The average winning margin in the GVL up to the halfway mark of the season is just on 40 points — 39.42 to be precise.
The Gippsland league with an average of 26.71 points heads the list of most even leagues followed by Geelong District (33), Central Murray (33.08), Mornington Peninsula Nepean Division One (34.9), Bellarine (38.98), Riddell (39.16), Sunraysia (39.31), Outer East Premier (39.36), GVL (39.42) and Ovens And Murray (39.53).
The Millewa league in the Sunraysia area has the dubious record of being the most uneven in the state.
Teams in this six clubs league are winning each week by an average of 94.18 points.
In round four the Millewa league’s three winning sides won by an average of 162.67 points, the most lopsided round recorded in country Victoria this year.
But the Bendigo league with an 80.57 points winning average pressed Millewa for the most uneven round for the season, with the average winning teams helping themselves to an average 151.75 points margin in round four.
The 12 clubs Tallangatta and District League isn’t far behind Millewa in second place with a 93.45 points winning average.
Eleven leagues including the Kyabram District League which has a 71.62 average winning margin and occupies 10th place all have average winning margins of 70 points.
Xxxxxxxxx
With huge chasms between the top and bottom sides in most country leagues at present, a huge problem for AFL Victoria, there were interesting comments last week from Eaglehawk Football Club coach Travis Matheson.
Speaking on the current desperate plight of football in the Bendigo league and country football in general Matheson wants the Bendigo league board to consider a central Victorian competition made up of the best teams from Bendigo and Goulburn Valley League, including former Bendigo league clubs Rochester and Echuca.
A second tier competition has also been suggested to operate if this ever eventuated.
But there is a lot of water to go under the bridge for something like this to happen.
xxxxxxxxxxx
Reigning Cricket Shepparton premier Kyabram is still on the hunt for a coach for the 2024-25 season.
The club has been unsuccessful in relacing Jackson McLay who led the club to its first Haisman Shield flag in Cricket Shepparton last year.
Meanwhile, there has been a change of coach at Nagambie Cricket Club for the 2024-25 season.
Top order batter Zac Winter-Irving has taken the reins from all-rounder Mark Nolan who has led the club for the past six years in the Cricket Shepparton competition.
Nolan will remain with the club as a player.
xxxxxx
Player to watch.
GVL club Echuca unveiled an impressive teenager in its defeat of previously unbeaten Shepparton at Echuca on Saturday.
He looked every bit at home in the midfield and kicked two goals.
His name is Cody Walker. He is only 15 and he’s the son of Echuca veteran and former Carlton star Andrew Walker, so certainly has the genes to be a good player.
He had 20 disposals and 10 contested possessions which is a good day by any standard let alone for a 15-year-old.
Kyabram fans may get the chance to see Walker in action this Saturday when the Bombers play Echuca.
Xxxxxxxxxx
There is an obvious anomaly in the footy rule book as was evidenced again after the send-off of Kyabram’s Jackson Griffiths in the GVL clash against Shepparton two weeks ago.
Griffiths was nabbed and sin binned by an umpire for 15 minutes for a sling tackle during which time Shepparton kicked three goals while the Bombers were a man short. He was also placed on report for his action.
Kyabram coach Corey Carver was livid at the decision, claiming he had seen ‘‘100 cases like it’’ this season when no action was taken.
When the incident came before the GVL review committee last week it was hastily thrown out with Griffiths having no case to answer.
Giving an umpire the power to change the course of a game through his own error is a responsibility the umpire shouldn’t have to be burdened with.
The worse case scenario of something like this happening was in the 1996 GVL grand final when Kyabram’s Brendan “IQ” Ryan was reported early in the game, sent off for the rest of the game, leaving Kyabram with only 17 men for three quarters.
Luckily the Bombers were still good enough to win as there could have been a lynching if they didn’t after the report went to the tribunal and Ryan was exonerated.
Umpires should be and have to be respected, but the stakes can be too high for them to make a decision that can change the outcome of the game and even a season, and, worse still nothing can be done about it.
Xxxxxxxxxx
Former Kyabram goalsneak Kyle Mueller reached the 50 goals milestone for the season in the Murray Football League with his second-half goal spree for Congupna against Tongala on Saturday.
Mueller had only one goal at half-time, but slotted six in the second half to move to 51 goals for the season at average of just over five goals a game.
His nearest rival for the league’s goal-kicking award is Nathalia’s Liam Evans with 46 goals. Then there is a 15 goals gap to Cobram’s Jackson Trengove, who is in third place with 31 goals.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Kyabram trots trainer Mick Blackmore landed some good bets with recent stable addition Eye See Philtra, a winner at last Friday night’s Shepparton meeting.
But Blackmore confessed he wasn’t responsible for the pacer firming from an opening quote of $23 to a starting price $8.
‘‘I certainly didn’t back him, but I have my suspicions who did, so good luck to him.’’
In his first start for Blackmore the previous week Eye See Philtra choked down in the run and beat only one runner home.
On Friday night he was urged to the front before getting a one-one sit and outstaying his rivals at the business end of the race.
Bred by the Wades and raced by the Wade family and friends, Eye See Philtra has now won three races from 25 starts with six minor placings.
Also enjoying another win at the weekend with their pacer Summerdays who saluted at Globe Derby in Adelaide were Kyabram owners and breeders of the pacer Greg and Rod Caldwell.
17°C