AFL greats Garry Lyon, Dick Clay and Ross Dillon along with Gold Coast’s Nick Holman were former Bombers cheering their home club to its 16th premiership.
Clay, a Richmond Hall of Famer and Immortal, awarded his goal of the day to Kyabram full forward Tom Holman’s first goal of the third term, which was the first of a hat-trick of goals he kicked to set up a match-winning lead for the Bombers.
Dillon plumped for Jason Morgan as the best Kyabram player among several Bombers who stood out.
Like a lot of people, Dillon was fascinated by Morgan’s ability to dominate in defence despite being nearly 40 years of age.
Mattingly was hard done by
As someone who has followed and written about the Bombers and the Goulburn Valley League since 1961 and who attended every game Kyabram played in this season, I think it was an insult to Kyabram star Mick Mattingly to get only 15 votes in the Morrison Medal.
The medal was won by Mansfield’s Callum Brown — son of Collingwood legend Gavin — with 20 votes, after the highest vote-getter, Shepparton’s Jacob Watts, was ruled ineligible after being reported and suspended. He polled 23 votes.
While Watts was a talking point of the count, Mattingly’s snub, in my eyes, raised even more debate and puzzlement.
Mattingly averaged 35.2 possessions a game in the 14 games he played.
I believe the lack of votes for Mattingly is one of the GVL’s most tragic and unjust happenings in my time covering country football — and I can assure you there have been quite a few over the 64-year journey.
Herbert catches the eye
While on the Morrison Medal, Kyabram co coach Kaine Herbert is one player who attracts the umpires’ attention, which translates into Morrison Medal votes.
He finished with 18 votes, only two off Brown, and deserved every one of them because he has been one of the most consistent players in the GVL in his time with the Bombers.
The Abikhair Medal in the reserves went to Shepparton Swans veteran big man Tom Magee with 24 votes while Kyabram skipper Jayden Fitzgerald secured the most votes for the Bombers with 14.
The Pattison Medal in the thirds was won by Shepparton’s Noah Muir with 24 votes.
Recognition for grand final stars
Kyabram players scooped the major individual awards at Sunday’s GVL grand final.
Tireless onballer Kaine Herbert got the umpires’ nod for best on ground while the media award for the same honour was claimed by Mick Mattingly.
The award for best player for the finals series was won by Rochester livewire Mitch Trewhella.
Good signs for 2026
Co-coach Corey Carver doesn’t expect to have too many holes to fill in his bid to continue Kyabram’s premiership form into next season.
Carver said most of the players in Kyabram’s premiership-winning side on Sunday had already committed to lining up next season.
Carver, who now holds the distinction of coaching a premiership in both the GV and Kyabram leagues — he won a flag when coaching Lancaster — believes young talent Archie Watt may be the only player who could be moving on at this stage.
It is known Watt was being watched by the West Coast Eagles, who have had talent scouts attend Kyabram games this season to check out the young onballer’s ability and have liked what they have seen.
I rate Watt as the best junior player to emerge at the Kyabram Football Club since Brett Deledio.
For their efforts to guide Kyabram to this season’s GVL flag, Carver and co-coach Kaine Herbert shouldn’t be underrated.
They first struck up their coaching partnership last year and got the Bombers into the first week of the finals.
A premiership, though, looked a fair way off this year, but the Bombers have surprised nearly all the pundits with their dominant year and Carver and Herbert can take a giant-sized chunk of the credit for what they have achieved with what was virtually an all-local side.
When it all goes wrong
Grand final time means heartbreak for teams that lose after having gone into the game as the favourite.
Again this year teams across the region stumbled in the decider after dominant seasons.
Murchison reserves hadn’t lost a game for two years but were upset by Stanhope in their Kyabram League decider.
Murray League club Congupna’s longest winning streak in Victorian country football was halted by Cobram due to inaccuracy at the goal front, while Picola League club Waaia lost only the one game for the season — the grand final to Katamatite.
Kyabram reserves also went into their GVL clash with Seymour on Sunday as warm favourites but had to settle for second place.
Even former locals Greg and Glenda Brunt were happy that it wasn’t a favourites’ final series in many instances, cheering their granddaughters Maggie and Freya Chant to upset wins for Wangaratta Rovers in the Ovens and Murray League’s junior netball grand finals on Sunday.
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