Country footy goalkickers 2022: Danny Brewster seals Maryborough-Castlemaine league leading goalkicking award
A second Maryborough-Castlemaine league player has reached triple figure goals this season.
Natte Bealiba’s Danny Brewster made certain of the Maryborough-Castlemaine goalkicking award when he booted his biggest bag of goals for the season in the final round last Saturday.
Brewster kicked 20 goals against lowly Campbells Creek to finish the season on 121 for the season.
Trentham’s Jake Keogh could have overtaken Brewster in the last round.
He booted just one goal against Talbot, but the solitary major was enough to get him to the century for the season.
Brewster and Keogh will both play in finals starting this weekend.
Brewster’s previous biggest bag of goals was 16 in round three, also against Campbells Creek.
AUGUST 17
Girgarre coach Damian Cupido has kicked a century of goals for his third country football club after his big haul of 14 on Sunday lifted his team into the Kyabram and District league finals.
The former Essendon and Brisbane forward turned country football journeyman began the last round match on 87 goals and reached triple figures late in the final quarter against Longwood.
He previously kicked 100 goals for Henty and Ouyen United and also booted three figures for Northern Territory side Southern District.
Girgarre will play Shepparton East in the first week of finals.
Cupido was one of four players to bring up a century of goals at the weekend.
Jack Exell, who also plays in the Kyabram and District league for Violet Town, reached 102 for the season to join his dad Gavin as a century goalkicker in the league.
Lismore-Derrinallum’s Michael Lockyer kicked 15 to finish the home and away rounds on 101.
Natte Bealiba’s Danny Brewster kicked 10 to hit the 100 mark and can add to his total with another round of the Maryborough-Castlemaine league still to play.
The last round also offers the chance to Trentham’s Jake Keogh to join the 100 club this year.
AUGUST 9
Benalla All Blacks spearhead Lachlan Thompson has become the club’s first player to kick more than 100 goals in a season for more than a decade.
Duane Haebich was the last All Blacks full-forward to kick a century in 2011.
Thompson brought up his 100th goal with a season high 18 goals against seventh-placed Tarrawingee on Saturday in the second last round before finals.
All Blacks won by 220 points to remain red hot favourites to win their first premiership in the Ovens and King league and first flag since 1981 when they played in the now defunct Tungamah league.
The 1981 premiership team didn’t have a century goalkicker, but centre half-forward John Virtue kicked eight goals in the grand final victory over Shepparton East.
Thompson joined All Blacks this season from Benalla Saints and was a regular player at the Goulburn Valley club.
He played at under-18 level at the Saints with All Blacks coach Nic Spencer.
“He’s a ripper kick of the footy and most of the goals he has kicked have been on the run,” Spencer said.
“I’ve been mates with him for a long time and played in a thirds grand final with him at Benalla.
“I came across to All Blacks in 2017 from Saints and he’s always been someone I’ve been working on to also come across.
“He’s a lot more relaxed and it’s all working for him.”
All Blacks play Gooroombat in the final home and away match on Saturday.
AUGUST 1
Gol Gol coach Adam Thomson wasted little time in becoming the third country footballer this season to bring up his 100th goal of the season against Werrimull on Saturday.
Thomson went into the match needing two goals to reach the century and had the milestone tucked away midway through the first quarter before finishing the game with 11.
Thomson previously played in a premiership team with Werrimull with the club staging a reunion on Saturday for the flag win 10 years ago that he was part of.
“I went to the game on the bus with all my old premiership teammates so I was pretty nervous going into the game,” he said.
“It was all a bit weird, but it was actually pretty good to have them there watching.”
His 99th and 100th goals came in quick succession in the first term as Gol Gol soon got the upper hand and eventually ran out 121-point victors.
Thomson finished the day with 11.7 to be the second Millewa league player this season to reach 100 goals.
Bambill’s Brad Congress kicked six more against Cardross to go to 111.
Earlier, this year Thomson kicked 33 goals against Meringur.
Nangiloc’s Korey Loechel booted 20 against Meringur at the weekend after kicking 12 the previous time they played this year.
The state’s leading goalkicker, Marong’s Brandyn Grenfell, booted another eight on Saturday to move to 137.
He needs just four goals on Saturday to break the Loddon Valley goalkicking record held by Bridgewater’s Peter Collins since 1982.
JULY 26
Violet Town has two players charging towards a century goals which would be the first time teammates have completed the rare feat in the Kyabram and District league for 20 years.
Jack Exell booted a season best 17 goals in a 203-point mauling of Longwood last round to move to 91 goals.
Teammate Josh Mellington returned after an extended spell with a hamstring injury to kick 14 in the same match and take his season tally to 78.
Ardmona teammates Damien Yze and Perry Meka kicked 164 and 102 goals respectively in 2002.
The club is in recess this year.
Violet Town has two matches left before a guaranteed finals appearance given it sits in fifth spot and still in contention for the double chance.
But its next two games are against Shepparton East and ladder leaders Avenel.
Exell is in his first season with Violet Town and is the son of former Geelong forward Gavin, who kicked 100 goals in three successive seasons with another KDFL club Stanhope in the early 2000s.
Jack also played for Stanhope inn 2017.
In 1989, Gavin kicked 63 goals for Geelong, but missed the Cats’ narrow grand final loss to Hawthorn due to injury.
Gavin was a star player for Northern United in the Bendigo league before joining the Cats.
Violet Town coach Sean Horsburgh said Exell had been in top form in recent weeks.
“Obviously with Josh being out for a month he had a lot more opportunity,” he said.
“We’ve also played a few of the weaker sides and he has filled his boots a bit.
“We’ve got two of the better teams coming up so it will be interesting how we go and how goals the boys can get.”
JULY 19
Marong’s Brandyn Grenfell and Bambill’s Brad Congress brought up their 100th goals for the season on Saturday under vastly different circumstances.
Grenfell, who began the day on 96 goals, had his century 10 minutes into the first quarter against Newbridge in the Loddon Valley league.
But Congress had to wait until the dying stages of Bambill’s match against Nangiloc to register his three figures in the Millewa league.
Grenfell, who finished the match with a season high 15, missed a set shot moments before bringing up his ton when he played on 30m out from goal and snapped truly.
“It’s nice to get it done and out of the way,” Grenfell said.
“It’s good to kick 100 goals, but it’s because of the midfielders and the backline that I kick them.”
Congress began the day on 90 goals and booted his 100th with 10 minutes remaining in the last term before adding another in the final minutes.
“There were 18 Nangiloc blokes in our forward 50m for the last 15 minutes of the quarter,” he said.
“There was a bit of traffic and it was real hard work to get that last one.”
Marong is on top of the ladder and chasing its first flag since 1989 with Grenfell in his second season at the club after previously playing for Tatura and Seymour in the Goulburn Valley league.
The last Marong player to kick 100 goals in a season was David Sullivan in 1994.
Congress has played with Bambill since 2017 with the club on track to win its fifth flag since 2011.
JULY 12
Violet Town coach Sean Horsburgh is taking no risks with injured full-forward Josh Mellington who is likely to miss another game with a hamstring injury.
The former Fremantle player was one of the in-form forwards in the state with 64 goals before he went down in a big win against Rushworth last month.
“It’s not the worst hamstring,” Horsburgh said.
“But obviously this time of the year it’s not one you want to take any risks with.
“It would be nice to have him back because he kicks a bag of goals each week.
“But we want him up and firing when finals come around.”
Horsburgh said his full-forward, who kicked 21 goals in one match for Violet Town last year, was on track for another century of goals this season before getting injured.
“I reckon he would have already had it just quietly,” he said.
“He did his hamstring in the second half against Rushworth and had already kicked five.”
Mellington previously kicked a century of goals for Albury and Benalla and played for Echuca United before joining Violet Town.
He was ranked at No. 70 in The Weekly Times’ Top 100 players since 2000.
Violet Town, sitting sixth on the ladder, lost to fifth-placed Lancaster on Sunday by five points and plays Tallygaroopna this weekend.
Marong’s Brandyn Grenfell is expected to be the first player to reach 100 goals this weekend when he lines up against Newbridge.
Grenfell kicked 11 goals the last time the two teams met in round five.
Millewa league duo Brad Congress and Adam Thomson didn’t play at the weekend due to a bye.
JULY 5
Gol Gol coach Adam Thomson’s amazing haul of 33 goals against Meringur on Saturday July 2 was borne out of necessity rather than masterstroke on his behalf.
The team’s regular full-forward Aidan Calarco was still out injured and another contender for the role also unavailable, leaving the playing coach as the only option to play in the goalsquare.
Both Millewa league teams were severely depleted by injury and agreed to take the field with only 14 players and two on the bench with Meringur’s team including father-and-son pair Joel and Tyi Newson.
Thomson’s massive bag of goals is the biggest by a player in the state this season and follows Bambill’s Brad Congress kicking 24 goals against Meringur last round.
Gol Gol won the match 58.28 (376) to 4.1 (25) with Thomson jumping from 56 to 89 goals for the season.
He kicked 10.1 in the first term, four in the second, six in the third before booting 13 in the last to finish with 33.10.
“At one stage I think I had 16.1 and then got a bit tired and started spraying a few,” he said.
“The boys were kicking it to me from anywhere to be honest.
“We’re second on the ladder and not going super well.
“It’s sad (to see Meringur struggling), but it happens unfortunately.”
Thomson is on track to complete his first full season as coach of Gol Gol, which is three wins behind top team, Bambill.
He played juniors with Merbein before playing in premierships with another Millewa league club, Werrimull.
Thomson has also had stints with Tytynder and Berri.
Joel Newson, 43, lined up in his first match since 1993 and kicked one of Meringur’s four goals.
His wife, Sonya, and daughter, Chloe, play in the Meringur women’s team.
“Our women’s team has got good numbers, but it’s just the boys who are struggling,” Sonya said.
“It was exciting to see Joel playing and when he got a goal the whole crowd went off.
“We’ve really copped it the last two weeks and everyone seems to pay us out.
“We’re such a good club, we’re really family orientated.”
MOST GOALS IN A MATCH
43 Ron Edwards (Lake Tyers, East Gippsland) 1950
35 Terry Munday (Melton, Riddell District) 1973
34 Frank Salmon (Toora, Alberton) 1952
34 David Fowler (Wallan, Riddell District) 1997
34 Craig Whelan (Violet Town, Kyabram District) 2012
33 Adam Thomson (Gol Gol, Millewa) 2022
32 Frank Nicol (Kiamal, Ouyen District) 1953
Source: countryfootyscores.com.au
JUNE 28
Bambill’s Brad Congress has broken a longstanding club record with 24 goals against lowly Meringur in the Millewa league on Saturday June 25.
Congress eclipsed the previous best booted by Brett Robertson with the huge haul taking him to 87 for the season.
He is also set to become the first full-forward in the state to kick 100 goals this year.
Congress has leapfrogged Natte Bealiba’s Danny Brewster and Marong’s Brandyn Grenfell, who were tied on 71 last week.
Brewster booted just four on Saturday, but Grenfell collected another bag of 10 to be sitting outright second on 81 and six behind the new statewide leader.
The last time Bambill and Meringur met, Congress kicked 18 goals before the match was abandoned in the third quarter due to a serious injury sustained by a Meringur player.
Bambill won the latest encounter by 358 points with Meringur kept scoreless.
Congress said the big haul was bittersweet given bottom placed Meringur’s present plight.
“You don’t want results like that,” he said.
“I played for Merbein for 22 years and we were quite often on that side of it and copped some fair floggings.”
Congress, 35, joined Bambill in 2017 after not playing for five seasons due to a serious arm injury.
“I’ve never kicked this many in a season before,” he said.
Bambill is co-coached by Jeremy Weinert and Luke Stanbrook, who also kicked 11 goals against Meringur.
JUNE 22
The race to become the first player to kick the magical 100 goals this season is hotting up with two players tied on 71 goals after the weekend’s round of matches.
Natte Bealiba’s Danny Brewster had the outright lead up until the previous round, but was joined by Marong’s Brandyn Grenfell, who booted 13 against Maiden Gully YCW in the Loddon Valley league.
Grenfell could have easily taken the outright lead after kicking a wayward 13.8.
Brewster kicked eight against Avoca in the Maryborough-Castlemaine league.
The duo is seven clear of Violet Town’s Josh Mellington, who booted five against Rushworth.
Mellington has previously kicked more than 100 goals in a season for Albury and Echuca United and last year kicked 27 goals in a match for Violet Town.
He was ranked at No. 70 in The Weekly Times’ best 100 player since 2000 list.
Brewster joined Natte Bealiba this season from Narre South Saints in the Southern league following a stint with Elmore in the Heathcote District league where he was the coach.
He has never kicked 100 goals in a season with his best being 88 at Elmore.
“I probably started my footy as a backman and started slowly making my way up forward,” he said.
“When I was coaching Elmore we weren’t great and I had to fill in some gaps with some time up forward.”
Grenfell is in his second season with Marong after previously playing in the Goulburn Valley league with Tatura and Seymour.
A former Assumption College school mate, Adam Ward, plays at Marong and was instrumental in recruiting him to the club.
“I’ve never previously played permanent forward and always played in the ruck,” Grenfell said.
“It’s a different role, but it’s good.”
The most goals kicked at the weekend was 16 by Kiewa-Sandy Creek’s Nick Beattie against Wahgunyah in the Tallangatta and District league followed by 15 by Tyrendarra’s Jordi Withers.
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