PRESTON CITY OVAL, VIC. — Old Paradians claimed the Northern Football Netball League’s (NFNL) Division 2 premiership for 2026, triumphing by 42 points over St Marys at Preston City Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Despite trailing at three-quarter-time and conceding a goal in the opening minutes of the final term to see them trail by 13 points, the Raiders rallied and put on a memorable 30-minute performance to seal their second premiership in three seasons by 42 points and earn their place in the top flight of the NFNL.
It was a remarkable finish to a remarkable Division 2 season, one which saw the eventual premiers come from fourth on the ladder and defeat the other four finalists in four consecutive weeks to claim the title.
ST MARY’S: 1.4 3.5 6.11 7.11 (53)
GOALS: Tane Cotter, Nicholas Dean, Will Dean, Tom Earnes, Joseph Maggio, Lachlan Read, Will Ryan.
BEST: Tane Cotter, Dom Akuei, Harry Butterworth, Nicholas Dean, Huon Macgibbon, Joseph Maggio.
OLD PARADIANS: 1.4 4.7 5.10 13.17 (95)
GOALS: Lachie Kerr 4, Liam McVeigh 2, Elias Stapleton 2, Archie Jones, Connor McDonald, Kyle McDonald, Marcus Nolan, Kyle O’Sullivan.
BEST: Connor McDonald, Joshua Iacobaccio, Lachie Kerr, Marcus Nolan, Kyle O’Sullivan, Kyle McDonald.
Spearhead Liam McVeigh kickstarted the day for the Raiders in glorious Preston sunshine, taking a strong mark before wheeling around and slotting the first major of the day just three minutes after the first bounce. The Burra did find a near-immediate response through Nicholas Dean, with the breeze assisting his set shot over the goal line from range.
It was a stoppage fest for much of the first quarter, with neither side ever truly having the game on their terms. Apart from St Mary’s dominance at clearances (18-6), most of the stats were relatively similar at the first change, including the scoreboard, which couldn’t separate the teams.
Burra captain Tane Cotter got the ball rolling for his side in the second quarter, literally and figuratively, when he dribbled one home from the top of the square in the opening minute of play.
St Mary’s looked the better side around the ground and the stats reflected that. They again won the clearance count, and had more inside 50 entries with 15-7, but their inability to put the damage on the scoreboard hurt them. The Raiders managed three of the next four goals, to go into the main break with a narrow eight-point lead.
The all-important first goal of the premiership quarter went the way of the Raiders via Lachie Kerr, who had been well held by Team of the Year full back Dom Akuei until that point.
The Burra pressure was getting to their opponents, forcing a disastrous turnover from their defensive 50 which saw Nicholas Dean have a golden opportunity to bring the margin to back under a goal, but an uncharacteristic miss from directly in front was a let-off for the Raiders. However, they weren’t out of danger for long, with the following kickout being errant and falling in the hands of Lachlan Read, who made them pay full price this time
The Burra momentum continued to build, and they looked in good order, striking the next two goals thanks to Wil Ryan and Will Dean, seeing them lead by seven points at the 18-minute mark of the penultimate term.
The battle between Coaches MVP winner Connor McDonald and Burra’s big man in Huon Macgibbon was a fascinating watch all day, but McDonald won a crucial moment at the 25th minute mark, marking near directly in front and about 30 meters from home, but unfortunately for him and his side, his kick went astray, and they found themselves trailing by seven points at the final break.
Despite being ahead on the scoreboard, St Mary’s knew it would be a tough task to told on as they were kicking against the breeze. They couldn’t have started the final quarter of the season any better though, with Joseph Maggio’s brilliant goal leading to the loudest roar of the day from the Burra faithful, seeing them have a 13-point lead and giving genuine hope that the premiership cup might be on its way to Whatmough Park.
What followed was something every Raiders player, fan and coach, Ben Turner, could never envision. It was pure dominance in every single metric, including the most important one, the scoreboard.
Archie Jones kicked the first of eight consecutive goals, coming at the five-minute mark of the period. Five minutes later, Lachie Kerr gave his side the lead, and the Raiders cheersquad behind the goals made sure everyone in the vicinity of Preston City Oval knew it.
Kerr struck again just three minutes later, to see his side go up by 13-points, though the margin felt bigger than that as the momentum was fully in favour of the men in green and purple.
The Coaches MVP and eventual best on ground winner Connor McDonald had his moment of glory just after the midpoint of the term, grabbing it out of the ruck and his snap from a forward 50 stoppage sailing high over the goal umpire’s cap, with his teammates swarming the big man as they knew they had one hand on the premiership cup.
Burra skipper Tane Cotter took it upon himself to take kick-out duties and take the game on, often kicking short and receiving a handball on the run to generate some fast ball movement for his side.
Ultimately, the Raiders’ defensive structure was too strong, and they managed the next three goals through Elias Stapleton, Kerr and Marcus Nolan to run out 42-point winners.
The stats for the final quarter are something that no one watching the game could’ve ever predicted. Old Paradians had more kicks than St Mary’s had disposals; they were +10 in clearances and remarkably +20 in inside 50’s.
A dominant Raiders display in the final period meant several players were in the running for best on ground honours, but it was Connor McDonald judged as the best player on the field by the umpires, capping off a near-perfect individual season. Skipper Kyle O’Sullivan, Team of the Year defender Josh Iacobaccio, and Lachie Kerr with his four goals were all instrumental.
For St Mary’s, skipper Tane Cotter can hold his head high after a strong performance. Akuei was also among the best players on the ground in the first three quarters, but Kerr had the better of him in the final 30 minutes to win the matchup. Harry Butterworth also found plenty of the footy, while Huon Macgibbon held his own and even had the better of his counterpart McDonald on occasions. But ultimately St Mary’s ran out of steam in the final 25 minutes of play.
It caps a remarkable rise for Old Paradians since entering the NFNL in 2024.
After a Division 3 premiership in their debut season, they’ve now won a Division 2 title two years later to earn their first stint in Division 1.
It will be fascinating to see if they’re prepared to make the jump, but for now they will bask in the glory of their achievements in 2026.
