By Russell Bennett
Phillip Island champion Brendan Kimber claimed his fourth league best and fairest medal at the WGFNC’s presentation night at the Pakenham Racing Club in Tynong on Monday night.
And that number – four – is the biggest one on his mind right now in a footballing sense, albeit for a different reason.
Next weekend the Island takes on the winner of the preliminary final between Kooweerup and Nar Nar Goon in the 2018 WGFNC decider.
A win to the Bulldogs would be Kimber’s fourth senior premiership… from nine attempts.
Now in his 30s, the former Narre Warren and Cora Lynn star was obviously humbled to accept his award from inaugural WGFNC premiership coach Ben Soumilas, and spoke about just how hotly-contested the 2018 season has been so far.
“Obviously with the top four on the same points and just separated by percentage, it’s a testament to how the clubs and the competition have been set up this year,” Kimber said to the WGFNC officials.
“Really well done on that, and I think it’s only going to get better as we go on.”
Kimber also paid tribute to his club and its volunteers, his team mates, and their supporters.
But most significantly, he thanked his wife for taking care of the family while he’s continued to push himself at training – session after session.
Kimber’s win on Monday night gives him the full set of league medals in south and west Gippsland, after winning the Alberton League’s Peter Moore Medal in 2015 while also playing for the Island, and the Ellinbank and District league’s Alf Walton Medal in both 2012 and 2013 during his stint at Cora Lynn. The 2013 win was part of a three-way tie, which also included inaugural WGFNC league best and fairest winner Andy Soumilas (then playing for Garfield).
Kimber told the Gazette on Monday night how this year’s Phillip Island group had come together.
“I think it was always building from the start – having Beau (Vernon) come in with brand new drills, and brand new theories and practices – so it was always going to take time to gel,” he said.
“The good thing is that we’d been on an upward trend the whole time – we hadn’t peaked and then dropped off.”
Kimber said he felt rejuvenated as a player this season under Vernon.
“Because he’s so different in the way he’s gone about it, it’s really helped me out,” he said.
“He’s come in with different strategies and different drills, so it’s a whole new game now and I think that’s really helped the team as well.”
Though he’s on the other side of 30, Kimber is showing no signs of winding up his distinguished playing career any time soon. Age really is just another number to him.
“I’m still loving my footy and the body is still feeling food, so as long as those two things stay up I’ll keep ticking along,” he said.
This year Kimber has also been able to impact the scoresheet, booting 26 goals so far as part of a rotating group of Island midfielders who’ve spent significant time up forward. He won the senior best and fairest with 24 votes, with Cora Lynn ruckman Billy Thomas second on 18, and 19-year-old Nar Nar Goon midfielder Trent Armour and team mate Brendan Hermann tied with Kooweerup’s Luke Walker on 17 votes.
But the focus now is well and truly on the grand final on 15 September.
He said it didn’t matter how many grand final weeks he’d been involved in, or how many grand finals he’d played, he’d always feel that excited, nervous energy.
The A Grade netball best and fairest was another story entirely on Monday night, with 18-year-old Dalyston young gun Alana McRae taking the honours.
McRae polled the maximum number of votes in eight games, including the final game of the home and away season, to snatch the award with 27 votes from Phillip Island goaler Janelle Smyth by just a single vote. Korumburra-Bena’s Kim Hillberg was a vote further back. Nar Nar Goon pair Taylor Beck and Georgia Keysers finished with 24 votes apiece.
Monday’s result capped an incredible rise for classy Magpies defender McRae, who captained the WGFNC’s 17-and-under interleague team last year and is already in her third A grade season at Dalyston. Her athleticism and determination ensures she rarely loses a one-on-one battle, despite giving away height to her opponents most weeks.
She was named as goalkeeper in the A Grade netball team of the year, a side that also included Phillip Island’s Lawri Piera (GD), Inverloch Kongwak’s Kelsey Buxton (WD), Keysers (C), Kooweerup’s Kate Muprhy (WA), Hillberg (GA), and Smyth (GS). The interchange bench was rounded out by Dalyston pair Britt Thomas and Hannah McRae, Kooweerup’s Mariah Bell, Inverloch Kongwak’s Renee Pilkington, and Korumburra-Bena’s Gemma Dixon. Kate Steel was named coach of the side.
Also on Monday night, Kooweerup’s Matt Cameron polled a massive 35 votes to win the reserves’ league best and fairest, while Kilcunda Bass young gun Jack Rosenow and Nar Nar Goon’s Cooper Hampton shared the under-18s league medal.
For a wide range of photos from Monday’s presentation night, pick up a copy of next week’s Gazette.
The 2018 WGFNC award winners:
Senior Best & Fairest: Brendan Kimber (Phillip Island)
Reserves Best & Fairest: Matthew Cameron (Kooweerup)
Thirds Best & Fairest: Jack Rosenow (Kilcunda Bass) and Cooper Hampton (Nar Nar Goon)
Fourths Best & Fairest: Nicholas Prowd (Kooweerup)
Senior Leading Goal Kicker: Jason Wells (Kooweerup)
Reserves Leading Goal Kicker: Mitchell Lewis (Nar Nar Goon)
Thirds Leading Goal Kicker: Joel Batson (Garfield)
Fourths Leading Goal Kicker: Harrison Brain (Nar Nar Goon)
A Grade Best & Fairest: Alana McRae (Dalyston)
B Grade Best & Fairest: Chelsea Lieshout (Bunyip)
C Grade Best & Fairest: Alicia Scott (Cora Lynn)
17 & Under Best & Fairest: Esther Evans (Korumburra-Bena)
15 & Under Best & Fairest: Morgan Harris (Cora Lynn)
13 & Under Best & Fairest: Ashlyn Gallasch (Bunyip)
Club Championship: Phillip Island
Netball Umpire of the Year: Vicki Riley
Football Umpire of the Year: Brian Lansdown (South Gippsland Umpires Association)
WGFNC SENIOR FOOTBALL TEAM OF THE YEAR
The quality of the top-end talent on display throughout the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition only continued to grow in its second season.
The way in which the top six sides fought tooth and nail right down to the last round of the home and away season in an effort to clinch a finals berth – with the top four remarkably separated by mere percentage – proves just how evenly matched they were.
Throughout those sides, there was a string of brilliant individual performers selected in the Gazette’s Team of The Year for 2018 – highlighted by Phillip Island gun, and 2018 league medallist, Brendan Kimber.
The hard-nosed bull is showing no signs of slowing down yet, and his work inside the forward half – when rotated there along with a host of his Island team mates – showcased one of the more underrated strings to his bow. He was named ruck rover, and skipper, of the team of the year.
At the other end of his senior career, Nar Nar Goon 19-year-old Trent Armour has proved to be one of the stories of the season.
The scariest thing is, for opposing players and fans alike, he’s only just scratching the surface of the player he can become. The strong, big-bodied, gutsy mid simply has it all.
The Goon had a host of representatives in the side, with former Beaconsfield champion Daniel Battaglin (full-back) and great mate, and fellow former Eagle, Troy McDermott (full-forward) the bookends.
Brendan Hermann was an automatic selection – one of the competition’s most mercurial players who can be enormously damaging anywhere from the half-back line to deep in attack (as evidenced by his display against Cora Lynn on Sunday).
Jake Blackwood was the other Nar Nar Goon selection, showcasing his versatility in multiple roles. He’s another whose game still has incredible upside.
While still on the Goon, Jake Smith, Sam Blackwood, Tom Blackwood and Matt Stevens could count themselves particularly unlucky to miss out on a berth.
In addition to Kimber, the Island had another four representatives in the selected side – as well as Beau Vernon, who in his first year in charge at the club was named coach of the team of the year. Zak Vernon, Jack Taylor, Jaymie Youle, and Mark Griffin have also been integral parts of their side’s success – which has already booked its place in this year’s grand final.
Ruckman Nick Higginson is another who could easily have been named in the team of the year squad.
This side boasts a deep forward line without any legitimate behemoths, but three forwards in Taylor, McDermott and Wells who are so mobile, and yet also so strong one-on-one.
Wells has clearly been the standout forward of the competition throughout 2018 so far. The biggest danger to opposing sides, when it comes to Wells, is the multitude of ways in which the WGFNC’s leading goal-kicker can impact the scoreboard. He can can kick big bags of goals deep – on smaller mobile defenders, or traditional full-backs – and he can stretch further up the ground and use his exquisite footskills to set team mates up inside 50 (hence his selection in a pocket, rather than a role out of the goal square). Wells’ form has been sublime this season, and was clearly one of the very first picked in this side. His ability to calmly slot goals from anywhere – often right in front of the staunchest of opposing fans – has been a huge highlight from week to week.
Wells is joined in the team of the year by Demons team mates Tim Miller (back pocket), Nathan Voss (back flank), and perennial selection Luke Walker (wing).
Miller has been a genuine shining light in defence throughout the season. Not always known for his work in that third of the ground – having made his name in the midfield – he has taken to the Demons’ captaincy superbly as his maturity down back has shown.
The same could be said for the other player selected on the last line of defence – Cora Lynn’s Shaun Sparks. He reads the play better than just about anyone in the competition – knowing when to create space from his opponent, and then springboard his own side into attack with his stellar footskills.
While Battaglin deserved his place at full-back, Cora Lynn skipper Tim Payne would have been another worthy selection – highlighting just how subjective any representative team selection is.
Billy Thomas’ surge towards the top of the league’s senior vote count was testament to the year the big man has had in the ruck, while Dalyston’s Kurt Thomas was also a noteworthy selection in the side given the Magpies’ struggles throughout 2018.
Reigning premier Inverloch Kongwak had four selections in the side, highlighted by last season’s league best-and-fairest winner Andy Soumilas named as rover and vice-captain to Kimber. Though he endured his fair share of physical struggles – particularly in the back end of the season – Soumilas powered through and again had a stellar campaign. Toby Mahoney, Tom Wyatt and the mature, seemingly unflappable Lewis Rankin were the other representatives from the Sea Eagles.
Garfield recruit Michael Wallace was a real standout in a Stars side that struggled for consistency, but showed its potential against some of the competition’s best sides (like at home against Phillip Island in Round 4). There’s plenty of upside in the group if it stays together moving forward, and that’s in no small part to the key position pair of Wallace and Corie Intveen – the latter of whom only played 10 senior games but was simply brilliant early. When the Stars were hit hard by injury or unavailability, Wallace had to carry even more of the load. A calm head down back, he could also be used through the ruck.
Strong-bodied Cobras clearance machine Chris Johnson and Bunyip leader Damien Szwaja were the side’s other selections. Szwaja was a real standout for a Yips side that could never really gain any traction through the season – given its relative inexperience, and the high amount of player turnover from the season before. Another Beaconsfield favourite son, he was counted to step up in a crucial season of growth for the Bunyip side and never let it down.
Others particularly unlucky to miss out on a berth in the side were Korumburra-Bena’s Ben Fitzpatrick, Garfield midfielders Jayden Goumas and Tanner Stanton, and the Inverloch Kongwak trio of Shem Hawking, Campbell McKenzie and Conor Cunningham. The likes of Garfield’s Intveen, along with Jaxon Briggs from Cora Lynn, and Dom Paynter from Kooweerup were not considered due to the number of games they missed.
Opinions for the team of the year were gauged from a range of coaches and other leading figures from throughout the WGFNC.
