In season 2021-22 the unthinkable finally became reality.
After six straight seasons of Allan Matheson Shield dominance, the reign of Shepparton Golf came to a dramatic end, as Tallygaroopna toppled the juggernaut in a gripping grand final that will go down in Goulburn Valley bowls folklore.
The match was a fitting finale to what was a season filled with the most pulsating drama and had bowls fans from across the region itching for more.
Well now, some six months later, those prayers have finally been answered, as the 2022-23 edition of the Goulburn Valley Playing Area division one Allan Matheson Shield starts this weekend.
Heading the list of contenders is reigning premier Tallygaroopna and that historically great Golf side that will be itching for revenge.
But if the off-season is anything to go by – there is one more team set to join the competition’s top echelon.
After finishing a distant third last season, Kyabram raided its rivals during the winter, adding a plethora of seasoned division one talent to try and challenge the top two.
But as is so often the case in sport, expect to see a surprise packet to rise into contention.
Shepparton Park and East Shepparton will be hoping this is the year they can springboard to the top rungs of the ladder, with each set to sport an exciting mix of experienced and up-and-coming bowlers.
Tatura-Hill Top is another that will be looking to separate itself from the mid-table logjam and ride the wave of momentum created by winning the midweek pennant Edna Harling Shield last season.
For Stanhope, greater consistency will be the aim after it narrowly avoided demotion last summer.
While reigning division two weekend pennant premier Mooroopna presents as a dark horse, as it enters the top flight desperate to show it is able to compete with the Goulburn Valley’s best bowlers.
So, sit back, relax and enjoy what is set to be one of the most evenly contested Allan Matheson Shield seasons in recent memory.
Tallygaroopna (2021-22 finish: Premier)
Club comment – Mark Ryan (chairman of selectors)
“There is certainly a bit of hype around the club with the success in the ones, threes and fives, but now the challenge ahead of us as a club is to take that next step and continue to be at the pointy end,” Ryan said.
“The expectations and trying to go back-to-back is the biggest challenge, especially losing a couple of good players, but with a few new faces coming in and some promising young guys we are confident we can compete again.
“Our major goal for the year is to get back to another grand final.”
Tallygaroopna has transformed from the hunter into the hunted.
After two years of blood, sweat and tears, the Redlegs finally broke through and bested Shepparton Golf in that memorable 2021-22 decider – clinching the club’s maiden division one triumph.
The challenge for Mark Ryan and his Tally squad now is to stay on top and turn one flag into two.
When it comes to the make-up of the Redlegs 2022-23 squad it will have a couple of major holes to fill in the form of Matt Robertson and Liam Crapper, who departed for Bendigo in the off-season.
But with all three of the club’s weekend pennant teams winning premiership last season, depth is certainly not a problem at Tally, with a band of up-and-coming bowlers primed to take up key roles in the top side.
They do also have returning star players such as Ryan, David Daws, Mitch Sidebottom and Joey Lia, with their presence alone enough to suggest the Redlegs won’t be falling far down the ladder.
Prediction: Third
While the Redlegs come into the season as defending champions, the loss of a couple of bowlers and strength of fellow contenders Shepparton Golf and Kyabram will make it hard for them to go back-to-back.
Shepparton Golf (2021-22 finish: Runner-up)
Club comment - Brett Foley (Coach)
“It is going to be a good challenge this season, obviously we came second last year, so we’ve added a few new faces to the team and after a good pre-season we are raring to go,” Foley said.
“The club is used to plenty of success and last year we didn’t win a single flag, so we are all very determined to get back to the top of the mountain and with our additions I am confident we have the side to do it.
“We have turned from the hunted to the hunter and excited for the challenge that presents.”
Shepparton Golf enters the new season in uncharted waters.
For the first time in six years it isn’t the reigning premier and will be a side desperate to reassume its position atop the mountain.
And if you have a look through Golf’s side there is no reason to suggest its premiership window has closed.
The biggest change this off-season came in the coaching ranks, with legendary mentor Brad Orr stepping aside for accomplished skip Brett Foley.
Alan Dove headlines the list of inclusions, with the premier bowler set to slot in beautifully to this star-studded line-up, while the likes of John Gribble, Brett Gunning and Col Power will add further depth to the squad.
Losing young gun Connor Trewren to Kyabram does serve as a slight blow, but expect the class and experience of this side to chalk up a lot of wins and have it well and truly in contention come the business end of the season.
Prediction: Second
Predicting this year’s premier was a toss of the coin, we are confident Golf will be there on grand final day again, whether it can overcome its demons from last season will be the big question.
Kyabram (2021-22 finish: Third)
Club comment - Glenn Fields (Chairman of selectors)
“We set up a recruitment committee over the off-season and we are really happy with how that went and the side we have built,” Fields said.
“There is a lot more depth throughout the whole club this year which is great and our division one side has a lot of flexibility, so we are excited to see the guys in action.
“The aim is to make everyone at our club better bowlers, we don’t just want a premiership in division one, we want a premiership in all divisions.”
The time is now for Kyabram.
After rocketing up the ladder last season and reaching a preliminary final the powers that be at Bomberland decided 2022-23 was the time to really make a move, as the club raided its rivals in a stunning off-season recruitment drive.
Shepparton Golf young gun Connor Trewren leads the list of additions, taking up a position as the club’s bowls co-ordinator.
He is joined by former East Shepparton mentor Brent Reiner, fellow Eagle Geoff Beattie and Tatura-Hill Top star David Cartwright — who are all seasoned skips at division one level.
How Kyabram manages to integrate these star inclusions into the line-up will be a fascinating watch for pundits, as it looks to establish itself as a powerhouse of Goulburn Valley bowls.
Whether that translates into premiership success we’ll just have to wait and see.
Prediction: First
It is certainly going to be tight at the top of the Allan Matheson Shield this season, but with so much experience and depth at its disposal, we feel Kyabram is the team to beat.
Tatura-Hill Top (2021-22 finish: Fourth)
Club comment - Brendan Boyd (Coach/skip)
“It’ll be a challenging season for everyone I think, we lost a couple of players through the Cartwrights who are off to Kyabram and Olivia up to Moama,” Boyd said.
“But we’ve picked up a few players who are looking promising and we’ll develop a few players from within the club.
“It’s tough to lose players of that calibre, but we’ll look to generate within and focus on developing players that have started in the last couple of years, there’s a number of three to four years bowlers that are coming through.
“Our goal is to make finals again and we believe we have the people to do that.”
Season 2021 will be remembered as the year of what could have been for Tatura-Hill Top, which, after a strong home and away campaign which included seven wins and as many losses, fell at the first hurdle to a dominant Kyabram.
The departure of the Cartwright contingent leaves a gaping hole in the Bulldogs’ playing group and it’s hard to see how they can replicate last season’s success without stars of seasons gone.
Premiership success in the Edna Harling Shield last season buoyed all involved at Tatura-Hill Top, but whether the club can carry that success into its weekend pennant competition only time will tell.
Prediction: Fifth
A number of key departures will hurt the Bulldogs this year and a top-four challenge is unlikely as a number of new faces take to the green this season. Whether the club’s new additions and returnees can find their feet quickly is anyone’s guess.
Shepparton Park (2021-22 finish: Fifth)
Club comment - Ash Williamson (Team manager)
“Obviously last year we just missed out on the top four, we’re looking to get back up into that top bracket this year,” Williamson said.
“But we’re under no illusions that there’s a clear top three ... essentially the rest of the competition is competing for that fourth spot and we hope to be in the mix for that.
“We start with Kyabram this week and Tallygaroopna in round two, so we’ve really got to try and get something out of these first two rounds, we don’t want to be zip and two and staring down the barrel early on in the season.”
Separating itself from mid-table obscurity is a definite focus for Shepparton Park this year.
Graeme Myers, formerly of Shepparton Golf, and Dylan Hearn, a former Shepparton Park premiership player, come into the side to bolster its stocks.
An encounter with Kyabram in the season opener offers the Parkers the opportunity to test themselves against a flag fancy and pundits are sure to have a keen eye on this fascinating fixture come Saturday.
Prediction: Fourth
Following its disappointing finish last season all and sundry at Shepparton Park will be fixed on a top-four finish. A number of key inclusions will likely push Park back into finals contention.
East Shepparton (2021-22 finish: Sixth)
Club comment - Kevin Cox (Weekend pennant co-ordinator/player)
“We feel that we’re going to be very competitive this year,” Cox said.
“We had a division two side that made finals last year and with a bit of luck could have gone deeper; a lot of those players are going to step up and play in the ones this year.
“Tallygaroopna and Kyabram have recruited well and Shepp Golf are always at the top of the tree; there are four other sides in the competition that we feel we’re going to be very competitive against.
“We're comfortable with the way the year is going, we’ve had tremendous attendances at our coaching sessions and practice matches — the club is in a really happy spot at the moment and we feel that we’re going to have a positive year.”
Following the big-name departure of head coach Brent Reiner to Kyabram the future is uncertain at East Shepparton.
Numurkah’s Don Staggard comes into the coaching role and has big shoes to fill.
Ushering in new faces and building chemistry and understanding among the division one side is one of the challenges Staggard faces at East this year.
Collecting points against bottom eight opposition will be crucial and that starts this Saturday with a trip to Stanhope.
Prediction: Sixth
The challenges will come thick and fast for East Shepparton this year. A new-look division one side with a new coach at the helm will need to find its feet quickly and pick up wins where it can.
Stanhope (2021-22 finish: Seventh)
Club comment - Rob Ponton (Weekend pennant manager/skip)
“We’re all pretty excited to get back on the greens,” Ponton said.
“We’re quietly confident we might have a successful year, but you never know, it just depends on if things click or not — we’re all pretty confident.
“There’s not a huge lot of changes, we’ve got two or three new bowlers in division one this year to try and build up a bit of youth in the side.
“Hayley Hancock and Georgia Ponton will have a go this week, I’d expect they’d have a bit of a run for a few weeks.”
Stanhope skip and weekend pennant manager Rob Ponton will steer the division one ship again this year and, by all accounts, the Lions are looking forward to exceeding expectations.
But for a shock round 12 win over Kyabram last season Stanhope would have been sent further into relegation contention with Euroa.
With youth a focus in a side that is relatively unchanged, keeping in lock-step with the sides around it will be the goal this year.
Prediction: Eighth
Staying in division one will be the challenge for the Lions. With Euroa out of the picture and a number of its bottom-half competitors strengthening for a shot at finals, remaining above that dreaded relegation spot could well be a task too great.
Mooroopna (2021-22 finish: Division two premier)
Club comment - Darren Kelly (Weekend pennant manager/skip)
“It is very exciting for the club to be up in division one this season and shows as a club we are moving in the right direction,” Kelly said.
“It is certainly going to be a great challenge for us, we’ve got a lot of younger bowlers who haven’t had much experience in the higher divisions, so it will be great to test them against the best.
“The main aim is to just be competitive, get better every week and be in a position where we stay up in division one next season.”
Mooroopna enters this season as the competition’s dark horse.
The reigning division two weekend pennant premier, the Cats will get the opportunity to test themselves at the top level this season with a plethora of young bowlers at their disposal.
This inexperience will make them somewhat of an unknown quantity as they aim to put together competitive performances and stay in division one.
On the recruiting front, Mooroopna has looked to go down the youth path with Shepparton Park’s Tom Downie the headline inclusion as he prepares to make his division one debut alongside a number of his teammate’s.
It did lose Brett Gunning to Shepparton Golf, however, who was a major part of its premiership success in division two last season.
While challenging for finals may be a stretch, expect the Cats to be an interesting watch this summer.
Prediction: Seventh
Mooroopna will be focusing its energy on not getting relegated and with the club experiencing success across the board in recent times expect its depth to challenge a number of mid-table sides this season.