Winchelsea to shear into sporting season

WINCHELSEA Football Netball Club (FNC) will revive a much-loved local tradition at its round one fixture this weekend.

The local sporting club will bring speed shearing to Hopkins Street, with families encouraged to come down, buy a raffle ticket and enjoy the action.

The event draws on a popular contest once hosted by the Moriac Hotel, which had long been a crowd favourite before it fell away in recent years.

Club president Angus Leigh said there was plenty of excitement around bringing the event back.

“We haven’t done anything like this in the fundraising vein for a long time, but we are really looking forward to it,” he said.

“We’ll have the speed shearers going, raffles, the barbecue, bar and a big family-friendly atmosphere to thrive off.

“Hopefully it’ll be a great success and we can push it further in the future.”

On the field, Leigh said the club was entering 2026 with renewed energy.

“We are so excited from a club perspective,” he said. “We’ve had the best off-season in a long time and there’s a real buzz around the place”.