For the first time in three seasons two-time runner-up and co-coach Kaine Herbert was forced to take a back seat, a rarity at league vote counts for the star midfielder who is a two-time KDL best and fairest winner and also won the Ovens and King league’s top prize while playing with Bonnie Doon.
Khoo played 16 games with the Bombers this season and finished with nine votes in the count, from three successive best on ground performances against Mansfield, Shepparton United and Moooroopna between rounds 14 and 16.
The ruckman actually outpolled his former Mount Gravatt teammate, Bailey Tome, who was surprisingly only recognised for two of his outstanding games this season.
Khoo had 17 disposals and a massive 71 hit outs in Round 14 against Mansfield, then backed that up with a season-high 29-disposal game against United which included five centre clearances and three goals.
His round 16 votes, against Mooroopna, came from a 19-disposal 11-mark game that also featured five inside 50s and four tackles.
VOTES - ROUND BY ROUND
R1 v Mooroopna: Eamonn Ogden 1.
R2 v Rochester: Josh Dillon 3, Lachie Smith 2.
R3 v Euroa: Josh Dillon 2.
R4 v United: Kaine Herbert 3, Liam Ogden 2, Tom Burnett 1.
R5 v Mansfield: Liam Ogden 3, Kaine Herbert 1.
R6 v Seymour: Kaine Herbert 3, Anthony Depasquale 1.
R7 v Tatura: Anthony Depasquale 3, Eamonn Ogden 2.
R8 v Swans: Aidan Robinson 2, Anthony Depasquale 1.
R9 v Shepparton: Archie Watt 1.
R10 v Benalla: Bailey Tome 3, Anthony Depasquale 2.
R11 v Echuca: Josh Dillon 2.
R12 v Rochester: Kaine Herbert 1.
R13 v Euroa: Liam Ogden 2.
R14 v Mansfield: Marcus Khoo 3, Kaine Herbert 2.
R15 v United: Marcus Khoo 3, Anthony Depasquale 2, Riley Ironside 1.
R16 v Mooroopna: Marcus Khoo 3, Anthony Depasquale 2.
R17 v Seymour: Anthony Depasquale 3, Brad Whitford 1.
R18 v Shepparton: Bailey Tome 2.
Totals: 14 Depasquale; 10 Herbert; 9 Khoo; 7 Josh Dillon, Liam Ogden; 5 Tome; 3 Eamonn Ogden; 2 Robinson, Smith; 1 Watt, Whitford, Ironside, Tom Burnett.
Bailey Tome was best on ground in his first game for the Bombers, against Benalla in Round 10, then was not surprisingly recognised in a losing team for a 40-disposal 3-goal game against grand finalist Shepparton in the final home and away round.
He didn’t poll a vote for his 39 disposal, 14 clearance and 6 tackle game against Seymour in Round 17.
Leading goalkicker, Anthony Depasquale, was rewarded for his 72-goal season with a club high 14 votes. That total included a pair of best on ground performances – the first of those for his seven-goal display against Tatura and the second for a six-goal bag against Seymour.
He also polled votes for his other seven-goal return, two votes against Mooroopna in Round 16, and another pair of two vote returns for his four and three-goal games against Benalla and Shepparton United.
Depasquale had 21 disposals, 8 marks inside 50 (11 in total), 147 ranking points and 14 score involvements against Tatura.
Kaine Herbert polled only 10 votes this year after 21 and 27 in the past two seasons. Six of those votes came in best on ground efforts against Shepparton United (round four) and Seymour (round six).
He also polled in rounds five, 12 and 14, but didn’t rate a mention for a 42-disposal 2-goal game against Shepparton United in round 15.
Josh Dillon, widely admired by his teammates for his courage and aggression, won similar acclaim from the umpires and finished with seven votes. Two of those came in a 25-point loss to Echuca and another two in a close loss to Euroa.
He was judged best on ground against Rochester in Kyabram’s one-point round two win against the eventual preliminary finalist.
Liam Ogden also polled seven votes, but was unlucky on a couple of occasions not to capture the umpire’s attention with high possession and clearance games. His brother, Eamonn, polled in two games
- Adam Pulsoni played only seven games of reserve grade football this season, but finished with three vote performances in five of those to finish runner-up in the Abikhair Medal.
Last year another Bombers midfielder, Nick Denahy, was winner of the award after he see-sawed between the senior and reserve grade teams during the season.
In a four-week run to end the season Pulsoni was judged the best player on the ground in all four games to end the home and away season.
Pulsoni played the first five games at senior level, was best on ground in round six with the reserves, was then recalled to the senior team before being dropped again. He played rounds 10 and 11 in the seniors, then the final four home and away games in the reserve grade team (best on ground in rounds 15, 16, 17 and 18 against United, Mooroopna, Seymour and Shepparton Bears).
Kyabram won all four of those games, two by large margins, but were bundled out in the first week of the finals. Pulsoni played in the senior team in week one of the finals, the team that lost by seven points to Mooroopna.
Jayden Fitzgerald polled votes in six of his 15 games for the season and finished with 12 votes.
Abikhair Medal: 15 Pulsoni; 12 Jayden Fitzgerald; 9 Will Wild; 8 Miller Griffiths; 5 Oskar Shortis; 4 Bailey Pyke, Noah Ryan; 3 Liam Dillon, Kaleb Williams; 2 Riley Gallivan, Noah Sewell, Danyon Stockdale, Khy Stovell; 1 Brenton Brasier, Tom Bruhn, Paul Newman.
Pattison Medal (Under 18): 11 Cohan Hooper; 7 Tyler Norman; 5 Charlie Isaac; 4 Lachlan Carver, Archer Guinan, Hamish Stewart, Nick Smart; 3 James Coulson, Oscar Dixon, Charlie Isaac; 2 Max Carroll, Josh Francis; 1 Ky Kane, Danny Miller, Liam Mason.
