The talented young footballers of the Eastern Ranges have proven their credentials, celebrating a historic pair of premierships on Saturday 20 September.
It marks the first time in Coates Talent League history where one club has secured both flags in the same year, with the Girls competition having begun in 2017.
Eastern Ranges talent lead Danny Ryan said it’s very exciting for the club and the reward for a lot of hard work.
“We talk about the so many layers of support that comes to get into a grand final and we can’t underestimate what the local clubs and the coaches are doing to develop the kids coming through for us and then to have our recruiters that go out every weekend to watch the kids in rain, hail or shine,” he said.
“They’re out watching to see that next group of talent coming through and to our support staff, to the parents, to the kids, it’s really just a great reward for all the hard work and sacrifice,”
“To be a part of our program for the players, it’s a huge sacrifice, they’re all trying to balance Year 11 or Year 12, all got part-time jobs and they’re coming in three, four nights a week to train, it’s a huge commitment but the weekend was a great day to celebrate it, especially with both programs winning.”
The girls kicked off the action at IKON Park at 10.30am, putting three goals and two behinds on the board in the first quarter while their Dandenong Stingrays opponents could only muster a solitary point.
Having set the tone early, the Ranges went on to assert their dominance over the next two quarters, only allowing the Stingrays to kick one goal while piling on two and four goals in each quarter themselves.
The Eastern Girls only added one more goal in the last quarter while Dandenong kicked three to reduce the margin but the lead was insurmountable and the Ranges ran away with a 38-point win.
Eastern’s Girls coach Jarrad Donders said the win is very significant for female footy in the region and a great reward for everyone involved.
“A lot of work goes in from a lot of people right across the region, we’re an extremely strong region and that comes from the work we do at our local clubs and the development we do with our players once they enter our program from a holistic lens, with high performance, wellbeing and footy,” he said.
“We had a pretty good idea that this group would be another level on top of last year and we’re excited about what’s coming through in the next few years as well, it will be strong for a long time so hopefully bigger things to come,”
“It was interesting to have not played them (Dandenong Stingrays, during the season), we knew they were pretty strong as the number one country team, we were predicting a fast, quick game with us both playing an attacking style and even though they had moments of it, we controlled more of the game which was nice for us.”
Eastern Ranges captain and Vic Metro co-captain Tayla McMillan (Wantirna South junior club) was awarded best on ground honours and ably supported by Josie Bamford (Ferntree Gully), Emily Rankin (Park Orchards), Brylee Anderson (Healesville, sister of Hawthorn men’s player Cody Anderson), Jordyn Allen (Heathmont) and Isabelle Creaton (Blackburn).
Donders said top-line talents McMillan, Allen and Anderson have continued to elevate their game across multiple positions.
“Jordy is a talented high defender off halfback and breaks lines with her run and carry, and to elevate her game into the midfield complemented the way we wanted to play and our efficiency going forward, Brylee was the same – she’s a well-built inside mid and her playing across multiple roles prepares her well for her top-aged year,” he said.
“Tayla continues to get better and better, she’s always been known as an inside mid, she’s played across halfback and under a bit of duress with a knee injury in the back end of the year, we played her forward for most of the finals series until the grand final and she kicked goals and proved to be a dominant weapon down there,”
“She’s (McMillan) tremendous, she leads by action and is authentic in her leadership, to bring her tackle pressure, get 29 possessions was huge, particularly under duress with her knee injury, she’s a very talented player and I can’t wait to see what these girls will do at the next level.”
Outer East players to feature in the premiership win included Healesville’s Adelaide Caldicott and South Belgrave’s Mathilde and Zoe Wilkinson while other premiership players also came through the strong programs at Wantirna South, Lysterfield and East Ringwood not too far away.
Donders said it’s great for the region to have had so many players recently drafted to the AFLW and to have as role models.
“The girls love coming back, we had two girls move interstate but their willingness and want to come back and stay in touch has been great, there’s been so many,” he said.
“They love coming back, they miss the place and that’s the environment we want to create, you want people feeling comfortable and like they belong.”
The win marked the Eastern Ranges’ first-ever Girls premiership, having fallen at the final hurdle in both 2023 and 2024.
Donders also took the reins for Vic Metro at the 2025 Marsh AFL National Championships between July and August, with Eastern Ranges players Bridie Neale (Heathmont), Asher Fearn-Wannan (Blackburn), Zoe Vozzo (Wantirna South), Scout Semple (Wantirna South), Bree Horne (Lysterfield), Isabelle Creaton (Blackburn), Zoe Wilkinson, McMillan, Bomford, Anderson, Allen and Rankin all having featured in the squad.
