Kaine Herbert has added another string to his already impressive bow by becoming the vital connection point between defence and attack for the 2024 version of the Kyabram senior football side.
Herbert, who has been the on-field leader of the team with non-playing co-coach Corey Carver on the sidelines, has complemented the work of captain Aidan Robinson in defence and the league’s leading goalkicker, Anthony Depasquale, in attack.
Robinson and Depasquale have produced significantly higher statistical returns this season, while Herbert has adapted his playing style to suit life without the two previous keys in defence and attack - Lachlan Smith and Kyle Mueller.
The Bombers have also been without Jason Morgan for most of the season, which has made Robinson’s role even more important.
Today’s GVL Data column is a deep dive into the seasons of Herbert, Robinson, Depasquale and several other vital individuals to the Bombers’ hopes of going one better than season 2023.
SEASON HIGHS
Spoils: 7 Dodos v Euroa R13, 6 Robinson v Tatura R7
1%ers: 9 Robinson v Euroa R13
Forward 50 tackles: 5 Depasquale v United R15
Midfield tackles: 15 Tome v Benalla R10, 8 Griffiths v Echuca R11
Tackles: 17 Tome v Benalla R10
Goal assists: 6 Griffiths v United R15
Marks: 14 Golds v Echuca R11, 13 Robinson v United R15, 12 Jackson Griffiths 12 v Mooroopna R16
Marks Inside 50: 6 Depasquale v Benalla R10, 5 Dodos v Mooroopna R16
Intercept marks: 10 Robinson v United R15
Pressure Acts: 11 Tome v Swans R8, 10 Archie Watt v Shepparton R9
Intercept possessions: 14 Aidan Robinson v United R15, 12 Morgan v Shepparton R9
Goal involvements: 11 Herbert v United R15
Score involvements: 15 Liam Ogden v Mooroopna R16, 14 Depasquale v Benalla R10, 14 Herbert v Swans R9
Inside 50s: 9 Kaine Herbert v Shepparton R9
Rebound 50s: 13 Robinson v Tatura R8, 9 Herbert v Rochester R12, 7 Whitford v Mansfield R14
Clearances: Tome 16 v Rochester R12, 15 Tome v Mooroopna R16
Disposals: 42 Herbert v United R15, 40 Herbert v Rochester R12, 39 Tome v Mooroopna R16
Contested possessions: 26 Tome (of 34) v Rochester R12, 21 Griffiths (29) v Mansfield R14
Ranking points: 195 Tome v Mooroopna R16
Hit Outs: 71 Khoo v Mansfield R14
Robinson steps up
Captaincy has agreed with Aidan Robinson, his numbers have gone through the roof since he was promoted to the key leadership role early in the season.
Robinson hasn’t missed a game since round four, after missing the start to the season. He is averaging 14.8 disposals (up from 9.3 last year) and is elite for marks (5.9 a game, up from 2.9 in 2023) and intercept possessions (6.3, up from 2.3 last year).
Last year Robinson averaged 55.4 ranking points. This year that figure is 87.7 points.
He first played senior football for the Bombers in 2019, alongside two Bendigo Pioneers games and 11 under-18 appearances for Kyabram.
Just two years ago he was used at both ends of the ground, kicking 13 goals in 2022. He only kicked two in 19 games last year and has troubled the scorers in 13 appearances this season.
Last season season high disposal count came in the preliminary final last year when he had 16 disposals, had five rebound 50s and eight spoils. His marking season high was in round 18 against Benalla, with six (five of those uncontested).
This year he has season highs of 32 disposals (against Tatura in Round 7, to be fair that did include 14 kick ins), 13 marks (against United in Round 15, 10 of those were intercept marks) and 129 ranking points.
High standards
Kaine Herbert has extremely high standards, so it was surprising to discover that – in some areas - he has actually lifted to another level in 2024.
Last year he was rated elite for disposals (21.4), clearances (4.8), inside 50s (6.6) and score involvements (7) – among others.
This year he is down on both inside 50s and clearances, but is averaging 24.7 disposals and more score involvements. He has also kicked 19 goals this year (from 16 games), already five more than his 22 game 2023 season and almost double his 2022 tally.
Herbert has twice passed the 40-disposal mark this season – against Rochester in round 12 when he had 34 kicks (13 were from kick ins) and amassed 195 ranking points on the back of six inside 50s and a massive nine rebound 50s. In that game he also laid five tackles and kicked two goals.
His season high of 42 disposals came in Kyabram’s biggest win of the season (by 125 points against United in round 15). In that game he had 10 inside 50s and also kicked two goals, featuring in 13 of the Bombers’ 32 scores.
Marvellous Mountain Men
Bailey Tome has played only seven games for Kyabram this season, having shared his time with VFL club Northern Bullants where he has played 12 games.
Tome is a former Queensland junior, along with ruckman Marcus Khoo, midfielder Jackson Griffiths and half back Jake Torney. All four played with Mount Gravatt and had had a big impact on the GVL this year.
There is more blue (indicating elite status) on Tome’s statistical sheet than anything else. He has averaged 30.7 disposals (19.2 contested), 11.5 clearances, 11 tackles and 8.7 score involvements.
It is the individual highs, however, that are most impressive: 16 clearances against Rochester in round 12, 17 tackles against Benalla in round 10 and 29 disposals against Mooroopna in round 16.
Khoo has a season high 71 hit outs to his credit (against Mansfield in round 14), while Griffiths has featured prominently in team tackle counts, goal assists and contested possessions.
Torney has been another success story. He started the year with a 14-disposal game, but has rarely dipped below 20 touches since then and is elite for intercept possessions and marks.
Will’s ‘gold standard’
William Golds’ best is very good indeed, but this season it has come out in only a handful of his 21 games – interestingly three of those were against the top three ranked teams, Echuca, Shepparton and Rochester.
He had a season high 36 disposals (only three kick ins) against Echuca, took 14 marks (all uncontested) and was credited with eight rebound 50s. In the Shepparton game he had 27 disposals and seven marks, while against Rochester (26 disposals and 11 marks) he was again at his best.
Golds has averaged 19.8 disposals and 6.8 marks this season, but has kicked just eight goals since moving into defence. Last season he kicked 18 goals from 18 games, averaging almost exactly the same disposals.
Dipper embraces responsibility
Anthony Depasquale kicked 31 goals in 22 games last season, bagging a season high in round one and kicked three goals in four games during the Bombers’ latest grand final year.
This year he has kicked 67 goals in 17 games and has four or more goals in 10 games.
That is not the only statistic which has doubled this season. Last year he averaged 13.6 disposals, 4.6 marks (1.2 of those contested and two inside 50), 3.3 goal involvements and 2.5 tackles.
His figures this year are not only impressive in the goals column (up from 1.5 a game to 3.8 a game), but he averages 17.1 disposals, 6.4 marks (three of those contested and almost four inside 50 every week), 6.2 goal involvements and 3.7 tackles (two of those inside 50).
Depasquale’s two seven-goal games were in round seven against Tatura and round 16 against Mooroopna.