The 2018 season - Eaglehawk premiers

The 2017 season - Strathfieldsaye premiers

The 2016 season - Sandhurst premiers

The 2015 season - Strathfieldsaye premiers

The 2014 season - Strathfieldsaye premiers

The 2013 season - Golden Square premiers

The 2012 season - Golden Square premiers

The 2011 season - Golden Square premiers

The 2010 season - Golden Square premiers

Chapter three of the Strathfieldsaye-Eaglehawk grand final trilogy finished as the closest of the three-consecutive premiership battles between the two sides - a 14-point victory to the Storm.

The victory avenged the Storm's grand final loss to the Hawks of 12 months earlier and gave Strathfieldsaye a fourth flag for the decade, matching Golden Square's four between 2010 and 2013.

To put it simply - Strathfieldsaye made the most of its opportunities in front of goal; the Hawks didn't.

Eaglehawk had six more scoring shots, but it was the Storm that emerged victorious 14.10 (94) to 10.20 (80) on a windy day at the QEO.

The Storm were never headed from the moment coach Troy Coates slotted the opening goal of the match in the Rifle Brigade pocket.

Strathfieldsaye, which lost Sam Heavyside (AC Joint) early, led by 25 points at quarter-time, 18 points at half-time and by three quarter-time looked to have the game well in their command with a 35-point buffer.

Yet the Hawks threw everything at the Storm in the final term, kicking four unanswered goals and at the 15-minute mark were back within 10 points and with the momentum behind them.

However, the Storm's Harry Conway knocked the wind out of the Hawks' sails with, firstly a superb contested mark 40m out, and then went back and nailed the shot.

Storm swingman Bryce Curnow, influential playing both forward and back, was awarded the Nalder Medal.

And Storm captain Kallen Geary played like there was no tomorrow - because as far as his footy career goes, there was no tomorrow.

The Storm star was electric in the midfield and across half-forward, kicked a goal in the third term, won the AFL Victoria Medal and then hung up the boots.

CASTLEMAINE

Finished - 10^th (0-18)

Decade record - 25-152-1

The Magpies created a recruiting splash in February when they announced the signing of former 211-game AFL player Angus Monfries.

But despite the addition of Monfries and a host of other new recruits, it was another long year for the Magpies, who went through 2019 winless with an average losing margin of 105 points.

Given their last win had been against Maryborough in round one of 2018, the Magpies ended the decade having lost 35 games in a row.

Best player votes:

(6 for being named best; 5 for second best and so on)

Matt Filo - 79

Angus Monfries - 63

Jake O'Brien - 54

Top goalkickers:

Angus Monfries - 29

Jake O'Brien - 15

Jordan Matera - 7

.........................................

EAGLEHAWK

Finished - 2^nd (17-5)

Decade record - 136-67

A scoreline of 10.20 will haunt the Hawks over summer after squandering the chance for back-to-back flags with their 14-point grand final loss to Strathfieldsaye.

Under new coach Travis Matheson the reigning premiers were 4-3 and in fifth position after seven rounds.

But after the Hawks' early season hangover they hit their straps, reeling off 12 wins in a row by an average of 81 points until their momentum was halted with a 72-point shellacking from the Storm in a second semi-final blowout.

Regrouped with a four-point preliminary final victory over Gisborne, before kicking themselves out of the premiership in the grand final against the Storm when they became just the third team in BFNL grand final history to have at least five more scoring shots than their opponent, but get beaten.

Best player votes:

Ben McPhee - 50

Brodie Collins - 40

Jesse Collins - 39

Top goalkickers:

Sean Williams - 50

Riley Saunders - 46

Ben McPhee - 32

.........................................

GISBORNE

Finished - 3^rd (15-6)

Decade record - 99-93-1

The Bulldogs produced one of the most emotional moments of the decade when they walked off the QEO arm-in-arm having just lost the preliminary final to Eaglehawk by four points.

The preliminary final was played less than a week after Bulldogs' reserves player Nathan Williams was killed in a car crash, which certainly put the loss of a football game in perspective.

Reaching the preliminary final was the deepest the Bulldogs had gone in a season since 2014, with their season results including back-to-back matches in rounds 10 and 11 when they conceded just one point against both Castlemaine and Kyneton.

The Bulldogs ended the decade with 99 wins and plenty of September heartbreak given they lost three preliminary finals (2011, 2014 and 2019) and a grand final (2012) by a combined 18 points.

Liam Spear won the league's Rising Star award.

Best player votes:

Ethan Minns - 49

Pat McKenna - 45

Tim Walsh - 45

Top goalkickers:

Pat McKenna - 95

Brad Bernacki - 25

Jack Scanlon - 24

.........................................

GOLDEN SQUARE

Finished - 4^th (13-7)

Decade record - 153-47-2

After their rare absence from the finals in 2018, the Bulldogs returned to September, bowing out to Gisborne in the first semi-final.

Had their second Michelsen medallist in as many seasons in star midfielder Adam Baird.

Baird - who also captained Vic Country - won the Michelsen with 16 votes, clinging on to his lead after he was sidelined for the last two games with a severe corkie.

The Bulldogs had been 11-3 after 14 rounds, but won just two of their last six games - one of which was the elimination final when they ended the season of their most fiercest of rivals, Sandhurst.

Ended the decade with the most wins of any club with 153, which included 70 from 80 games between 2010 and 2013 when they claimed four flags in succession.

Best player votes:

Jon Coe - 56

Adam Baird - 52

Jake Thrum - 48

Top goalkickers:

Jayden Burke - 41

Adam Baird - 25

Alex Marklew - 23

.........................................

KANGAROO FLAT

Finished - 9^th (4-14)

Decade record - 60-118

For the third year in a row won just four games and join Castlemaine as the only two clubs throughout the decade not to play any senior finals.

The signs were ominous for the Roos early when they could muster just seven goals in their first two games against Sandhurst and Golden Square, while the season came to a messy end with 185 and 180-point hidings from Strathfieldsaye and Eaglehawk in the last month.

Then came the decision for Rob Bennett to stand down as coach after one year amid the fallout from attending the Australia v USA basketball game in Melbourne rather than coaching in round 18 against the Hawks.

Clearly the big positive the Roos took out of the year was their under-18s winning the premiership for the first time.

Best player votes:

Jono Lanyon - 45

Matt Clifford - 44

Liam Collins - 39

Top goalkickers:

Matt Boland - 20

Dylan Klemm - 16

Matt Clifford - 15

.........................................

KYNETON

Finished - 8^th (5-13)

Decade record - 57-107-3

Following a mass exodus of players the Tigers were expected to be the big sliders of the competition.

Split their first six games 3-3 before going 2-10 over their last 12 in Luke Beattie's last season as coach having taken over during 2015.

A big effort from gun midfielder Rhys Magin to feature in the Tigers' best in 16 of their 18 games and he ended the season No.1 in the Addy player rankings.

The Tigers' 57 wins for the decade included 51 post their return to the competition following their 2013 absence.

Best player votes:

Rhys Magin - 78

Josh Govan - 51

Harrison Huntley - 37

Top goalkickers:

Max O'Sullivan - 24

Rhys Magin - 17

Luke Beattie - 16

.........................................

MARYBOROUGH

Finished - 6^th (6-12)

Decade record - 40-140

Massive step back in the right direction. Having won just two games the previous four years, the Magpies notched six victories and finished sixth on the ladder - their highest position since last making finals in 2010.

Following his 103-game AFL career at Essendon, Western Bulldogs and Geelong, Stewart Crameri returned to Princes Park and slotted 20 goals from seven games.

Almost pulled off the biggest upset of the season when the Magpies led reigning premier Eaglehawk for the bulk of the day at home in round three, but were over-run and lost by 16 points.

Best player votes:

Jayden Hooper - 50

Lachlan Butler - 40

Coby Perry - 36

Top goalkickers:

Matthew Bilton - 27

Jayden Templeton - 26

Stewart Crameri - 20

.........................................

SANDHURST

Finished - 5^th (12-7)

Decade record - 135-63-2

The only club for the decade to compete in all 10 finals series, but the Dragons' foray into September again only lasted a week when beaten by Golden Square in the elimination final.

Struggled to build momentum, winning no more than two games in a row for the year, while their 41 players used was the most among the top five sides.

Half-back Jake Pallpratt was duly rewarded for his consistent season by winning the best and fairest, but he's now headed back off to Benalla to coach the Saints.

Best player votes:

Jake Pallpratt - 47

Chris Down - 33

Nick Stagg - 33

Top goalkickers:

Matt Thornton - 40

Jake McLean - 22

Nick Stagg - 18

.........................................

SOUTH BENDIGO

Finished - 7^th (5-13)

Decade record - 82-100-2

Missed the finals for a seventh season in a row under new coach Nathan Horbury.

Won just two of their first 14 games, but finished solidly with three wins among their last four games.

Kaiden Antonowicz was again a strong focal point, ranking third on the league goalkicking with 69, which included a haul of 13 in the 148-point demolition of Castlemaine in round 18.

Best player votes:

Brody Haddow - 57

Tom Brereton - 38

Callum Crisp - 31

Top goalkickers:

Kaiden Antonowicz - 69

Brock Harvey - 24

Brody Haddow - 18

.........................................

STRATHFIELDSAYE

Finished - 1^st (19-1)

Decade record - 149-49-1

The Storm used the disappointment of their 2018 grand final loss to Eaglehawk to fuel their 2019 hunger.

Were a juggernaut, finishing 19-1 with a percentage of 297.7 and average winning margin of 100 points.

Their only loss was to Eaglehawk by 18 points in round 10, while they rolled into the finals on the back of imposing wins by 171, 185, 217, 89 and 197 points against the bottom five sides.

Star forward Lachlan Sharp won his second Ron Best Medal in three seasons as the competition's leading goalkicker. Sharp booted 129 goals in the home and away season and four in the finals for a final tally of 133.

When the decade started in 2010 the Storm were preparing for just their second season in the competition.

Ten years on they are the powerhouse of the competition that have won four senior flags and there is nothing to suggest their domination of the competition will be halting any time soon.

Best player votes:

Lachlan Sharp - 46

Sam Heavyside - 44

Bryce Curnow - 41

Top goalkickers:

Lachlan Sharp - 133

Bryce Curnow - 31

Hugh Robertson - 29

1. STRATHFIELDSAYE

Record - 17-1, 312.7%

2. EAGLEHAWK

Record - 15-3, 204.6%

3. GISBORNE

Record - 14-4, 200.1%

4. GOLDEN SQUARE

Record - 12-6, 162.9%

5. SANDHURST

Record - 12-6, 131.6%

6. MARYBOROUGH

Record - 6-12, 61.0%

7. SOUTH BENDIGO

Record - 5-13, 77.4%

8. KYNETON

Record - 5-13, 58.7%

9. KANGAROO FLAT

Record - 4-14, 46.9%

10. CASTLEMAINE

Record - 0-18, 24.9%

...........................................

ELIMINATION FINAL:

Golden Square 11.11 (77) d Sandhurst 10.2 (62)

QUALIFYING FINAL:

Eaglehawk 13.11 (89) d Gisborne 7.9 (51)

1ST SEMI-FINAL:

Gisborne 16.10 (106) d Golden Square 5.13 (43)

2ND SEMI-FINAL:

Strathfieldsaye 14.16 (100) d Eaglehawk 3.10 (28)

PRELIMINARY FINAL:

Eaglehawk 12.7 (79) d Gisborne 11.9 (75)

GRAND FINAL:

Strathfieldsaye 14.10 (94) d Eaglehawk 10.20 (80)

...........................................

Bendigo 18.17 (125) def Outer East 3.8 (26)

Best - J. Thrum, J. Geary, N. Horbury, B. Curnow, L. Barrett, P. McKenna

...........................................

(includes finals)

133 - Lachlan Sharp

(Strathfieldsaye)

95 - Pat McKenna

(Gisborne)

69 - Kaiden Antonowicz

(South Bendigo)

50 - Sean Williams

(Eaglehawk)

46 - Riley Saunders

Eaglehawk

...........................................

FOOTBALL:

SENIORS:

Strathfieldsaye

RESERVES:

Strathfieldsaye

UNDER-18S:

Kangaroo Flat

.....................

NETBALL

A GRADE:

Sandhurst

A RESERVE:

Sandhurst

B GRADE:

Kangaroo Flat

B RESERVE:

Strathfieldsaye

17-UNDER:

Sandhurst

.....................

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