Premier B Men’s Team of the Year

This year’s Victorian suburban league stats confirmed what we saw with our own eyes: VAFA Premier B Men’s was one of the most competitive in the entire state.

Aside from eventual premiers Collegians, who completed a perfect season with a 20-0 record, there was precious little to split the rest of the competition, with six teams still fighting for the last three finals places right up to the final weekend of the season.

But even the all-conquering Collegians had to earn their September spoils, coming from behind on Grand Final Day to ultimately defeat De La Salle by just 12 points, as the two teams who came down from Premier Men’s last season both secured immediate promotion back to the top flight.

Credit should also go to the other two finalists; Beaumaris progressed through to a Preliminary Final after winning last year’s Premier C flag, while Old Melburnians also made finals under first-year coach James Byrne.

Unsurprisingly, Collegians’ dominance was reflected in the league’s Best-and-Fairest. Kenny Ong won the award after also winning best-on-ground honours in the Grand Final, as fellow teammates Hugh Johnson and Alex Lukic also finished in the top four.

The leading goalkicking tally was also a close affair. Old Geelong’s Tom Gorell proved the league’s sharpest shooter in his first season at the club with 61 majors, with the next six players separated by just seven goals. De La’s Luke Healy and Old Camberwell’s Liam Thomas tied for second place with 47 goals.

Each VAFA Team of the Year is based on feedback and analysis from coaches, umpires, and the VAFA Media team, and compiled by our Premier B Men’s reporter Matthew Donald, based on performances across the home & away season.

The 2026 VAFA Premier B Men’s Team of the Year is:         

It should come as little surprise that Collegians’ four representatives are the joint-most of any club, with Hugh Johnson, Jim Bazzani, and Kenny Ong all making the side.

Johnson was the dominant ruckman in 2026 and also won the club’s best-and-fairest award, with Bazzani and Ong finishing equal second.

The fourth nomination is outgoing coach Jordie McKenzie, who departs the club on the best possible note, taking out Coach of the Year honours after leading the club back into the top flight with the perfect season.

Runners-up De La Salle also had four nominations, with three of them featuring in the forward line.

Luke Healy (47 goals) and Nicholas Leontaritis (41) were both dominant targets up forward this season, while Thomas Filipovic was one of just three players to record 100+ score involvements and 20+ goal assists in 2026.

At the other end of the ground, Ryan O’Meara was the dominant attacking defender in 2026, ranking first in the competition for intercept possessions (171) and defensive-50 rebounds (138), while his 108 intercept marks were almost double that of anyone else in the competition (second was 56).

Despite finishing eighth on the ladder, Old Geelong had some of the best individual performers of the competition, finishing with three representatives.

With 61 goals to his name, no player booted more goals than Tom Gorell, while Matt Harvey recorded a league-high 634 disposals. Lachlan Dunnell is the other OG to make the side, selected on the bench as the secondary ruckman after a breakout season stepping up to first ruck duties following Big V ruck Jack Sheridan’s departure.

One of three representatives for Old Camberwell, Liam Thomas finished equal second in the goalkicking table, and also led the league in marks inside-50 (69) and contested marks (68).

Ben Hart slots in down back after ranking second in the league for intercept possessions (133) and top-10 for both intercept marks and rebound-50s, while Sam Veitch led the league in contested possessions (273).

Old Melburnians, Beaumaris, and Old Ivanhoe all have two players in the line-up, despite the three clubs having vastly different campaigns.

For OMs, Thomas Spargo was one of the league’s most effective rebounders, while no player recorded more spoils than Harry Cooper.

Leading the way for the newly-promoted Sharks, Max Hoult finished fifth in the league’s goalkicking charts with 45, while club and Big V skipper Callum Linehan enjoyed another fine campaign in defence. Cal will lead this side with his usual authority.

Despite finishing 10th, the Hoers had some strong individual performers this season. Co-captain Patrick Naish earns a place as the only player in the competition to record over 80 inside-50s and 80 rebound-50s, while Ned Reeves-Smyth stood strong in defence all year. 

The remaining three clubs each had one representative, with Jethro Gunn (AJAX), Will Bokma (Williamstown CYMS), and Sam Nehme (Old Carey) all making the final side.

A special thank you to all the Premier B coaches for being so generous with their time throughout 2026, and for their valuable input in piecing together this team.

Congratulations to all players named in the 2026 line-up – a significant achievement in such a talent-stacked competition.

A Team of the Year from each senior VAFA men’s and women’s section (plus Under 19 Premier Men’s & Women’s) will be published on the VAFA website and socials in the coming weeks.