Despite losing over half their senior team from last season, the talk out of Roo town is that Balranald will still be a force to be reckoned with, with several big name recruits and a returning favourite son keeping their premiership window open.
The departure of senior coach Jydon Neagle at the end of last season not only left a big hole to fill, it also signalled the end of Balranald’s time at the pointy end of the Central Murray, with several more big names also moving on.
Among those to depart the club were Neagle’s younger brothers Matthew and Jaxon, the Lloyd brothers, Kobe and Drew, Harrison Soraggi, Jackson Ferguson and Jordan Wilkins.
With no coach and half a senior side, the Roos appeared to be back where they started before Neagle’s arrival in town.
But on the eve of the 2025 season, Balranald may well be the talk of the competition, with the recruitment of former Western Bulldogs midfielder Roarke Smith and fellow Port Melbourne teammate Cody Henness set to once again ignite the parochial Greenham Park crowd.
Joining the pair will be Lionel Ogden and Lachlan Collihole, along with Bradley Hartman and young key defender Jye Hogan, who crosses over the Murray from Swan Hill.
The other big name set to return for the Roos is Ben Fuller, who after a break from football, is once again fit and ready to terrorise opposition full-backs.
Fuller will this season take on added responsibility however, with the key forward taking the reins as co-coach, alongside Jack Salau, with the latter enthusiastic about what lies ahead for his team this season.
“Everyone’s really excited to be honest, with the mass exodus we had it was looking ominous and everyone was worried about how it was all going to pan out, but a few people have done a heck of a lot of work recruiting,” Salau said.
“All the kids are on board and happy with the direction we’re heading in, they are all keen anyway, but they also knew it was a big task with all those players going out.
“But with a few notable names and players of a decent calibre coming in, everyone is now excited for the challenge.
“The whole town’s jumped on board, we’ve had a few Friday night training sessions where Rourke (Smith) and Cody (Henness) have come up to meet everyone and we would have had almost 100 people just to watch training.
“Everyone around town has stuck fat, just to be around the club through this period where it didn’t look so good and now there’s a chance that we will be alright, hopefully we can reward them.”
While Balranald’s recruits appear promising, so too does their local talent, with the Roos retaining enough class through the likes of Ryan Middlebrook, Colin Andrews, Ian Fuller and Salau to at the very least be competitive.
The biggest challenge would appear to be their lack of depth, with the next generation of Balranald stars set to be fast-tracked into the senior side to play a more significant role.
One young gun that is in some doubt however is Glen Gillbee, who after making the Bendigo Pioneers squad, has also partially torn his ACL, with his availability for the season now uncertain.
After a large focus on contested ball over the pre-season, the Roos are expected to have a harder edge to them this season, with Salau confident his team will also prove to be damaging on the outside with the addition of some more leg speed.
“We should have a good scoring capacity, especially with Ben (Fuller) back down forward and hopefully quite a strong midfield,” Salau said.
“We should be pretty quick also and I’m hoping quick movement will help us to get forward and score.
“We wanted to work on our contested ball over the pre-season as well as get better with our ball use so that we don’t give it up quite so easily.
BALRANALD FAST FACTS
JOINED LEAGUE – 1997
GROUND – Greenham Park
PREMIERSHIPS – 2 (2006, 2009)
PRESIDENT – Tony Stead
SENIOR COACH – Ben Fuller, Jack Salau and Ben Mahon
2024 LADDER POSITION – Semi Finalist
2024 BEST & FAIREST – Kobe Lloyd
2024 LEADING GOALKICKER – Drew Lloyd (38 goals)
FROM THE COACH
“With the few ins that we have, we’re hoping to at least be competitive again. It’s hard to know exactly where we stand at this point, especially having not got everyone together for training and the practice matches, but on paper, we’re expecting to be really competitive. Our aim is to still make finals and be competitive if and when we do.”
IN’S
Roarke Smith (Port Melbourne)
Cody Henness (Port Melbourne)
Jye Hogan (Swan Hill)
Lionel Ogden (Southern Districts)
Lachlan Collihole (Merbein)
Ben Fuller
Bradley Hartman
OUT’S
Drew Lloyd (Rochester)
Kobe Lloyd (Calder United)
Jydon Neagle (South Mildura)
Matthew Neagle (South Mildura)Jaxon Neagle (South Mildura)
Harrison Soraggi (South Mildura)
Jack Jones (South Mildura)
Rory Fitzgerald (South Mildura)
Mason Fitzgerald (South Mildura)
Brodie Fitzgerald (South Mildura)
Seth Connell (Robinvale-Euston)
Lachlan Fish (Rupertswood)
Tobie Richardson (Moulamein)
Bill Parry
Jackson Ferguson
Lachlan Lellman
Jordan Wilkins
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2025
It’s almost impossible to predict where Balranald will sit come season’s end, with such a vastly different team set to take the park against Woorinen in round 1.
With over half of their semi-final team departing following last year’s failed finals campaign, the Roos’ depth will most likely be tested should injuries come as in previous seasons.
With Jack Salau and Ben Fuller taking charge, Balranald are expected to play with a much faster tempo than they did under Jydon Neagle, with outside run and spread from the stoppage, similar to NNW United’s successful model likely to be used. This will alleviate some pressure from the Roos’ less experienced players to hit targets and use the ball efficiently as they were previously required to do, but also plays to the strengths of their squad given their inclusions.
The return of Toby Lay along with the recruitment of Jye Hogan will help strengthen Balranald’s key defensive stocks, while Fuller’s return will also add much needed height to their forward 50 also.
KEY PLAYER
Roarke Smith
After playing 47 games in eight injury cruelled seasons at the Western Bulldogs, Smith will be the headline act at Balranald this season.
An amazing ball user who rarely wastes it, Smith will spend most of the afternoon plying his trade running through the midfield at the Roos.
Can’t be expected to do it all and will need considerable help from his new teammates, but should provide a touch of class and forward craft in a similar vein to the departing Jydon Neagle.
BIG IMPROVER
Cruz Jolliffe
Talented youngster who improved markedly during his 18 senior games last season as a back up ruckman to Jordan Wilkins.
With Wilkins departing at the end of last season, it’s hoped Jolliffe can take over the mantle of number on ruckman and help give the Roos’ new-look midfield first use around the stoppages.
May be a bit undersized compared to your traditional rucks, but is mobile and can cover the ground well, which makes him a dangerous prospect as he continues his development.
THE BURNING QUESTION
How big an impact will Ben Fuller have on Balranald?
The man mountain returns in 2025 for the Roos and the talk out of Greenham Park is that he is in the best shape in years.
Having played just seven reserves games last year, Fuller’s body is also in good shape, with the key forward now keen and ready to grab games by the scruff of the neck like only he can.
Kicked 65 goals from 17 matches in his last full senior campaign in 2023, with Balranald making the grand final as a result of Fuller’s presence up forward.
Is one of the best contested marks in the league and is a huge physical presence out of the goal square, something which the Roos sorely lacked last season.
