pushed flag favourites Wandin all the way on the previous weekend. The return of Ziggy Hatherley from injury was a welcome addition for the Hawks.

The match favoured Officer early as they kicked three quick goals to establish a 20 point lead in the first quarter. The Hawks made some headway in the second term with some good passages of play but they had to work hard for their goals as they reduced the margin to 9 points at the main break.

The relentless pressure that Monbulk were applying to the Officer ball carriers reaped rewards in the third term when they hit the front before two late goals by the Kangaroos restored their 10 point buffer at the last change.

The Hawks finally got some reward for their hard work when their constant attacks resulted in a five goal to one last quarter and ran out winners by two goals in what had been an entertaining game. Joel Wensley laid his claim for mark of the year with one of his big leaps.

Monbulk 13.5.83 def Officer 10.11.71
Best: Mitchell Veit, Lochlan Beecroft, Patrick Snoxell, Joel Wensley, Joshua Spencer, Josh Wentworth
Goals: Joel Wensley 4, Josh Wentworth 3, Ziggy Hatherley 2, Lochlan Beecroft 1, Dylan Werts 1, Nicholas Wall 1, Joshua Dawson 1

Reserves
Officer are one of two undefeated teams in the Reserves, along with Mt. Evelyn, but for the first half it was Monbulk who showed better run and system before two late goals by Officer got their noses in front by 2 points at half time. The Kangaroos won the match in the third term as they kicked half of their goals in that quarter to go to a game high 27 point lead. Monbulk never gave up and clawed back some of the deficit in their best performance of the year to date against a quality opponent.

Monbulk 8.10.58 def by Officer 10.11.71
Best: Ryan Burleigh, Daniel Banks, Daniel Cleary, Karl Ravenhorst, Noah Rutherford, Finn Horsfall
Goals: Ryan Burleigh 2, Hamish Emmett 1, Thomas Berman 1, Daniel Banks 1, Noah Rutherford 1, Nicholas Heron 1, Steven Shankly 1

Under 18s
The Hawks were undermanned with just 18 players available to Officer’s 23 and the match was played at 16 a side. Officer are the undefeated ladder leaders and their ability meant that the ball spent most of the time in Monbulk’s backline. The Hawk backs deserve commendation for the spirit they showed in constantly trying to repel a barrage of attacks.

Monbulk 1.2.8 def by Officer 18.21.129
Best: Blake Nicholson, Cohen Mitchell, Thomas Hill, Jed Fraser, Isaac Mullinder, Charlie Seamer
Goals: Isaac Mullinder 1

Netball
A Grade
The Hawks (first) met ROC (third) in what was to be a very fast and interesting clash between two finals contenders. There was little separating the sides for the first half as Monbulk held a small 28-26 lead. In the second half the Hawks were able to get the game on their terms with some great defensive intercepts and pressure limiting the Kangaroo’s ability to score. The undefeated Hawks slipped to second on percentage but now have a two game break over third placed ROC. Peri Reid leads the competition shooting with 210 goals to date, 25 ahead of Mt. Evelyn’s Rory Barr.

Monbulk 55 def ROC 40
Best: Nicole Macdowell, Georgia Himmelreich, Grace Scott-Thomas
Goals:Peri Reid 45, Jorja Wragg 9, Nicole Macdowell 1

B Grade
In the Grand Final rematch it was ROC who started off better and had doubled Monbulk’s score in the first half. The Hawks regrouped and played a strong brand of netball against the ladder leaders to win the second half but were unable to reduce the margin sufficiently.

Monbulk 49 def by ROC 65
Best: Asha Jones, Chloe Carmichael, Chloe Baker
Goals: Chloe Baker 29, Dayna Walsham 12, Chloe Carmichael 4, Olivia Crook 4

C Grade
Vice-Captain Grace Sands played her 150th match for the club. Grace made her club debut in 2008 and was a member of the B Grade premiership that year. Injuries, and living interstate for a while, have meant that it has been a long road to get to this milestone. The Hawks were very competitive for the first half but were unable to maintain momentum against the second placed ROC.

Monbulk 24 def by ROC 50
Best: Candice Freeling, Zali Utting, Emma Mason
Goals: Maddy Buckland 15, Grace Sands 6, Macy Giling 3

D Grade
Monbulk played their best game for the year against an undefeated ROC side to snatch a thrilling two goal win and move into the Top 5 in the process.

Monbulk 34 def ROC 32
Best: Jamie Sands, Chelsea Borkowski, Katrina Wragg
Goals: Jamie Sands 32, Emily Asling 2

Under 17s
Monbulk’s two Under 17s teams came up against the two undefeated teams in this division. Both sides played some good netball at times but were met by quality opponents.

Monbulk Gold 12 def by ROC Blue 40
Best: Isabelle Cross, Kaia Stewart, Stevie Mullinder
Goals: Kaitlyn Summers 6, Amelia Magarry 5, Summer Kuppers 1

Monbulk Maroon 29 def by Woori Yallock 70
Best: Chelsea Ferguson, Isla Stubbs, Maddison Calcagno
Goals: Chelsea Ferguson 26, Isla Stubbs 2, Ahliya Wragg 1

Under 15s
Both Under 15s teams played superb matches. The Gold team defeated the reigning undefeated premiers ROC Blue for the first time ever with a convincing 5 goal victory in the Grand Final rematch. It was ROC Blue’s first loss since losing to Monbulk in the 2024 2nd Semi Final. The combination of Eden and Amelia, the competition’s two leading goal shooters, together with a cohesive team across the court has made this team a must watch. The Maroon team notched their first win of the year in a powerful performance over Woori Yallock, setting up the win with a 17-2 second quarter.

Monbulk Gold 26 def ROC Blue 21
Best: Eden Murphy, Daphne Mitchell, Ruby Irwin
Goals: Amelia Magarry 16, Eden Murphy 10

Monbulk Maroon 48 def Woori Yallock 25
Best: Isabelle Kos, Hayden Brady, Jessica Verheyen
Goals: Isabelle Kos 35, Grace Gaunt 10, Jessica Verheyen 3