Jackson Trengove and Chris Nield’s 107-goal 2023 season was a distant memory for Mooroopna football followers at the final siren of the Cats’ round one Goulburn Valley League victory against Kyabram on Saturday night.
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THE FACTS & HIGHLIGHTS
Where they finished in 2023
• Kyabram finished third at the end of the home and away season last year, winning 11 of their first 13 games and losing the other two by 21 and 37 points to Echuca. Missing from the 2023 Kyabram grand final team on Saturday night were Lachlan Smith, Zach Norris (injured), Kyle Mueller, (Congupna) Reuben Rode (Wallan), Rhys Clark (Southport VFL), Archie Watt (Bendigo Pioneers) and Aidan Robinson (injured).
• Mooroopna finished fifth with a 11-7 record. Missing from Mooroopna’s losing week one finals team, they were beaten by Euroa by 36 points, were key goalkickers Christopher Nield and Trengove (who kicked 107 goals between them in 17 games).
The last two meetings
• In round four last year, at Kyabram, mid-field guns Kaine Herbert and Will Golds kicked two important goals apiece, while Kyle Mueller kicked three. Brad Mangan didn’t play and Brad Whitford was best on ground. Kyabram led by 24 points at half time, eventually winning by 11 (76-65).
• In round 16 Kyabram won by 19 points in another low scoring affair (67-48), Mueller again the major contributor with five and Tom Holman two (from a total of nine goals). Neild kicked three and Trengove two.
Big inclusions
Nathan Drummond played only two games with the Cats last year, appearing in 10 games for Footscray in the VFL. Vic Country Under 18 representative Coby James, whose father and uncles were all well known Kyabram district footballers, played 12 Murray Bushrangers games last season and made only three appearances for Mooroopna.
First quarter
Ethan Hunt banana goal at the 6.00 mark and a second after a 50 metre penalty had Mooroopna out of the blocks quickly.
Anthony De Pasquale missed two set shots for goal before soccering the first of his two goals for the game through at the 16.00 mark.
Second quarter
Mooroopna’s two Cobys, James and McCarthy, were dominant alongside Hunt and teenager Xavier Chandler.
Brad Mangan’s fourth shot on goal hit the top of the post and he remained goalless - it was Kyabram’s 10th behind.
Third quarter
Morgan did not return to the field and that forced a re-shuffle of the Kyabram defence. As a result Daniel Johnston dominated the first 15.00 and kicked four goals for the quarter.
Nathan Drummond launched several Cats attacks from half back, despite Mooroopna losing Keelin Betson to a knee injury early in the third term.
Final quarter
First gamer Nick Jephson kicks two goals, both on his left foot on the run from distance, as Kyabram cut the deficit from 32 points to eight.
Two game breaking moments involving Daniel Johnston occured - the first his fifth goal after winning a one on one battle with Mitch Dodos and the second a towering mark in defence as Kyabram was heading into attack and threatening to steal the match.
While it wasn’t entirely smooth sailing — the Cats led by 37 points late in the third term and only held on to win by eight points against last year’s grand finalist — it was a game-breaking five-goal game from a former Barooga junior and Murray Bushranger that created post match conversation with Cats fans.
Daniel Johnston, the football journeyman who spent two seasons with Norwood in the South Australian National Football League and split his time between Mooroopna and VFL club Coburg last season, kicked four goals in the third term and a match-sealing fifth in the final quarter to secure the Cats a round one victory.
Johnston’s fifth goal came after he was isolated in a one-on-one battle with young Bombers swing man Mitch Dodos. The body strength of the Mooroopna forward saw him shake his much lighter opponent and snap the goal from 40m.
That restored the Cats’ lead to 14 points, halting a dangerous Bomber challenge, as the timekeeper’s finger was poised on the siren. Despite a late goal from Will Golds it was a 13.8 (86) to 11.12 (78) win for Mooroopna.
In a Charlie Curnow-style move by the Mooroopna brainstrust Johnston was swung into defence immediately after kicking his fifth goal and took a towering mark as Kyabram was surging in the dying moments.
Johnston kicked 16 goals in 11 games with Mooroopna last season and also played 10 games with Coburg.
He started the game opposed to veteran Kyabram defender Jason Morgan, who won the first-half battle between the pair and kept Johnston goalless.
However, after half-time Morgan did not reappear and spent the final half watching the match from the sidelines.
It meant first gamer Will Burnett, one of five players appearing at senior GVL level for the first time for the Bombers, was given responsibility for Johnston.
Mooropna’s 13-point half-time lead was extended when Johnston kicked his first goal from the right-hand pocket a few minutes into the third term and followed that up with another from the opposite pocket.
When he kicked his third for the quarter the move of Dodos onto the dominant forward was made and Mooroopna was a 36-point leader.
Ethan Hunt, Coby James and, ironically, Coby McCarthy dominated clearances in that telling third quarter.
Hunt, who had kicked two goals in the first quarter, was supported by Cats first gamer McCarthy — the Murray league best-and-fairest who had played his first game of senior football with Kyabram in 2017.
He played only two games at senior level that season, while still eligible for under-18 football, and after managed six games in 2018 before he crossed to Tongala for the next five seasons.
Despite the third quarter domination of Mooroopna in the midfield, Kyabram co-coach Kaine Herbert and 200-gamer Liam Ogden were probably the Bombers’ best players.
Ruckman Marcus Khoo, one of two Mt Gravatt recruits playing in the opening round (the other was Jake Torney), had a great battle for the first half with Keelin Betson before the latter injured his knee and spent much of the second half on the sidelines.
Saturday night’s season opener was the first of three successive night games that Kyabram will contest to start the GVL season. This weekend it faces Rochester, fresh off a 75-point opening round win against Benalla, in the first game played to be played for premiership points at the Tigers’ Moon Oval.
It will also be the first home game of the club’s 150 celebrations and comes on the back of gun Bendigo league recruits Mitch Trewhella and Ryan O’Keefe dominating the first round match.
It was certainly not all doom and gloom for the Bombers, however, cutting deeply into a 32-point three-quarter time deficit to have home ground fans hopeful of an unlikely comeback win.
A minute into the final term first gamer Nick Jephson, who played with Bendigo Pioneers last season and is yet to get a call up into the Coates Talent League this year, kicked his first goal at senior GVL level.
Not long after he kicked his second, which was supported by a Cooper Vick forward 50 tackle free kick (which turned into a goal) and Brad Mangan’s first goal of the game.
He and Anthony De Pasquale looked dangerous all night, but poor kicking cost them the opportunity of putting the Bombers in the driver’s seat.
A Mangan shot on goal at the 25 minute mark of the second term hit the top of the post and was Kyabram’s 10th behind of the game — at least seven of those were extremely kickable opportunities.
Poor kicking, as it turns out, was probably the difference between the two teams as the Bombers finished with two more scoring shots than the Cats.
Both teams, in particular, the Cats would have walked away with some positives — obviously the Mooroopna camp had more, but not is all lost for the 2023 runners-up Bombers.
Eamonn Ogden injected much-needed pace into the Kyabram midfield, Brad Whitford and Jake Parkinson worked hard in defence after Morgan left the field and big man Khoo showed enough in the ruck to indicate future positives.
For the Cats having the luxury of playing Nathan Drummond off half-back enabled them to start several forward thrusts from the back end and full-back Jack Johnston did little wrong.
Ben Hicks worked at both ends of the ground, while Dom Gugliotti and Oscar Lear-Camci shared responsibility for the dangerous Bombers goalsneaks — Will Golds and De Pasquale.
Kyabram definitely missed Kyle Mueller, who not far to the north of Kyabram was taking his two-week season’s goal tally to 13 with Congupna (kicking seven goals in the second win of his new team).
Will-o-the-wisp forward Darcy Russell’s two goals for the Cats and William Bella’s work in the ruck when Betson was injured were other highlights for the Cats.
They face Benalla this week before the round one victory will be put to the acid test against the premier team of the past two seasons, Echuca, at Victoria Park on Saturday, April 20.
For the record, Kyabram was without key defenders Lachie Smith and Aidan Robinson, along with star midfielder Mick Mattingly (he injured his quad at training on Tuesday) and Zac Norris, who is on the long-term injury list.
The Bombers have the Tigers under lights on Saturday and return to Kyabram Recreation Reserve for a third successive Saturday night fixture on Saturday, April 20.
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor