DIVISION 2 GRAND FINAL PREVIEW: NORTH FOOTSCRAY VS WYNDHAMVALE
NORTH FOOTSCRAY v WYNDHAMVALE
Saturday 13 September | Yarraville Oval, Yarraville | 2:30pm
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North Footscray and Wyndhamvale, the two standout teams in Division 2 this year go head-to-head in a senior Grand Final for the first time on Saturday afternoon at Yarraville Oval.
Wyndhamvale were minor premiers with a 17–1 record while North Footscray followed closely behind with a 16–2 record, however, the Devils were the first team into the decider and hold a 2-1 advantage over the Falcons this season.
After defeating neighbouring rivals West Footscray in the Qualifying Final, North Footscray then won a nail‑biting Semi Final over Wyndhamvale, a late goal securing their first Grand Final appearance since 2017.
The Falcons as minor premiers had the safety net of the double‑chance and they were back at their best in the Preliminary Final against West Footscray with a dominant display helping them book their place in the season finale.
Both grand finalists weren’t just the top two teams by ladder position in 2025 they were the leading teams in terms of points for and points against.
Wyndhamvale topped both categories averaging 124 points per game while conceding just 46 points per outing with North Footscray not far behind with average tallies of 121 and 54 points, respectively.
At the forefront of Wyndhamvale’s league leading offence is the of course the division’s top goal kicker Lewis Stanton who enters Saturday’s decider with 119 goals to his name.
While North Footscray has a power forward of its own inside attacking 50 in Matt Serafin who sits second behind Stanton on the goal kicking table with 87 majors from 17 games.
Both clubs will be focussed on limiting the impact of the oppositions star forward and for North Footscray Lachlan Peterson will be responsible for manning Stanton, while for Wyndhamvale Connor Yeoell will be tasked with the role on Serafin.
The battle in the middle of the ground is always important and is even more significant when you consider that both teams’ main midfielders are also key avenues to goal for their respective sides.
This year Barny Sianos has spent more time on-ball along with mixing major minutes forward, with the young gun contributing 37 goals, while Jarrod Spry (28 goals) and Jarrod Johns (23 goals) will again be crucial to the Devils’ chances.
There are a number of standouts for Wyndhamvale but none are more dangerous than Jack Tessari and co-captains Cameron Morrison and Liam Scarborough.
Behind Stanton, Tessari and Morrison are second and third on the team for goals with 31 and 28 majors respectively and both bagged five goal hauls in their Preliminary Final domination.
The last senior premierships for both clubs were only a couple of years apart with Wyndhamvale collecting their only senior flag in 2015 before North Footscray claimed their seventh senior premiership (fourth in Division 2) two years later in 2017.
While promotion won’t be on the line in this year’s Grand Final a piece of silverware is and with it a selling point for a club to strengthen further and put themselves in a strong position for promotion in 2026.
After three compelling contests already this season whoever executes best on the final day of the season will be going home with the premiership cup.
2025 HEAD-TO-HEADÂ
Round 2 – Wyndhamvale  14.14 (98) def North Footscray 9.5 (59)
Round 11 – North Footscray 11.13 (79) def Wyndhamvale 8.9 (57)
Major Semi Final – Wyndhamvale 3.14 (32) def by North Footscray 5.5 (35)
WHAT THE COACHES SAY
North Footscray – David Battistella
“From where we were at the end of 2023 to be competitive again in 2024 and one year later have three senior sides and both seniors and reserves in Grand Finals is pretty surreal. It’s an exciting time for the club. No doubt going into the season Wyndhamvale were red hot favourites because they were the highest placed team left from last year. We thought we recruited quite well and knew we had the makings of a very good team, so we were expecting to play finals with our goal to go deep into finals. There’s confidence that we can beat them because we’ve now done it twice, but the (Wyndhamvale) side that played on the weekend (in the Preliminary Final) took care of business pretty professionally. Seeing that we know we need to go up another level again if we are to win this and I truly believe we can do that. We need to play the best of our ability and make sure we make it as tough a contest as they’ve ever faced. Any side that can do that for long enough is going to be a chance.”
Wyndhmavale – Daniel Smith
“Going into this year it was never an expectation that we are the next best team and its ours to win. I sort of reiterated that from day one and the goal was always a bigger one to get to Division 1 by setting standards in training and off the field. It’s an exciting week for the club and I’m sure it’s exactly the same at North. It’s a bit unique having the same two clubs in both the senior and reserve Grand Finals. Last weekend I was very happy with how both teams responded from the first final. In the prelim we just got back to playing our way and obviously kicked much straighter which goes a long way. This weekend if both teams are on and playing the footy they want it’s going to be a cracker. Whichever team settles first is probably going to have the advantage. Hopefully that’s our boys and then we’ll back in our structure to win the game.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
North Footscray – Barny Sianos (#9)
The most exciting young player on either team. Played mainly centre-half forward last season and has added another string to his bow with more midfield minutes in 2025, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a constant threat inside 50. Can take a big mark and eases the pressure on Matt Serafin when stationed in the front half. Has kicked multiple goals in all three matches against Wyndhamvale this season including three of his team’s five majors in the major Semi Final. Isn’t afraid of a big moment as shown when he slotted from outside 50, the match winning goal to put the Devils into the Grand Final.
Wyndhamvale – Jack Tessari (#4)
After being limited to nine games last season Tessari has played all but two games in 2025 and the Falcons have benefitted. With his combination of size and athleticism the 26-year-old is difficult matchup for any opposition player whether in the middle of the ground or inside 50. Has kicked multiple goals on nine occasions this year including a season-high five majors in the Preliminary Final victory over West Footscray. Importantly has saved some of his best performances for Grand Final opponent North Footscray with strong showings the past two outings against the Devils.