2026 Season Review - Dandenong West

Ladder Position - 1st 16-1-1 (236.07%)

Best and Fairest - Rory Goldsmith

Leading Goal Kicker - Coren Giliam (108 goals)

Dandenong West Football Netball Club enjoyed a landmark 2026 season, etching its name into club history by claiming the Division 4 senior football premiership — the first senior flag in the club's history spanning more than four decades.

After the heartbreak of going down to Hallam in the 2025 grand final, Dandenong West came into 2026 looking to go one better. They started the season on fire, winning their first 4 games by an average margin of 87 points. Their only loss of the home and away season would come in round 5 to eventual grand final opponent St Johns OC, however they went the rest of the season undefeated, with no one able to keep up with their scoring power.

A 1 point loss in the 2nd Semi Final to St Johns OC would've made them a little nervous, but they got through Ashwood in the Preliminary Final to set up a 3rd meeting for the season with St Johns in the Grand Final.

Dandenong West made an emphatic start, kicking five goals in the opening quarter to establish a 22-point lead at quarter-time. The match tightened considerably after quarter-time, as St Johns fought its way back into the game, reducing the margin to seven points by the final change and setting up a tense final quarter.

Early goals in the last quarter gave Dandenong West a bit of breathing room. Despite a late fightback from St Johns, the Westerners held firm to secure an historic 8.4 (52) to 5.11 (41) victory.

 

Best win - Grand Final - Dandenong West 8.4.52 def St Johns OC 5.11.41

Key players

Coren Giliam - 20.6 disposals, 5.4 goals, 13.4 score involvements

Dylan Diacono - 30 disposals, 9 contested possessions, 8.6 intercept possessions

Harry Lees - 15.3 disposals, 5 inside 50s, 8.6 score involvements

Rory Goldsmith - 23.2 disposals, 10.7 contested possessions, 7 tackles

 

Women's Football

Ladder Position - 6th 5-11 (31.25%)

Best and Fairest - Schenelle Bronkhorst

Leading Goal Kicker - Cristina Chan (9 goals)

Best win - Round 3 – Dandenong West 13.12 90 def. Officer 2.2 14

Key players

Mary Kostidis - 16 games, 7 times named in the best, SFNL TOTY

Schenelle Bronkhorst - 16 games played, 9 times named in the best

Cristian Chan - 13 games, 10 times named in the best, 9 goals

Netball

Dandenong West had 4 sides compete this season in the SFNL netball competition.

Their C4 side finished 1st, going 15-1 and making it to the Grand Final where they went down to Hallam

Their D2 side finished 2nd, going 10-4-1. They would go on to beat Carrum Patterson Lakes in the Grand Final

Their D3 side finished 1st, going 10-2-2. They would beat Keysborough in the Grand Final.

Their E1 side finished 5th, going 5-7-2.