BORONIA SIGNS EX-BOX HILL HAWK | JAKE ARUNDELL

Daniel Cencic | News Sport Network

Boronia Hawks FNC has hit the off-season signing one of the most exciting young talents fresh from the VFL – but there are several more boxes Boronia must tick ahead of 2026 according to coach Matt Clark.

Recently securing former Eastern Ranges star Jake Arundell, the Hawks’ headline addition joins full-time after three seasons with Box Hill in the state league. A glittering underage career was capped off with the under-17 Eastern league best and fairest, before a stop at SANFL outfit South Adelaide.

It’s understood the 22-year-old’s signature was highly sought-after among local clubs after stepping away from the VFL.

“He’s got connections with (Boronia players) Mitch Mellis and Kieran Edwards, and Jake Mellis too. We got the hint he was thinking about coming back full-time and he was willing to explore that,” Clark said.

“We were able to share a couple of stories on people like ‘Begs’ (ex-VFL and AFL player Josh Begley) who came back to play local footy and fell in love with the game again.

“He’s looking for opportunity to be a midfielder – he’s got pace and skill. He’s a quality person which we look for first and foremost.”

Former junior Matt Barkas has returned after a stint at top-division club East Ringwood.

“He’s a one-pointer coming back and he’s another good ball-user – he’s played across the wing, half-back, half-forward. He’s really keen to get back and get involved – he’s got a lot of mates at the club,” Clark said.

Meanwhile, Eastern league legend and Bayswater great Joel Galvin has jumped on-board as a senior assistant, following three EFNL competition best and fairests, 300 games, five club champion awards and two premierships.

And there could be more recruits headed to Tormore Reserve in the coming weeks. Boronia finished the home-and-away season in fourth with a 9-7 record, before a first-week finals exit at the hands of North Ringwood.

Clark said there were several lessons to learn from the club’s maiden Division 1 season following consecutive Division 2 flags.

“The evenness of the competition, the mindset you’ve got to take into every game and how strong you’ve got to be,” he said.

“We found the year before (in Division 2) you could probably be off by five or 10 per cent and still do enough in a quarter to win it. Just switching off for a moment (in Division 1), you’ll get scored against.

“For us, just having some bigger bodies – not having under-19s for five years, we were really exposed with some players who probably weren’t physically strong enough to play at that level.

“We’ll be really keen on getting our current list stronger, and that was spoken about even after the last game about the need to get into the gym and become more resilient.”


RE-SIGNED FOR 2026 | BRIANNAN LAMBE

We couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that Briannan Lambe has re-signed with Boronia for the 2026 season.

Bri had a huge season with Eastern Ranges kicking 23 goals from 15 games, including two in their Grand Final victory. Bri can play any position, is a strong contested mark, explosive in and around stoppages and has elite skills. We may have only had Bri with us for three games this year given her Ranges commitments, but she made a big impact for such a young person. We’re excited to have Bri back in brown and gold next season.


RE-SIGNED FOR 2026 | JAX PHILLIPS

We’re excited to announce that Jax Phillips has re-signed with Boronia for the 2026 season.

Jax has been a stalwart of the program since joining in 2019, playing 57 senior games and 21 in our Masters side. Jax is always looking to find ways to improve her game and we can’t wait for another big season in brown and gold in 2026.


RE-SIGNED FOR 2026 | SHAYLA PORTER

We couldn’t be more excited to announce Shayla Porter has re-signed with Boronia for the 2026 season.

Shayla has come through our junior pathway after joining the club in 2023, being part of our U16 Premiership side. Shayla has already had a taste of Senior football playing 9 games with the Senior squad over the past two years, and we can’t wait to see her take her game to another level next season.


RE-SIGNED FOR 2026 | HANNAH GRIFFITHS

We’re excited to announce that Hannah Griffiths has re-signed with Boronia for the 2026 season.

After making the switch from basketball to football this year, not only did Hannah debut for Boronia this season, she also made her VFLW debut for Box Hill! Highly skilled, athletic, strong contested game and a great teammate, Hannah has made huge strides in her first year of football. The sky is the limit, and we’re excited to see Hannah continue to grow next season in brown and gold.


RE-SIGNED FOR 2026 | EMILY O’REILLY

We’re thrilled to announce that Emily O’Reilly has re-signed with Boronia for the 2026 season.

Emily will be stepping up to Senior football this season after coming through our junior pathway. Still so new to the game, Emily is improving every season, and was recognised as the Most Consistent player in the U18s this year. We’re excited to have her playing in brown and gold next season!


RE-SIGNED FOR 2026 | TAYLAH PERRY

We’re excited to announce that Taylah Perry has re-signed with Boronia for the 2026 season.

Coming from an athletics and sprints background, Taylah swapped the grass of the Stawell Gift to the grass at Tormore and added a huge amount on and off field for our squad this season. Taylah is ferocious in the contest and it’s no surprise her scintillating pace makes her exciting to watch, and we’re looking forward to watching her continue to grow as a footballer next season.


THANK YOU | NICOLE GUY

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Nicole Guy, as Nic has made the decision to finish in her role as Senior Assistant Coach within our Women’s program.

Joining Boronia in 2023, Nicole has brought strong coaching and communication, an incredible amount of support for our playing group, guidance, expertise, and a huge amount of energy!

Nic will leave a big hole in the squad but finishes (for now) with a significant contribution, close relationships and will always be part of our history as part of the coaching team behind our first Senior Women’s Premiership in 2023. We look forward to having Nicole cheering from the sidelines next season! ??

Sean Buncle (Senior Head Coach) and Greg Hall (Development Head Coach) have already committed for season 2026, and we will have some more announcements with our Assistant Coaches coming soon!


EFNL B&F | MITCH MELLIS – OUR NEW EFNL LEGEND

Boronia Hawks Football Netball Club is delighted to announce that Mitch Mellis tonight won his 3rd EFNL Best and Fairest award at Marvel Stadium.

The Kenneth Wright MBE Medal is awarded for the fairest and best player in Division 1. Mitch won The Paul Edie Medal (Division 2) in the previous two seasons.

Mitch, the son of Cam and Cath Mellis and brother to Jake and Trent, has done his family and club proud, not just tonight or this season, but during his entire footballing career. A tough inside midfielder with electric speed and an almost frightening capacity to keep his eyes on the ball at all times, Mitch is just a consistent ball magnet even though he deals with a tight tag during most games.

Reading Josh Hannon’s taps around the ground with effortless ease, Mitch has the inherent capacity to bring his teammates into the game and make our team better.

Off the field, Mitch is heavily invested in our club. The Mellis family name is very significant. Cam, his father, is a club life member and is still driving our recruiting team. Cath, his mother, continues in the role as our Senior Men’s Team Manager. There has never been a more loved team manager in our club’s history, having the total respect of every player on our list. Jake, his older brother, is an incredibly talented senior player in his own right, and Trent, his other older brother, returned to the club this year to support Luke Hannon in the Under-19s and played the role of 19’s runner for this season. What an invested Hawka family!

Mitch now joins Dean Grice as an EFNL legend. We salute you, Mitch, and wish you nothing but success and good health in your future, both on and off the field.


EFNL B&F | DEAN GRICE

After a standout year in his first season of Veteran’s footy, DEAN GRICE was tonight awarded the BJS Insurance Veterans’ Best and Fairest award for 2025.

Dean has previously won League Best and Fairest awards in Under-19s, Reserves along with 4 x Paul Edie Medals for Best & Fairest in Division 2, making him an EFNL Legend and one of the most decorated footballers in EFNL history. Gricey is an undisputed champion of our club, and we congratulate you!