Sport
16 May, 2026
Saints set the pace, but just
We're close to five rounds into the 2026 season, with all clubs having had at least three hitouts.
Horsham Saints are the ladder leaders, having dropped just the one match, against the Thunder in early May.
But they hold first position only by percentage, with Stawell and the Thunder also sharing their statistics.
The Warriors lost their only game this season to the Thunder as well, while Southern Mallee went down to Nhill in the opening round.
Ararat are in fourth, ahead of Nhill, but again only by percentage, each with a couple of wins, a loss and a bye.
The Demons, Eagles, Minyip Murtoa and Dimboola fill the lower ladder positions.
Despite sitting seventh with a record of 1-3, a couple of players from Warrack are currently leading the goal scoring, with Connor McFadyen having found the big sticks 15 times already this season and John Jorgensen 14.
The Eagles' Nicholas Lehman, new recruit Zac Peake from the Saints and Stawell's Paul Summers (all with 11), along with Ararat's Tom Mills (10), have all reached double figures in the goal tally.
In terms of best players, according to Play HQ the Demons' Billy Carberry and Josh Fowkes from the Warriors have been the most consistent and recognised players, both polling best-on-ground votes in their four games respectively.
In reserves, the competition is hot, with three teams having not dropped a game yet this season.
Stawell are the ladder leaders with a record of 4-0, followed by Horsham Saints (4-0) and Minyip Murtoa (3-0).
Ararat are fourth, while the Demons are fifth, followed by Nhill, the Eagles, Thunder and Dimboola.
In the goal kicking, a couple of club leaders are also leading the way on the park, with Stawell president Shane Field having booted 13 goals this season, and Ararat's director of footy, Corey Taylor, closely behind him with 12.
They are the only two players in reserves to have hit double figures.
A few players have been among the best on ground in each of the four games they have played this season, with Daniel Penny (Eagles), Jeremy Kemp (Demons) and Timothy Sanford (Thunder) all having had impressive starts to the season.