Football
8 April, 2026
HDFNL 2026 preview: Young Kees ready to rise
A mix of veteran leadership and young talent has Kalkee poised to make its mark on the Horsham District Football Netball League in 2026.
The senior football side has not reached the finals since 2022, when they suffered a heartbreaking three-point loss to Rupanyup in the grand final.
Hoping to lead the Kees back to the finals is incoming coach Clint Burdett, a previous four-time premiership player with Pimpinio and the Southern Mallee Giants, who takes over from Andy Devereaux.
Having last coached in 2023, Burdett said the mix of young talent and community brought him over to Kalkee for 2026.
“I coached for a couple of years at Pimpinio and did my second knee, so I took a couple of years off and took up umpiring, which was good timing for my lifestyle and for rehab,” Burdett said.
“The opportunity rocked up with Kalkee, where I have a lot of mates, and I went through their squad, and it looked good with a lot of young kids coming through.”
While Burdett is unsure if and how much he will see the field himself this year, the addition of experienced recruits is expected to add firepower across the park.
Coming from Minyip Murtoa, Tanner Smith brings AFL pedigree to the side, and Jye Walter will be a key forward option after kicking 44 goals with Noradjuha Quantong in 2025.
Jacob Harris returns to the club after two years playing for Bells Park in Geelong, and youngster Cooper Jardine joins the club from Horsham Demon after a year off with injury.
Burdett said the recruits will bring vital on-field leadership to the team, which is already paying dividends in training.
“We identified that we're a very young side, and we needed some on-field leadership,” he said.
“Both the recruits and a few of the older guys that have played a lot of footy, you can just see their leadership at training just stands out.
“They're pretty vocal, and they're happy to help coach and educate the younger guys.
“Positionally, bringing in a key forward and some onballers, they will fit in perfectly.”
The new coach has been impressed by numerous youngsters, some of whom are starting their transition to senior football.
“Young guys coming through like Jye Dolan, Jett Martin, and even Patty Mills, they will probably take their game to the next level,” Burdett said.
“With some of the older guys here and less responsibility, I reckon they will go up 10-15% with their game.”
The preseason focus for the Kees has been fitness and fundamentals, with a new game plan in development ahead of the season’s start.
Burdett said the team aims to make finals, but expects some learning curves as the team adapts to a new playstyle.
“The ultimate goal is to make finals footy, that’s high on the agenda,” Burdett said.
“If we can do that, we’ve definitely kicked some goals, and winning more games than last year is obviously a target.
“It will probably take half a year to find our feet with a new game plan and new structures.
“Any time that comes into play, it can take a bit of time, so I don’t think we will hit our peak till halfway through the year.”