The 2026 Toyota Good for Footy Raffle has officially closed, with St Mary’s raising a fantastic $2,565 for the club.
It’s our best result since we began participating in the raffle, representing a 119% increase onlast year.
Importantly, 100% of the proceeds from tickets purchased through our club’s raffle page come directly back to St Mary’s, helping support our players, programs and facilities.
A huge thank you to everyone who purchased tickets, shared the raffle with family and friends, or helped us spread the word. Thank you to our top fundraisers: Lusi Exact Accountants, Cold Concepts, Little Family, Hanlon Family, Cotter Family, Stanley Family, Hamilton Family, Bickerton Family, Tanya Gordon and Brenton Kinnear.
Your support has helped us achieve our biggest fundraising result through the Toyota Good for Footy Raffle to date.
The raffle will be drawn this Thursday, with all funds raised expected to be returned to participating clubs within four weeks of the draw.
Good luck to everyone who purchased a ticket, and thank you for supporting St Mary’s!
Join us for our annual Presentation Night as we come together to celebrate the 2026 season and recognise our Best & Fairest winners across senior football and netball.
Presentation Night will be held on Saturday 17 October at Rosanna Golf Club, from 6:30pm to 11:30pm.
Tickets are $75 per person and include finger food and soft drink. Alcohol will be available to purchase from the bar throughout the evening.
Players, partners, family, friends and supporters are all welcome to join us as we celebrate another big year at the Burra.
St Mary’s had plenty to celebrate across the 2026 NFNL Presentation Nights, with Burra players featuring prominently in the league Best & Fairest and Coaches MVP counts, alongside recognition for our trainers and volunteers.
Across football and netball, the club celebrated four major wins, as well as a host of top-five finishes in another fantastic showing from our players and people.
Senior Netball
It was a particularly strong result in Division 5, with three St Mary’s players finishing inside the top five.
Clare Nicholls capped off an outstanding season by taking out the Division 5 Best & Fairest with 22 votes. She was joined at by team mates Niamh Pilatti, who finished 4th with 11 votes, and Matilda Blakey, who finished 5th with 10 votes.
In Division 6, Tahlia Ryan finished 3rd with 13 votes, while Sarah Williams secured 2nd place in Division 9 with 16 votes.
Olive Birrell also earned a top-five finish in the 17&U competition, placing 5th.
Junior Netball
Our junior netballers were also recognised following excellent seasons.
In 15&U Division 1, Gemma Spithill finishedrunner-up with 8 votes, while Remy Gangell placed 3rd in 13&U Division 2 with 7 votes.
Women’s Football – Division 1
Kiara Delia was crowned the Division 1 Coaches MVP, finishing on top with an impressive 61 votes. Teammate Emmison Zealley finished 3rd with 49 votes.
In the league Best & Fairest, Brigid McEntee finished 3rd with 11 votes, completing a strong night of recognition for the Division 1 side.
Women’s Football – Division 3
Charly Bandera finished 4th in the Coaches MVP with 53 votes, with teammate Jasmine Stone finishing 6th with 49 votes.
In the Best & Fairest, Charly again placed 4th with 16 votes, while Ashley Leeson finished 5th with 12 votes.
Charly also claimed one of the night’s major honours, being crowned the Division 3 Leading Goalkicker after booting 26 goals for the season.
Men’s Football – Division 2
Dom Akuei finished runner-up with 17 votes, while captain Tane Cotter placed 5th with 13 votes.
The Reserves also had two players inside the top four, with Mitchell Hocking finishing 3rd with 10 votes and Raygan Tate placing 4th with 9 votes.
Recognition Awards
The celebrations extended beyond the field and court, with two members of the Burra community recognised for their contribution to the competition.
Elyssa Rees was named the NFNL Trainer of the Year, a fantastic recognition of her support as head trainer while co-captaining the Senior Women to another 3 premierships over the last few seasons.
Liz Mace was also recognised as a finalist for NFNL Volunteer of the Year, acknowledging the enormous contribution she has made to the St Mary’s community since 1994.
We’ve had another update to our Toyota Good for Footy Raffle Top Fundraisers leaderboard – and with just over a week remaining, there’s still time to make a late charge for the top spot!
More importantly, this is your last chance to grab a ticket, be in the running for some incredible prizes and support St Mary’s at the same time.
The raffle closes at 12pm on Monday 21 September, unless tickets sell out prior.
Tickets are just $5 each, with some fantastic prizes up for grabs including three brand new Toyota’s!
Best of all, 100% of the proceeds from every ticket purchased through the St Mary’s page comes directly back to our club, helping us support our players, programs and facilities.
A huge thank you to everyone who has already purchased tickets, shared the raffle or helped with fundraising. Every ticket makes a difference.
Can anyone catch our current leader before the raffle closes?
A huge thank you to everyone who came down last night for our End of Season Celebration!
It was great to have so many players, partners, families, friends and supporters together to celebrate what has been a truly excellent season across the club.
A season is about so much more than what happens on game day, and nights like last night are a pretty good reminder of the people and community that make the Burra what it is.
A special thank you to Mark & Noah Stanley, Lauren & James Ind and Bernie Girolami and everyone else involved in organising the night and making it all happen.
And a huge thank you to Pete Watson and junior club for running the bar and helping out with the food throughout the night, allowing everyone from the Senior Club to relax and enjoy the celebrations.
It’s the final weekend of the 2026 season – and we’re bringing the Burra community together for a huge weekend of footy, celebrations and good times!
Whether you’re heading to Preston to cheer on our Senior Men or joining us back at Whatmough Park afterwards, we’d love to see as many players, families, friends and supporters as possible across the weekend.
Saturday – Senior Men’s Grand Final
Our Senior Men take centre stage on Saturday as they battle it out for the 2026 premiership at 2:20pm.
Get along, wear your black, white and teal and make plenty of noise as we get behind the boys on Grand Final day!
Saturday Night – End of Season Celebration
Whatever happens on Saturday afternoon, we’ll be heading back to Whatmough Park to celebrate a huge 2026 season together.
From 6pm, join us for a night of live music, a DJ, food, drinks and plenty of good times with the Burra community.
$20 entry – pay at the door and receive your wristband.
Sunday – Family Day
We’ll keep the celebrations going on Sunday with a relaxed afternoon back at the club.
Whether we’re celebrating the result or simply wrapping up a huge season together, come down and enjoy one final afternoon with the Burra community for 2026.
Bring the family, bring your friends and settle in for a great Sunday afternoon at the club.
It’s been a massive season across St Mary’s, and there’s no better way to finish it than together.
Today, Thursday 10 September, is R U OK? Day, an important reminder of the difference a genuine conversation can make.
At St Mary’s, being part of a club is about more than what happens on the football field or netball court. It’s about community, connection and looking out for one another.
This year’s message is a simple but important one: If you’re thinking it, ask R U OK? Any Day.
Research from R U OK? shows that many of us underestimate the impact checking in can have. Nine in ten people who have been asked “Are you OK?” say they felt grateful, cared about and supported, yet one in four people might still hesitate to ask when they think someone is struggling.
You don’t need to be an expert, and you don’t need to have all the answers. What matters most is showing genuine care, listening without judgement and being willing to continue the conversation.
While R U OK? Day gives us an important opportunity to put these conversations front of mind, life’s ups and downs happen every day.
So today, we encourage everyone across the St Mary’s community to think about the people around them. If you’ve noticed someone hasn’t quite seemed themselves, or you simply have a feeling that something might be going on, trust your instinct and reach out.
Check in with a teammate after training. Send a message to a mate you haven’t heard from in a while. Ask a fellow volunteer how they’re going. Make time to really listen when someone tells you how they’re feeling.
And importantly, keep checking in after today.
At St Mary’s, we look after each other on the field, off the field, and every day in between.
This Thursday 10 September, we will again be supporting R U OK? Day.
This annual day of action encourages us to have genuine conversations about mental health and make a real difference in someone’s life. Often, the people we care about may not openly express their struggles, but small signs of change in their behaviour can indicate they’re not OK. If you suspect someone is struggling, initiating a conversation can be a vital first step.
Here’s some resources from R U OK? Day so you’re prepared to have mental health conversations:
Today marks the beginning of Women’s Health Week, and this year’s theme is ‘Do it anyway’.
At St Mary’s, we’re proud to have women and girls of all ages pulling on the boots, taking the court, coaching, volunteering and contributing to our club.
Being part of sport can bring so much to our health and wellbeing — but looking after yourself also means knowing when to rest, when to speak up and when to ask for support.
‘Do it anyway’ isn’t about pushing through pain or pressure. It’s about taking small steps for your health, on your terms.
Book the appointment. Ask another question. Take the rest day. Check in with a teammate. Make time for yourself. Reach out when something doesn’t feel right.
This Women’s Health Week, we encourage all the women and girls in our Burra community to give themselves permission to prioritise their health.
Because looking after yourself matters, on and off the field and court.
