New Kyabram recruit Bailey Tome has immediately improved the Bombers’ standing in the Goulburn Valley League when it comes to tackling.
Tome laid 13 tackles in his first game for the Bombers, against Shepparton Swans, seven more than any other player on the ground. He followed that up with another five in the post-bye weekend against Shepparton.
Kyabram laid 63 tackles aganist the Swans, six more than its season average and nine more than its opposition. They were, however, out-tackled 82-54 by the Bears on Saturday.
Tome has 20 possessions in his first game and looks on track - if he plays enough games - to join the three Kyabram players are ranked inside the top-50 tacklers in the Goulburn Valley League after eight rounds of the season.
Last weekend his focus was more on winning the ball, collecting 26 disposals and credited with 12 clearances.
He won six free kicks in that first game and strengthened the Bombers’ output in a statistical field where they have been poor this season, midfield tackles. Nine of his 13 tackles were laid in the midfield.
The Bombers’ highest ranked tackler to this point of the season, in the top 20 for Premier Data rankings, is the much-improved Josh Dillon (49 tackles) and he has Jake Parkinson (36 tackles) and Liam Ogden (35) for company
Kyabram won the tackle count for only the third time this season against Shepparton Swans, but is still ranked eighth in the Goulburn Valley League for the defensive statistic.
The Bombers average 57.1 tackles a game, 16 less than the best tackling team in the competition - Rochester. The Tigers average 73.1 tackles a game, five better than the next best team (Shepparton) and almost a dozen better than Mooroopna.
Rochester has three of the top six tacklers in the competition, Mitchell Trewhella leading the way with 80 tackles for the season.
He has laid 10 more tackles than any other player in the competition in the opening eight rounds. Matt Kellett is the second highest tackler, with almost eight a game, while Bailey Wileman sits sixth on the list with almost seven a game.
Kyabram’s team tackling rank is impacted by the performance of its midfield. The Bombers are only significantly poorer than their opposition for tackling in one area of the field - the midfield.
Kyabram is 10th for midfield tackles this season, but is ranked third for tackles laid in the back-50 metre zone and fifth for forward-50 tackles.
This season the now sixth-ranked Bombers, who have a 5-4 win-loss record from nine rounds, have out-tackled Mooroopna (66-46 in round one), Euroa (64-53) and the Swans.
They have won only one of those games, losing to Moooropna by eight points and to Euroa by three points.
Inside the forward 50 Anthony Depasquale has not only kicked 39 goals in nine games, but he is also the fifth-ranked tackler (laying seven in the last two weeks).
Jake Parkinson is the equal top ranked back-50 tackler and Cooper Vick is also highly ranked.
Last season the Bombers were the ninth-ranked team for tackling (51.3 a game), well behind the top two clubs Mooroopna (62) and Shepparton United (61).
They were 11th for back-50 tackles and 10th for mid-field tackles, but with former star Tom Holman leading the way were second for forward-50 tackles.
Holman, now playing with Moama in the Murray league, laid 81 tackles last season (47 in the forward 50, second in the league), and was 22nd overall for tackles. Josh Dillon was 29th and Kaine Herbert 36th.
Last year Shepparton star Adam De Cicco laid 142 tackles, well clear of second ranked Echuca star Sam Reid (126) and Euroa’s Will Hayes (118).