‘I was actually a bit worried’: Shepparton stars speak following Goulburn Valley League medal wins

Despite his impressive vein of form upon returning to the club he won a premiership at six years ago, one would have been very bold to back Bears ruckman Ash Holland after 12 rounds of a stunning Morrison Medal count.

Rochester bull Mitch Trewhella appeared to have the field torched, leading by a massive nine-vote gap with Holland settling for joint-second before the near-unthinkable started to unfold.

After settling for a stalemate in the round 14 clash between the Tigers and Bears where neither man polled, Holland remarkably chased down the deficit as Trewhella failed to poll in the final six rounds, with the two heading into the final weekend level.

Trewhella missing out against Shepparton United meant the medal was assured for the Bears big man either way, but a singular vote in his finale against Kyabram took the finish line outright in a pulsating count.

Speaking moments after receiving his due reward, it did not appear Holland fancied himself to recover the huge deficit — or to even be in the conversation at the time he returned to the club.

“I was lucky to come back from that,” Holland said.

“It was tense those last few rounds but Mitch had a terrific season as well; to be honest, I thought he’d win it.

“I knew I had a patch of some reasonable form through the middle, but I didn’t expect to sneak that home.

“I was actually a bit worried about stepping up to hopefully play some decent football at this level.

“If it wasn’t this year, it may not have happened again so I wanted to do it before I was getting too old.”

The rest of the Bears contingent certainly knew, judging by the raucous reaction in the room when his Kyabram vote was read out.

The vibes were highly positive, but this was no one-off atmosphere just because of the club’s swathe of successes at the league’s night of nights.

Holland credits the entire Bears organisation with seamlessly creating a top-notch place to come and play.

“We set the goal of finals at the start of the year, but credit has to go all the way to the top with Brendan Bicknell and then Ted and ‘Xav’ as co-coaches,” Holland said.

“They’re doing a wonderful job and they’re well-respected by the group, and that means a hell of a lot.

“They’re a good group of blokes to be playing with and it’s been really enjoyable around the club.

“I’ve been enjoying my footy and it’s good to get those personal accolades, but we want to get the big one on the weekend. That’s what you play for.”

Wellman Family medallist Kim Borger was much happier to highlight the work of her teammates than focus too deeply on her own accomplishments.

Speaking as best she could through a voice long since lost, Borger emphasised the league’s overall strength after having to hold off a raft of challengers to claim her first Wellman with 30 votes.

“It was a very intense run home, so I think to see the amazing players that are up there is a true credit to the league and what they’re bringing in,” Borger said.

“You know when you’re playing well and I was enjoying my netball, which is the most important thing; to contribute to the team is amazing.

“It has a really positive vibe there and I have to give credit to Stacey Thompson. She’s come along and we’ve had all five of our teams in finals.

“I think that goes to show the strength we have, not just as players but in our coaching staff.

“A lot of credit has to go towards my club and the hard work we’ve put in all year. It’s a lovely feeling to get recognition, but I’d still like a cheeky grand final.”

A previous News story had reported that Shepparton had not boasted a Morrison medallist since 2005. In fact, Nik Rokahr was a previous winner for the Bears in 2018.