By Max Davies

Wallan Football Netball Club’s 2023 campaign was capped off by a presentation night that recognised the season’s best across all divisions.

This year’s Riddell District, RDFNL, season featured a total of four Wallan sides in the football and netball finals, while the women’s football team won the division three premiership in the Northern Football Netball League, NFNL.

A highlight of presentation night was longtime club servant Stevie Bell being named a life member.

While the reserves’ runners-up spot was the closest the Magpies got to a men’s premiership, senior football netball president Stuart Broomfield said it was a positive season for the club.

“If we had thought this is where we were going to be this time last year, we’d take that every day of the week,” he said.

“We were a hair away from making the grand final in the seniors, the reserves made the grand final and the under 19.5 made the preliminary, which was a great effort considering all the injuries and challenges they had.”

Recognised at Wallan’s presentation night were football best and fairest winners Steven Boyall, seniors; Matt Traynor, reserves; and Max Russell, under 19.5s; as well as joint women’s winners Shazi Cappello and Kelly Lennox.

Traynor also won the RDFNL reserves best and fairest award while Wallan was named club of the year for the league. Lennox won the NFNL women’s division three best and fairest.

In netball, Teagan Walker, Dakota Lister, Ella Mahoney and Lily Donovan won best and fairest for the A Grade, B Grade, C Grade and under 19 divisions respectively, while coach Lucas Bennett-Hullin was named Wallan’s club person of the year.

A Grade best and fairest runner-up Gemma Grimmond was also the joint winner of the RDFNL Janine Ryan Medal for best and fairest at the league’s presentation night last month.

“It was a good turnout, we had two league medalists one for the netball and one for the reserves, so that was a good achievement,” Broomfield said.

“Matty Traynor won the reserves last year as well, and he also won the league best and fairest this year also, so it was a great effort.”

Broomfield said the club was now looking ahead to the 2024 season and beyond, part of which will feature the women’s side moving to division two of the NFNL.

“It gives us something to build on for next year, in our football senior list we’ve got a lot of young players, and same with netball with a lot of young girls coming through. It’s all going well for the future,” he said.

“It’s going to help us moving forward, they’re only going to get better.”

Wallan Football Netball Club awards