Sport
GVL exports Roche, Chalcraft and Panuccio head west, signing for WAFL club Swan Districts
A trio of Goulburn Valley League stars are off to the WAFL to earn their bacon.
United exports Jye Chalcraft and Mitchell Roche, alongside Euroa’s Tom Panuccio, have signed on the line at Swan Districts for the 2024 season.
The Swannies landed Chalcraft and Panuccio from Geelong’s VFL arm, while Roche comes across from United, where he thrived after making a move to half-back.
During the 2023 season at the Demons, Roche racked up a career-high 43-disposal game, ticked over 50 senior matches and was named vice-captain, progressing his status as a ball-winning utility while averaging 24.6 touches a game.
He’s come off a short stint at NTFL club Waratah and is now champing at the bit to taste some more top-level football out west.
“It will be a little bit of a step up from what I’ve played before when I’ve mainly played just senior country footy,” Roche said.
“It’s going to be a whole different experience and I’m looking forward to all the challenges it will present.”
Roche noted the decision to join Western Districts stemmed from Chalcraft, his former teammate, proposing the idea of a reunion.
It was a no-brainer for Roche.
“It all came about starting with Jye, who is one of my best mates,” Roche said.
“With me and Jye, before we even signed anywhere we talked about it and just thought, ‘stuff it, let’s do it and get over to Perth’.
“I sort of wanted to improve my own game by playing at a higher level, so I thought it was a good opportunity to try to get onto.
“I’m pretty keen on giving it a go now and getting to Perth to get started.”
While Roche may not have the elite-level experience added to his toolkit just yet, the same can’t be said for Chalcraft and Panuccio.
Both excelled for Geelong in 2023, with Chalcraft averaging 21.4 disposals and kicking 16 goals during a season that saw him crowned the Cats’ best-and-fairest.
Panuccio, while not holding quite the same glittered passport, was a consistent performer in all eight of the VFL matches he played in the most recent season.
Still, the ex-Euroa and Murray Bushrangers man leapt at the chance to suit up in the stripes.
“It’s very exciting and I would never have thought footy could take me to the other side of the country,” Panuccio said.
“I thought I’d also be Victorian and playing a lot of VFL footy, but you can never tell what’s going to happen in the future.
“With an opportunity like this, I thought it would be good to take the chance and see if I could go a bit further in footy, which is the exciting thing.”
Panuccio averaged 11.9 disposals for Geelong in 2023, slotting six goals from his eight matches.
He modestly summed up his talents and shrewdly offered how his strengths may complement a Swans side that sidled in seventh on the WAFL ladder last season.
“The past two years at Geelong really developed my game a lot,” Panuccio said.
“I’m just trying to embrace every opportunity I can and I think that will now help translate that into the WAFL with the bigger grounds, which should suit how I play my game.
“I back my endurance, so running is one of my strengths and being able to read the play, so footy IQ and the endurance are probably my two strong points.
“With the bigger grounds and a lot more space to work in and a bit more area to use my strengths in reading the play is something that’s exciting, and I think that will help me put my best foot forward to play my best footy.”