{"id":176948,"date":"2025-09-29T06:41:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T06:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/176948\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T06:41:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T06:41:21","slug":"top-10-bendigo-football-league-matches-of-the-2025-season-bendigo-advertiser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/176948\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Bendigo Football League matches of the 2025 season | Bendigo Advertiser"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BraydenBrayden Frost and Seb Collins battle it out in the ruck during the 2025 BFNL grand final. Picture by Darren Howe<\/p>\n

With the dust settling on the 2025 Bendigo Football League season, the Addy has taken a look back at the season that was.<\/p>\n

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We’ve reviewed every game this year and selected our 10 best matches of the year.<\/p>\n

10: Eaglehawk 9.11 (65) def Gisborne 8.8 (56) – Qualifying Final<\/p>\n

Not the greatest spectacle, but this was finals footy to its core.<\/p>\n

\"BradBrad Bernacki gets a kick away during the qualifying final.<\/p>\n

Griding, contest to contest football all afternoon.<\/p>\n

While the margin never exceeded three goals, Eaglehawk led for all but 90 seconds.<\/p>\n

That came early in the last quarter when Matt Merrett saluted from a 40m set on shot in the swimming pool pocket.<\/p>\n

Tom Bennett responded, and the score was 57-54 at the seven-minute mark of the fourth term.<\/p>\n

He missed out on a premiership medal, but Kyen Burrill-Grinton will always have the memory of being the qualifying final matchwinner, soccering the final and decisive major at the 20-minute mark. <\/p>\n

9: Sandhurst 10.13 (73) It Gisborne 13.7 (85) – Round 6<\/p>\n

Heading into round six, there were fears that 2025 was going to be a cakewalk for Sandhurst.<\/p>\n

\"ShaneShane Clough during Gisborne’s game against Sandhurst in round six<\/p>\n

But Gisborne proved the Dragons, who to that point were 5-0 and winning games by an average of 77 points, could be slayed.<\/p>\n

Trailing by 25 points at three-quarter-time, the Dragons were within seven halfway through the term after kicking three on the bounce.<\/p>\n

However, from a defensive 50 stoppage, Dragons co-coach Lachlan Tardrew was penalised for a throw, and after teammates remonstrated with the umpire, Gisborne midfielder Jacob Murphy was marched to the line for a settler.<\/p>\n

The final blow came at 28:00 when Liam Ireland was yellow-carded for an incident with Luke Meletis in the goalsquare, who had no problems converting. <\/p>\n

8: Golden Square 11.12 (78) def Gisborne 10.13 (73) – Round 14<\/p>\n

Playing for their season, Golden Square kicked three late goals to overrun Gisborne in round 14.<\/p>\n

\"JordanJordan Rosengren celebrates during Golden Square’s win over Gisborne in round 14<\/p>\n

One of the home-and-away season’s biggest upsets, Dylan Hird and Jordan Rosengren combined for the go-ahead goal at the 26th-minute mark of the last stanza.<\/p>\n

It was their third in four minutes, having trailed Gisborne 60-72, when Meletis ran into an open goal.<\/p>\n

Following Rosengren’s major, the final scoring shot came with 29:00 gone when Gisborne’s James Gray attempted a snap from an impossible angle.<\/p>\n

7: Castlemaine 15.14 (104) It South Bendigo 17.6 (108) – Round 15<\/p>\n

The shootout of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

Scores were level on four occasions during an eight-goal final term.<\/p>\n

A depleted Bloods had scraped to a 102-96 lead when debutant Chase Poyser nailed a South major with three minutes to go.<\/p>\n

Magpie Kalan Huntly responded almost immediately before Alex Smith’s long shot from the scoreboard flank with 1:46 left put the Bloods up for good.<\/p>\n

The Magpies had one last chance to level the scores with a set shot at the pavilion end, but it was touched through by desperate South defenders. <\/p>\n

6: Eaglehawk 14.16 (100) def South Bendigo 13.7 (85) – Round 10<\/p>\n

The most enjoyable regular-season game I attended live this season.<\/p>\n

What pushed it out of the top five was the fact that Eaglehawk’s lead was never less than 14 points from very early in the first term.<\/p>\n

\"CallumCallum Crisp tackles Joel Mullen during round 10<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, both teams played an enthralling end-to-end game of footy.<\/p>\n

The Bloods’ three-headed monster of Brock Harvey, Kaiden Antonowicz and Steven Stroobants was at its most dangerous, kicking a dozen of their 13 goals.<\/p>\n

Eaglehawk burst out to a 30-6 lead in the opening stages before the Bloods worked their way back into the contest.<\/p>\n

The critical juncture came on the three-quarter-time siren when 11th-gamer Deacon Marsh was ice-cool from the 50 arc to put his side up by 29 points.<\/p>\n

Six times during the second half, the Bloods got within striking distance, only for the Hawks to respond instantly.<\/p>\n

Harvey made it a 93-79 game with 22:00 gone before Jack Thompson sealed the deal five minutes later after receiving a head-high free inside 50. <\/p>\n

5: South Bendigo 12.8 (80) def Strathfieldsaye 10.19 (79) – Round 1<\/p>\n

Have to go all the way back to round one for the closest game of 2025.<\/p>\n

\"RoundRound one action between South Bendigo and Strathfieldsaye<\/p>\n

A new-look South Bendigo in its first game under Troy Coates and Jack Fallon held on for a thrilling one-point victory after at one stage leading by 37 points midway through the third term.<\/p>\n

Over the next 20 minutes of game time, the contest was turned on its head as Strathfieldsaye piled on the following 41 points to lead 71-67 early in the last.<\/p>\n

The Bloods steadied, and after a long period of neither team scoring, Antonowicz and Fallon slotted back-to-back majors to establish a seven-point buffer.<\/p>\n

As players cramped all over Harry Trott Oval due to the extreme heat, the Storm made one final charge to bring the margin back to a solitary point.<\/p>\n

But the Bloods saturated the contest as the clock wound down, forcing repeat stoppages to claim victory despite having nine fewer scoring shots. <\/p>\n

4: South Bendigo 11.9 (75) def Strathfieldsaye 8.17 (65) – Elimination Final<\/p>\n

It came over four months later, but the Bloods and Storm’s elimination final was almost a carbon copy of that round one classic.<\/p>\n

South Bendigo made the early running, leading 32-8 during the second term before a Strathfieldsaye comeback.<\/p>\n

\"ChaseChase Poyser during the elimination final<\/p>\n

And the Storm were left to rue inaccurate kicking, having five more scoring shots than South.<\/p>\n

In a final quarter full of flashpoints, the Bloods were reduced to 17 men when Alex Davis was yellow-carded for collecting Storm youngster Jye Chambers late and high in a marking contest midway through the stanza.<\/p>\n

Shortly after, the Storm took a one-point lead when Bode Stevens snapped in traffic with 18:30 gone on the clock.<\/p>\n

Fallon put the Bloods back in front with 6:00 to go when Ben Lester gave away a 50m penalty after the co-coach marked at centre wing.<\/p>\n

Zac Sims iced the contest with a huge pack mark in the Barnard Street goalsquare with 40 seconds left to make it a 10-point game.<\/p>\n

3: Eaglehawk 14.10 (94) It Gisborne 16.9 (105) – Round 4<\/p>\n

As Labour steamed ahead to a one-way election victory, Eaglehawk and Gisborne played out a topsy-turvy battle at Canterbury Park.<\/p>\n

\"BraidonBraidon Blake wins the tap out against Brayden Frost in round four<\/p>\n

Momentum swung violently across the day, but the two sides would always find a way back to near enough level pegging when the sirens sounded.<\/p>\n

The margins at each change were one point to Gisborne, level and two points to Eaglehawk.<\/p>\n

Pat McKenna kicked three goals in the last quarter, including a floating snap from 40m out to put the Bulldogs 78-74 in front 30 seconds in.<\/p>\n

His side wouldn’t relinquish the lead again.<\/p>\n

McKenna made it a 16-point ball game, taking a strong contested mark in front of goal with 25:00 gone. <\/p>\n

2: Sandhurst 12.12 (84) It Eaglehawk 14.10 (94) – Grand Final<\/p>\n

What more can be said about the 2025 BFNL grand final?<\/p>\n

\"EaglehawkEaglehawk celebrate during the last quarter of the 2025 BFNL grand final<\/p>\n

You all know the story already, but if you’d like to relive it in full, Hawks fan, click on the link below.<\/p>\n

In the greatest grand final upset this century, the Hawks came from 22 points down at three-quarter-time to kick seven goals to two in the last stanza. <\/p>\n

1: BFNL 9.17 (71) vs VAFA 12.9 (81) – Senior Inter-league match<\/p>\n

Yes, I realise this isn’t technically a ‘2025 BFNL season match’, but this game was so worthy of the list that it simply had to be put in.<\/p>\n

The grand final was more memorable, but this was just the best game of local footy we saw in 2025.<\/p>\n

\"20252025 Derrick Filo Medallist Lachlan Tardrew in action for the BFNL<\/p>\n

The best players from the BFNL and VAFA came together to produce an unforgettable extra-time inter-league thriller.<\/p>\n

On a cold and wet day at the QEO, the VAFA skipped out to a 45-19 quarter-time lead before the BFNL wrestled control.<\/p>\n

Kicking with the wind to the City End in the second term, the margin was cut to five points at the main break.<\/p>\n

From the start of the fourth quarter to the end of the second period of extra time, the BFNL kicked 1.10 as they let slip a famous win.<\/p>\n

With the scores locked at 9.14 (68) to 10.8 (68) entering the first period of extra-time, VAFA’s Bailey Payze kicked the goal of the day, dribbling through a checkside while running towards the old South Bendigo clubrooms pocket to give his side a six-point lead.<\/p>\n

VAFA’s James Allen landed the decisive blow at the three-minute mark of the second period, saluting from the set shot to open up an 11-point buffer.<\/p>\n

Castlemaine coach Michael Hartley could have brought it to within a kick, but his set shot swung to the left with only 10 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Hartley kicked the BFNL’s only goal of the final stanza during the opening salvos.<\/p>\n

That put the BFNL a solitary point up, and Hartley would do the same, this time with a minor score at the 23-minute mark, when his snap sailed wide.<\/p>\n

The BFNL peppered the City End goal in the last 15 minutes but just couldn’t register a major, as the siren sounded with scores level when the ball was 20 metres straight in front of the big sticks.<\/p>\n

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Loading…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brayden Frost and Seb Collins battle it out in the ruck during the 2025 BFNL grand final. Picture…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176949,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":["post-176948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}