Tongala will be aiming for a return to Murray league football finals on the back of a strong pre-season that will culminate with the traditional round one Good Friday match at Tongala Recreation Reserve against Nathalia.
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The Blues finished 11th on the ladder last season, with only five wins, while the Purples were knocked out in week one of the finals.
Only Tocumwal (one win) and Rumbalara (winless) were below Tongala on the ladder after the Blues had been on a COVID-19-impacted four-season rise to prominence in the competition.
New coach Billy Barnes has been busy in the off-season and has an impressive list of recruits lining up for the club.
Mackenzie Cowley returns from Mooroopna after nine games and seven goals at senior level before his season ended early and Billy McLay, who played three senior games with Kyabram last year, has also signed with the club.
The latter is fresh from a grand final commitment to Kyabram Cricket Club, which has interrupted his season.
Matt Caaia, Brodie Easton and Charlie Angley are other new names, along with Barnes’ highly-credentialled brother-in-laws — Matt and Brett Deledio.
Barnes said he was still working through with the Deledio brothers just how many games they would play.
“It will depend on personal and work commitments, Matt is doing a lot of work with the Costa family and Brett has player management and media work to consider.
“We will review it on a weekly basis,” he said, explaining that April 13 was probably the earliest fans would expect to see Brett in action.
Todd Van Roy and Nick Woods are back at Tongala, from Girgarre, along with Brayden Nevett , who had an injury-interrupted season at Leitchville-Gunbower.
The Blues will be without leading goal-kicker from last season, Makenzie Ryan, who is bound for the US on a college punting scholarship and Coby McCarthy, who has joined Mooroopna in Goulburn Valley League.
Last season’s coach Matthew Daniel could also be remaining at the club, but has off-field commitments that will cause him to miss the early part of the season.
“We also have several players who are like recruits, returning from injury. Alex Williams only played a couple of games toward the end of last year, James Ross missed a majority of last season and Bailey Cox had an ACL injury last year,’’ Barnes said.
“Jack Sinclair will also be back mid-year from an ACL.”
As for the coach himself, he played against Lockington, but had a minor knee injury at the end of the game.
Athletic teenagers James Coulson and Kyabram recruit Angus Scoble are on the Bendigo Pioneers list, but would be walk up starts in the Blues’ senior line-up when available.
“Angus had a toe injury during the pre-season, but may be available for round one,’’ he said.
“James was great against Lockington, as was Jesse Johnstone.
“He is also training with the Pioneers and will play senior football for us this year. Hudson Kellett will also be great for us.”
Former coach Jordan Souter will play out of the goalsquare.
He has put a lot of work into the pre-season.
· Reigning Stanhope best-and-fairest Jonathan Pearson and Lancaster premiership player Jack Donnell will share captaincy duties at Stanhope for the 2024 Kyabram District League season.
They will share leadership of the Lions with coach and key defender Adam Lovison, along with spearhead Tomas Rennie and ruckman Daniel Flynn.
Stanhope lost in the opening week of finals last year and will be missing key midfielder Jye Adamson and swing-man Noah Hanneysee for season 2024.
Jack Donnell’s brother, Luke, is also joining the Lions.
He played eight games with Lancaster’s premiership-winning senior team last year before being part of its unbeaten flag winning reserve grade unit.
The Donnells will face up to their old team in round one when the Lions and Wombats meet at Lancaster Recreation Reserve for the flag unveiling on April 13.
Lovison said Tongala reserve grade premiership player Daniel Maher had been a pre-season standout and Blake McAuliffe had embraced the opportunity to play regular senior football.
The Lions played Tongala and Calavil United in the lead up to the season, Lovison saying big numbers at the club had been a big positive.
“We counted a total of 57 senior and reserve grade players across the pre-season,” he said.
· At Lancaster the Corey Carver and Kaine Lambert-coached Bombers rolled out a team that included its three big recruits and was missing only a handful of the grand final team.
Kyle and Cade Mueller, along with Tom Holman, were playing in a grand final for Kyabram Cricket Club.
Injured ruckman Zac Norris, Reuben Rode, Rhys Clark and Archie Watt were also not in the line-up.
Gus Underwood has more details from the match in his Sporting Snapshots column.
· Rushworth will return to senior football ranks in Kyabram Distrtict League when it tackles Merrigum in the opening round of the season on April 13.
The Bulldogs, coached this year by former star player Leigh Hall, will be aiming to improve on their 10th ranking in the 14-team competition from last season.
At the weekend the club tackled Golden Rivers league club Macorna.
The club also played Girgarre in the pre-season, Hall saying the aim was to maintain the improvement in the early part of the season.
Legendary Goulburn Valley League football administrator, Keith Wellman, posted an interesting add-on to the match publicity on the Merrigum Football Netball Club Facebook page.
“Interesting that my father Lloyd Wellman, and his brother Dudley, played for Macorna in the early 1930s,’’ he posted.
“My Grandfather was vice president 1922-24.’’
He went on to say that, “Lyn Manley, wife of the late Ray Manley — a former Merrigum player, KDFL and GVFL secretary — was a five times best and fairest netball player for Macorna as well as a League best and fairest on two occasions.’’
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor