Anthony De Pasqaule announced his arrival as a powerhouse forward in the Goulburn Valley league with a best-on-ground performance against Rochester in the opening round of the season at Rochester’s Moon Oval on Saturday.
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De Pasquale, who spent the off-season in Darwin playing with Nightcliff in the Northern Territory Football League, kicked four second-half goals and took seven inside 50 marks as the Bombers started the season with a win.
Kyabram trailed by nine points at half-time of the match, but kicked nine goals to two after half-time for a 38 point win, 12.14 (86) to 7.6 (48).
De Pasquale had 23 possessions and kicked 4.4, stepping up as last season’s leading goalkickers Tom Holman and Cooper Vick both left the Rochester home ground empty handed.
Kyle Mueller also failed to hit the scoreboard as Hayden Gemmill, hard tackling Josh Dillon and Kayne Pettifer kicked six goals between them to provide De Pasquale with the necessary support to kick a winning score.
The strong marking De Pasquale kicked 43 goals from 19 games in the summer, all but one of those games at Premier League reserves grade level as the complicated points system of the NTFL prevented him from making regular appearances in the top flight.
De Pasquale played eight games with the Bendigo Pioneers two years ago and earned himself a Goulburn Valley Rookie of the Year nomination last season with his 18-game, 27-goal season in senior Kyabram ranks.
The former St Augustine’s junior made his senior debut with Kyabram in 2021.
Kyabram won almost every statistical count in its match with Rochester, which was missing several of its stars from its finals campaign of 2022.
Across the league the Bombers led several categories, the most surprising its number one ranking for disposals. Last season Kyabram was among the lowest disposal teams in the competition.
The Bombers had the most kicks (eight more than its opponent this week, Echuca), the most loose ball gets and the most intercept marks.
Surprisingly neither Jason Morgan or Lachlan Smith, two of the GVL’s premier aerialists, featured in this category.
Morgan took just two marks and Smith just five marks as the latter played no part in the game after quarter-time.
Ruckman Zac Norris had the most contested disposals and gathers (20 and 12), Toby Wooller the most disposals and inside 50 entries (38 and nine) and De Pasquale’s seven inside 50 marks was also a round one high.
Thomas Burnett also had the most pressure acts for the competition in round one (10).
Rochester had marginally more of the football in the first half, but ended up with 40 less disposals and 20 less marks than Kyabram. Bombers forwards took 11 marks in the attacking 50.
Toby Wooller, a former Brisbane Lions-listed player and grandson of Geelong’s 1963 premiership captain Fred, had 38 possessions in his first GVL appearance.
Wooller was captain of the Oakleigh Chargers and won the club’s best-and-fairest award ahead of Jack Higgins, who ironically kicked five goals later in the day as St Kilda plundered Gold Coast Suns.
Wooller also had nine inside 50 entries and took 12 marks.
He was among a handful of new faces, which included livewire winger Reuben Rode and former premiership star Liam Ogden.
Rode kicked a goal, had 23 disposals and seven inside 50 entries, while Ogden collected 20 disposals.
The Tigers were without former coach Steve Stroobants, former North Melbourne 200-gamer Shaun Atley, the hard-running Harper brothers, ruckman Dan Russell and the classy Christopher Jansen, to name a few.
The Tigers also had to take the field without co-captain Nathan Marrone and important midfielder Doug Wren.
Rochester coach Ash Watson had three players who are still eligible for under-18 football in his ranks, including debutant ruckman Charlie Palmer.
The half-time scoreline of 5.3 (33) to Kyabram’s 3.6 (24) was turned around when Kyabram kicked 9.7 to the Tigers’ 2.3 after the break.
Three of Rochester’s best half-dozen for the afternoon were from its defence as Kyabram had 25 more inside 50 entries for the match.
Key defender Hamish Hooppell had 17 possessions and took five marks, while Matt Kellett kept livewire Kyabram forward Kyle Mueller goalless and to just six possessions.
At different times Hooppell had responsibility for both of Kyabram’s sure handed key forwards, Tom Holman and Cooper Vick.
Kyabram ruckman Zac Norris was the pick by most good judges as best afield. He had 24 possessions (20 contested), a game-high 11 clearances and 19 hit-outs.
New captain Nathan McCarty laid a team-high four tackles and had 25 possessions (17 handballs) as he battled against the odds to restrict the likes of last season’s Morrison Medal runner-up Kaine Herbert.
Herbert had 35 possessions, with a dominant last term including 14 disposals, three inside 50 entries and two clearances. He also laid a game-high seven tackles as the Tigers were out-tackled by Kyabram 58-38.
Kyabram laid 21 forward 50 tackles to the Tigers’ five, but Rochester comfortably won the free kick count 27-13.
The Bombers’ free kick woes of 2022 seem to be on track to continue, giving away five free kicks for high contact and four for push in the back. Rochester failed to infringe in either of those categories.
Kyabram will face reigning premier Echuca this weekend, having lost twice to the Murray Bombers last season.
In round three last year, under lights at GV Creamery Oval, the Bombers were 19-point losers and then in round 15 Echuca was a 44-point victor at Victoria Park.
The game has a 5pm starting time on Saturday, with the Murray Bombers fresh from 98-point opening round win against Tatura.
Co-coach Andrew Walker was a star with 33 disposals, as was former GWS player Sam Reid, who spent most of last season on the sidelines.
Reid also had 33 possessions as Echuca found alternate avenues to goal in the absence of last season’s leading goal-kicker Ruory Kirkby.
SCOREBOARD
GVL ROUND ONE
KYABRAM v ROCHESTER
(at Moon Oval, Rochester)
Rochester...............................................1.3, 4.0, 1.1, 7.6 (48)
Kyabram.............................................2.1, 1.5, 4.4, 12.14 (86)
GOALS, Rochester: J. McPhee 2, S. Williams 2, K. Waters 1, M. Cricelli 1, N. Rasmussen 1, Kyabram: Anothony Depasquale 4, Hayden Gemmill 2, Josh Dillon 2, Kayne Pettifer 2, Kaine Herbert 1, Reuben Rode 1.
BEST, Rochester: M. Kellett, J. Atley, B. Evans, H. Hooppell, C. Palmer, Kyabram: Anthony Depasquale, Zac Norris, Reuben Rode, Kaine Herbert, Brad Whitford.
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