And while the season is still going for some of the club’s sides, Dookie United is looking back on its first season in the Picola District Football Netball League as a pass mark.
The Thunder opted to depart the Kyabram District League for pastures new in August 2024, appointing ex-Mooroopna mentor Travis Waters as its senior football coach for the inaugural PDFL charge.
While it has been somewhat of a rocky ride for Dookie’s seniors in 2025, finishing 12th and missing out on finals, by and large, the Thunder has settled nicely into life in a new league.
As of Wednesday night this week, Waters has been reinstated for another season.
And in his opinion, the Thunder is well-placed to return better than ever within the PDFNL framework in 2026.
“Overall it has been good; obviously the results for the senior group weren’t great - we just had a bit of a tough year with injuries and unavailabilities,” he said.
“But as a whole, we’ve got three footy teams and four netball teams in finals, so as a club it’s been really positive.”
Before re-joining the club in late 2024, Waters was a staple in the teal and black during its previous PDFNL era.
He started as a player before moving into a coaching capacity for the club’s reserves outfit, guiding Dookie to two premierships in three years between 2014-16.
But a decade on, what does he think of the standard in today’s day and age?
“I wasn’t with Dookie last year so it’s a bit hard for me to compare it directly (to the KDL) but the standard of footy has been quite high,” he said.
“There’s 15 teams in it and there’s 10 or 12 really good sides, so it’s a very good comp actually.”
Though the curtain has dropped on Dookie’s season in the seniors, there’s still a flame burning for plenty of other Thunder outfits.
The club’s reserves, under-17s and under-14s are all set for finals, while a quartet of Dookie netball teams will feature in the post-season.
It’s a resounding result for the club’s first year back in the PDFNL.
And in Waters’ eyes, the only way is up for the Thunder.
“We’ve got both our junior footy teams playing finals and our reserves team as well, and our A-grade side is tracking well,” he said.
“We’re in a really good position, the club’s had a really good year as a whole. It’s a really positive step forward for the club.”
In other district football news, Avenel has reappointed its senior coach for another season.
Josh Delaney took over the reins from Matthew Huy for 2025, and has navigated a Swans side that witnessed a large off-season turnover through the KDL campaign.
With Avenel sitting in ninth with one round to play, finals are off the cards, but Delaney has been anointed as the man to lead the club forward in 2026.
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