2025 Division 1 Men’s Team of the Year

Division 1 Men’s provided arguably the biggest upset of the entire VAFA season after the undefeated Ormond was well-beaten by Old Peninsula on Grand Final Day.

The Monders and the Pirates were the two standout teams, finishing well clear of the field after 18 rounds, with Kew and Oakleigh the other two finalists – the Krushers storming home to snatch fourth spot at the death from the Preston Bullants via percentage on a thrilling final afternoon.

It was a big year for goalkickers, with Oakleigh’s Luke Ashen booting 71, ahead of Pirate Bailey Payze on 59, Brandon Jackson from UHS-VU on 57, Tom Hill from the Bullants on 48, Daniel Marchese from Elsternwick on 44 and Kew’s Regan Smith on 39.

This group of six constitutes the Team of the Year’s forward line, having combined for a remarkable 318 goals. Good luck stopping these guys, given the quality of supply they’ll receive from our stacked midfield!

Each VAFA Team of the Year is based on feedback and analysis from coaches, umpires, and the VAFA Media team, and compiled by our Division 1 Men’s reporter Raj Johnston.

The 2025 VAFA Division 1 Men’s Team of the Year is:         

Unsurprisingly, Ormond has a huge presence in the Team of the Year, which is calculated exclusively from home & away performance. The Monders provide five players, plus Coach of the Year, Kyle Pinto.

Ormond key defensive duo Matt Oaten and Jeremy Simon will combine to provide plenty of defensive steel, while their engine room is represented by ruck Flynn O’Toole and onballer Jack Mason. Aaron Taylor will come off the bench and provide quality depth to this line-up.

Old Peninsula have four representatives, with Ben Williamson across half-back, Kurt Thiele starting in the middle alongside Hugh Peacock, with electrifying goalscorer Bailey Payze causing havoc up forward as the opposition scramble to try and cover all of this team’s scoring avenues.

Kew have three players in this line-up, with Fintan Davis at half-back, Regan Smith at half-forward and the ever-reliable Alex Chiocci (who polled coaches’ votes in 14 of his 17 games) coming off the bench.

Oakleigh also have two, with League Best & Fairest Luke Ashen starting in the goalsquare and Oliver Thomson providing fresh legs off the bench.

The Preston Bullants took great strides in 2025 and have a couple of representatives here, with skipper Tom Hill (also the Captain of the Team of the Year) in our forward group, plus Luke Green down back.

Brunswick had a challenging season, but still provide a couple of players to this team, with the prolific Fletcher Banfield racking up touches between the arcs, with Oscar Watt coming off the bench.

The remaining clubs have one representative apiece – goalkickers Brandon Jackson (UHS-VU) & Daniel Marchese (Elsternwick), defender Sean Callander (Therry Penola), midfielder James Flett (Monash Blues).

Congratulations to all players named in the team for 2025. It’s a great honour and a well-deserved one.

A Team of the Year from each senior VAFA section (plus Under 19 Premier) will be published on VAFA platforms over the coming weeks.