It’s not often GVL Data and RNB artist Freedom Williams come together, but it’s getting towards the end of the season and content is running dry.
This collaboration isn’t going to be a parody of Williams’ hit song Things That Make You Go Hmmmm mixed with references to current Goulburn Valley League players — although we did consider it for a brief second.
Instead, here at The News, we thought we would analyse some of the GVL Data statistics that stuck out to us during our usual Monday morning scan.
In other words, the stats that made us go Hmmmm.
The first statistic that caught the eye was the contested marks season leaderboard.
Usual big-bodied key position players such as Seymour’s Riley Mason (44 contested marks for the season), Echuca’s Liam Tenace (41) and towering Shepparton ruckman Ash Holland (37) all sit in the top five.
But perched on top of this list of talented talls is Kyabram’s gun mid-sized forward, Anthony Depasquale.
There is no doubting Depasquale’s talent — he currently sits clear in front on the goal-kicking tally with 61 — but the mid-sized star is playing well above his height in 2024.
Depasquale has taken 46 contested marks from 16 games, averaging an equal league-high 3.1 a match — pretty impressive from someone who was listed in their draft year as being 182cm.
The second statistic that caught our attention was one involving the league’s big men.
The Goulburn Valley League is treated to some highly talented ruckmen, with Shepparton Swans’ Mark Kovacevic, Benalla’s Mark Marriott, Mooroopna’s Keelin Betson and more having fine seasons for their respective clubs.
However, in the world of ruck craft and dominance, Shepparton’s Holland stands tallest.
While this statement might not surprise you, how far ahead Holland is to the rest of the competition might.
Sixteen rounds into the season, the Bears’ star ruckman has registered 789 hit-outs in total, a whisker short of 200 hit-outs ahead of second-placed Marriott, who has had 590.
The question that hangs over ruckmen is whether their hit-outs actually result in a positive for their team; this is generally measured by hit-outs to advantage.
Sitting around the 100-mark for hit-outs to advantage this season is Marriott (107), Kovacevic (100) and Tatura’s Jacob Simpson (100).
Meanwhile, Holland sits way in the clear on 171 — what a year the Dutch Bear is having.
GVL’s top ruckmen in 2024
Total hit-outs
Ash Holland - 789
Mark Marriott - 590
Mark Kovacevic - 521
Jacob Simpson - 493
Marcus Khoo (Kyabram) - 440
Total hit-outs to advantage
Ash Holland - 171
Mark Marriott - 107
Mark Kovacevic - 100
Jacob Simpson - 100
Kane Morris (Echuca) - 91
We have given credit to a forward and a man in the middle; now it’s time to put a defender in the spotlight.
During the off-season, versatile tall Ryan O’Keefe made the switch from Kangaroo Flat in Bendigo Football League — where he won the club’s 2023 best-and-fairest award — to Rochester.
In his first season in Tigers colours O’Keefe has dominated down back.
If the Goulburn Valley League had a Golden Fist award — created by beloved former St Kilda captain Danny Frawley — for the best spoiling defender in the competition, O’Keefe would already have one hand on it.
Other talented defenders have also had impressive seasons flying fist-first for the football, with Rochester’s Dylan Gordon (50 spoils for the season), Mooroopna’s Ben Hicks, Swans’ Andrew Riordan and Shepparton United’s Declan Newbound (all sitting on 44 spoils) making up the top-five in the category.
However, O’Keefe’s star shines brightest when talking about spoils, with the Tigers gun registering an impressive 73 spoils from 15 games this season.
Make sure to check in next week when we use TLC’s hit song No Scrubs to analyse the Goulburn Valley League’s best ball users.