Three teams marching into finals

St Kilda City Football Club will enter the 2026 finals series with momentum, with the Seniors, Reserves and Women’s teams heading into finals after impressive home-and-away campaigns. Charley Falla reports.

For Senior co-captain Dae Szydlik, the season has been one of the most rewarding of his career. “The season so far has been one of the most enjoyable years of footy I’ve had,” Szydlik said. “With a few early injuries, an influx of new players and a new coach, it probably took us seven or eight games to really gel.”

Szydlik pointed to the Round 10 victory over Black Rock as the moment the group truly found its identity. “The boys were able to dig deep and get a huge win over a really strong Black Rock team. The second half showed what the group was capable of and gave us a huge amount of belief moving forward.”

Co-captain Paul Pekaj believes the side has continued to build throughout the season and is now perfectly positioned for the challenges ahead. “I feel we’ve been slowly building throughout the year, making changes and experimenting to find our best composition as a team,” Pekaj said. “Now we’re locking into roles and structures in an effort to go one better than last year, with the aim of timing our run and form perfectly.”

In the Reserves, captain Oli Redfern believes an early-season win over Skye proved exactly what his side is capable of. After falling behind early against the competition benchmark, City responded with a fearless brand of football to claim a memorable victory. “It proved to us that our best level is the best in the league when we play as a team and are fearless,” Redfern said. “While we’ve dropped off a little in the middle part of the season, we know that come finals we have that level within us if we want it enough.”

Meanwhile, the Women’s team is preparing for its first-ever finals campaign after qualifying just two seasons after the program’s introduction.

Captain Bianca McMahon said the achievement reflected the hard work of everyone involved. “Qualifying for finals is a huge achievement and a testament to the dedication of the players, coaches and the club as a whole,” McMahon said. “The team is incredibly excited to be taking part in our first ever finals run. Regardless of the outcome, we’re looking forward to challenging ourselves and putting into practice everything we’ve been developing throughout the season.”

With all three sides entering finals with confidence and belief, St Kilda City hopes its strong season can continue deep into September.