Senior Men's & Women's Football and Netball, Junior Boys & Girls Football, Auskick and over 35's Veterans and Masters Football. Affiliated with EFNL. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land in Boronia.
What a crazy period we find ourselves in. I was hoping for your assistance in getting the word out that my three McDonalds restaurants are still up and running at the moment.
We are running our Drive-Thru 24/7 and our Dining room is open for take away business. We also have Uber eats and Deliveroo delivery options at all 3 restaurants.
As a side issue, please let me know if I can assist any elderly members who may need toilet paper or doing it tough as I may be able to assist with some basic essentials where I can.
I wish all of you and your families the best as you work to get through this period
Following yesterday’s announcement by the AFL to suspend the 2020 season indefinitely, metro senior competitions have collectively decided to postpone their respective seasons until May 31.
More Here: https://efnl.org.au/update-covid-19/
All club training, events, ground and light usage remains suspended until further notice.
A further update will be provided following the Metropolitan League CEO’s meeting with AFL Victoria and our own EFNL Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday 14th April 2020.
It is with a fair degree of sadness that I have to announce the cancellation of our club’s first-ever corporate and supporter golf day at Waterford Valley Golf.
Much time and effort have gone into this week’s event but we now have no choice but to postpone it until early September.
A big thank you to all who signed up to play and sponsor the event. Thank you also to the organisers for their hard work to set up a great event for the Club: Wayne Preston, Grant Bertram, Samantha Dunkinson, Greg Krenn and Andrea Le Marquand.
Boronia Hawks FNC is very pleased to announce that Ye Jeffries has accepted the position as the Club’s Child Safety Officer for 2020. Ye is a primary school teacher, a member of our Senior Committee and is in her second year as a member of our Women’s Football Squad.
Ye Jeffries
In response to new legislation Boronia Hawks Football Netball Club has committed to having a nominated Child Safety Officer. Any grievances or incident reports regarding child safety, or suspected or known child abuse, will be directed initially to the CSO. Ye will be responsible for leading the Club towards safer practices, a more robust plan for the protection of the children at the Club, and establishing a culture of safety and growth for children.
Ye will take on this important role with guidance and support from the Club’s Board in accordance with the the requirements of AFL, AFL Victoria and EFNL.
The Club will provide additional advice regarding the suspension of EFNL activities across the competition as soon as possible.
All communications to Senior Men will be through Matt Clark, Ash Johnston and Lachie McKernan via HQ.
All communications to Senior Women will be through Scott Nicholas on the FB Group.
All communications to Netballers will be through Kat McMahon on the FB Group.
All communications to Veterans will be through Greg Joseph and Jason Davis on the FB Group.
All communications to Juniors will be through the Junior Committee on the Junior Facebook page and direct e-mail.
All general communications from the Club will be available via our website and Senior and Junior Facebook pages.
Senior men’s practice matches scheduled for 22 and 28 March are now CANCELLED.
The Club’s Board is currently discussing our own Club social events. Please be patient as we have the appropriate discussions to make informed decisions. Information will be provided at the earliest opportunity.
With the spread of COVID-19 increasing across Victoria the Eastern Football Netball League has made the decision to IMMEDIATELY SUSPEND all training, practice matches and events across the entire Competition until further notice. The safety and welfare of our players, volunteers, officials and their families are our number one priority.
We will provide further updates to Club Executives later this week once the following key meetings have taken place: AFL and League CEO meeting Tuesday and EFNL Board meeting Wednesday night.
Please communicate throughout your clubs and take the necessary action to ensure we as a League and our clubs are not by our actions spreading COVID-19 throughout the community.
Boronia Hawks is looking for enthusiastic supporters who would like to get more involved with the Club by taking up roles as Team Manager with our Senior Men and Development Team (Reserves).
The role is often suited to people who are happy to work behind the scenes and can adapt quickly to changing situations. The Team Manager works closely with coaches, players and other volunteers on game day to make sure that the team is ready to play and looked after during the game.
The Team Managers supports the coaching team by helping to complete, maintain and organise the necessary tasks of handling equipment, paperwork and communications to allow the coaches ample time to focus on coaching the players.
The roles are well suited to player’s parents, male or female, or other keen supporters. No prior experience is necessary. If you are interested in finding out more, please message the Club via Facebook or via boroniahawksfc@gmail
The Club’s Board of Directors is closely monitoring available information from government sources, AFL Victoria and EFNL in respect of Coronavirus. The Board is guided by recent statements from these official sources, but is also now considering contingency plans should circumstances require changes in planned events, training or practice matches. The Directors are taking the best available advice and will have the health of our members as our first priority in all decisions in the lead up to the start of the football and netball seasons.
All players, members and volunteers should be alert to the risks of COVID-19, but not alarmed. Please take sensible precautions with your own personal care and hygiene. Respect the space of people around you and look after those who may be vulnerable. Bring your own water bottles to training, avoid handshakes, and do not attend the Club if you are unwell.
Please feel free to contact any Board member if you have questions, but we undertake to keep you fully informed as the situation evolves.
2018’s triple premiership-winning season was always going to be a hard act to repeat for Boronia.
After a dominant season finishing atop the Division 2 ladder with 13 wins and five losses – marked by a nine-game win streak in the second half of the season – the Hawks went out in straight sets to Ringwood and then eventual-premier Mitcham in a preliminary final upset.
Falling short of the mark was a disappointing end to the season for senior coach Matt Clark, but it has proven to be a great motivating factor for his charges as they prepare for another tilt at the Division 2 premiership in 2020.
“Our goal for this year is to play finals again. We know from 2018 that we finished third on the ladder and we were able to win it,” Clark said.
“Our goal is essentially to win enough games and be consistent enough to get there and we believe our list is as strong as any to compete with anyone at the top end.
“We’re a lot fitter and better prepared than we were at the same time last year. We had injuries and a few other things that I think made us a bit underdone going into the start of last season.
“The group is really driven to improve. We’ve had a few additions in the off-season and we’ve raised the bar significantly.
“We’ve got a good amount of internal pressure among the playing group and we’re really well placed on the field at the moment.”
Boronia’s senior list in 2020 is earmarked by a number of major inclusions.
Aside from a swathe of returning faces, including seven players from the 2019 SEN Division 2 Team of the Year, it is punctuated by the acquisition of Taylor Leggate and Sean Young from Wantirna South.
Leggate is a three-time club best and fairest winner at the Devils who passed the 150-game mark with the club in 2019, while Young notched his 100th game respectively.
“Taylor is going to add quality to our midfield and forward line. We’re looking for our mids to score a few more goals this year and he’s a really high achiever in that area,” Clark said.
Joining them is the return of 2018 premiership player Andy Phillips, who spent 2019 concentrating full-time on his studies.
“Andy’s elite. He’s a key runner for us and plays on the wing and inside mid for us,” Clark said.
“We sort of lacked his run and carry last year. He’ll be a great addition to the side this year.”
Another returning 2018 premiership player, is vice-captain Harry Burgess who has returned from the United States.
“Harry is another key back and leader for us. He can play on talls and mids and is just a really strong, aggressive competitor,” Clark said.
“With him and Sean Young down back, it gives us a lot more flexibility to move some guys we had at the back up the field.”
The off-season additions at Tormore Reserve are a key part of a long-term plan at the club, to continue to develop its burgeoning core of youth talent.
“Our plan for the last couple of seasons is to develop what we have,” Clark said.
“We’ve got such large numbers in the junior program that have come through and a lot of them have a ton of talent.
“We want to make sure we give them the opportunity to play senior football.
“We’re adding in players that will accelerate their development. The average age of our list is around the 21-22 years old mark.
“We played six under-19s last season, with three of them playing in the preliminary final.
“We’ve also got 14 players from the under-19s last year that have moved into the senior squad this year, so we have really big numbers and really good internal pressure at training.”
Boronia has two upcoming practice matches prior to the start of the season, with the first against AFL Outer East side Upwey-Tecoma on March 22, followed by a match-up against Division 1 side Bayswater on March 28.
Clark is looking to use the opportunity to improve on some key areas.
“I think defensively we’ve been a really good side for a couple of years now and we’re looking to work on our movement forward of the ball, so we’ll be working on that and making some adjustments.”
Also well into preparations for season 2020 is the Hawks’ senior women’s team.
The ladies finished fourth on the 2019 Deakin University South Division ladder and went down by just two points to Ferntree Gully in the semi-final.
Now in their third season, co-coaches Scott Nicholas and Ray Lacey are looking to develop further success both on and off the field.
Scott Nicholas and Ray Lacey
Boronia will field two sides in 2020 – one in Division 1 featuring the top four teams from South Division last season, and a development team playing in Division 3.
“The ultimate goal of our women’s program is that we want to develop basic skills but also knowledge of the game and make sure they’re having fun,” Nicholas said.
“Ultimately we want to help connect them to the footy club. The overall purpose of the program is that we can now give them the opportunity to have a bit more ownership in the club.”
“If we can do that and that results in on-field success then that’s awesome, but as long as the girls are enjoying themselves and feeling connected to the club then that’s ultimately what we’re out to do.”
There’s been some player movements at Boronia this season, with the most notable being 2019 leading goal-kicker Tegan Doran departing Boronia for Upwey-Tecoma.
However, an influx of new faces and some returning players will don the brown and gold this year.
“We’ve got a couple of players, including two from the leadership group, returning after a year off from having kids and we’ve got about 15-20 players who are new to the club this year and new to footy,” Nicholas said.
”We’ve got some ex-netballers and basketballers who are training well at the moment.”
Among the players to watch at Tormore Reserve this year are 2019 best and fairest Amanda Cellante, Sam Mellis, Kath McMahon, Briar Forrer-Lacey as well as Dakota Walker and Rhianna Little making the transition from junior football to the senior side.
Cr Peter Lockwood was a welcome visitor to the Boronia Hawks stand at the #knoxfestival2020 this afternoon. Peter has been a great supporter of the recent development and landscaping of Tormore Reserve and we really appreciate his commitment to our local community facilities. Cr Lockwood is pictured here with Senior VP Wayne Preston and Club Chairman, Scott Nicholas.
Stacey, Wayne and Candyce.Stacey, Erin and Karen.Helvi, Kristan, Ellen and Erin.
