
Amateur Footballer Record – Week 4
Read the week four edition of The Amateur Footballer as we review round three and preview the upcoming weekend of the 2025 VAFA season – The Real Stakes Round. Team
Nick Armistead
There’s rarely a shortage of inspirational and emotionally charged stories in the world of local football – and especially within the VAFA – but the story of Lachlan Francis is quite possibly where these tales peak.
At 7:15pm tonight, the feel-good story of the year will unfold at Banksia Reserve when ‘Banga’ returns to Shark Park after a four-year battle with leukaemia.
Yep, you read that right. Amazing.
The son of Mark (Thirds Coach) and Tracey (Club Secretary) received his cancer diagnosis when he was just 15yo and, after four years of treatment, was given the all-clear in 2020.
“Lachie has been doing footy training since October last year but hadn’t been given medical clearance to play,” Club President Terry Lucas said.
“He finally got the green light.”
Upon the news of Lachie’s return, the VAFA community rallied with their own messages of support:
Lachlan joined the Sharks when he was seven years old and played 119 games and won two premierships throughout his junior career.
Tonight, coached by his father, he will look to secure the Sharks’ first win of the Thirds Division 1 season against Old Trinity.
Good luck tonight, Banga. We’re all behind you.
Read the week four edition of The Amateur Footballer as we review round three and preview the upcoming weekend of the 2025 VAFA season – The Real Stakes Round. Team
The VAFA congratulates Boston Dowling from Old Trinity Football Club who has been nominated as the Round 3 Anytime Fitness Men’s Rising Star. Boston is a star in the making,
Monique Conti is a force to be reckoned with both on and off the field. As a dynamic midfielder for the Richmond Tigers in the AFLW, Monique has earned her