Bailey Tome has ended his first season in the Goulburn Valley League as the top-ranked player in eight different statistical categories.
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Tome has re-signed with Kyabram for the 2025 Goulburn Valley League season will be an unwelcome headache for opposition clubs in the off-season.
Despite playing just eight games for the Bombers this year and not being unveiled on the competition until round eight, Tome is now a revered player in the GVL.
After laying 13 tackles in that first game, against Shepparton Swans, his trajectory has been in only one direction — up.
Seventeen tackles and 33 disposals a few weeks later were a further entree to the main course, his round 12 game against Rochester — a game which produced a massive 199 ranking-point game (34 disposals, 13 tackles, 16 clearances and three goals).
GVL TOP THREE IN MAJOR CATEGORIES (averages)
Disposals
35.2 Will Hayes (Eur) 1, 34.7 Christopher Welsh (Ben) 2, 34.5 Coby McCarthy 3.
Top Kyabram player: Bailey Tome 31.6 (6th).
Marks
9.5 Jack Murphy (Sey) 1, 8.7 Riley Mason (Sey) 2, 8.4 Angus Byrne (Ech) 3. Top Kyabram player: Nicholas Jephson 7.7 (8th).
Tackles
9.4 Bailey Tome (Ky) 1, 9.3 Ben Rigoni (Sey), 2, 9 Adam Pigatto (United) 3.
Clearances
12.1 Bailey Tome (Ky) 1, 9.1 Tom Maloney (Sey) 2, William Martinello (Ben) 3.
Goals
4.3 (56 total) Daniel Johnston (Moor) 1, 4 (72 total) Riley Mason (Sey) 2, 3.9 (71 total) Anthony Depasquale (Ky) 3.
Tome finished the home-and-away season ranked number one for Premier Data ranking points (154.9). He was ahead of Shepparton stars Luke Smith (148.1), Adam Decicco (146.6) and ruckman Ash Holland (144.6), along with Euroa’s Will Hayes (143.9).
Tome was also ranked number one for contested possessions (20), ahead of Mooroopna's mobile ruckman Keelin Betson (18.2), Echuca star Jack McHale from Echuca (17.1), William Martinello from Benalla (17) and Shepparton's Smith (15.2).
His 9.4 tackles was also a GVL best, ahead of Seymour Morrison Medallist Ben Rigoni, pugnacious United midfielder Adam Pigatto and the returning Doug Wren (all nine or above).
Tome was number one for groundball gets (13.6), ahead of former Fremantle AFL star David Mundy (who averaged 10.8 in his four games with Seymour), Benalla’s Christopher Welsh, Martinello, McHale and Hayes.
Tome was also the top player for loose ball gets (7.6), ahead of Will Hayes, Shaun Atley and Adam Decicco. Fellow Bombers on-baller Liam Ogden (6) was ranked sixth in the category.
Tome averaged six hardball gets a game, which was another GVL high — ahead of Mundy, McHale, Tom Maloney of Seymour and Welsh.
His 12.1 clearances had him number one again, ahead of Maloney (9.1), Martinello, Betson, another Mooroopna on-baller Coby McCarthy and McHale.
Tome was the best for ball up clearances (5.4), ahead of Coby McCarthy (4.5) and McHale (4.2). He was number three for throw in clearances (3.4), behind Tyler McDonald from Shepparton Swans (4), and William Martinello.
He finished as the fourth best player for centre clearances, behind Tom Maloney (4.1) and Welsh. He was ranked fifth for handballs (15.9), behind Betson and McCarthy from Mooroopna (18.4 and 18.1 respectively), McHale and Hayes.
And, finally, he held the number six spot for disposals (31.6), behind Will Hayes (35.2), Christopher Welsh (34.7), Coby McCarthy (34.5), Ethan Hunt (33), Nathan Beattie (32.6).
Some of the other players to finish in the top 10 for Premier Data rankings for the 2024 GVL season were:
Brad Whitford: Ranked ninth for kicks (19.3), behind Shepparton's Mitchell Brett (22.6), Curtis Ryan (22.1), Hunt, Welsh, Jack Murphy from Seymour.
Ranked fifth for intercept marks (2.9), behind Lachie Smith (5), Aaron Britten, Jamie Macmillan and Lachlan Waite.
Ranked 10th for rebound 50s (5.5), behind Tatura's Bradley Ryan (8.9), Curtis Ryan (8.4), Matthew King (7.5).
Anthony Depasquale: His 71 goals was the second most in the league behind Seymour star Riley Mason (72), but well ahead of Mooroopna’s Daniel Johnston (56) and Billy Hogan (49). Ranked third for contested marks (2.9), behind Riley Mason (3.3), Lachie Smith (3) and ahead of Liam Tenace (Echuca, 2.9).
He was ranked fixth for marks inside 50 (3.9), behind Ben Christopher (4.9), Riley Mason and Daniel Johnston, but was second for forward 50 tackles (2.1), behind Zaydan Leocata (3).
Depasquale ranked second for goal involvements (6.4) and fourth for score involvements (9.5) behind Luke Smith and Angus Byrne.
He kicked the second most behinds for the home-and-away season (36), with Mason (42) the most inaccurate, while Billy Hogan (35), Joel Brett (33) and Trent Herbert (33) also missed as much as they hit.
Marcus Khoo: Ranked five for hit outs (36.4), behind Ash Holland (51.3), Jacob Simpson (49.1), Mark Marriott (42.3), Mark Hovacevic (41.1). Not in the top 10 for hit outs to advantage.
Kaine Herbert: Ranked 10th for inside 50s (5.3), behind Sam Thomson from Mansfield (7), Decicco (6.2), Nick Mellington and Welsh.
Will McDonnell: Ranked number one for back 50 tackles (for his one game in round 12), ahead of Rigoni (2.5).
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