Former Kyabram goalkicking star Kyle Mueller (kneeling in bottom right of this celebration photo) kicked two goals - including his 100th for the season - in Congupna’s Murray Football League grand final win on Saturday.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
A century goalkicker, a former Goulburn Valley League league medallist and a former Kyabram premiership star now based on the Gold Coast are among an impressive list of former Bombers who were involved in grand finals with other clubs.
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Kyle Mueller was the headline act after kicking his 100th goal of the Murray league season in Saturday’s grand final when his team had a thrilling one-point win after holding off a fast finishing Finley.
Congupna held on grimly, despite leading by 24 points at three quarter time, after Finley kicked six of its nine goals for the game in the final quarter.
Mueller finished the low-scoring grand final with two goals, but more importantly a premiership. His tally of 101 for the season was more than 30 ahead of his nearest goalkicking rival.
The high flying all-round sportsman crossed to Congupna this year after kicking 51 goals in Kyabram’s Goulburn Valley League grand final season last year.
Joining the list of former star players from the region who were involved in grand finals at the weekend was former Kyabram star Rhys Clark, who played 19 games with Southport (coached by former Seymour coach Steve Daniel) in the VFL this year, including Sunday’s six-point grand final loss to Werribee.
Clark travelled from Queensland to play 14 games with the Bombers in its grand final season last year, but returned to the Queensland club at the start of this season. He was an important part of the Bombers back to back flags of 2016-17.
In the lead up to the grand final he and the Southport team had beaten Geelong and Bulldogs teams that included regular AFL players Tom Hawkins, Sam De Koning, Gary Rohan, Cameron Guthrie, Jason Johannisen, James Harmes and Riley Garcia.
Rhys Clark (18) with Michael Manteit after the Southport Sharks preliminary final win against Footscray Bulldogs.
Jarryd Pertzel, who last year played at Merrigum and had earlier been a reserve grade star for Kyabram, was a member of the Kerang grand final losing team in the Central Murray league.
He kicked three goals in the qualifying final, making it 14 goals from 11 games. He kicked 32 goals for the Bulldogs last year and 55 for Kyabram in the reserve grade competition (where the team also made the grand final) in 2022).
Last year’s Goulburn Valley League Abikhair Medallist, Nic Denahy, became a premiership player with Coolangatta in the Queensland Football Association’s Division two south competition. He finished the season with 53 goals in 18 games and they beat Burleigh by 13 points in the grand final.
Former Tongala star Riley Bacon had a great finals series for Ovens and King league premier Bright, kicking five goals and twice among the best players on the ground.
He played 19 games this season, almost double his output from 2023 when he was part of the losing grand final team. Bright put that disappointment behind them by turning the tables on Bonnie Doon, who won last year by 18 points, but lost this season by seven points.
Reuben Rode, who played in a losing grand final with the Bombers last season, had to be content with runner-up status again after Wallan lost to Riddell in the Riddell District League grand final.
Rode played 20 games, kicked 17 goals and was nine times in his team’s best players during the season.
Last year’s Merrigum coach Jaydon Stiles was also in a losing preliminary final team, with Burnside Heights in the Essendon District League. He finished the season with 23 goals in 12 games, including four goals in the qualifying final.
North Heidelberg was knocked out of the finals in week two of the Northern league’s finals, meaning former Bombers star Lachlan Smith and Tongala player Bailey Waasdorp’s season ended a couple of weeks early.
