2025 AGM Wash Up
On Monday Evening (24/11/2025) the club hosted its Annual General Meeting.
The occasion served us nicely to reflect upon a successful year and run through the formalities of electing the 2026 committee.
We are pleased to report there is little movement on the committee front and we are bolstered by the addition of Paul O’Connell, Shayl Inlander, Johnny Gates & Mark Arnheim. See Office Bearers
We’d like to make special mention of Mark, a festidious reader of the Schiller Report. Mark answered a call to action to help the club fill a number of its gaps and help spread the load at committee level. Mark’s previous involvement at the club was in the early 90’s – despite this long gap in time – he recognised his experience (Registrar at Bentleigh Junior Football Club) meant he possesses transferable skills and has put his hand up to be our Registrar for 2026. Well done Mark, and welcome back!
Our the finance front – after reporting a couple of small losses in the previous two years – the club was able to report a profit (+$9k) for this reporting year. The state of the finances helps us greatly with budgeting our larger discretion-based expenses like coaching. We have to thank player and club sponsors for this result as the sponsorship category is far and away our most important revenue stream in this day and age. To reveal things often hidden behind the curtains – our operating expenses/costs were in the ballpark of $260k for the season just past.
Please find below – a report from the President and our Football Operations Reports.
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President’s Report – AGM 2025
Last year, we celebrated a truly remarkable season in 2024, but as we gather for the 2025 AGM, it’s clear that our club continues to build on that momentum and reach new heights. Over the summer, (while slow before Christmas) the energy around Old Carey was palpable, and the belief in our direction has only strengthened as the 2025 season unfolded. The biggest thrill was the flow of schoolgirls finally joining the program – a vindication of the commitment and effort put into this space across 24 months prior.
On-Field Performance
The senior men’s program entered Premier B with confidence after last year’s premiership, and the squad responded with a series of impressive performances. Early wins against strong opposition such as Old Melbourne and Old Camberwell, set the tone, and the team consistently demonstrated resilience and skill throughout the season. Notably, Old Carey stayed ahead in the win/loss register even when briefly dropping out of the four. The side navigated mid-season holidays and long injury lists well and even took victories off the eventual grand finalists – showcasing the depth and talent of our playing group. The club’s ability to maintain pressure against formidable opponents was a testament to our coaching staff and player commitment.
Mens Seniors 4th
Mens Reserves – 8th
Mens Thirds – 1st
Womens Seniors – 3rd
Mens Under 19s – 5th
Our women’s program continued its upward trajectory, building on last year’s growth. The team recorded victories against every side, including a standout win away at Latrobe and a demolition of De La Salle maintaining a reputation as prominent scorers in the competition. Unfortunately, the squad ran a little shallow on arriving in the finals and were bested by Latrobe and Parkside to crash out of flag contention.The under-19 squad also showed significant improvement, with strong numbers & promising talent emerging from the school & community.
For a club into its 71st season – silverware is elusive – it’d be remiss not to mention Michael Mitchell and his band of thirds players who won the premiership in their section. The flag is our clubs 13th across its history – with 8 of those in the past 20 seasons. We value the threes as much as any – offering a game of football to members of our community irrespective of their ability is high on our priority list.
Positional Appointments
We remain committed to attracting and retaining outstanding people in all areas of the club. Our coaches, support staff, and volunteers have worked tirelessly to foster a culture of excellence and inclusion. Special mention to our Senior Men’s Coach, Luke Giles, all the while performing his coaching duties with precision. New to the club was Jack Hamilton as Under 19 coach – he did an enormous job and our retention from Unders to Seniors looks to be on the improve. Dobbo oversaw the coming of age of the womens program and will hand over an extraordinary list to our next coach.
Partner Relationships
Old Carey continues to be the club of choice for Carey students and alumni, thanks to our strong relationships with the Old Carey Grammarians Association, the School, and the wider football community. Our sponsors, including Courtney Patterson Ford and JH22, have once again provided invaluable support, helping us deliver on and off the field.
Community Engagement
The club hosted a vibrant calendar of events in 2025, from Past Players Day and Ladies Day to Cookies’ Kitchen and the Reverse Raffle. These events brought together every demographic and strengthened our sense of community. Afternoon teas at Dunshea and new initiatives like the Panther Academy have further enhanced our club’s culture.
Participation Costs
Despite rising operational costs, we have maintained affordable playing subs, ensuring football remains accessible for all. The club introduced subs for women’s football for a necessary step, that was undertaken with little protest and signifies a strong program.
Financial Backing
Our financial position is increasingly healthy [Treasurers Report] thanks to the generosity of sponsors, donors, & the tireless efforts of our committee. The club’s fundraising initiatives, including player sponsorships, the reverse raffle & the reinstituted Mid-Season Ball, have been embraced by players, parents & businesses. The Australian Sporting Foundation is one stream that has slowed as a revenue stream and & would welcome some people to drive this.
Player Engagement
Our coaches have balanced the needs of aspiring footballers and social players, ensuring everyone enjoys their experience at Old Carey. The club’s inclusive approach has been key to our growth and success.
Overall
In 2025, Old Carey fielded five teams, with strong performances across all grades (the RFI is the Men’s Reserves which will become a focus of 2026). The club’s strategic planning and infrastructure projects, (including upgrades to lights and the scoreboard), are progressing well. We are grateful for the support of the school and our partners in accommodating our growing numbers.
In 2025 we 218 registered participants –
179 Males (61 “Unders”)
39 Females (15 “Unders”)
We hope you enjoyed 2025 as much as we have. The club enters 2026 with excitement and optimism, ready to build on this year.
Michael Tarrant
Club President
Football Department Report
Season 2025 was one of significant growth and development for the club, with four of the five sides making finals. The senior men, coming up from C Grade, to play finals in B Grade highlights the growth potential in our young group. Luke Giles did an outstanding job in his first year as senior coach and his ability to teach and implement modern game plans was clear. Our Reserves program had a challenging year, using 95 players. It is a key area of focus in the off season. If our list and club is to reach its potential, we need to ensure our depth of talent and commitment matches our ambitions.
Our women’s program continues to grow, with 2025 seeing a strong influx from the school and our Year 12 cohort. Though the girls couldn’t maintain the momentum at years end, it was a terrific season by our women. We thank Ryan “Dobbo” Dobson for his efforts over the past three years. His commitment and passion have driven the growth of this group has set the club up long term for success in Women’s football.
Our Under 19’s had a season of significant growth and development, led by Jack Hamilton. With many of our 19’s playing Senior Football each week, to make the finals in Division 1 was an excellent outcome. The engagement to training, off field and the club markedly improved in 2025, with strong numbers on the track and at club events. This, coupled with a strong commitment to transition to senior football in 2026 bodes well for the club’s growth in the next few seasons.
The highlight from a football perspective was the Thirds premiership, a deserved reward for Michael Mitchell and Chris Angus, two outstanding servants of our club. The grand final win against Xav’s was one for the ages and will go down in club folklore.
The Panther Academy, led by Jeremy Dickson played a key part in fast tracking the development of our young group. Dicko’s ability to teach the fundamentals and our groups embracement of wanting to get better made this a key driver in the rapid improvement of a lot of our senior group.
Our off-field team, whose work many often don’t see remain the heart of our footy program. The great John Hands (ably supported by David Wright) continues to put in countless hours for the club, across too many roles to count. Matt Pallozzi and his team (Physio) and Geoff Yam and his training ensure our players are fit, ready and available each week. A huge shout out to Andrew Gates and Geoff Azzopardi, our club umpires, who do a terrific job every week, in the most thankless job at the club.
Off field, 2025 may be the most significant step in our path forward. Confirmation of match level lights at Gramlick and the introduction of a second training venue (and match venue in 2026) provides us the infrastructure to grow, both in playing/team numbers and as players.
Thank you to our assistant coaches throughout the club. We have invested heavily in quality coaches across all programs, and it shows with the quality people we have. George Cotsonis, Anthony Pezzimenti, Scott Hamilton, Terrance Peters, Brad Cronin and Mike Goodwin all quality coaches and even better people. In 2026, we will grow this further, with the introduction of several key roles. This isn’t possible without the work of our committee, led by Michael Tarrant, Sam Hassett, Julianna Backman and Nick Andrews, who have set the club up beautifully for what promises to be a very exciting 2026.
Aaron Bailey- Head of Football
Senior Men’s Season Report
Coach: Luke Giles
Captain: Harry Hill
Record: 11 wins 7 Losses
Finished: 4th (Lost in the Elimination Final)
As the season 2025 came to an end, there was undeniable sense of optimism on where this club is heading across all teams, with our senior men’s side leading the way.
Our senior side finished in 4th position and managed 11 wins, earning us a valuable experience in an elimination final against Caulfield. This experience has no doubt injected some further self-belief into the playing group. While the weather gods didn’t smile upon us on the day , the coaching group felt the result reflected where the group was at – that being, the 4th best side in prem B. The nucleus of this senior side has now been established, and the boys know that. We currently have a group of young men who can take this group through a successful era at the club. We need to work hard and keep improving, but we have the talent and personnel needed. Season 2025 presented minimal expectations on the playing group coming up out of C grade, now we must work hard to meet our own personal expectations in 2026, and nobody else’s.
We had some heartbreaking season ending injuries to some of our core senior players in the group in Olly Dickson (knee), Tommy Horton (knee) , Connor Ogilvie (leg) and Eddie King (shoulder) and we can’t wait to have them back to their best in season 2026. These boys still have their best football ahead of them which is exciting for the club. Whilst the heartbreaking nature of these injuries was noticeable from a team balance and culture standpoint, this opened the door for some of our younger players to rubber stamp their belonging in the group as bona fide senior players. James Horse, Archer Simpson, and Finlay Park all showed they are capable of being genuine elite players in the completion providing they continue to work hard.
In addition to these emerging talents, it is impossible to ignore the feats of Mitch Wooffindin winning a second best & fairest and being named starting rover in the team of the year. He is a rare talent and the gift that keeps on giving. The whole club congratulate him on being such a strong leader for our younger group.
There is a sleeping giant in the VAFA at the moment, his name is Issac Elwood. Whilst everyone in the Carey circles understood what Isaac’s ceiling is, now the whole competition knows after his breakout season being named on a starting wing in the team of the year. His willingness to run hard both ways, and be clean below his knees sets him apart from his opponents. He really is a special talent, and it’s scary to think how good he can be if he continues to work hard. Finishing Third in our best and fairest, he is to be commended on a great season.
Perhaps the thing that says the most about the players mindsets heading into season 2026, is our second place best and fairest winner Luke Kelvie’s decision to park his Coburg commitments and commit to Carey full time to give help the club have as much success as possible in 2026. Whilst we absolutely support all of our VFL listed players in their journey to play at the highest level they can, it’s hard not to love what this says about Luke’s belief in where we are heading as a club over the next few years.
It must be said that our captain Harry Hill did an amazing job in his first year leading the group as captain. He was first class in the way he supported the coaches messaging and also relayed player feedback to the coaching group at the right times – something we always listened to carefully. We look forward to him leading the group again in Season 2026. With the support of an amazing committee and the best volunteers a club could ask for, the club is primed to run headfirst into season 2026. Finally, to the senior Coaching group – Anthony Pezzimenti and George Cotsonis, I know I speak for the whole club when I personally thank you for always exceeding the expectations of your job description. The whole club appreciate you both.
I’m extremely proud to be Senior coach of this club and always feel supported by the club. I look forward to seeing the Carey faithful in full flight at our first home game in 2026. Wishing you all a safe a happy end to the year 2025.
Women’s Season Report
Coach: Ryan Dobson
Captain: Lisa Walshe
Record: 11 wins 2 Losses
Finished: 3rd (Lost in the Preliminary Final)
2025 was another successful year for the woman’s team winning the minor premiership, although we were unable to capitalise on a dominate home and away season in the final series the unearthing of another generation of young woman who will take the club forward in the coming years is a major cause for excitement. Training numbers improved from between 8-10 on an average night to 20+ throughout the whole season. The raising of standards and expectations that the group were willing to accept and no doubt played a massive factor in our on field success.
Special acknowledgment must go to Lisa Walshe and Amy McCormack whose experience and leadership has helped mould and nurture our young group of players over the last 3 years and I will be forever grateful for their service. Lisa and Amy’s experience will be sorely missed but now is the time for the younger woman to step up in their stead.
The continued contribution at a committee level from Julianna Backman and Taylah Sutherland must be acknowledged and is greatly appreciated. That is also a great sign that our current woman are invested in the club’s future. Special acknowledgment to the ongoing support of my staff and volunteers throughout the year without them the season wouldn’t be possible. The extra support and insight they provided, allowed me to focus on player development while knowing that the roles they fill weekly are always completed to the highest standard. Thank you to my terrific team that supported me all season:
Assistant Coach Brad Cronin
Team Manager/Stats Mike Goodwin
Runner Nick Andrews
Goal Umpire Bowen Strahan
Boundary Umpire Logan Strahan
The On-field success we enjoyed (winning 11/13 regular season games) with 231.71%
10+ school girls joining the program
3 team of the year players (Lia Kelvie, Amy McCormack and Kellie Mcleod)
Lia Kelvie rising star nomination and finalist.
Amy McCormack Div 2 Leading goal Kicker
Award winners
BNF Ally Forest
Runners Up Lia Kelvie
Finals MVP Rose Chiaramonte
Coaches Award Chloe Grisinski
Best First Year Player Lani Sutherland
Coach: Adam Lefty Wright
Captain: Mac Hogg
Record: 5 Wins, 13 Losses.
Finished: 9th
The pre-season games kicked off against Whittlesea in similar fashion to 2024, with 18 players only and an early serious injury, this time to ‘Carmo’. Despite this the lads put up a strong showing and finished within only a couple of goals difference. The second practice match saw the emergence of some Carey stars of the future, with Eddie King and Finn Park having plenty of the ball in the middle and Ben Morgan slotting 5 goals in a dominant performance over Macleod. These results against 2 of the top development teams of Div 2 NFL left us with confidence in the year ahead.
Round 1 pitted us against an Old Melbournian’s side that had finished top 5 in Premier in 2024. Fielding a side that consisted of 6 U/19’s players, the boys put up a terrific effort for 3 ½ quarters before succumbing to a more experienced and inaccurate goal kicking (4.13) outfit by 20 points. Despite the loss we were very positive about the road ahead given the performance. Unfortunately the same old issues popped up against Old Ivanhoe in Rd 2 that we had faced the year previously, with injury and unavailability meaning we needed to play 6 lads that hadn’t played a preseason game or rd 1. Despite a competitive first half, the lack of fitness was telling and this resulted in a 57 point loss to a strong Old Ivanhoe side on their home deck.
Over the next 6 games we endured 6 straight losses, 3 of which were 5 points or under by a kick late in the game and a 4th that was under 4 goals with an under manned side. At 0-8 the messaging was simple.. “we are not a 0-8 side on talent, let’s aim to improve the result on every game in the second half of the season.” With 3 losses under a goal, this essentially meant we should have at least 3 wins in the back half of the year. By this stage we had also used 55 players, which also made it a struggle to have consistency of play each week due to the regular new faces.
Rd 9 saw us face Old Melburnians again, this time on our home deck. After a hard fought first half, the lads were able to run over the top of their opposition & play some of their best footy for the year, securing their first victory by 5 goals. Riding high in confidence but still undermanned, we faced a full strength Old Geelong side at Como Park. In a fast start by the home side, the Panthers found themselves 5 goals down at 1/4 time, but rallied in the 2nd quarter to be 1pt up at the long break. Despite injuries in the 3rd quarter & being down to 1 man on the bench, the boys recorded a stirring 19 point win for back to back wins.
Over the remaining 8 games we managed to secure 3 more wins & show improvement in 7 of the 10 games after the 0-8 start, despite using a further 40 new players for a total of 95 players used for the year. On face value a disappointing result, but when you take into account the player turn over due to unavailability, long term injury in the seniors & our own injury list throughout the year, we still remained competitive in over 80% of the games played this year. Another positive was over 20+ U/19 players got to taste footy at a senior level & all acquitted themselves well, which will hold them in good stead for the transition into senior footy over the next few years. The feedback from many of them after playing was that they really enjoyed it too, which was the most pleasing aspect.
There are lot of green shoots going into season 2026 with some interest from a number of the premiership 3’s players and approximately 10 top age U/19’s to come up. Add to that the majority of this year’s regular players have indicated they will go around again and the return of the senior long term injuries, coupled with Dobbo and Mike joining the coaching panel, there is a lot to look forward to in 2026 for the Development group!
U19s Season Report
Coach Jack Hamilton
Assistant Coaches: Scott Hamilton, Terence Peters.
Captain: Walter Alexander
Record: 10 Wins, 6 Losses.
Finished: 5th (Lost Elimination Final).
Approaching season 2025 we couldn’t help but be optimistic & excited about what our squad had to offer. A major focus on resetting the culture & creating an environment to develop & get better was critical, whilst doing this also ensuring the group was enjoying their football every week. Despite challenges such as losing our training ground early in June, player injuries, player holidays, this group consistently showed up giving 100% wearing the Carey jumper every week.
A finish of 5th on the ladder with 10 wins and 6 losses was a terrific effort for this group. We utilised 44 players across season 2025, 6 of those Carey school boys who played in a 1 off game vs Fitzroy in Round 8. We had multiple players get a chance at Senior Football this season in Dan Godden and Noah Muller just to name a few. Notable highlights from our season included a Round 1 win vs eventual table toppers Beaumaris. A round 13 win by a point at Haileybury in Round 13. And an incredible 19 point win over Old Melbournians at Elsternwick park in Round 15 to secure a finals birth.
This group showed great improvement in both offence and defence, but the biggest shift came in our training numbers. The numbers on the training track averaged 28 across our Monday night sessions, even when we lost our training ground the boys still found ways to stay fit and stay connected.
Our leadership group in Walt Alexander (Captain), Bowen Hilton (Vice), Luke Simpson (Vice), James Sharrock, Dan Godden and Jack van Luyk all did a terrific job in connecting the group and ensuring our whole squad felt apart of the journey.
A big thank you to my assistants in Scott and Terence, both made my job on game day far easier. Also major thanks to the parents who came down to support and fill roles where needed. U19’s football can’t function without the help of volunteers every weekend. With 23 players staying in U19’s Football for 2026 I’m truly excited about what we can build going into next season.
3rds Season Report
Coach: Michael Mitchell
Assistant: Chris Angus
Captain: Shayl Inlander
Record: 10 Wins, 6 Losses.
Finished: Premier
Grand Final Result Old Carey 10.7.67 Defeated Old Xaverians 9.7.61
The Thirds had a fantastic 2025 season, capped off by winning the premiership. This result wasn’t just about strong performances on the field, it also reflected the improved stability and buy-in from the group throughout the year. A big positive was the huge improvement in subs payments compared to last season, which made things much easier behind the scenes and helped the club financially. We also had a much more consistent playing group, needing far fewer fill-ins than in previous years, and that stability played a big part in our overall success.
Having Johnny Gates & Shayl Inlander join the committee for next season, will be another boost, adding extra support and energy around the club and 3s setup.
Engagement with the wider club improved as well, with more 3s players getting involved in events and contributing to the club culture. It’s also been great to hear that several players are keen to push for 2s next season, showing a strong desire to develop and take the next step. The feedback from the Under 19s who played with us was really positive, which is important for the club’s growth moving forward. The support we received from all parts of the club during finals was incredible and something the whole team really valued.
While it was a strong year, there are still areas to work on. Training numbers could obviously be better, and some more consistent commitment to club dinners and events. A big thank you to the entire committee and the fellow coaches, for which much of this success would not be possible without them. Also, to Chris Angus and the leadership group, who were a great support all season long.
