Sport
10 April, 2026
2026 MCDFNL Football Round 1 Preview — Natte Bealiba vs Navarre
The Natte Bealiba Swans will host the Navarre Grasshoppers in the Hannett-Ross Shield to open the 2026 season, with both sides eager to make an early statement.
A 2025 preliminary finalist, Natte Bealiba enters the new season with some key losses. Bailey Cossar, Aaron Hayes, and the McKenzie brothers — Austin and Elijah — have all departed. Elijah, who featured at under 17.5 level last season, showed plenty of promise and loomed as a future senior prospect.
However, the Swans have pulled off a major recruiting coup with the signing of three-time Cheatley Medalist (Heathcote DFNL League Medal) Ryan Semmel.
Joining from Pyramid Hill, Semmel brings an impressive resume, including previous stints at Huntly and Stanhope, along with a premiership at East Brighton in 2023. A classy midfielder who can push forward and hit the scoreboard, he adds both leadership and polish to the Swans’ engine room.
Another exciting inclusion is Kyen Burrell-Grinton, son of coach Denis Grinton. Kyen arrives with senior experience from Bendigo FNL premiers Eaglehawk and will be keen to make an impact under his father’s guidance.
Navarre was also a preliminary finalist in 2025 and has also been busy over the off-season with several key additions. Mitch Birthisel headlines the recruits — a versatile and competitive player capable of impacting the game in multiple roles.
Brodie Kindred joins from Stawell Swifts and is expected to strengthen the defence with his disciplined approach and strong shutdown ability in the back pocket.
Natte Bealiba has been a consistent finals contender in recent years, while Navarre endured a slower 2025 campaign but finished strongly — winning four of their last five games and pushing eventual premiers Trentham to the brink in the preliminary final.
This shapes as a genuine cliffhanger, with both sides capable of producing their best football in big games.