The East Geelong Football and Netball Club have taken home both the senior football and A grade netball premiership cups in the same season for the first time in the clubs 147-year history.
The senior football team defeated the Werribee Centrals in a thrilling one-point victory on Saturday to break a 17-year premiership drought since their last grand final win in 2009.
The A Grade netball team had previously won two premierships in 2022 and 2024 and defeated Winchelsea by five goals to take home their third premiership cup in five years.
Not only did East Geelong secure its first double premiership win but they also became the first club in the league to win a premiership in all nine netball grades.
This achievement came following another grand final win in the 19-and-under netball competition which saw East Geelong defeat Bannockburn by six goals.
A fundamental part of these grand final wins for East Geelong was 19-and-under netball coach and A Grade netball captain Madeline Solly who walked away with two premiership medals.
“I’m so proud to be a part of this club and this community, so to bring the premiership cup home tonight will be the cherry on top for the season,” Solly said.
“It’s a team sport and we can’t do it without each other, and that’s what I love about us.”
Playing alongside Solly in the A Grade netball grand final was two-time Margaret Webb medallist and three-time premiership player Claudia Cook who dominated the game.
Cook has become the seventh player in the league to win both the Margaret Webb medal and A grade netball premiership in the same season and the first to do so at East Geelong.
“If you asked me at the start of the year, I didn’t think we’d be in the grand final let alone come away from it as premiers, so I’m really proud of the team and of the girls,” Cook said.
“I’d give all of the individual medals back just to have this premiership cup, so it’s just a bonus to have both and I couldn’t have gotten anywhere without the team.”
Leading the girls to victory was three-time premiership coach Justine Radford who has proven to be one of the most skilled and successful netball coaches in the league.
As a premiership player herself, Radford understands the pressure of netball grand finals and what it takes to succeed at the highest level of netball in the league.
“The message I gave to the girls was to be brave and to keep playing, because they’ve worked so hard and they’ve come such a long way,” Radford said.
“We have four girls in our team that have been playing since the beginning of my coaching at East Geelong, so they’re really great mentors to the younger girls.”
Many of the East Geelong netball players walked away from grand final day with two premiership medals, including young stars Frances Willson and Sylvie Jarvis.
Both Willson and Jarvis played in the 19-and-under grand final prior to the A grade grand final, giving them just four hours to recover and step back onto the netball court.
Jarvis had dealt with a serious injury during the off-season which prevented her from playing netball for a prolonged period, making her double premiership wins feel even more special.
“I definitely had to hydrate a lot throughout the day to play both games,” Jarvis joked.
“I’m so proud and lucky to be in the position I’m in and to have all the girls getting around me. I’ve pretty much grown up with them and they’re like sisters to me.”
As the rookie player of the year, Willson plays a key role as a midcourter in the 19 and under and A grade netball squads and is a strong leader both on and off the court despite her age.
“I’m just on top of the world. After winning the 19 and under game, I knew that it would be the cherry on top to win the A grade game as well, and I’m so glad we did,” Willson said.
The netball talent at East Geelong doesn’t end there, as twins Dakota and Mikayla Ferguson played in three grand final games on Saturday including the 19 and under premiership game.
Whilst they didn’t get the results they were hoping for in the 17 and under and C grade grand final games, the twins are grateful to be able to play so much netball for East Geelong.
“Our other two games we a bit of a disappointment, but winning the 19 and under game was just so good,” Dakota said.
“I’m so sore after playing all three games since I didn’t come off the court, so I’ll definitely be having a nap later,” Mikayla joked.
The support from the East Geelong community was clear at St Albans Reserve on grand final day with players from both the football and netball squads showing up for their peers as they chased the ultimate prize.
With three new premiership cups and a whole lot of celebrating to do, East Geelong finished the 2026 season on a high with plenty of talent to thank for their triple grand final wins.
