Wow. Time flies when you are having fun. That season went far too quickly! If we rewind all the way back to August 2025, we were in the middle of getting this famous club back up and running. Hundreds of phone calls, over a hundred face-to-face meetings and the beginning of a culture rebuild.

We hit the ground running in November, with 65 players on the track for the first night. There was a real buzz around the club, and it was so good to see the blue and white colours back on Schramms Reserve.

If we had to pick one word to best describe our season, it would be “togetherness.” We faced some battles along the way, but one thing remained consistent – the resolve of the playing group. They not only stuck together, but stuck with us as coaches, and we are incredibly proud of the group this year.

Whilst yes, we didn’t make finals – which was something we had hoped to achieve – but we showed genuine improvement from Round 1 through to Round 18. The group continued to grow closer each week, and that will hold us in good stead moving forward.

Some of the highlights of the season included our first senior win against Forest Hill, a line-in-the-sand game against Chirnside Park where we took it right up to a premiership contender, a Friday night win under lights for the reserves, the reserves knocking off Bulleen Templestowe on their deck, and seeing Chris Annakis and Josh Lumicisi don the hoops again.

Our committee are the lifeblood of the club. Yes, we get plenty of pats on the back for recruiting, but without our amazing committee, there is simply no DFC. Your efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, and we promise we will repay all of the hard work done.

From the coaches, from the bottom of our hearts, we really appreciate the support we received this season from our committee, sponsors, families and DFC supporters. Thank you to everyone for your support this season. Hard work has already begun for 2027, and we can’t wait to get into next year!

Enjoy the break, and we can’t wait to see you back at the club next season.

Seniors Awards
Hirsch Medal (Senior Best & Fairest Winner): Mitch Wilkinson
Mitch Wilkinson won the first Hirsch Medal at the club since returning from recess. As our senior co-captain, he did an amazing job connecting this new group together. He played a variety of roles for us and had a big impact when he moved onto the ball in the second half of the year. Tough as nails, hard to beat one-on-one and a genuine athlete. He thoroughly deserves this award, and we are thrilled to have him at Doncaster FC.

Best & Fairest – Second Place: Blake Pantas
Blake Pantas, at such a young age, is doing some incredible things at senior level. His back half of the year was huge for us. He is cool with ball in hand, super clean and always makes the right decision. A midfielder who started to receive plenty of attention from the opposition late in the season and was big for us around clearance. A fantastic effort to finish runner-up after a terrific season.

Best & Fairest – Third Place: Ethan Robinson
Ethan Robinson had a great year for us as one of our senior captains. He has been a glue for the group in connecting everyone. He is explosive, tough as nails and hits the scoreboard. He thoroughly deserves his top-three finish.

Most Consistent: Craig Griffin
Craig Griffin has been an awesome recruit for us in season 2026, and it wasn’t just his football, it was his leadership with the group all year. Always driving high standards for us and wanting what’s best for the club. Griffo had a terrific season down back, consistently taking the opposition’s most dangerous small forward and never complaining.

Most Improved: Solomon Marsh
Solomon Marsh’s development from Round 1 to 18 has been one of the great stories of the season. With ball in hand, he is very calm under pressure and his one-on-one work was terrific down back. He is going to be a player for us with such a high ceiling.

Reserves Awards
Best & Fairest – First Place: Josh Hocking
Josh Hocking had an outstanding season and is a well-deserved winner of the B&F. His consistency, run and drive were key factors for the reserves throughout the season and he often looked a class above.

Best & Fairest – Second Place: Kyle Hocking
Kyle Hocking started the season as a forward but was quickly moved into the midfield and thrived. He had some outstanding games, with his pace and line-breaking proving pivotal throughout the season.

Best & Fairest – Third Place: Andrew Reyment
Andy Reyment had an outstanding season in the backline. His ability to compete was second to none. I can’t remember him losing many one-on-ones, if any, while also providing plenty of punch and run out of the back half. Keep an eye on this bloke for some senior footy going forward.

Most Consistent: Jonathan Harding
Jonathan Harding led by example from the first day of pre-season, and this carried through the season with tremendous consistency. A key contributor week in and week out, playing several different roles with little fuss. You love having a player like Jono in your team.

Most Improved: Luke Hendriks
Luke Hendriks’ season probably started a little slowly after not being selected in Round 1, but he worked away and, in the second half of the season, had some fantastic games which helped the team get over the line. The Bulleen Templestowe game is one that stands out, where he rucked all day on his own tirelessly, came out on top and was a key factor in the twos’ upset win over our arch rivals.

Club Awards
Heart of Doncaster: Max Lennox
Max Lennox epitomises one of our core values from when we returned to competition in 2026, and that was building the right culture and ensuring everyone was willing to roll up their sleeves and put the effort in. You have to want to volunteer and put your time and energy into a football club. Max not only was a player for us, but each week continued to put his hand up to help. Whether it was doing senior stats, helping with meals on a Thursday or goal umpiring the reserves when he wasn’t playing. He epitomises what our culture is about, and we really appreciate all of his effort this year.

The Marie Dawson Award (Best Club Person): Joshua Irish
Joshua Irish has played a major role in giving our social media a fresh look in 2026, creating content throughout the season and helping showcase the people, moments and stories that make up our football club – all while also pulling on the hoops each week. Joshua has played his part in helping build the identity and culture of the club in our first season back, and we couldn’t be more appreciative of everything he has contributed throughout 2026. It is this willingness to contribute wherever he can that makes Joshua a deserving recipient of our Best Club Person award.

Congratulations to all of our 2026 award winners, and thank you to every player, volunteer and supporter who contributed to our first season back.

The foundations have been laid. The hunt continues in 2027 🦈