FOOTBALL/NETBALL
JUNIOR INTERLEAGUE
BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
DURING the first week of the school holidays, select kids weren’t afforded a mid-week sleep in.
The 2026 Gippsland Interleague Carnival came and went last Wednesday (July 1), with a healthy crowd filling out Morwell Recreation Reserve as both junior footballers and netball battled it out for supremacy across all local competitions.
Gippsland League was overall champion, claiming bragging rights in both football and netball.
The football side completed the tournament undefeated, producing an average winning margin of 49 points from the four matches played.
The premier league defeated West Gippsland in the grand final, 7.6 (48) to 2.3 (16), with Warragul’s Cooper Leighton standing above with three majors.
Wonthaggi’s Jayden Burns also performed well as the lights were switched on at Morwell.
Gippsland League skipper, Wonthaggi’s Jasper Shone, was recognised as the AFL Gippsland Player of the Carnival.
Football was simply a matter of the best and then the rest, despite West Gippsland etching closer to Gippsland League in terms of overall standard and junior talent at the carnival in recent years, including winning the whole thing in 2025.
However, this year routinely saw Gippsland League run circles around its opponent, including select sides not able to get it anywhere near its forward 50 for extended portions during games.
Mid Gippsland and North Gippsland opened the carnival, with the Mid Gippsland boys winning closely by six points, despite North Gippsland (coached by former Collingwood premiership player and Heyfield’s Leigh Brown) making a strong push in the second half.
Hill End’s Dylan van der Stoep was one of Mid Gippsland’s best players across all of its games, making a difference across the halfback line.
Van der Stoep’s Rovers teammate, Thomas Bastin, was acknowledged as player of the carnival from Mid Gippsland, as well as earning a midfield spot in the team of the carnival.
North Gippsland named Rosedale’s Hamish Pettie as its player of the day, while Heyfield’s Phoenix Cox (son of former Hawthorn player Adrian) also stood out, especially in the final game against East Gippsland.
Despite only being up three points at halftime, North Gippsland was determined to finish the carnival with a win, inflicting a dominant second half of four goals to none to walk off the park happy.
Rosedale’s Brodi Allan and Woodside’s James Mattern kicked multiple goals.
This year’s interleague carnival was the first time East Gippsland entered an under 18 side (its local competition does 17-and-a-half), having put forth an under 16s back in 2019.
OVER in the netball, Gippsland League also didn’t lose a match, winners of four of its games and one draw against West Gippsland.
With Morwell legend Claire Marks leading the girls, the winners faced one of its few deficits across the carnival when facing West Gippsland, forcing Gippsland League to come back from two goals at halftime.
Traralgon’s Ruby Bridger was awarded the Gippsland League Player of the Carnival.
Mid Gippsland finished second at the carnival, only falling to Gippsland League, winning close matches against Ellinbank and West Gippsland, each by a single goal.
The former game saw Mirboo North’s Holly Chilla score the match-winning goal a second before the final bell, with Mid Gippsland producing a 9-6 second half to win.
North Gippsland was unable to claim a victory on the day, but showed great fight, with Sale City’s Lily Wheeler voted as player of the carnival.
