Benalla Saints - Football

INS: Dublin Anderson (Euroa), Kevin Maroney, Michael Mummery (Rumbalara), Travis Young (Rockhampton), Mitchell Vasterink (Morningside), Toby Triffett (Williamstown VFL), Connor Breheny (Wangaratta Rovers),

OUTS: Nathan Wright (Essendon VFL), Will O’Donoghue (Brocklesby-Burrumbuttock)

ONE TO WATCH - RYLEY ELY

Ely returned to play senior football at Benalla in 2025 after a stint at Wangaratta Rovers in the under-18 Ovens and Murray competition, and the midfielder made sure his impact was felt immediately.

Averaging 21 disposals, 4.5 tackles and just shy of five clearances per game, Ely only got better as the season wore on, culminating in being named as a Goulburn Valley League Rising Star finalist, having played in all 18 senior games and being named in the best seven times in his first full year at the level.

A tough, uncompromising player, expect him to only get better in 2026, now armed with a full year of experience, plus another big preseason, under his belt.

COACHES CORNER / NICK PEARSON

What’s the biggest focus for your group in 2026?

The biggest focus has just been shifting our competitiveness... our shift has been our mental focus, making sure that our mindset is right and making sure that we think, no matter what, when we wake up on a Saturday morning, we think we're going to be in with a chance of winning.

What will supporters notice about this team?

One thing that our supporters can look forward to is the fact that we're going to show up every week, and we're going to show up and put up a good fight.

What’s your side’s greatest strength?

Resilience. We've got a lot of guys that have been around Benalla the last three or four years when we've really been struggling... I reckon our resilience is one thing that will be a big strength for us.

What still needs the most work?

We've just got to continue to adapt and work on our game style and what our systems are, and it absolutely won't happen overnight.

What does success look like for this group in 2026?

A big win for us is we rock up round one and we're competitive. That is our first hurdle, and then we want to do that week two, three, four, five, six, and so on. But I think for us, our internal growth will be our biggest success, if we can continue to grow on what we already have.

PULL QUOTE

We’ve got the buy in, so you'll see 22 blokes every week, across all three grades, playing for each other and really playing with passion for our jumper.