Bendigo FL discussion 2026

[Arnold Horshack]

Got a bit of a Gisborne update today
Move to Ballarat still on they feel a change of board may open the door as they have the support of the clubs to go but unclear how the AFL would react
The board change would need to happen now which is what majority of clubs want and it’s felt the offer to stand down at the agm is an attempt to keep Gisborne stuck
The announcement yesterday was rushed out to the paper before some clubs knew to try and smooth things over but there is still going to be a push to spill
Communication between key Gisborne people and hq is currently zero so it is a very personal and spiteful situation

What would be the deadline date if a move to Ballarat could happen for the 2026 season?

 

[Jack Doolan]

What would be the deadline date if a move to Ballarat could happen for the 2026 season?

Apparently Ballarat are ready to go and have prepared a fixture including Gisborne so I’d imagine it is just a matter of having enough time to make it happen from a club point of view
My guess is that would be in the next month

 

[Vlodrive]

Round 1 season opener Sunbury vs Gisborne I can feel it deep down in the loins!!!!

Would be a bloody HUGE crowd

 

[Crazymaggy2020]

Round 1 season opener Sunbury vs Gisborne I can feel it deep down in the loins!!!!

Or could be Gisborne vs Broadford !

 

[Wooden Robot]

Or could be Gisborne vs Broadford !

Their new neighbours

 

[Shinjuku]

Would the new set up for Bendigo Football put a $150K carrot on the table for Nick Carter. Bendigo Bank are in the process of offloading a heap ( which is not great) but this could be a very could chance to get the best option.

 

[Trent from barwon Heads]

Would the new set up for Bendigo Football put a $150K carrot on the table for Nick Carter. Bendigo Bank are in the process of offloading a heap ( which is not great) but this could be a very could chance to get the best option.

Id go ash Byrne for 150k+, ash has played afl, vfl, gv, cmfl, ncfl, hes gotta a wider understanding of problems in footy, hes not bendigo based, new ideas and youd get moama and echuca within 3 years of hes appointment

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

I appreciate this will go against the trend .
However, it’s shit form to solely blame Carol for the current position the BFL currently finds itself in .
She is one of the most intelligent people in country Victorian football and has given the league as good as , if not , better than 10 years of service .
As chair she would have less say in decision making than any other person upon the board , that’s the role of chairperson .
Chair meetings and have casting vote when needed .
Little would have any idea of how she applied herself as chairperson , I’ll admitt I’ve had some contact with her and from that contact I’d strongly doubt that her conduct as ‘ chairperson ‘ was anything other than admiral .
The BFL is far from the only league that has seen a decline in fortunes in many areas .
Most of those taking pot shots and damning her character would have never sat in a board meeting and most likely will never put their hand up
or be elected to the position she has held .
I’ve been privy to view her support and lobbying for the whole BFL without bias support for any club .
BFL would be in a far worst person if it weren’t for her contribution .

 

[Trent from barwon Heads]

I appreciate this will go against the trend .
However, it’s shit form to solely blame Carol for the current position the BFL currently finds itself in .
She is one of the most intelligent people in country Victorian football and has given the league as good as , if not , better than 10 years of service .
As chair she would have less say in decision making than any other person upon the board , that’s the role of chairperson .
Chair meetings and have casting vote when needed .
Little would have any idea of how she applied herself as chairperson , I’ll admitt I’ve had some contact with her and from that contact I’d strongly doubt that her conduct as ‘ chairperson ‘ was anything other than admiral .
The BFL is far from the only league that has seen a decline in fortunes in many areas .
Most of those taking pot shots and damning her character would have never sat in a board meeting and most likely will never put their hand up
or be elected to the position she has held .
I’ve been privy to view her support and lobbying for the whole BFL without bias support for any club .
BFL would be in a far worst person if it weren’t for her contribution .

Look its easy to blame carol as she is the chair, but the whole board is of concern. The majority have seen and watched a town of 10k disappear from having senior football, another club leave in Kyneton, that brought along strong crowds and then wondered why a powerful club in gisborne wishes to leave. Gisborne are a great club, id think all clubs in the bfl have the utmost respect for them, they really drove up the standard of play in the mcguane years, they usually have good juniors and reserves and are now a leader in netball. You let clubs like that go and wish them the best.

Im not privy to what was said on grwnd final day to Eaglehawks coach but it hasnt been refuted anywhere, if thats the case its certainly not conduct becoming of a chair to make remarks like that to the senior premiership coach on the dias. Then you see the incident which got 10 weeks at the tribunal where the double penalty was imposed by the board, its diabolical, its a one to two week suspension if any.

There's been zero sharing of finals despite clubs asking for it outside of bendigo, if carol is as astute as you claim roar, why wasnt a final or finals played at maryborough to pump up footy in the town, zero proactive decisions made outsid3 the box by any of the board apart from Broadfords inclusion. Now thwt might end up being a stroke of genius but broadford hwve never played major league footy, they are an hour and half travel from bendigo, how many kids will go riddell after 30 goal hidings in under 18s.

Bendigo footy has never been worse and all of the board have to all go immediately

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Look its easy to blame carol as she is the chair, but the whole board is of concern. The majority have seen and watched a town of 10k disappear from having senior football, another club leave in Kyneton, that brought along strong crowds and then wondered why a powerful club in gisborne wishes to leave. Gisborne are a great club, id think all clubs in the bfl have the utmost respect for them, they really drove up the standard of play in the mcguane years, they usually have good juniors and reserves and are now a leader in netball. You let clubs like that go and wish them the best.

Im not privy to what was said on grwnd final day to Eaglehawks coach but it hasnt been refuted anywhere, if thats the case its certainly not conduct becoming of a chair to make remarks like that to the senior premiership coach on the dias. Then you see the incident which got 10 weeks at the tribunal where the double penalty was imposed by the board, its diabolical, its a one to two week suspension if any.

There's been zero sharing of finals despite clubs asking for it outside of bendigo, if carol is as astute as you claim roar, why wasnt a final or finals played at maryborough to pump up footy in the town, zero proactive decisions made outsid3 the box by any of the board apart from Broadfords inclusion. Now thwt might end up being a stroke of genius but broadford hwve never played major league footy, they are an hour and half travel from bendigo, how many kids will go riddell after 30 goal hidings in under 18s.

Bendigo footy has never been worse and all of the board have to all go immediately

I’m not privy of club meeting and discussion regarding sharing of finals venues so can’t comment . But I’ll re-iterate chairperson often have less input in meetings than remaining board members as their role is to chair meetings .
As for the tribunal IIRC it was known and within the leagues ruled well before the case that suspensions are doubled .
Whilst leagues board members don’t or shouldn’t have any input into the tiribunal , don’t attend and often don’t know the identity or tribunal members or any contact with them . It needs to be completely independent process which I’d assume in the BFL’s case was arranged and constructed by the Hub .
Echuca haven’t considered BFL because the GVL is going along without issue , issues are wide spread .

 

[Mad Jack]

I’m not privy of club meeting and discussion regarding sharing of finals venues so can’t comment . But I’ll re-iterate chairperson often have less input in meetings than remaining board members as their role is to chair meetings .
As for the tribunal IIRC it was known and within the leagues ruled well before the case that suspensions are doubled .
Whilst leagues board members don’t or shouldn’t have any input into the tiribunal , don’t attend and often don’t know the identity or tribunal members or any contact with them . It needs to be completely independent process which I’d assume in the BFL’s case was arranged and constructed by the Hub .
Echuca haven’t considered BFL because the GVL is going along without issue , issues are wide spread .

The rule around doubling suspensions are discretionary, not mandatory. The perception of the majority is that had the roles been reversed, the outcome would have been different. That “perception” has been built off a body of work, culminating in a classic example of her comments to the co-coach of the premiership team at the presentation on GF day. You’d think one would have the foresight to bite their tongue, knowing that it would become public knowledge within minutes, further solidifying the thoughts of many.

 

[Trent from barwon Heads]

I’m not privy of club meeting and discussion regarding sharing of finals venues so can’t comment . But I’ll re-iterate chairperson often have less input in meetings than remaining board members as their role is to chair meetings .
As for the tribunal IIRC it was known and within the leagues ruled well before the case that suspensions are doubled .
Whilst leagues board members don’t or shouldn’t have any input into the tiribunal , don’t attend and often don’t know the identity or tribunal members or any contact with them . It needs to be completely independent process which I’d assume in the BFL’s case was arranged and constructed by the Hub .
Echuca haven’t considered BFL because the GVL is going along without issue , issues are wide spread .

The bfl made special mention they have the discretion to double it and decided to double it, so it wasnt a black and white blanket rule all suspensions in the grwnd final are doubled.

You only have to hear the crowd noise at the grand final, where theres the view rightly or wrongly that the power bendigo based clubs get preferential treatment, notably sandhurst, to know the whole board needs to go and new voices heard. Ive never seen anything like it in country footy before, the hate towards a team from the crowd. You add on the coaches penalty, the chair walking with the umpires, the umpires evidence not matching the video of the footage, which any general football followers would say its not close to a 10 week suspension and its time for chwnge, carol has been hung out to dry, by been a female and as the chair, like where hwve other board members being as well to twke the heat off her, and where she hasnt been intrinsically involved at club land before going on the board has made her job harder, but the board need to go asap

 

[unwise gamgee]

The rule around doubling suspensions are discretionary, not mandatory. The perception of the majority is that had the roles been reversed, the outcome would have been different. That “perception” has been built off a body of work, culminating in a classic example of her comments to the co-coach of the premiership team at the presentation on GF day. You’d think one would have the foresight to bite their tongue, knowing that it would become public knowledge within minutes, further solidifying the thoughts of many.

what was said to the coaches on the dais?

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

The bfl made special mention they have the discretion to double it and decided to double it, so it wasnt a black and white blanket rule all suspensions in the grwnd final are doubled.

You only have to hear the crowd noise at the grand final, where theres the view rightly or wrongly that the power bendigo based clubs get preferential treatment, notably sandhurst, to know the whole board needs to go and new voices heard. Ive never seen anything like it in country footy before, the hate towards a team from the crowd. You add on the coaches penalty, the chair walking with the umpires, the umpires evidence not matching the video of the footage, which any general football followers would say its not close to a 10 week suspension and its time for chwnge, carol has been hung out to dry, by been a female and as the chair, like where hwve other board members being as well to twke the heat off her, and where she hasnt been intrinsically involved at club land before going on the board has made her job harder, but the board need to go asap

Most leagues have issues dealing with perceived bias toward clubs who have members upon a board and likewise almost every RAC has the same accusations of bias toward clubs in the major city which the RAC has in its boundaries . Rightly or wrongly .
It is why IMO it is good governance to eliminate or minimise the amount of judgement calls by the board .
It is very normal and reasonably common for the chairperson and or operation staff / ceo to be seen with the umpires during the grand final, upon the ground . Particularly after an incident has occurred , it importantly sends support to the umpires .
In some cases umpires have asked for such people to be with them or walk off the ground along with escort / security after such an incident .
As for the doubling of the penalty in the GF , l like the idea as it serves as a deterrent . IIRC the incident occurred after the quarter time siren and clearly not ‘ an act within a contest ‘ .
If ever there was a case for doubling a sentence , any reasonable person would say that was the case .
Should he have received 5 weeks from the independent tribunal for the incident I have no idea, but having sat in on a couple of tribunals the evidence presented at the tribunal is overwhelming the most determining factor in any case which only the tribunal party hear without bias .
Lesson( s ) to be learnt , certainly and the biggest one might be to make the doubling of tribunal penalty mandatory and remove the ‘ option ‘ clause if that is currently the case .

 

[dognuts]

Most leagues have issues dealing with perceived bias toward clubs who have members upon a board and likewise almost every RAC has the same accusations of bias toward clubs in the major city which the RAC has in its boundaries . Rightly or wrongly .
It is why IMO it is good governance to eliminate or minimise the amount of judgement calls by the board .
It is very normal and reasonably common for the chairperson and or operation staff / ceo to be seen with the umpires during the grand final, upon the ground . Particularly after an incident has occurred , it importantly sends support to the umpires .
In some cases umpires have asked for such people to be with them or walk off the ground along with escort / security after such an incident .
As for the doubling of the penalty in the GF , l like the idea as it serves as a deterrent . IIRC the incident occurred after the quarter time siren and clearly not ‘ an act within a contest ‘ .
If ever there was a case for doubling a sentence , any reasonable person would say that was the case .
Should he have received 5 weeks from the independent tribunal for the incident I have no idea, but having sat in on a couple of tribunals the evidence presented at the tribunal is overwhelming the most determining factor in any case which only the tribunal party hear without bias .
Lesson( s ) to be learnt , certainly and the biggest one might be to make the doubling of tribunal penalty mandatory and remove the ‘ option ‘ clause if that is currently the case .

The act did occur after the siren, but it was instigated by the victim. They ran at the goalkicker after the siren when they should've been running to their huddle. When you look at the incident in isolation; ten weeks is grossly excessive. Anyway it's all history now. I hope 2026 runs smoothly for BFNL's sake and its' future going forward.

 

[Shinjuku]

what was said to the coaches on the dais?

All other players presented premiership medals by Chair at "arms length" but when Holmes was presented his the Chair steps into his personal space and speaks into his ear. What was said could only be confirmed by them but he was the only player to presented like that with a clear change in body language as he approached the dias.

 

[dognuts]

All other players presented premiership medals by Chair at "arms length" but when Holmes was presented his the Chair steps into his personal space and speaks into his ear. What was said could only be confirmed by them but he was the only player to presented like that with a clear change in body language as he approached the dias.

Quote - "You realize that players' in hospital"!

 

[Vegas69]

Quote - "You realize that players' in hospital"!

I hope that Castlemaine is rewarded for siding with the Slag Heads at the recent meeting, all clubs should remember this when they want any support in the future.

 

[Trent from barwon Heads]

Most leagues have issues dealing with perceived bias toward clubs who have members upon a board and likewise almost every RAC has the same accusations of bias toward clubs in the major city which the RAC has in its boundaries . Rightly or wrongly .
It is why IMO it is good governance to eliminate or minimise the amount of judgement calls by the board .
It is very normal and reasonably common for the chairperson and or operation staff / ceo to be seen with the umpires during the grand final, upon the ground . Particularly after an incident has occurred , it importantly sends support to the umpires .
In some cases umpires have asked for such people to be with them or walk off the ground along with escort / security after such an incident .
As for the doubling of the penalty in the GF , l like the idea as it serves as a deterrent . IIRC the incident occurred after the quarter time siren and clearly not ‘ an act within a contest ‘ .
If ever there was a case for doubling a sentence , any reasonable person would say that was the case .
Should he have received 5 weeks from the independent tribunal for the incident I have no idea, but having sat in on a couple of tribunals the evidence presented at the tribunal is overwhelming the most determining factor in any case which only the tribunal party hear without bias .
Lesson( s ) to be learnt , certainly and the biggest one might be to make the doubling of tribunal penalty mandatory and remove the ‘ option ‘ clause if that is currently the case .

I think we all understand that many times voting on boards is predetermined before they get there, its a numbers factions game, and for too long voting has been skewed in favour of the bfl power clubs. Its a big reason why Kyneton left and Maryborough are no longer a club and gisborne want out.

The game is far cleaner than even 10 years ago roar, off the ball stuff rarely occurs now, the doubling of the penalty isn't needed at all. Whens the last time theres been a full on punch on by teams in a grand final or player taken out 100 metres off the ball with a king hit?

The trends in country footy are all major leagues have gotten weaker in 10 years, apart from geelong and ovens and murray, the gap between the top teams and bottom teams has never been wider, middle community leagues have gotten far stronger, as players enjoy that level of engagement more than training 3 nights a week and starting preseason now.

Unless theres a vcfl model adopted, what we will end up seeing is a survival of the fittest, im not sure thats a great outcome for footy

 

[Wooden Robot]

The act did occur after the siren, but it was instigated by the victim. They ran at the goalkicker after the siren when they should've been running to their huddle. When you look at the incident in isolation; ten weeks is grossly excessive. Anyway it's all history now. I hope 2026 runs smoothly for BFNL's sake and its' future going forward.

I empathise with the young Sandhurst fella - you don't like seeing anyone get hurt, intentionally or unintentionally.
And this incident was far from intentional. Said Sandhurst player charged at him - for what reason, we'll likely never know. Holmes simply defended himself. It ended up clumsy, but his intention was to defend himself not injure or maim. Five was excessive in my view and to lump on another five is just plain rotten.
It's a fair question everyone asks - if the shoe was on the other foot. The fact 'double jeopardy' is discretionary, not mandatory, opens it right up for scrutiny and debate.

The BFNL are stuck in a bind now. Abandon 'double jeopardy' and it's an admission they buggered up and the system was wrong all along. Keep it, and you are almost now compelled to slug everyone double. The outcry will be twice a big next year when some bloke gets three weeks, but not six. Nothing footy fans hate more than inconsistency and policy on the run. Just look at the AFL getting its whacks over constant rule changes, umpiring and the farce that is trying to sneak the likes of Essendon and Carlton into finals to make up for the shortfall caused by poor GWS and Gold Coast crowds.

 

[Jack Doolan]

Quote - "You realize that players' in hospital"!

Have it in good authority you should be ashamed of yourself was also said

In fairness in all the talk I’ve ever heard from clubs they want the entire board to go the chair just seems to be wearing it as the front person and more so after the grand final

I’m not sure how you can say she has been good though surely the last ten years are amongst the worst in the history of the league?

 

[Jack Doolan]

I hope that Castlemaine is rewarded for siding with the Slag Heads at the recent meeting, all clubs should remember this when they want any support in the future.

This sounds juicy tell us more

 

[Carn The Berries]

Most leagues have issues dealing with perceived bias toward clubs who have members upon a board and likewise almost every RAC has the same accusations of bias toward clubs in the major city which the RAC has in its boundaries . Rightly or wrongly .
It is why IMO it is good governance to eliminate or minimise the amount of judgement calls by the board .
It is very normal and reasonably common for the chairperson and or operation staff / ceo to be seen with the umpires during the grand final, upon the ground . Particularly after an incident has occurred , it importantly sends support to the umpires .
In some cases umpires have asked for such people to be with them or walk off the ground along with escort / security after such an incident .
As for the doubling of the penalty in the GF , l like the idea as it serves as a deterrent . IIRC the incident occurred after the quarter time siren and clearly not ‘ an act within a contest ‘ .
If ever there was a case for doubling a sentence , any reasonable person would say that was the case .
Should he have received 5 weeks from the independent tribunal for the incident I have no idea, but having sat in on a couple of tribunals the evidence presented at the tribunal is overwhelming the most determining factor in any case which only the tribunal party hear without bias .
Lesson( s ) to be learnt , certainly and the biggest one might be to make the doubling of tribunal penalty mandatory and remove the ‘ option ‘ clause if that is currently the case .

A couple of points to make here...

• The Chairperson is almost always the most powerful voice on a board. They are responsible for setting/driving the agenda of the Board. To suggest otherwise is absolutely fanciful
• It should not EVER be "normal" or "reasonable" for a Chairperson, or any member of a Board to be interacting with umpires during a match. The role of a Board (in any industry) is to set and oversee the strategic direction of the organisation. It is the absolute height of poor governance for a Board, or any of its representatives, to be involved in operational matters. If there was a "need" to provide support to the umpires after the incident, it is the responsibility of an operational person (perhaps CEO or Umpires Manager) to do so, not a Board member.

I have no skin in the game in regards to how the Board/league has performed or what is required moving forward. But the assertions you have made are incorrect.

 

[dognuts]

A couple of points to make here...

• The Chairperson is almost always the most powerful voice on a board. They are responsible for setting/driving the agenda of the Board. To suggest otherwise is absolutely fanciful
• It should not EVER be "normal" or "reasonable" for a Chairperson, or any member of a Board to be interacting with umpires during a match. The role of a Board (in any industry) is to set and oversee the strategic direction of the organisation. It is the absolute height of poor governance for a Board, or any of its representatives, to be involved in operational matters. If there was a "need" to provide support to the umpires after the incident, it is the responsibility of an operational person (perhaps CEO or Umpires Manager) to do so, not a Board member.

I have no skin in the game in regards to how the Board/league has performed or what is required moving forward. But the assertions you have made are incorrect.

Well said!

 

[MortlockWatcher]

My main issue with the whole incident is that she had a connection with one of the competing clubs and she had access to communicate with the umpires in a way that few others had on the day, certainly not Eaglehawk.

What she said to them is purely speculation unless one of a handful of people divulges what was said in the conversation but it is a very poor look for the chairperson of a football league to put themselves in that situation in the first place. Especially if the comments made in this forum after the game that she was showing them footage during that conversation is true.