Great to see one of Kyabram’s football greats Jason Morgan get the accolades he deserved on his 300th GVL senior game for Kyabram on Saturday.
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Players from both the Kyabram and Shepparton senior and reserves teams afforded him a guard of a honour when he ran onto the ground and through a banner to mark the milestone.
The 40-year-old gets into rare air and elite company with the milestone, with some great players achieving the feat who I’ll name in next week’s column.
Ky connection in AFL Legends clash
There will be two Kyabram connections in the AFL Legends clash at Marvel Stadium on Thursday, August 27.
Matthew Leppard will be one of the central umpires in the game and Brett Deledio will play in the game.
Leppard is the only Kyabram raised umpire to officiate at the highest level.
He was an AFL umpire for 62 games between 2011 and 2014.
He also umpired 114 VFL level games over his career, spanning from 2001 to 2015.
His umpiring earned him a VFUA life membership in 2009.
Matt said it would have been good if Garry Lyon was coaching and Brett Deledio captaining the Victorian side, as it would mean a Kyabram trifecta with him as umpire.
Apart from Deledio, the game will feature AFL many greats including Buddy Franklin, Gary Ablett, Dustin Martin and Cyril Rioli.
Kyabram born Deledio sits at the top of the list of most games ever played at VFL/AFL level by a Kyabram raised footballer.
He played a total of 275 AFL games; 243 games over 12 seasons with the Richmond and a further 32 matches over three seasons with the Greater Western Sydney Giants, where his career ended in 2019.
These days, Brett works as an AFL player manager for Mac's Sports agency, guiding athletes with contracts and marketing.
He also serves as a special comments broadcaster for ABC Radio and co-hosts the Footy & Friends podcast.
Deledio won’t be the only Kyabram raised footballer to participate in a VFL/AFL Legends game.
Kyabram Football Club’s 1996 premiership skipper Tony (Rusty) McDonell and the club’s longest serving player was an ‘outsider’ selected from the country (named a local representative) to play in E J Whitten Legends game in 2010 when he lined up with the Big V side and kicked a goal.
Depasquale with VFL haul
Kyabram footballer Anthony Depasquale had a day out with VFL side Werribee last Saturday, with a career best haul of seven goals.
Depasquale had 17 disposals in his best game for Werribee so far.
The strong marking, mid-sized forward intercepted a handball inside the 50-metre arc and finished off a classy snap to cap off a career-best afternoon.
Werribee thrashed Sandringham by 59 points in the competition’s final home-and-away round, and Depasquale’s electric form may have ended any chance he had of returning to the Kyabram side this season.
Werribee meets Box Hill in a qualifying final this weekend and unless it makes a quick exit from the VFL flag race, he will have no chance of returning to the Kyabram side if it can go deep into the GVL finals.
Of late, Depasquale has been a regular in Werribee a team which has finished second on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season.
Big birds set for 2027
Shepparton Swans and Euroa have named their coaches for the next GVL season.
The Swans have reappointed Linc Sullivan and Euroa is also sticking with non-playing coach in Brad Gleeson for the 2027 GVL season.
Sullivan, a racehorse trainer, has got the Swans into this season’s finals series, working some late magic with the side which went through a horror mid-season slump after a promising start.
Meanwhile, there has been some interest in the Kyabram senior coaching position left vacant by premiership co coach, Corey Carver.
I understand there has been at least two applicants so far for the job, with applications closing at the end of this month.
Coach hops on board
In the Kyabram and District League, Murchison-Toolamba has acted swiftly to lock in a new coach for next season.
Aidan Lloyd, the brother of star forward James Lloyd, has been appointed to take the coaching reins from Brett Foley who has stepped down.
Aidan upstaged his brother at the goalmouth in the final home-and away round last Saturday when he kicked 10 goals to James’ four in the combine’s runaway win over Tallygaroopna.
Foley is attempting to win a hat-trick of flags with the club as the KDL finals kick off this weekend.
Murchison meets Stanhope at Violet Town on Saturday, and Shepparton East plays Avenel on Sunday at Girgarre. Both are elimination finals.