Ryley Ferguson evades Riley Ironside with assistance from Fletcher White. Photos: Bruce Povey
Rochester surged back into the finals picture with a fourth straight Goulburn Valley League senior victory, defeating Kyabram by 24 points with a valiant second-half fightback at Moon Oval.
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The Tigers earned a measure of vengeance for the 2025 grand final defeat against the Bombers, as well as the round one meeting this year, when they toppled the Bombers 12.7 (79) to 7.13 (55) despite trailing by 16 points at half-time.
The first half had two similar quarters, with Rochester kicking the first goal of each frame before Kyabram responded with two of its own.
With a wave of minor scores tacked on by the Bombers, Rochy was fortunate to be trailing by only 11 at quarter-time and 16 at the half, as Ky led 11 scoring shots to five in the opening half.
Kyabram looked to be well-positioned to close things out after Kaine Herbert opened the goal-kicking for the second half, getting his Bombers out to 22 points, but that would be as good as it got for the defending premier.
Rochester would seize control of the game, kicking seven goals in a row to not only run down the deficit, but build a 21-point lead of its own.
Kyabram finally stymied the run with the final major of the term, but Rochy had a 14-point lead and all the momentum heading into the fourth.
The Tigers quickly put the result to bed with three straight goals in the final term, Kyabram kicking the last of the game, but to no avail, as the Tigers were still four goals clear on the final scoreboard.
Darby Wileman celebrates a last-quarter goal.
Hugh Hamilton had a great game in front of the sticks with five goals and is now seventh on the league goal-kickers tally with 25 despite playing only eight of 13 fixtures.
He averages three a game, a rate equal to that of the current goals leader, Shepparton United’s Matthew Casey (39 from 13).
The Tigers kick Kyabram from the top six with the win and move into fifth place themselves, the recent run reigniting their season and hopes of a strong finals campaign.
The GVL has a week off for interleague clashes with the Victorian Amateur Football Association, before the Tigers face a blockbuster showdown with one of the leaders, Echuca, at Moama Recreation Reserve on July 18.
The game
Rochester: 1.1, 2.3, 9.6, 12.7 (79)
Kyabram: 2.6, 4.7, 6.10, 7.13 (55)
Goals
Rochester: Hugh Hamilton 5, Kyle Waters 2, Andy Henderson, Harrison Keating, Nate Rasmussen, Mitchell Trewhella, Darby Wileman
Kyabram: Thomas Burnett, Rhys Clark, Riley Gallivan, Kaine Herbert, Riley Ironside, Charlie Isaac, Jack Sinclair
