Division 1 Men’s 2026 Season Preview

Division 1’s 2025 season showed the highs and lows of footy, with a fairytale ending for first-time premier Old Peninsula that ended their 45-year premiership drought. But it meant a painful ending for Ormond, who went 18-0 in a perfect regular season before being beaten for the first time in the Grand Final.

Both teams have been promoted to Premier C this season, while returning to Division 1 from Premier C are Prahran and Parkside – the two teams that played the 2024 Div 1 Grand Final.

At the other end of the ladder, Therry Penola (3-15) and Elsternwick (1-17) drop to Division 2, and will be replaced by Old Yarra Cobra’s and St Mary Salesian who were neck and neck in Div 2 throughout last season.

Across their two competing finals games they were separated by only four points. And while St Mary’s fought through for the premiership last season, both squads will continue their rivalry to see who can best match their new Division 1 opponents.

Here’s a look at all our Division 1 teams for 2026:

KEW (3^rd: 12-6)

Kew dominated the majority of the league in 2025, scoring as many as 24 goals against Elsternwick in Round 2. However, they weren’t quite able to get that scoring to match up against the top 2 sides.

Kew fought their way to the Preliminary final before losing to the eventual premiers Old Peninsula 115 to 59. Kew will hope to do at least one step better in the 2026 season.

Returning player Lachlan Brown rejoins Kew after two years out of the competition, alongside recommitted players Regan Smith and Lachie James, who both finished top 5 in the club’s 2025 Best & Fairest.

Kew start their 150th year as a club with a trip to Scammell Reserve to face Oakleigh in an immediate finals rematch, after Kew knocked Oakleigh out of the finals in the first round.

OAKLEIGH (4^th: 11-7)

Oakleigh were one of the stories of the run to September, ultimately sneaking into the finals on percentage.

Luke Ashen kicked 71 goals in 16 games (12 more than the next best) to win Division 1’s League Best & Fairest. But despite Oakleigh’s firepower, they were unable to get past the first round of finals.

With Luke not lining up for the Krushers in 2026, they will need to find other avenues to goal, and this will begin this weekend against the team that eliminated them last season – Kew.

PRESTON BULLANTS (5^th: 11-7)

Having narrowly missed out on the 2025 finals on percentage, the Bullants will be desperate to snatch a position in the top four this season.

Preston struggled against the top tier teams in 2025, winning only two of their seven games against top four sides. Being able to regularly beat the best is their next challenge in trying to move up the ladder.

Preston will start their season off with an away game against Prahran at Toorak Park. The Bullants will hope to hit the winners list immediately and continue Prahran’s losing streak after the Two Blues went winless in Prem C last season.

UHS-VU (6th: 9-9)

A balanced year saw UHS-VU go 9 wins & 9 losses in 2025. However, a five-game winning streak to end the season will hopefully transfer into the start of 2026.

UHS-VU will be coached by Mark McAllion in 2026. Coach McAllion hopes to run with a fun-to-watch, fun-to-play style this season, letting the players showcase their talent.

McAllion believes they’ve got a very balanced team that will be capable of getting the ball moving quick and with genuine energy to get the team winning more often than not.

UHS-VU will open the season with a home game against the newly promoted Old Yarra Cobras at Brens Oval.

BRUNSWICK (7^th: 6-12)

Coming off a 6-win season in 2025, Brunswick had some high-scoring games, but then struggled to score against the best in the competition. Coming off a four-game losing streak to end 2025, the team will hope to break that streak with a win to start the season.

Brunswick will host another of the Prem C relegated teams, Parkside, at Alec Gillon Oval to start the year with what promises to be a revealing clash.

MONASH BLUES (8^th: 5-13)

Experienced Coach Damien Philpott has taken over at Monash this season, and his 30 years of experience in NSW will hopefully allow the Blues to enjoy some improvement after narrowly avoiding relegation last season.

The only non-relegated team without a player in the top ten goal scorers, Monash will certainly need to increase their forward half damage if they are to rise up the ladder in 2026.

Monash open their season with a high pressure away game against Division 2 premiers St Mary’s Salesian. Monash will hope to be a class above on Saturday, against a St Mary’s team with a lot of excitement coming into a new division.

PARKSIDE (9^th Relegated from Premier C: 4-14)

Parkside’s 2024 success in Division 1 translated a bit better to Premier C than Prahran. However, a 4-win season still saw them relegated to Division 1, albeit on percentage behind Mazenod.

Despite the relegation, Coach Rick Frost says they are taking it as it comes and reflecting on what makes a good performance. He is particularly excited in building the current team, especially in a league where it can be difficult to bring in external talent.

Instead, he is focusing on the junior players coming through, and helping them understand what it looks like to fit into their structures and work for the team. More than anything, Frost said that the players and coaches are excited to get the season started.

The long off-season for Parkside comes to an end with their opening game against Brunswick at Alec Gillon Oval. They’ll be hoping to get the team back on the winners’ list first-up to generate some early momentum.

PRAHRAN (10^th Relegated from Premier C: 0-18)

Prahran dominated Division 1 in 2024, with sixteen wins and a percentage that nearly hit 200%. However, this success didn’t translate to the Premier C division, and they now return to Division 1 after a winless 2025 season.

Ash Lever has taken over the top job at Prahran and is hoping to use the lessons learned from their difficult season to rediscover success in Division 1.

Prahran start their year with a home game against the Preston Bullants, and will be aiming to break their losing streak and start to reassert their dominance over Div 1 once again.

OLD YARRA COBRAS (1^st Promoted from Division 2: 15-2-1)

An emotional end to 2025 saw the Cobras lose the grand final by just three points to St Mary’s Salesian.

Old Yarra had beaten Salesian by one point in the first round of finals, so their September showdowns will set up a keen rivalry between the two squads in Div 1 this year. The Cobras will be keen to get a few wins on the board in the lead-up to their next clash with St Mary’s in Round 7.

Joining the Cobras squad is former Coburg (VFL) and Old Trinity player Xavier Fry, who joins his good mate Josh De Ward as an exciting midfielder who will hopefully help elevate the Cobras to a new level.

Old Yarra’s first match in Division 1 will be against UHS-VU at home. They’ll be hoping to use the frustration from last season to win against a balanced side that went 9-9 in 2025.

ST MARY’S SALESIAN (2^nd Promoted from Division 2: 15-3 & Premiers)

Premiership coach Clay Tait has stepped aside on a high note, allowing club legend and former skipper Heath Chipperfield to take over and lead the Saints into Division 1 footy.

Taking hold of the young championship squad, Coach Chipperfield is hoping that the excitement around the group helps them meet the new challenges ahead of them.

The focus has been on consolidating what worked for them in the 2025 season, while adding more layers to their game style and improving the young team’s ability to control and change the pace of the game.

A number of new and returning additions to the squad will add some experience and capability, with Chipperfield mentioning the flexibility that Ethan Taylor will provide around the ground.

St Mary’s open their year with a home game at Ferndale Park against Monash Blues, who also start their season with a new coach in Damien Philpott.

Division 1 footy is always entertaining. It’s the gateway to the Premier sections and we look forward to what these teams can deliver in 2026.