GFL season review: Saints soar as rivals rue missed chances

AS the 2025 GFL season concluded with an epic match on Saturday afternoon, four sides are left reeling from a missed opportunity. Meanwhile, one club was celebrating well into the long weekend.

ST MARY’S

In the last round of the home and away season, the Saints faced a must-win clash against Newtown & Chilwell to avoid missing the finals for the first time in a decade. Fast forward a month and the side has become just the fourth team in 10 seasons to win the flag from an elimination final. It was a fairytale run that was the byproduct of belief and persistence. Should enter 2026 as a top contender once again.

ST JOSEPH’S

For the second season in a row, Joeys finished as minor premiers but failed to secure the silverware. Looked strong in their semi-final win over Colac, which saw them progress straight through to the grand final, but just couldn’t match the Saints on the last day of the season. Nonetheless, Ron Watt’s group should be in with a chance to go one better next year.

COLAC

Colac posted their best season since 2019, having made the preliminary final, and became a red-hot chance for their first flag in 11 years. Much like St Joseph’s, the banged-up Tigers couldn’t keep up with a rolling St Mary’s outfit and will have to wait until next year to break the drought.

NEWTOWN & CHILWELL

The Eagles surprised many and finished second after spending most of the home and away season on top of the ladder. Steve Johnson’s first year at the helm was impressive, with a straight sets exit largely due to the young side lacking finals experience. But the Eagles will be better for the run and should be in with a genuine chance in 2026.

BELL PARK

The Dragons sneaked into fifth place but put together a strong home and away season, beating every other finals side except St Joseph’s along the way. The side went down in a tight elimination final against the eventual premiers, but should not be disheartened with their efforts and look set to feature in the finals again next year.