Bulldogs snare VNL recruits

GOLDEN Square has made an early recruiting splash in preparation for the 2026 BFNL netball season, landing a pair of Victorian Netball League (VNL) talents.

The Bulldogs, who finished last season in seventh place with a 1-13 win-loss record, have lured accurate Southern Saints goal shooter Hayley Howard and silky Hawks midcourter Teagan Bethune to Wade Street.

The pair will bring an instant chemistry, as teammates at Mornington Peninsula league club Tyabb over the last two seasons.

Bethune, who has moved to Bendigo to study at La Trobe University, was Tyabb’s best and fairest in 2025, while Howard was one of the league’s premier goal shooters.

An outstanding target in the ring, the tall Howard was the runner-up MVP with Southern Saints this season in the VNL 23-and-under competition.

Hayley Howard brings much needed state league experience to the Bulldogs following a stellar season with VNL club Southern Saints. Photo: FILE

She played all 18 games for the Saints this season, registering a season-high 52 goals against Peninsula Waves.

Howard twice topped the 50-goal mark in games and five times exceeded 40 goals, including a 41-goal haul against Bendigo Strikers in late-April.

Her signing fills an obvious need for the Bulldogs, following the departure of Strikers-listed goaler Mia McCrann-Peters to Eaglehawk.

Originally from Melbourne, Bethune is currently studying biomedical science at La Trobe University in Bendigo.

A talented and versatile midcourter, Bethune was a key member of the Hawks 23-and-under team which played finals.

She was Tyabb’s A-grade best and fairest in 2025 and can play all three midcourt positions.In a further boost to the playing stocks, the Bulldogs have enticed goaler Abbey Grindal back to the club following a stint with Heathcote District league club North Bendigo.

Grindal, who can play both goal shooter and goal attack, previously played with the Bulldogs’17-and-under team and made her A-grade debut in blue and gold as a 16-year-old.

The three key additions will help bolster a Bulldogs team stacked with young emerging VNL and Bendigo league talent.

A training partner with VNL champions City West Falcons, she will add valuable experience and composure to the A-grade line-up.

Re-signings announced so far include 2025 season best and fairest Keira Lawry, young midcourter Charli Hamilton and Daisy Stringer.

The trio were teammates this season with the Strikers’ VNL Reserves team.