Port Melbourne

Here we go again. I'd expect to hear of some re-signings and maybe departures following Thursdays Best and Fairest night. 

Borough Bus to Geelong Sunday

The club is putting on a Bus for Supporters to Geelong. $25 Includes return trip from ETU Stadium to Kardinia Park, free wine/beer/soft drink.

Leaving ETU at 11AM, and departing at 5pm back to Port

Back to the Borough Night 2026

The Museum is holding this fundraising event next month - Saturday 8 August (after the Richmond match) at the Sandridge Events Centre from 6.30pm.

Price @$50 per person and it includes a 2 course smorgasbord.

Tickets are available via Trybooking link (booking fee added) or from Jenny and Brad at the Merchandise shop on match day.  If you have any queries please send a message.

https://www.trybooking.com/DNPDZ

Re-signings:

Luca Alessio, Kaine Baldwin, Dom Bedendo, Charlie Clarke, Kai Dimattina, Felix Dreher, Paddy Farrant, Matt Gahan, Roy George, Josh Green, Sam Grant, Tom Graham, Ned Hawkins, Tom Highmore, Tom Hird, Jack Johnston, Drew Lloyd, Archi Manton, Owen Mulady, Flynn Penry, Riley Polkinghorne, Lachie Rankin, Max Rider, Fraser Rosman, Michael Rudd, Jack Skinner, Josh Sparkman, Harry Stubbings, James Van Es, Malachi White

New signings:

Charlie Connell-Tobin (Old Carey), Connor Downie (North Melbourne VFL, East Ringwood), Ryan Eyre (Collingwood VFL, Castlemaine), Ben Hobbs (Essendon AFL), Fletcher Hughes (St Mary's) Jaidi Jackson-Leahy (Bendigo Pioneers, Strathfieldsaye), James Lugsdin (GWS VFL, Manly-Warringa), Hamish Morrison (Williamstown, Airport West), Matt O'Brien (Collingwood VFL, St Paul's), Jack O'Sullivan (North Melbourne VFL, Old Xaverians), Oliver Sestan (Melbourne VFL, AFL-listed), Alex Tonelli (Strathmore, reserves and under 18.5's), Josh Tovey (East Ringwood), Oliver Withers (Belconnen Magpies, GWS Giants Academy)

I've listed every club for which the new recruits played at least 1 game in 2025. Lugsdin is the one VFL-listed player who played primarily VFL. Eyre played 8 games for Collingwood's VFL side. Sestan was AFL-listed and played for Melbourne's VFL side. Hobbs played 18 AFL games and 1 VFL game in 2025. 

List of new signings updated 29/05 based on the round 10 team selection and emergencies. List updated again 05/07. List updated again 17/07, which brings us to 44 players, so if list sizes are still set at 44, this is finally the complete list.

Departures:

Anthony Anastasio (Deer Park), Guy Barnes, Lachie Bond, Jack Boyd, Angus Curry, Jayden Davey (St Kilda VFL), Dyson Heppell (Collingwood development coach), Tom Hofert (Frankston), Harvey Hooper (Giants VFL), AJ Kuol Mun (Werribee), Archie Lazzaro, Charlie Lazzaro (Werribee), Will Martyn, Jimmy Miller (Balwyn), Sam Philp (Richmond VFL), Connor Riley, Matt Signorello (Heidelberg), Hugh Trigg, Tobe Watson (Wickliffe-Lake Bolac), Tex Wanganeen (St Kilda VFL)

I completed the list of departures by looking at last year's list and seeing who's no longer listed. As I completed the list, I didn't look up where everyone who's no longer on our list is set to play this season. Lachy Wilson is confirmed to have left to play full time for Heidelberg after initially signing (and turns out he's now signed with Williamstown midseason...); it looks like Josh Chatfield has similarly left (signed with Tooleybuc Manangatang) as he's not listed on our website.

I will update this post as more (re-)signings and departures are confirmed. (Edit on 17/07: post may finally be complete.) It is a matter of great puzzlement to me why the word "body" appears at the top of this post, but I have tried three times to fix it, so it can stay.

[Edit: apologies for odd formatting, I have absolutely no idea why the word "Body" is displaying at the top of the body of the post and cannot figure out how to remove it]

These are the results the club has announced so far:

VFL:

Jack McFarlane Medal (Best and Fairest): Tom Hird

Best and Fairest Runner-Up: Harvey Hooper

Ted & Rob Freyer Memorial Trophy (Most Determined): Tom Graham

Tom Lahiff Trophy (Spirit of the Borough): Dyson Turner-Heppell

Best First-Year Player: AJ Kuol Mun

Bob Bonnett-Fred Cook Leading Goalkicker: Dom Bedendo

VFLW:

Best and Fairest: Ava Seton

Best and Fairest Runner-Up Mia Caffry

Coaches' Award: Meg Buchanan

Spirit of the Borough: Olivia Barton

Development Player: Nicola Davidson

Leading Goalkicker: Kaitlyn O'Keefe

VBFL:

Best and Fairest: David Gauci

Best and Fairest Runner-Up: Penelope Bunn

Best Team Player: Bridget Jolley

Leading Goalkicker: David Gauci

Congratulations to all the winners!

Port Melbourne Captain and two time premiership player Harvey Hooper has announced that the 2025 season will be his last.

His leadership and efforts at the Borough won't be easily forgotten as he has been a first class competitor in the VFA/VFL over the last decade. It's fitting that his performance representing the VFL this yes against South Australia was instrumental in the Big V ending a long losing streak. 

Well done Hoops on a great career. 

• With the season done and dusted, I have started to turn my mind towards out list in 2026. Having watched (or rewatched) the last few games I am hoping to go through the list to make a bit of an assesment on individual players.. But just on the last couple of games...
• Rankin.. We have really missed him this season and the games he played towards the end of the season show what a clever player he is with good decision making
• Lazzaro who started the season in blistering for has been back to his best and his run and carry is first rate
• Anastasia despite losing his blistering pace in seasons gone by is a very very clever player who reads the play as well as anyone and has a booming kick and is deadly around goals. I'm hoping he goes around for 1 more season
• Heppel reminds me in some way of John Baird, he's not super quick but his vision, disposal skills and leadership in constructing play has become more and more evident as the season has progressed 

Anyway, I hope to go through the list in jumper number order and post my thoughts...and would love to hear others. 

Paul Amy has reported that Port Melbourne legend Vic 'Stretch' Aanensen has died at the age of 72.

Stretch had a long battle with illness in recent times.

He is a dual JJ Liston medallist and life member of the VFA/VFL having won premierships with the Borough in the early 80s.

Stretch also was a very good cricketer too, winning premierships at the Port Melbourne Cricket Club in the Victorian Sub District Association. 

I was fortunate enough to have played a few games with him in the late 90s and early 2000s from memory helping out the cricket club in the 3rds and 4ths. Always was a lovely bloke to play with, and will be greatly missed.