Cooper’s mystery double act

That’s a mighty effort as Woorinen was playing in the Mid Murray League (now Central Murray League) back then and Mathoura was in the now defunct Echuca District Football League.

Obviously, if he didn’t play at both clubs in that season he could not have won both awards.

On Woorinen’s Honour Boar,d which features club presidents and best-and-fairest awards, a Geoff Cooper was named as the winner of its best-and-fairest award in 1957.

It has also been documented Cooper started his career with the Woorinen in 1955 and was selected in a Mid Murray League side which played Carlton in that season.

There are also reports Jeff Cooper won the Echuca District League’s medal in 1957 playing with the Mathoura Football Club.

There has often been confusion about Cooper’s christian name, but a family member once told me it was Jeff and not Geoff and I have always spelt it that way.

So where did Jeff Cooper, regarded by many as Kyabram’s best ever footballer, play in 1957?

Watch this column.

Barnes’ big day

Tom Barnes’ feat in kicking 23 goals for Nagambie against Violet Town last Sunday week was a notable performance, but it still came up well short of the league record held by Violet Town’s Craig Whelan.

In 2012, in the Kyabram District League, Whelan booted 34 goals as his side scored a whopping 56.22 (358) to Ardmona’s 2.5 (17).

Five years after the Whelan heroics Rushworth’s Rod Osborne kicked 28 goals against Ardmona in the 2017 season to claim second spot on the all-time list of the most goals kicked by an individual in one game in the KDL.

It was in round 12 on June 30, 2017 and the Tigers won that game 54.25 to Ardmona’s 0.1.

On a KDL website Whelan is credited with booting a staggering 168 goals for Violet Town in the 2012 season.

But the KDL records have Whelan booting 152 goals that season.

According to the league’s official weekly publication, football journeyman Perry Meka booted 151 goals for the season for Ardmona in 1992 and 143 the following year.

In the KDL records he also topped the century in 2006 with 138 goals and in 2007 finished just two goals off the magical mark with 98.

But a website also lists Meka kicking a total of 173 goals in 2006.

He is also credited with kicking 171 (143 Ky League Footballer) goals the following year.

Eagles have empty nest

Mansfield is another GVL football club seeking a new coach.

Mitch Wareham has told the club his time as coach is up with a growing business and family commitments prominent in his decision to retire.

Wareham has ties with the club over the last two decades and was in the Craig Kelly coached Mansfield side which defeated Kyabram for the 2009 GVL flag.

He has been coaching Mansfield since 2024.

Wareham will follow Mooroopna’s non-playing coach John Lamont into retirement next season.

O’Donnell becomes Bushranger

Benalla Bushrangers Cricket Club has picked up a star recruit for the coming season.

Tom O’Donnell, son of former Australian cricketer Simon O'Donnell is coming out of retirement to play with the Wangaratta Cricket Association club in the 2026-27 season.

As a towering medium fast bowler and right-handed batsman Tom has represented Victoria and also Australia at Under 19 level and has played a lot of Premier League Cricket in Melbourne with the Essendon club.

Bushrangers stalwart Trevor Saker said ‘’attracting a player of Tom’s calibre is an enormous achievement for our club.’’

Tom has brought property in the Benalla area which has helped with his decision to reignite his cricketing career at the age of 29.

Broadford taking broadside in BFNL

It has been a baptism of fire for the Broadford Football Netball Club since its entry into the Bendigo Football Netball Leage this year.

After failing in their application to join the Kyabram District Football League and gaining entry to the Bendigo League after two years in recess, Broadford has been put to the sword in the Bendigo League by an average of 173 points per game in its first ten games, including losing six of those games by over 200 points.

In other Bendigo League news, Gisborne has finally been granted its wish and has been cleared to play in the Ballarat Football League next season.

The move is ramping up the Bendigo League’s push to lure Echuca into its league again despite being told the Murray River club has sorted out some issues with the GVL and is not interested in moving anywhere at the moment.

Foggy footy

Can’t say I have ever encountered the fog being down all day in the hundreds of games I have played in or reported over the last 65 years.

But there is always a first and Saturday at the Kyabram recreation reserve was I believe that day.

The fog hovered all day and forced the lights to be switched on at stages.

It was quite eerie particularly in the early thirds game, but luckily, there were no real hiccups other than feeling freezing if you had no cover.

But as one Ky fan observed “it is the middle of winter you know.’’