Top 50 moments of the GDFL H&A season (PART 3)

Top 50 moments of the GDFL H&A season (PART 3)

The league commenced its 50 day countdown over the weekend to the opening round of the 2018 GDFL season.

The opening round will feature a twilight match between Geelong West and Winchelsea before Anakie host Thomson the following afternoon.

To mark the milestone we’ve looked back on our top 50 moments of the 2017 home and away season in senior football and A-Grade netball (this excludes finals and medal nights).

 

Part 1 Edition (#50 – #41)

Part 2 Edition (#40 – #31)

  1. The 200 Club

Such was the improvement of the 2017 season in comparison to recent years that the 200-point annihilations were becoming a thing of the past.

However there were a few notable exceptions.

When Belmont entered its Round 8 match against Bell Post Hill the odds were against them.

The unavailabilities of Michael Leamer (rib), Lachlan Edwards (groin), Jack Baker (hand), Keegan Powell (foot) and James Fisher (wrist) made for a few pre-game headaches.

It was the first weekend of the 2017 winter and Belmont had already used 78 players in the reserves and seniors.

Nevertheless nobody could have predicted such a one-sided contest with the reigning premiers prevailing by 215 points.

We’d suspect Bell Post Hill was kicking with the wind down hill in the first term when securing an 11.5 (71) to 0.0 (0) lead?

Jayden Ettridge proved to be the star with 13 goals followed by Justin Tarr (pictured) and Luke Turner who finished with seven and five respectively.

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Ettridge was able to pocket three Whitley medal votes ahead of veterans Travis Fursland and Tim Barton while Lyall Timms was named as Belmont’s best contributor.

Belmont 5 .6 (36) def by. Bell Post Hill 38.23 (251)

The Lions would go onto be within striking distance of East Geelong the following week only to receive another drubbing when hosting Inverleigh in Round 10.

Lion captain Benjamin Vardy proved the best match-up on Jak Kennedy Hunt earlier in the match.

However he was moved, allowing Kennedy Hunt to boot a whopping 15 goals in the Hawks’ 200-point win and bring his Whitley medal campaign to 20 votes.

Belmont 5 .10 (40) def by. Inverleigh 37.18 (240)

 

 

  1. Thomson Third Time Unlucky

For the third time in 13 months the Tigers looked to pull off the upset against the competition’s yardstick when drawing level with  Bell Post Hill 7.8 (50) apiece in the final term.

But for the third time it wasn’t to be with Jayden Ettridge landing six goals to bring his tally to 46 for the season.

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Nick Costello also found his 250th GDFL goal earlier in the match while the Tigers drought at the ground will now extend to six years.

Ultimately it was the battle of two of the GDFL’s finest ruckmen with Alexander Bowles (Thomson) receiving three Whitley medal votes ahead of Bell Post Hill tap specialist Renn Lovitt who received two on the day.

Bell Post Hill 14.9 (93) def Thomson 7.8 (50)

 

 

  1. Stewart & Lang Outscore Remaining Sides

Though Cassidy Stewart and Errin Lang are just as deserving of the hype Kennedy-Hunt and Ettridge receive week to week the netball stars can sometimes slip under the radar.

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Perhaps the exception took place in Round 17 when the two outscored the remaining ten A-Grade sides with accuracy.

Round 17 Scores:

89 Thomson
85 Corio
75 Cassidy Stewart (Corio)

62 Errin Lang (Thomson)
60 Inverleigh
58 Werribee Centrals
51 North Geelong
49 Geelong West
46 Winchelsea
44 Bannockburn
41 Anakie
39 East Geelong
37 Bell Post Hill
35 Belmont Lions

A 27 to 7 second term would prove the catalyst in Corio’s domineering win over Anakie.

Our league’s leading goal scorer Stewart would score 75 of her eventual 658 goals on this afternoon; almost doubling the final tally of her opposition, and now new club, Anakie.

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Corio 85 def Anakie 41

Thomson star and 2016 GDFNL Interleague medal winner Errin Lang would also score a whopping 62 goals on this round.

The tally would grant her three votes come Margaret Webb medal note to continue her lead over teammate Shannyn Leach ahead of the final round.

Thomson 89 def Geelong West 49

 

 

  1. Panthers Unite As Family Club

Bell Post Hill’s 80-point win over Corio may not have meant much on the stats sheet in Round 1.

The powerhouse had not lost to the cellar dweller since Round 5, 2009.

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Nevertheless when Bell Post Hill players, who attended a wedding at the Yarra Valley the night earlier, made an appearance and donned the black arm bands for those who had recently passed away they typified their united family club policy.

Players and officials dedicated the win for Tyanne Riddle, wife of club legend Mark, who had passed away the night before after a long battle with cancer.

The players also paid tribute to new Casterton recruit Toby Murrell, after his father was tragically killed in a car accident on Thursday night.

Murrell would go onto play 14 reserves games for Bell Post Hill in 2017, including the side’s memorable premiership victory over Thomson.

On a smaller scale, the game also held great significance for the Flaccavento family with brothers Nicholas and Jordan (pictured) playing off for the first time at senior level.

Corio 9.13 (67) def by. Bell Post Hill 10.12 (72)

 

 

  1. Tigers Scalp Giant Victory

Late goals for Scott Troeth and Jared Matheson helped secure a much needed win for Thomson in Round 6.

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The Giants shot out to a three goal lead at one stage before the Tigers gained some much needed momentum in the middle.

However the victory could have just as easily gone to the Giants when Thomas Aldridge was rewarded a free kick from 40m out after a Thomson player kicked the ball out on the full.

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He would instead find Tyson Doherty, the last man to kick a goal in the Geelong West Cheetahs jumper.

Doherty would then take a free kick from the same position 30 seconds later but just as the former Bell Park utility ran off the mark to attempt a shot on goal the siren would sound.

This would mark the first of five straight weeks where the Giants, who entered the season with a 0-18 record in 2016, would surrender a late lead before the final siren.

As a result the senior side would slip from fourth to ninth on the ladder before eventually bowing out of finals contention in Round 17.

Matheson would again be overlooked by the umpires come Whitley medal night.

The first year Tiger would find four goals on this day however it would be his playing coach Reece Holwell who would receive the three votes.

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Holwell’s former teammate Justin White collected one vote for the Giants behind first year recruit Tyson Stott.

Geelong West 9.13 (67) def by. Thomson 10.12 (72)

 

 

  1. Leach Leapfrogs Lang

Local netball champion Shannyn Leach did enough in Round 18 to add a Margaret Webb medal to her long list of achievements.

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Leach proved most influential in the third term of her side’s 61 to 37 victory when helping her side score 17 of the final 24 goals heading into the final break.

A final tally of three votes would grant Leach a final tally of 26 votes ahead of her teammate Erin Lang on 24.

Jessica Lowe and Joanna Couch also starred in the middle nevertheless it would be Leach’s new coaching partner, Erin Lang who would receive the two votes.

Had Lang received the top nod that windy afternoon (instead of receiving two votes) then the pair would have been the first set of teammates to tie for the medal since its inception in 2002.

“And I would have preferred to share it with Erin,” Leach revealed on the medal night.

All four Thomson stars would feature in the 2017 A-Grade team of the year with Leach also named captain of the side.

There was no debating that Lang was the most deserving Goal Attack while Couch, who finished equal 11th in the count with 13 votes, was named as the Centre of the year.

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Lowe also received a spot in the team of the year despite only polling one vote for the entire season.

Thomson 61 def North Geelong 37
 

 

  1. Storm Ends Drought On The Hill

Bell Post Hill’s championship campaign was tarnished as early as Round 2 after its match against Geelong West was cancelled due to a severe thunderstorm prior to half time.

As a result the clubs collected two premiership points each while percentage has been added from the final score line 3.3 (21) to 2.2 (14) in the league’s first drawn game since 2014.

League president Neville Whitley OAM was in attendance due to the Panthers’ unfurling of the 2016 premiership flag earlier in the afternoon.

“The umpires saw the lightning nine minutes into the second quarter and called it off and that’s a fair decision under our Worksafe agreement,” Whitley said.

“They waited for half an hour and then after another ten minutes they saw another bolt of lightning.”

“I spoke to the Bell Post Hill officials because they felt it was a rushed decision and they were also very disappointed when they found the Inverleigh v. Thomson match had resumed.”

“But it really was the umpires’ decision in the end.”

This would mark the first time Bell Post Hill was unable to defeat Geelong West since 2008, a match which also resulted in a draw.

Interestingly, the game still counted on Whitley medal night.

GDFL interleague skipper Cameron Addie, who polled one vote in 2016, finished with three on this historic afternoon ahead of Giant Tyson Stott and Panther Matthew Kelly.

**Abandoned – Bell Post Hill 3.3 (21) against Geelong West 2.2 (14)

 

 

  1. Tigers Hold Off Contenders

2016 wooden spooner Geelong West almost caused the upset of the year when drawing level with ladder leader Bannockburn in Round 9.

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With scores level at three quarter time, visiting Tiger fans were on the edge of their seats at the West Oval.

Many had initially anticipated a comfortable win in honour of their captain Brad Watts’ 200th game in a career dating back to his Round 4, 2004 debut under then coach Dale Smythe.

Thankfully Kieran Fulton would play the match winning hero, kicking five goals in a best on ground performance.

Former Leopold and Geelong Amateur star Jason Tom also finished with two majors to bring his tally to 40 in his side’s ninth straight victory.

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Brad Watts was eventually chaired off while earlier in the afternoon former Cat Darren Milburn was the star at 12pm alongside Tigers Peter, Dallas and Michael Riccardi.

For Geelong West, this would be another lost opportunity following a devastating month of near misses to Thomson, East Geelong and Winchelsea six days earlier.

Geelong West 14.11 (95) def by. Bannockburn 17.9 (111)

 

 

  1. Anakie Coach Chris Moore: “I Did Not See That Coming”

It was a case of Déjà vu at the Anakie Reserve.

The Roos entered their match against the fourth placed North Geelong as severe underdogs due to the side’s long injury list featuring stars Jordan Kavanagh (hand) and Jamie Grace (knee).

All 14 of the tipsters in the GDFL record elected North Geelong as overwhelming favourites in a game “for extra percentage”.

However the Roos defied their critics, just as they had done against the Magpies in Round 18 of the previous year; by capturing a 36-point victory to the surprise of co-coach Chris Moore.

“I’m always honest with the boys and after the game I admitted, ‘I didn’t see that coming’,” Moore said.

“I knew if everything went our way there was a small chance we could get away with a win but that was something else.”

Moore added, “They (North Geelong) came back to reclaim the lead in the second half but we blew them out of the water after half time and hung onto win.”

“I told the boys after the game that it was boys vs. men and they’ve now become men.”

Jeremy Sluggett injured his ankle in the second quarter, forcing gun midfielder and captain Jamie Phillis to use his authority up forward.

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Moore admitted Jake Butcher and reigning best and fairest Connor Walmsley were his standouts, Phillis also put the spotlight on his side’s youth.

“A few of the younger guys really stepped up today,” Phillis said.

“Lachie Cameron, Kyle Eibl and Blayne Sharp elevated themselves as genuine senior players.”

“We played our first game of four quarter footy today which was great and I just hope the boys now know that we are a good side when we are on and we can take it up to anybody.”

Anakie 16.14 (110) def North Geelong 10.12 (72)

 

 

  1. Veterans Van Ingen & Tom Stand Strong

No Lincoln Peters.

No Matt Tyquin.

There was no Hayden Spiller or Brent Jacques and Ben Stretton was still awaiting his availability to make his GDFL debut.

And somehow the Tigers managed to hold off Bell Post Hill at the Myers Reserve, only the second time in the past 68 games that the Panthers were outmatched on their home ground.

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“With personnel down it doesn’t matter who you have left because if they’re committed to the task then you’ll win more games than what you’ll lose,” Bannockburn senior coach Peter Riccardi explained.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the number one player in the team or the number 44, you need to be open with every player; and it’s important to keep that relationship with all your guys.”

He added, “I don’t take backward steps as a coach so I can honestly say that I’m proud of all 44 players that represented us today.”

Jason Tom hobbled on throughout the afternoon despite suffering a groin injury in the warm up while Kieran Fulton (concussion) and Ben Cole (shoulder) both limped off in the second half.

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“We knew that Cam Addie wasn’t going to run too far away from him (Tom) so we put him deep (forward) which worked for us,” Riccardi recalled.

“We understood that he was on one leg but we took the risk and put the minutes into him so that we could keep our midfielders fresh on rotation.”

Despite playing on in discomfort, Tom managed to hold a crucial mark in a one on one contest with Panther Danny Gray before slotting a crucial goal in the late stages.

However it was the efforts of Jamie Van Ingen on the other end; keeping Jayden Ettridge goalless a week after the Panther single handedly scored 9.6 (60).

“I played with Jamie out here in 2009 and he’s a top senior footballer but he had a year in lieu after he got married,” Riccardi recalled.

“He then said this pre-season that he wanted to play senior football and I said he could ‘as long as he turned up to training.”

Bell Post Hill 7.8 (50) def by. Bannockburn 10.4 (64)

 

Thank you for reading Part 3/5.

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Which match do you predict will top our list?

Email gdflmedia@outlook.com for your suggestions or follow the league on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

By Alex Tigani
GDFL Media (21/02/2018)

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