Broadford FNC – 2021 Season in Review

In its inaugural season in the AFL Outer East competition, Broadford Football Netball Club’s 2021 campaign can be judged as successful as the Kangaroos embark on its rebuild.

The netball side of the club was super competitive, with all teams finishing in the top three on the ladder with C Grade winning the minor premiership and Rhiannon Brown winning the best & fairest award in D Grade.

Netball has always been a strong point at Harley Hammond Reserve, with club president Bonnie Cavanagh boasting of its performance in 2021, given it is the result of developing young talent through local players.

“We pride ourselves on developing our talent through the junior ranks which feeds into our senior competition who are really proud to represent the town,” Cavanagh said.

“I think we would have been a good chance to challenge for the premiership in all of our netball grades, had we been able to play finals.

“However, we are really proud of the results we got in this space because it meant we were able to cement those spots on the ladder.”

Football, on the other hand was a complete contrast, with the senior team failing to win a game in its 10 appearances.

The Kangaroos did, however, have a shining light from its reserves and under 17’s team who won two and three games respectively.

Undermanned at times throughout the year, the seconds team was always littered with encouragement and support within its playing group, coupled with the inspiration from coach Jayden Welch who motivated them to always put in 100% regardless of the outcome.

The under 17’s has some outstanding talent within it and they put in some really solid performances, which sets the club up for an exciting future as they transition into the senior side.

As part of a club review carried out a few years ago, the football department is the final piece of the puzzle where all teams are aiming to be regularly in the hunt for finals and premierships in years to come.

Broadford’s inaugural season in the Outer East provided some special highlights, with members having babies along the way and players in the football teams celebrating special milestones.

“Our dual C grade netball coaches were two of the people within our club who had kids this year and they did not miss one training session or any games,” Cavanagh mentioned.

“I don’t know how they did it, but they were that committed and so involved with everything that they managed to keep it together, which is amazing.”

Some of the standout players across the club came from the likes of Liam Lucas, Brandon Austin, Sean Duggan and Hugh Hart in the senior football side who fought hard every week.

The A grade team was strong and well balanced with much of the team being under the age of 20, but the presence of Ally Black and club veteran Ebony Heers on the court was important as they remained in contention every week.

Looking ahead into 2022, Cavanagh is hoping to increase the numbers of its strong and supportive volunteer base to help with the day-to-day running of the club, while also hoping that more players can be recruited.

“We have a small, but really strong passionate group of volunteers and have remained engaged with the club throughout the good times and the bad,” Cavanagh explained.

“We are a very tight knit group, and we all want success for our club.

So, we want to close out this year and really move forward because we can all see that the club is on the up.”

Cavanagh was appreciative of the entire club for their efforts across the season to keep things moving in what is a difficult time to navigate.

“I would love to thank the dedicated, loyal local supporters we have, our players for their strong performances and the support of our sponsors and volunteers which has been fantastic,” she said.

“It has been a holistic approach from everyone in the team to keep things moving along and I am extremely proud of everyone who has been involved with the club and how they have stood up and not given up.”

FOOTBALL	LADDER POSITION	WINS	LOSSES	DRAWS
ATC Traffic Division Two	8th	0	8	–
PFG Australia Division Two Reserves	7th	2	8	–
Box Hill Institute U17 Boys	2nd	3	3	–
NETBALL	LADDER POSITION	WINS	LOSSES	DRAWS
Kärcher Division Two A Grade	3rd	6	4	–
Kärcher Division Two B Grade	3rd	7	3	–
Kärcher Division Two C Grade	1st	9	0	1
Kärcher Division Two D Grade	2nd	7	3	–