With the Goulburn Valley League season coming to an end with last Sunday’s grand final, it’s time to gaze our eyes back over the past six months of action.
The 2023 season delivered us plenty of memorable moments and we saw the on-field performances take another step forward in quality.
An influx of former AFL talents and the high number of GV products landing VFL gigs showcased the premier standing of GVL football.
The News has decided to comb through the home-and-away campaign and select our Team of the Year.
It was a challenging task this year considering the quality of players to choose from, however to make life easier we decided to put some prerequisites in place.
Each player had to play at least 12 matches in the home-and-away season to qualify for selection, which put a line through most of the league’s star operators who juggle VFL commitments.
But in saying that, there were plenty of no-brainers and that came in selecting our midfield brigade, which we believe would be one of the best in country Victoria.
We start with our coach and we have opted for Seymour mentor Ben Davey for taking the Lions from outside the top six in 2022 to second on the ladder.
He narrowly edged out Echuca co-coaches Simon Maddox, Andrew Walker and Sam Reid, who must be congratulated for their efforts in steering the Murray Bombers to back-to-back premierships.
Outgoing Euroa coach Scott Rowan juggled player unavailability and injuries to steer the Magpies to a preliminary final, while Kyabram’s Paul Newman was unlucky to miss out.
Defenders
Shepparton United running defender Kyle Clarke led the competition for effective kicks and was fourth for intercept marks and second for intercept possessions. Echuca full-back Curtis Townrow led the league in spoils, while Euroa’s Ryan Pendlebury (second in kick-in efficiency, third for intercepts, seventh for spoils) slots into the other back pocket. Our back-flank consists of premier intercept marking duo Lachie Smith and Cam Valentine. The latter sneaks in due to playing 12 games but his superior intercept marking (4.3 average per game) saw him edge out rivals. Smith led league for total intercept possessions and intercept marks. Mansfield interceptor Dirk Koenen (second in intercept marks, sixth in spoils, fifth in intercepts) rounds out our defensive six following a sublime year.
Midfielders
One of our first selected is Will Hayes. The Euroa gun averaged a league-high 33 disposals per game, second in inside-50s, third for tackles and averaged 7.2 score involvements. Echuca superstar Sam Reid is our captain and he slots into ruck-rover. Reid averaged 26.1 touches, 7.6 clearances, seven tackles and kicked 36 goals. Morrison Medal winner Jack O’Sullivan (26.7 disposals, first in hard-ball gets, third for inside-50s) joins Ky ruck Zac Norris (first in total clearances, contested possessions and fourth in hit-outs) in the guts. Out on the wings we have Tatura speedster Ethan Penrith (second in pressure acts) and Shepparton tackling king Adam De Cicco (league leader in tackles, fourth in disposals).
Forwards
No surprises to see Euroa’s exciting forward Jett Trotter (55 goals, second for score involvements and second for marks inside 50) find a spot for second year running. Mansfield tall Ben Christopher (47 goals, first for inside-50 tackles and marks) enjoyed another superb year. Echuca premiership livewire Jackson Stewart led the league for goal assists and pressure acts and second for team involvements while averaging 20 touches per game. Mooroopna’s two-pronged attack in Jackson Trengove (league leading goal-kicker with 59 majors) and Chris Nield (47 goals, third for inside-50 marks) lead the way. Shepparton United’s Jayden Magro booted 46 goals in the second worst team in his first year in the GVL ranks.
Bench
Rochester star Joe Atley (second in clearances, second in contested possessions) will join our midfield rotation alongside Morrison Medal runner-up Kaine Herbert (first for inside-50s, equal second in goal assists). Seymour’s talented utility Riley Mason (equal second in goal assists, averaging 17.5 disposals) and Mooroopna ruck Liam Betson (second in hit-outs, fourth in clearances, seventh in contested possessions) both edge out unlucky talents for the final bench spots.
The News’ GVL Team of the Year
B: Kyle Clarke (Shepparton United), Curtis Townrow (Echuca), Ryan Pendlebury (Euroa)
HB: Lachie Smith (Kyabram), Cam Valentine (Echuca), Dirk Koenen (Mansfield)
C: Adam De Cicco (Shepparton), Will Hayes (Euroa), Ethan Penrith (Tatura)
HF: Jett Trotter (Euroa), Ben Christopher (Mansfield), Jackson Stewart (Echuca)
F: Jayden Magro (Shepparton United), Jackson Trengove (Mooroopna), Chris Nield (Mooroopna)
FOLL: Zac Norris (Kyabram), Sam Reid (Echuca), Jack O’Sullivan (Seymour)
Bench: Joe Atley (Rochester), Kaine Herbert (Kyabram), Riley Mason (Seymour), Liam Betson (Mooroopna)
Coach: Ben Davey (Seymour)
Captain: Sam Reid (Echuca)
Unlucky to miss
The following players can count themselves unlucky to miss selection. Kyabram’s Brad Whitford (fourth in intercepts) enjoyed a strong year off half-back alongside teammate Kyle Mueller (third in goals). Gun on-ballers, Seymour’s Ben Rigoni and Mansfield’s Frazer Dale, both got squeezed out by Atley and Herbert due to only 12 appearances each. Rochester’s Mitch Cricelli, following a top-five finish in the league best-and-fairest and Benalla’s Josh Marchbank (averaging a league-high 45 hit-outs) were two talls who could have found a spot. Echuca trio Sam Willoughby, Logan Prout (averaging league-high 8.7 intercepts) and Liam Tenace (37 goals, first for contested marks) can count themselves unlucky also.