Dear members and supporters,

I admit that I’m approaching the end of 2025 with mixed emotions. I’m bullishly optimistic about our men’s team but like many of you, frustrated that we didn’t see more wins this year. 

I’m proud of our AFLW team’s record-breaking back-to-back premiership win – but impatient for that success to be replicated across our club. 

I’m pleased that off-field we are in great shape – but frankly, you don’t join your footy club for the balance sheet, you join for the footy. And until we deliver on that, we’ve still got a lot of work to do.

Our AFL team is back into the swing of pre-season and fast approaching the Christmas break. Pre-season form is always wonderful – we haven’t lost yet! – but cynicism aside, I am, as I said at the outset, bullishly optimistic about season 2026.  

Heading into next season, we’ll have another year into our recruits of recent years, complemented by strong experience across every line, and some exciting new additions to our list. 

Add to that an impressive leadership team, with Nick Larkey as captain, Harry Sheezel as vice-captain, and a leadership group of Charlie Comben, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Tristan Xerri and Cam Zurhaar. We quite literally have leaders from one end of the ground to the other.

Our men’s team is on exactly the same journey as our women’s team has been on – a steady build of experience, skill, character and gameplan. We all saw glimpses of where this was heading last year. Next year, we need to see more.

It’s now just over two weeks since our magnificent and record-breaking AFLW team celebrated the club’s first-ever back-to-back premierships in elite competition. 

Being there to share in the celebrations with more than 10,000 of you was an experience that will live with me forever. And watching that team as they develop every week has been an unmatched privilege. So, to Darren Crocker, and all our players and staff who work so hard to make our club’s supporters proud – thank you for our ‘Twinvincibles’.

To each of you – thank you for joining up, for turning up, and for continuing to care about our club. Whether you’re at the ground or watching from home or engaging with our content online, you are loud and you are passionate. And I love it.

Finally, I just want to thank the Board, CEO Jen Watt, general managers of football Todd Viney and Erin Lorenzini, senior coaches Alastair Clarkson and Darren Crocker, and all the players, staff and volunteers who have worked so hard this year to get the club to where it is at the end of 2025.

We remain debt-free, we posted a 14th-straight profit, we attracted a record membership tally, have a full book of high-quality sponsors, and successfully exited Tasmania without putting our financial position in peril.

Our stars keep committing to the club by signing long-term contract extensions, and we have brought two home games back to our passionate Melbourne heartland for 2026.

This football club is well positioned for success across both football programs. 

We can all see the talent and there’s been incremental improvements from year to year. Now, in 2026, we’re ready to start seeing results. 

Go Roos!