Will Hayes is heading to Kyabram Football League club Violet Town.
Gus’ sports snaps
Are the wrong people being punished in the stance AFL Victoria and AFL Goulburn Murray have taken with Barooga Football Club’s move back to the Picola District Football Netball League?
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Because the Picola league has not been affiliated with either of these administrative bodies, Barooga women’s teams and players in junior pathway programs and representative league teams have no access to AFL supported programs.
Barooga’s reaction was to form another club and start as a new entity to cater for its female players, but has drawn a blank on that bid as well, leaving about 40 female players without a home club at the moment.
Admittedly Barooga was well aware of AFL Victoria and AFL Goulburn Murray’s stance on the Picola league when it decided to rejoin the competition, but should it be taken out on some of its players who have had no say at all on what has transpired?
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Pleasing to see the Goulburn Valley League is digging its way out of debt.
Burdened with an $87,005 loss for the 2023-24 financial year there was some joy at the recent annual meeting of the league when a $54,255 profit for the 12 months to October 2025 was posted.
The profit has been achieved mainly by a 25 per cent increase in club levies and a 32 per cent increase in finals gate takings brought about by increase in admittance charges.
Scrapping the Weekender, the GVL’s weekly football publication, was also a big cost saver, although I haven’t struck one person who thought it should have happened.
Not hosting the clash with the Ovens and Murray League which was played at Wangaratta also took a sizeable amount off the bottom line in the financial comeback.
League chair Peter Foott praised his board for the turnaround and will continue as league president.
Casual board members Alice Milner and Daniel Irwin have been elevated to full board members, while Foott, Jason Sherlock, Ashok Kumar and Sharon O’Dwyer were not up for re-election.
Sherlock will remain Foott’s deputy.
New challenges now face the board with the much maligned AFL administration hubs being phased out next year after a decade and the league to go it alone again with its administration.
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Kyabram Football League club Violet Town is certainly serious about moving up the ladder next season.
Its most recent star recruit is Will Hayes, the former Western Bulldogs and Carlton player who spent time with Euroa, Carlton’s VFL side in recent years and Warragul this season.
Hayes is a member of the famous horse racing family with his brother JD Hayes already at Violet Town and another star recruit in four times Kyabram premiership player Lachie Smith also committing to the Towners for the 2026 season.
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Teenage Cobram sportsman Cooper Betts who has been diagnosed with leukaemia got a big lift recently when visited by Melbourne AFL players while in hospital in Melbourne
Andy Lee of Andy and Hamish fame also took the time to pay him a visit.
Melbourne football players Jack Viney and Tom Sparrow visited Cooper in the hospital.
A big fundraiser for Cooper organised by the Cobram cricket and football clubs last Saturday gave about a $20,000 boost to the appeal.
Donations to the appeal can be made by calling Manny Artavilla on 0412 334 359.
