Kangaroo Flat

Kangaroo Flat Football Netball Club is seeking Expressions of Interest for Senior, Reserves & Under 18 Football coaching positions for 2024 season and beyond.

The Club is seeking a Senior coach that will work with the coaching staff to develop and build our current playing group. We are committed to ensure the incumbent is supported  in development and future success of the club.

• Inclusive leadership.
• Effective communication.
• Active listening.
• Ability to give (and receive) feedback.
• Support & Encourage Development

To apply, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Phone 0419 325 937, along with your professional resume and a summary of your experience.

The Kangaroo Flat Football Netball Club, affiliated with the Bendigo Football Netball League, is seeking sports trainers for the 2023 football and netball season.

We require trainers for Tuesday and Thursday training sessions and Saturday match days.

Hours can be flexible and remuneration negotiated.

Experience is desirable but not essential, as training can be arranged.

All enquiries to be directed to Leigh Bailey, President of the Kangaroo Flat Football Netball Club.

Phone – 0419 325 937

Email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kangaroos bound into another showdown with Dragons

KANGAROO Flat bounced its way into another showdown with Sandhurst in the Bendigo Bank Bendigo FNL A-grade netball series.

The Kangaroos stayed in the premiership race as it dominated Sunday’s first semi-final with Eaglehawk at Queen Elizabeth Oval.

The Jayden Cowling-coached Roos bounced back from a four-goal loss to Sandhurst in the first semi-final to end the Hawks’ season.

In a strong four-quarter performance, Kangaroo Flat poured in 66 goals and kept the Two Blues to a tally of 33.

The Kylie Piercy-coached Eaglehawk had played well to win the elimination final against Strathfieldsaye by five goals, but had few answers to combat the skill and finals experience of the Kangaroo Flat line-up.

The Roos now take on Sandhurst in Saturday’s preliminary final.

At stake is the chance to meet Gisborne in the September 21 grand final.

The Tarryn Rymer-coached Gisborne is on track to claim consecutive premierships after a 51-38 win against Sandhurst in the second semi-final.

The Bulldogs have beaten the Tamara Gilchrist-coached Dragons in all three matches this season.

It’s three-nil in favour of the Dragons against Kangaroo Flat so far in ’24.

Sandhurst has won its matches with the Roos by margins of seven, five and four goals.

It was a memorable Sunday for Strathfieldsaye on first semi-final day.

The Storm kept premiership hopes alive in A-reserve, B-reserve, and 17-and-under.

Strathfieldsaye ended Maryborough’s run as it charged to a 51-41 victory in A-reserve.

It was a three-goal thriller in B-reserve as Storm held on for a 54-51 win against Kangaroo Flat.

The day’s play began with a two-goal win for Strathfieldsaye in the 17-and-under clash with Maryborough.

Storm led 61-59 at the final siren.

Four goals was the difference in B-grade as Kangaroo Flat bounced its way to a 52-48 win against Strathfieldsaye.

On Saturday it was Gisborne against Sandhurst in four of the five matches played on second semi-final day.

First on court were Sandhurst and Golden Square in the 17-and-under match.

Both had identical 15-1 records in the home-and-away series.

Game three between the Dragons and Bulldogs ended in a 60-39 win for Sandhurst.

It was three-one in favour of Gisborne against Sandhurst in other grades.

The teams in red, white and blue advanced to the September 21 grand finals in A-grade, A-reserve and B-reserve.

The B-grade and B-reserve second semi-finals were closely-fought.

The Dragons fired their way to a 50-46 win in B-grade.

In B-reserve it was Gisborne which led 50-45 after the final play.

Gisborne’s unbeaten run in A-reserve kept rolling as it scored a 43-36 win against the maroon and blue.

A 51-38 result for Gisborne in A-grade was the Bulldogs’ 14^th victory of the season.

Bendigo FNL netball first semi-finals scoreboard:

A-grade: Kangaroo Flat 66 d Eaglehawk 33.

A-reserve: Strathfieldsaye 51 d Maryborough 41.

B-grade: Kangaroo Flat 52 d Strathfieldsaye 48.

B-reserve: Strathfieldsaye 54 d Kangaroo Flat 51.

17-and-under: Strathfieldsaye 61 d Maryborough 59.

Bendigo FNL netball second semi-finals scoreboard:

A-grade: Gisborne 51 d Sandhurst 38.

A-reserve: Gisborne 43 d Sandhurst 36.

B-grade: Sandhurst 50 d Gisborne 46.

B-reserve: Gisborne 50 d Sandhurst 45.

17-and-under: Sandhurst 60 d Golden Square 39.

There will be five clubs which feature in the Bendigo FNL’s netball preliminary finals on Saturday at the QEO in View Street.

Schedule for Saturday’s preliminary finals at Queen Elizabeth Oval:

17-and-under at 10am: Golden Square v Strathfieldsaye.

B-reserve at 11.20am: Sandhurst v Strathfieldsaye.

B-grade at 12.40pm: Gisborne v Kangaroo Flat.

A-reserve at 2pm: Sandhurst v Strathfieldsaye.

A-grade at 3.20pm: Sandhurst v Kangaroo Flat

With the 2024 season very close, let’s look back at what happened in the opening round 28 years back.

Two of the big clubs of the mid-Nineties played a cracker to open the 1996 season at Dower Park.

Kyneton downed home club Kangaroo Flat by 10 points in a Dower Park clash where 45 goals were landed for the day.

There was a restrained mood in the Roos’ rooms after the game as a loss wasn’t an ideal way to celebrate champion midfielder Ron Wicks’ 200^th game.

The other big highlight of Rd. 1 28 years ago was Steven Oliver’s astonishing 19-goal haul against Northern United.

Yes, that’s correct. Nineteen snag rolls in Castlemaine’s 48.19 (307) to 7.5 (47) 260-point slaughter of the Swallows.

Maryborough wore down South Bendigo at Princes Park and marched home to a 46-point win with big men Jamie Bond, Ross Cuthbertson and Richard Peart on top in the marking and ruck hitout battles.

And Golden Square landed an astounding 10 last quarter goals at Canterbury Park to bury home side Eaglehawk by 66 points.

First gamer Mark Fulton from the VSFL Southern Stingrays finished with seven goals for the Wade Street Dogs while Damien Wingrave nailed five for the Hawks.

But back to the big Dower Park season opener.

Kyneton unearthed a new forward of real potential in Wayne Eve as the Tigers gradually wore down a spirited Flat.

Eve booted seven goals in a dazzling display at the spearhead and even though a total of 45 goals were landed for the afternoon Eve grabbled the spotlight with his match-winning effort.

Mind you, the Tigers had other great attacking targets in Bendigo Pioneer Luke Beattie (5 goals) and Rohan Larkin (4) while the Roos relied on Barry Pitson and David Lancaster (5 each) as their main goal scorers.

After a stunning first term in which 14 majors were landed, the last few minutes of the second quarter proved the most pivotal of the contest.

The Roos had slipped out to a handy break close to time-on in the second period with only about five minutes left on the clock.

But a couple of turnovers and a line-ball 50m penalty against Flat defender Steve Whitty, all of which resulted in Kyneton majors, lifted the Tigers within a point by half-time: 13.7 to 13.8.

Coach Derrick Filo and veteran on-baller Tony Kelly lifted the Tigers in the all-important third term with Kyneton outscoring the home side 5.7 to 3.3 to establish a valuable last change buffer: 18.14 to 16.11.

Eve bagged three of his seven goals in the ‘premiership quarter’ including one right on the three quarter time siren when he marked a Rohan Larkin pass and goaled from 50m out.

And then Larkin nailed two of his four goals for the day in the final stanza and even though the Roos added 6.3 to the Tigers 5.4 they couldn’t quite bridge the gap.

At Princes Park Maryborough fans were anticipating a day of high marking and big ruck tap-outs with Bond, Peart and Cuthbertson matched up against South’s big men John Hill and Brad Day.

Incredibly the Bloods had only six players from its 1995 grand final day squad of 22 on the field for Rd. 1.

The Princes Park Pies were inaccurate in the opening stanza landing only five goals from 12 scoring shots (5.7) while South kept in touch with a 4.1 first term.

As the match wore on Gordon Sumner and Geoff MacIlwain continued to dominate the inside ball count while Phil Hetherington provided the Bloods with an important focal point.

He sank three of South’s first term majors from limited opportunities to keep the Bloods in touch.

Maryborough’s eventual Michelsen Medallist Matt Aston continued his run right throughout the game as did the nippy Bryce Delidio, the Addy’s reporter-at-the-match Barry Denner reported.

“For South Frank Burke tried valiantly across his half-back flank, but had to lower his colours late in the second half to young Magpie wingman Aston.

“Aston took a spectacular mark on Burke’s shoulders to set up a Maryborough goal to mark his influence on the Magpies’ win,” Denner noted.

And he stated that Maryborough’s pacy new small men in Jim Moniz from Carisbrook and Bryce Delidio from Echuca had bolstered Maryborough’s speed across each line.

At Canterbury Park Square notched 13 goals to Eaglehawk’s five in a dominant second half although Addy writer Peter Harrick noted that two Blues recruit James Voutier restricted match-winner Fulton to just two second half goals.

The Dogs had best afield Bowden Hamilton, who alternated between half-back and half-forward, and he set up attack after attack for the Square and when in the back half combined well with teammates with accurate passes to Fulton.

Darren Moorhead and Peter Garner created drive from the tap-outs and boundary throw-ins for the Square while Brad Giri was prominent across the Dogs’ half-back line.

The home side had Damien Wingrave as their spearhead although Rowan O’Hara could have been more of a problem for the Dogs had he held onto more marks.

Harrick noted that Eaglehawk, with eight new players in the side, would improve “when players get to know each other a bit better after a few more matches.”

“And Danny O’Shannessy who had his wrong kicking boot on will be a good player for the Hawks as the season continues on.”

For the record down at the Camp Reserve Castlemaine nailed 14 majors in the first term, eight in the second, 12 in the third and wound up with another 14 in the last stanza.

Final scores: Castlemaine 48.19 (307) def. N. United 7.5 (47); G. Square 22.19 (151) def. E’hawk 12.13 (85); M’borough 20.18 (138) def. Sth. Bendigo 14.9 (93) and Kyneton 23.18 (156) def. Kang. Flat 22.14 (146). Bye: Sandhurst.

Main goalkickers, Round 1, 1996: Steven Oliver (Cm) 19; Mark Fulton (GS), Kel Stevens (Cm) and Wayne Eve (Kyn) all 7; Brett Fitzpatrick (Cm) 6; Luke Beattie (Kyn), Steve Heincke (GS), Barry Pitson (KF) and Dave Lancaster (KF) all 5.

I know it’s a bit further down the track, but by mid-June in 2005 Ollie had booted 967 goals in 202 games.

Ladder: C’maine 1 win, 0 losses, 0 byes, 653.19%, 4 prem. pts; G. Square 1-0-0, 177.65% 4; M’borough 1-0-0, 148.3%; 4; Kyneton 1-0-0, 166-85%, 4; Sandhurst 0 games, no losses, 1 bye, 0 per cent, 4 points.

Outside Top Five: Kang. Flat, South Bgo, E’hawk, Nthn United.

Netball results, A grade: Kang. Flat 34 def. Kyneton 13; Maryboro 60 def. Sth. Bgo 32; E’hawk 55 def. G. Square 45; C’maine 84 def. Nthn. Utd. 17. Sandhurst, bye.

B grade: Kang. Flat 52 def. Kyneton 29; Maryboro 66 def. Sth. Bgo 31; G. Square 34 def. E’hawk 28; C’maine 58 def. Nthn. Utd. 10.

Gazetted Rd. 2 footy and netball draw for 13^th April 1996: Northern Utd. vs. Sandhurst; Kang. Flat vs. C’maine; G. Square vs. Kyneton; South Bendigo vs. Eaglehawk and Maryborough bye.

Footnote: Northern United officially went into recess on 12^th April 1996, a few days following the Maine match, with the Swallows’ committee calling in BFL officials John Walsh (chairman) and Kevin McNaughton (CEO) after meeting behind closed doors for 75 minutes.

Clearly the BFL draw had to be re-arranged swiftly with Rds. 2 and 3 looming, so a club meeting was called for early the following week.

Although Castlemaine’s ladder percentage boost from the Camp Reserve game wasn’t allowed to accrue for the Magpies there was one other important ruling.

Oliver was allowed to retain his 19 goals so the chase for the ’96 goal-kicking medal was virtually all over before Rd. 2 even began. Including six majors in the finals he ended 1996 with 90.

FRIENDS for decades, Karly Bingham and Alicia McGlashan joined an exclusive club in this season’s netball action in the Bendigo Bank Bendigo FNL season.

When both marked their 300^th matches on the same day and at the same venue, Bingham and McGlashan earned life membership of the Bendigo FNL.

Both were presented with their medals at Sunday night’s Michelsen Medal and Betty Thompson Medal vote count and awards presentation at Bendigo Club.

McGlashan’s netball journey began at Marong in 1993.

Family links to the Binghams meant it was not long before the gun defender made her way to Kangaroo Flat’s court in Dower Park.

“Carol Bingham (Karly’s mum) was one of the main reasons I joined Kangaroo Flat,” McGlashan said of the netball coaching doyen.

“Carol had a massive influence on my life, not just in netball.”

An incredible run that McGlashan had with the Roos included seven premierships – six in A-grade, and runner-up for the Betty Thompson Medal as league fairest and best a decade ago.

As a 15-year-old, McGlashan won an A-grade title in her first year with the Kangaroos.

There were 13 grand final appearances, thousands of hours spent training and travelling to matches.

“The friendships are all so special,” McGlashan said of her time in netball.

On-court her game has evolved.

“In my younger days it was all about speed and jump.”

Karly Bingham is a five-time A-grade premiership player with Kangaroo Flat and also won two in A-reserve.

The 300-game players were still going strong across this season.

McGlashan as coach of South Bendigo in A-grade, and Karly in B-grade.

“It was amazing we both played our 300^th games on the same day,” McGlashan said of when South Bendigo met Kangaroo Flat at Harry Trott Oval in Kennington.

“Karly and I have had so many great times together.”

A gun mid-courter, Bingham set up so many attacks in the Kangaroos’ run to premiership glory across the years.

“To be awarded life membership is awesome.”

She also spoke of her mum’s incredible devotion to netball which led to being one of the first netball specific BFNL Hall of Fame inductees in 2019.

“Netball has been such a big part of my life,” Karly Bingham said.

“For a medal to be named after mum is so special. It is fantastic the league recognises mum each year.

“Life membership being awarded to me is something she would be super proud about.”

Karly said the 300^th game was a special moment across many in her netball journey.

“It’s a day I will always remember.”

Away from the netball court, McGlashan and Bingham are both mums.

They said the support from family was incredibly important and meant they could continue to play and be involved with a sport they love

Six new coaches were appointed over summer in 2010 as BFNL clubs prepared for the 2011 season.

There were some top names among the appointments, headlined by Maryborough’s Michelsen Medallist Matt Aston and Gisborne’s ‘Rolls Royce’ Luke Saunders.

The other quartet of new faces included Luke Monaghan (Eaglehawk), Derrick ‘Dekka’ Filo (Kyneton), Darryl Wilson (Strathfieldsaye) and Tony Graham (Sandhurst).

Graham wasn’t a brand-new mentor, though. He’d led the Dragons from 1997 to 2000 including a 1998 grand final loss to Maryborough by 47 points.

He took over from Sandhurst stalwart Kieran Nihill who’d served a three-year stint.

Going through the others alphabetically club-wise, Monaghan was at the Canterbury Park helm following Filo’s eight-season era which had resulted in two senior premierships.

Monaghan had previously coached the Hawks under-18s from 2005 to 2007 and he’d then had three years as the Bendigo Pioneers assistant coach.

Four-time premiership player and Michelsen medallist Saunders took over the Graveyard duties from Ty Elliott.

Not only had he played in the Bulldogs’ string of flag wins he’d also captained the successful sides in 2005 and 2006.

Saunders’ Gisborne side went down to Golden Square in the classic 2012 grannie which wasn’t decided until the final kick of the day.

Final scores: Square 16.10 (106) def. Gisborne 14.19 (103).

A Michelsen Medallist just like Saunders, Aston headed into his first coaching role at Princes Park.

He took over from Shane Fisher who’d led the Maryborough Magpies for three, consecutive seasons.

Filo had previously coached the Kyneton Tigers from 1995 to 1997, leading them to their famous flags in 1995 and 1997.

He’d also coached Kangaroo Flat from 2000 to 2002 taking the Roos to the 2000 grand final against Castlemaine where poor kicking let the Roos down.

Final scores: Castlemaine 12.11 (83) def. Kangaroo Flat 9.17 (71).

Filo took over from Paul Houston who’d coached the Tigers for two seasons: 2009-2010.

Although we didn’t know it then, a dozen years back, Strath Storm’s Wilson would become the most successful and prominent coach of the modern era.

He’d been in charge at Dower Park in 2008 and 2009 and had suceeded in leading the Roos to the 2009 preliminary final.

Final scores: South Bendigo 16.11 (107) def. K. Flat 10.15 (75). The Roos had downed Eaglehawk and Gisborne in earlier finals in that 2009 season.

And then out at Tannery Lane Darryl has moulded the BFNL’s premier side of the modern era as the Storm won flags in 2014-15 and then again in 2017 and 2019.

So that was the list of 2011’s brand new incoming coaches.

But four senior coaches from 2010 had stayed on for the upcoming season.

Premiership mentor Nick Carter would lead Golden Square for another season although he took a couple of weeks after the Wade Street Dogs 2010 flag celebrations had eased off to re-sign with his club.

Paul Eyles was returning for a return stint with Castlemaine and like Carter was going to be back for a second year.

However, Eyles had also enjoyed an earlier crack at coaching in the early Noughties.

He led the Camp Reserve Pies in 2004-2005.

Third returning coach was Murray Collins at Kangaroo Flat who, like Carter and Eyles, was saddling up for a second year.

Longest serving coach to re-sign was South’s Rick Coburn who was going into his fifth season.

He’d taken the Bloods to two second finishes in 2009 and 2010 along with 3^rd and 4^th placings, but sources had told footy writers the Bloods would go into 2011 with a much younger list.

2009 grand final: G Square 16.12 def. S. Bendigo 10.11 and 2010 grand final, G. Square 11.21 def. S. Bendigo 8.10.

So how did this impressive array of coaches end up as September in 2011 wound to a close?

Well, Carter’s Square finished unbeaten on top  of the ladder with an 18 win-0 loss record and cantered home in the grand final over Eaglehawk by 135 points.

They restricted the Two Blues to just five majors for the day.

At the other end of the table Filo’s Tigers didn’t win a game so they finished up with the exact reverse to Square: 0 wins and 18 losses.

So the ladder read at the end of August: Golden Square 18 wins, 0 losses, 72 prem. points, 267.3%; Eaglehawk 13-5, 52, 133.5%; Gisborne 12-6, 48, 142.99%; Sandhurst 11-7, 44, 130.5%; South Bendigo 11-7, 44, 117.4%.

Outside the Five: S’saye Storm 9-9, 36, 124.1%; Maryborough 9-9, 36, 81.8%; Kang. Flat 5-13, 20, 84.8%; C’maine 2-16, 8 prem. points, 55.9% and Kyneton 0-18, 0 points, 27.45%.

So Carter ended 2011 with a brilliant season -- home and away and finals. An unbeaten season for the Square.

And apart from the disastrous grand final Monaghan’s Two Blues did OK. As did Saunders with the Graveyard Dogs reaching the preliminary final.

Graham and Coburn probably rated in the 60-65 per cent mark as both clubs were gone by the end of the second week of the finals.

Wilson’s Storm were pretty new to the BFNL in 2011 so he gets a pass mark and so does Aston with the Princes Park Pies.

Both clubs had a nine win-nine loss record

Eyles and ‘Muzza’ Collins fall short of a pass mark, but at least the Roos under Collins scraped together five wins.

But Filo’s at the bottom of the barrel with the winless Tigers not setting any benchmarks at the Kyneton Showgrounds.

And there were some familiar faces in district coaching ranks for the 2011 season.

In the Heathcote DFNL North Bendigo had appointed Damien Lock, who’d played 18 AFL games for Carlton in 1998 and 1999.

Locky was also an Eaglehawk premiership player and back a little further in his footy career had won the VFL’s Bendigo Diggers fairest and best award.

Ash Wilson was the new coach at HDFL club Huntly. He’d enjoyed a fine career with Kangaroo Flat and had later coached premiership sides at Wandella and in partnership with Barry Pitson took Mitiamo to their 1999 flag.

Matt Pinniger was back in familiar territory at Colbinabbin as he took over from Brent Millar who’d led the Grasshoppers to the 2008 HDFNL flag.

At Mount Pleasant well-travelled local footy personality Denis Grinton had been named as the Mounts coach.

He took over from former Gisborne star Shane Davis who’d handed in his resignation in November 2010.

But it was a late appointment for Mounts as Grinton’s coaching job wasn’t revealed until mid-December.

Jason ‘Jugga’ Stevens was the new man at White Hills having stepped up from assistant coach.

Stevens served under Brent Dyer and for the 2011 season would have ex-South Bendigo outside midfielder Gavin Bowles as his assistant.

Incoming coaches in the LVFL for 2011 included Phil Walsh (YCW) who’d previously coached the Eagles to their 1997 flag.

Jim Angove was taking up the reins at the Marong Panthers, Phil Birchmore was to helm Newbridge while up at Pyramid Hill Leigh Davies was taking over from Shawn Filo whose health issues meant he had to step down.