Following a tough period, Apollo Bay has found renewed hope.

By Ben Andonoudis

Apollo Bay is a club beginning to believe again.

Nestled along the Great Ocean Road, the Hawks have seen some hard times recently. They entered 2026 without a senior win since round 12 of the 2024 season.

A competitive showing against ladder-leaders Lorne in round one provided a glimpse of what could be. That promise led to genuine improvement the next week.

A drought-breaking three-point win against Birregurra gave the club the bounce it needed.

For club president Mick Wright, the excitement has been clear.

“There has been a genuine sense of optimism around the club since late last year,” Wright said. "Simply being in a position to win is a significant improvement on past years’ performances."

However, several challenges remain for Apollo Bay to ensure it can thrive in the future.

The demographics of Apollo Bay are what would be expected for a holiday town. A median age of 52 makes building a playing list difficult.

Some players travel far and wide just to take the field for the Hawks.

“Out of the total 44 senior players we put on the field each week, we are lucky to have six to eight that actually live in Apollo Bay,” Wright said. “They enjoy the football and social opportunities we are able to offer and end up bringing friends with them in following years."

While recruiting senior players can be difficult, Apollo Bay’s long-term future is being strengthened through its junior program.

Following a premiership last season, the under 18’s are currently sitting fourth on the ladder. Retaining juniors is key to any club’s strength and Apollo Bay is no different.

“We have good numbers in our junior program, so in that regard the club looks to be heading in the right direction,” Wright said.

This year has seen a change of leadership in the senior football with the addition of Pete Adams as coach, bringing with him fresh ideas and eyes over two decades of experience.

“Pete is a fantastic communicator and is able to articulate game plans extremely well,” Wright said.

Being a school teacher, Pete has known many of the lads since he taught and coached them at high school, so it has been great for him and them to reconnect."

For supporters of the club, Apollo Bay has been clear in their mission.

“We need to make our supporters and town members smile, Wright says.

“It’s imperative that our local community and supporters have a sense of pride in our club and take joy in watching our players run around in our club colours."

A country club in a stunning part of the world, Apollo Bay had found themselves in a rough patch.

This season has given some a shining light.

Some of Geelong’s finest will be plunging into icy water for a good cause. The Big Freeze Geelong returns this year in a new location and promises to be bigger than ever.

Where is it taking place?

Newtown & Chilwell Football Netball Club will be holding the 5^th Big Freeze Geelong at Elderslie Recreation Reserve on behalf of FightMND, with slide to begin at 1pm.

This weekend’s exciting matchup between Newtown & Chilwell and South Barwon serves as the backdrop for this inspiring event.

What is it for?

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a group of diseases that affect the Motor Neurons in your body. These Motor Neurons carry messages from the brain to the muscles via the spinal cord. Those who suffer from MND see their nerves become damaged and start to die. This causes the individuals’ muscles to weaken and waste away. MND affects everything from walking, talking, swallowing through to breathing. Currently there is no cure for the disease and the average life expectancy following diagnosis is 2-3 years.

Founded by the late Neale Daniher AO, FightMND has raised over $115 million in funds for MND research in their quest to find a cure for the disease commonly referred to as “the beast”.

This funding goes towards cutting-edge research to find a cure for MND and vital initiatives that can make the lives of those living with MND easier.

When is it happening?

The sliders will be going down starting from 1pm and finishing their icy plunges at 2pm. While the sliders make their way down into the ice, there will still be games of football and netball on.

Start times for games on the day are as follows:

Football

9:00am Under 18’s

11:00am Reserves

2:30pm Seniors (Live Stream on AFL Barwon TV & K rock App or krockfootball.live)

Netball

8:15am U13 Div 1 (court 1), U13 Div 2 (court 2)

9:10am 15U Div 1 (court 1), 15U Div 2 (court 2)

10:05am 17U Dive 1(court 1), D grade (court 2)

11:10am C grade (court 1), 19U (court 2)

12:15am B grade (court 1), 17U Div 2 (court 2)

2:30pm E grade (court 2)

2:30pm A grade (court 1) (Live Stream on AFL Barwon TV)

Who’s going down the slide?

Some big names going down the slide include:

• AFL Barwon CEO Kate Patterson
• Geelong AFL star/Newtown alumni Tanner Bruhn
• Newtown native/Geelong AFL premiership player David Wojcinkski
• 3-time AFL premiership winner/media personality Cam Mooney
• Essendon legend Terry Daniher
• Olympian Mia Gross
• Barrabool Hills ward Councillor Ron Nelson
• City of Greater Geelong CEO Ali Wastie
• South Barwon Netball stalwart/Life member Caitlin Hoiles
• K Rock Football commentator Matt Dowling
• Newtown & Chilwell Football Netball Club President Aaron Keating
• Local Police Sergeant Mat Horan
• Local legend/volunteer James Elford
• Head of engagements & strategic projects at Leisure Networks Roxy Bennett

AFL Barwon’s very own CEO Kate Patterson will be heading down the slide to play her part in contributing to find a cure for MND. For Kate, after seeing her friend ride his bike from Melbourne to the WA town of Bunbury 10 years ago to raise awareness and funds for MND research in honour of his father, it made the decision to go down the slide an easy one.

How can you help fight the beast?

You can help the FightMND organisation on their quest to find a cure for MND by donating through the links below:

https://support.fightmind.org.au/fundraisers/bigfreezegeelong52026

https://support.fightmnd.org.au/fundraisers/katepatterson/diy-big-freeze

The AFL mid-season rookie draft once again proved the Barwon region is a breeding ground for AFL potential.

By Ben Andonoudis

Last night’s AFL mid-season rookie draft saw 18 players realise their AFL dreams, and the Barwon region was well represented with two new AFL listed players from the region selected.

Kye Annand, a Geelong VFL player with links to South Barwon, Ocean Grove, Geelong West and Queenscliff found himself selected by Richmond with the 2^nd pick in the draft.

Annand, a 22-year-old 200cm key defender has impressed this season following a move to a key position post.

He's played 25 VFL games for the Cats, named in the best five times.

Annand's VFL teammate Marcus Herbert, a former Leopold player, was scooped up by West Coast with the 13^th pick in the draft.

Herbert is a 23-year-old 183cm defender/midfielder who has found himself in the view of AFL scouts with his composed and consistent style.

His time in the GFNL saw him play 14 games with Leopold including being part of the Lions teams that made a run to the 2022 grand final, where he racked up 20 disposals and was named their best player in the defeat to St Mary's.

A Geelong VFL Best and Fairest winner in 2025, this season Herbert has continued to dominate averaging 27.6 disposals in the VFL.

Football and netball clubs across the Barwon region are being encouraged to book a Read the Play session in 2026, with a strong focus on the organisation’s Huddle Up program.

The call comes following the release of national data highlighting the prevalence of cyberbullying connected to junior sport. The report, released by the eSafety Commissioner in partnership with Sports Integrity Australia, found nearly one in five young athletes have experienced cyberbullying linked to community sport.

Read the Play has been responding to this issue for almost a decade through its Huddle Up program, which supports young people to better understand cyberbullying, respectful online behaviour, peer pressure, help-seeking and the role they can play in creating safer club environments.

Since 2021, more than 2,100 young people have participated in Huddle Up across community sporting clubs and groups.

Read the Play’s own program data shows the issue remains highly relevant for young people in community sport, with almost two in five Huddle Up participants reporting that they or someone they know had experienced cyberbullying. Of those, only one in four said they or their friend had sought help.

Encouragingly, Read the Play’s 2025 data also showed strong outcomes, with 91 per cent of participants reporting increased confidence in accessing support if they or someone they knew was being cyberbullied, while 88 per cent said the program improved their understanding of cyberbullying and ways to reduce its impact.

As the governing body for football and netball in the Barwon region, we recognise the important role clubs play in creating safe, respectful and supportive environments for young people. Cyberbullying and online behaviour are no longer issues that sit outside club life. They are part of the modern sporting environment and clubs need practical, age-appropriate support to help young people navigate them.

In 2026, Read the Play’s Huddle Up program will be a key focus for delivery across football and netball clubs.

The program is available free to local clubs and is recommended for young people aged 14 to 16 years.

Clubs are encouraged to book their Read the Play session early and make Huddle Up part of their 2026 wellbeing and player development planning.

Book your Read the Play session:
https://readtheplay.org.au/club-bookings/