4:57pm on September 26, 2016; The darkest moment in the 138-year history of the Frankston Dolphins.

The club was informed by AFL Victoria that its VFL license had been terminated. They would not be competing in the 2017 VFL season.

This proud club, with history dating back to 1887 was over $1 million in debt with seemingly no way out of the mess. But a mere 10 months later, it was back in the VFL, thanks to the support of more than one thousand paid-up members.

From there, the build was slow and steady. A Wildcard Final win in 2024 was a sign of things to come, and in 2025, a preliminary final berth proved the continued growth.

Although the Dolphins ultimately lost that preliminary final to the Southport Sharks, the group now understood its potential.

VFL.com.au was granted exclusive behind the scenes access to head coach Jackson Kornberg, and the Frankston Dolphins during 2025 VFL preliminary final week.

A new era deserves a new coach

When Kornberg arrived at Kinetic Stadium, after two seasons with the Gold Coast Suns, the Dolphins had come off a four-win, 19th-placed finish in 2023. Only fellow standalone sides the Northern Bullants and Coburg were below them on the ladder.

But the win-loss column was only a minor motivating factor when it came to Kornberg returning to Victoria.

“The prospect of coaching a standalone side and having the ability to help shape not only the on-field, but the off-field. Going through the process and hearing from those around the club it really solidified for me the impact the footy club could have on the community if we were able to help right the ship,” Kornberg told VFL.com.au.

Ahead of 2024, with very limited time and so much to do, Kornberg set about making immediate changes.

“Frantic. It was a pretty quick process from interview to appointment,” Kornberg said.

“I remember being appointed on a Monday night. I started driving back from Gold Coast with my best mate on Tuesday morning, and it got announced about an hour into the drive. I had to get my mate to take over the driving so I could answer all the phone calls and messages.”

Under Kornberg, Frankston was “in a hurry”, but first there were steps he needed to take before they could climb out of that 19th placed finish.

“It might sound funny but our goal was to get our players to love the game and the club again. I told the players from the start that the next Frankston premiership would be determined by your mindset on the drive from work to the club,” Kornberg said.

“There were a lot of conversations with senior players, we were in the midst of trying to retain some core players along with recruiting, so I was working the phones right from the start.

“There was a lot of great work done by those at the club prior to me arriving, namely former board member Marc Ablett and current senior assistant coach Tim McGibney, who were instrumental in retaining a majority of players whilst there was no senior coach.”

In partnership with the remaining coaching staff, high-performance manager Jordan Love kept the squad ticking over during pre-season while Kornberg found his feet.

“Our high performance manager, Jordan Love, who I think is the best high performance manager in the VFL, set up a really strong pre-season program to allow us to be primed in the back half of the year,” Kornberg said.

The Dolphins under lights

Another asset to sell to the playing group - and the rusted on fans - was a new game day (or, night) experience.

Between the club’s recession and resurgence, in 2021 the Dolphins were granted a $2.8 million lighting upgrade, an opportunity to make Kinetic Stadium a broadcast quality venue for the AFLW, with Hawthorn calling the venue home, and in turn, the VFL.

A mixed bag of results under lights in 2022 and 2023 saw the club net four wins from 13 attempts. Under Kornberg, that result flipped on its head winning 13 of its past 16 matches.

The Dolphins have taken full advantage of their new lights by requesting to play their home games at night. Over 30,000 people surged through the gates in 2025, with an average crowd of over 3,000.

In Round 18 last year against Collingwood, over 5,000 people packed into Kinetic Stadium to cheer the Dolphins on to a 36-point win, despite premiership Magpies Jordan De Goey, Bobby Hill, Mason Cox and Billy Frampton playing for the opposition.

It was just one key stepping stone toward earning a finals berth and, crucially, the double chance.

The best, however, was yet to come. From a top-four finish, the Dolphins were afforded the opportunity to host a semi-final at home. A request for the game to be played at night saw over 4,200 Frankston fans witness history in the making.

It was the club’s first final on its home deck since 2006, and as Bailey Lambert kicked a stunning late goal, it was a match written into the Frankston Dolphins lore.

“I knew at the previous stoppage there was about 30 seconds left, so when he kicked it, it was more relief than anything,” Kornberg said of Lambert’s matchwinner.

“It was the perfect moment too, in Bailey’s 50th game for him to be the one who kicked it. We wouldn’t have wanted the ball in anyone else’s hands at that moment. The boys had worked so hard and it was just a moment of pure joy to see them get to experience a finals win at home.”

The fortress on the bay

An away trip to Kinetic Stadium is not for the fainthearted. It’s an uncomfortable place for travelling clubs. Situated off the bay, it’s guaranteed to be cold, wet, and windy. It’s a hostile environment for opposition players and their supporters.

The Frankston fans are quick to get on the bongo drums, with a trumpeter in tow.

“We are in a really fortunate position to be able to play under lights. I think it’s a massive drawcard in recruiting and retention, but also what it’s done in rallying the community has been unbelievable,” Kornberg said.

“Record crowds this year. The boys love it and feed off it. The amount that come off the field and say all their opponent was talking about all night was the crowd.”

The walls of the Frankston changerooms have been largely untouched over many years. Typical whitewash with whiteboards drilled into the brickwork. Kornberg has set about making these walls “come to life”. After each round a handful of A3 photos are stuck to the wall, highlighting “the redemption journey” this club is on.

“There’s one wall that remains untouched heading into the 2026 season, it’s an unspoken wall, but all players know what it’s for,” Kornberg said.

The missing piece is still a premiership photo.

Getting up off the mat

This resurgence has not been an overnight phenomenon. It has been a measured, calculated approach over the last two seasons under Kornberg. Away from engaging the Frankston community and promoting night footy, player recruitment has been key.

“If we projected what our best side would look like, we felt like the core of that group was already in the door,” Kornberg said.

Tom Blamires and Darby Hipwell have been joined at the hip since birth, born six days apart, they went through junior programs, high school, the Talent League and VFL together.

As a pair, they opted to leave Sandringham and join the Dolphins in 2025. The drawcard? Kornberg, who coached them both as impressionable 16-year-olds at the Sandringham Dragons.

“Darby and I didn’t necessarily come as a package deal, but the more we talked about it together, the easier the decision seemed to be and I’m so glad we got to experience this year together,” Blamires said.

Such is the love these two have for one-another, Hipwell was part of a motivational tribute to Blamires, who played his 50th VFL game in the preliminary final, and sat by his side on VFL awards night when Blamires claimed the Round-Fothergill-Mitchell Medal as the competition's Rising Star for the year.

“It is very humbling and a shock to be honest. I was very proud of myself after all the hard work and effort I’ve put in year after year, it was very rewarding,” Blamires said.

“It was more a reflection of the whole club from the players to the staff, I was a small part of them making me the person I have become so far and am still trying to be.”

Unfortunately for Kornberg, he must tackle the 2026 season without his reigning club best and fairest winner in Blamires, who was signed to North Melbourne’s AFL list during the SSP last month.

A dream come true for the pair, who worked closely to create such an opportunity for the 23-year-old, but now a hole in Frankston’s on-field setup.

Kornberg isn’t without his own recognition, either, with his appointment as the VFL’s head coach for the 2026 State Game against the SANFL made official earlier this week.

Corey Ellison, a VFL mainstay at Casey and Williamstown, made the decision to come across to play under Kornberg last year, a move that saw him kick 56 goals and be part of the 2025 team of the year squad.

Ellison wanted to play with his Demons premiership teammate and best friend, George Grey, who was already donning the black, red, and white.

Before he pulled on the famous guernsey, Ellison was regularly heckled by the Frankston fans at Kinetic Stadium. Those passionate fans were another big reason why Ellison chose to play at the Dolphins.

“(Playing under lights) was definitely one of the factors,” Ellison said of the shifting allegiances.

“Seeing what Frankston has built, getting crowds to a VFL game is a massive part, one of the pulls was seeing the trajectory that they’re on. You get that local feel of footy but also building to one of the powerhouses of the competition.”

Grey had already been at the club for a year, his arrival coinciding with Kornberg’s.

He was part of the travelling squad to Southport for last year’s preliminary final and rode every kick, mark and handball from the bench, unable to take to the field due to suspension.

The chance to spend more time in the midfield, as well as play in front of the Frankston faithful who now adore him was a selling point when he made the decision to join, while Kornberg’s leadership has been the icing on the cake.

“Most opponents we play say how cool it is playing in front of our crowd,” Grey said.

“‘Jacko’ has grabbed the club and redirected the trajectory incomprehensibly. If you told me three years ago when I was at Casey that Frankston was going to be in the top four in two years and contending I would’ve said ‘Am I having a fever dream?’ and so would many others.”

Captain Trent Mynott is a stalwart of this core Frankston group. As the skipper since the start of 2023, he has been pivotal in keeping this squad together. In the immediate aftermath of last year’s preliminary final heartbreak, he went about setting the tone with the group for what’s in store ahead of next year.

“While this stings, and hurts now, we will celebrate this year, stay united, then get back on the horse and prepare for 2026,” Mynott said.

Then, there’s a group of Frankston father-sons, who know only one way. Jackson Voss (son of Brett), Tyson Milne (son of Stephen), Bailey Lambert (son of Craig), and Taine Barlow (son of Paul).

While there are eight players from last year’s preliminary final side no longer at the club, they have been further bolstered by the addition of players like Will Derrington from Southport, Tom Hofert from Port Melbourne, and Pat Dozzi from Carlton.

It starts again in 2026

And while additions are great, the focus for 2026 at the Dolphins was about player retention.

“Retention is the biggest weapon of any VFL club. If you are able to hang onto your core group for a number of years, instill the game plan, instill the behaviours and values you want at the club, it goes a long way to helping create some success.” Kornberg said.

“The best premiership sides over the years in the VFL have an average of about 70-80 games, so it’s important to keep your group together. Recruiting is important, but retention is more so.”

Suddenly now there is expectation. Standalone club or not, fans show up to Kinetic Stadium to watch the Dolphins compete and win. And last year’s preliminary final finish is now a bar to be surpassed in 2026.

“We want to win,” Kornberg said.

“My philosophy, though, is we are here to have fun, and win. In that order. I think that sort of mindset and philosophy around the club allowed the boys to feel like they could be themselves, play to their strengths and have fun. The success comes off the back of that.”

Bongos in hand. Vuvuzelas at the ready.