2026 | swansonscreen

2026 RFNL SEASON

Round 1-9 Round 10-18 Finals Player Stats Ladders Swans Awards RFNL Awards

COMINGS AND GOINGS FOR 2026

In: Nathan Richards and Jack Rowston (Corowa-Rutherglen),
Out: Bailey Morrissey and Lachlan Wallace (Barellan United),

SWANS TO BE BOOSTED BY MEDALLIST - By Jimmy Meiklejohn

GRIFFITH will be boosted by the return of Julie McLean Medallist Grace Buchan for their 2026 Southern NSW Women's League.
The former Collingwood VFLW premiership co-captain had an immediate impact upon joining the competition in 2024, claiming the inaugural Julie McLean Medal alongside Brookdale's Majella Day.
However, her 2025 campaign with the Swans lasted mere seconds after she was injured in their round one game against Narrandera.
Griffith hosts Marrar to open their campaign in 2026, and Swans coach Trevor Richards said Buchan would be one of their key inclusions for the upcoming season.
"She hurt her knee in the first 15 seconds of the first game, but she's back and ready to go," Richards said.
"She's obviously a massive in for us, Jenna (Richards) is also playing, and that's another big in.
"There are a couple of new girls who look promising, and some girls who were here last year who will be better for the year.
"A lot of girls really improved last year, especially when we had those outs from the year before. I'll be interesting to see how they go this year."
Richards said things were looking promising ahead of the current season, but he noted that you never know for sure how many numbers you have until the first game. "We're a bit like everyone else where you're never quite sure," he said.
"We've had reasonably good numbers of people saying they want to play and also had good numbers at training so far. "You've still got to get them on the books and running out for the first game, but numbers are looking good at the moment. Source - The Daily Advertiser, Wed. January 28, 2026.

LENON URGES 'UNFAIR' PLAYER POINT FIX - By David Johnston

THE Riverina league's most successful coach of the modern era has urged football bosses on both sides on the NSW-Victoria border to fix an anomaly with the players point system he believes is "deadset unfair".
Last week, AFL Riverina confirmed rule changes for 2026, including introduction of the "last touch" rule whereby a free kick is paid against the team that touched the ball last before going out of bounds between the 50m arcs.
Shane Lenon, a 13-time premiership coach in the Riverina and Farrer leagues, would prefer the rule, which operates in the SANFL, wasn't coming in. "I like the boundary throw-in," he said. "If it is deliberately out of bounds, you can still pay that. I will move with it, but I do prefer the other way."
Other changes coming north of the border in 2026 include standing on the mark, play being unable to restart without a nominated ruckman present and aligning to eight seconds for bringing the ball back into play from a behind being scored or a set kick around the ground.
But Hume league president Phil Bouffler said the changes wouldn't be introduced in its competition, also in NSW, due to the confusion it would create for umpires, who also officiated south of the border, where AFL Victoria has elected not to go with the "last touch" rule for 2026.

"You can't have umpires with two sets of rules," he said. It's confusing enough now without them into the mix.

"We'll with what they do in Victoria," Bouffler said.
But Lenon said a bigger "pet hate" was Ovens & Murray being able to recruit Riverina players for only three player points.

"It's deadset unfair," he said" I don't begrudge a player going to the Ovens & Murray because I did it myself when I was younger.
"I'm not a hypocrite, but you can get a gun from the Riverina for three points compared for trying to get a player from the VFL for five points, who might only play every second and third week.
"Someone has to bite the bullet, but it's an easy fix. "The O&M has enough of an advantage without having a points advantage as well."

Source - The Weekly Times, Wed January 28, 1926.