Anthony “Dipper” Depasquale has not made up his mind where he will play next year.
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The former Kyabram footballer has been rumoured to be interested in playing with his former club, but also Ovens and Murray League club Myrtleford, where his father has a cherry orchard.
VFL side Werribee, where he has played for the past two seasons, is also keen to retain him.
A Werribee talent scout will be in Kyabram tomorrow to discuss his future with the club.
Depasquale said he had ‘‘a few things to weigh up’’ before making a commitment to next year.
‘‘A lot of clubs have been in contact, including some AFL clubs, but I’m still working out what is best for me,’’ he said from Bali at the weekend.
Depasquale said making three trips to Werribee each week from Kyabram, where he runs the Blue Brick Hotel, to train, was a burden, and something he needed to sort out with Werribee.
‘‘I wouldn’t be interested in going there three times a week to Christmas, so I’ll have to negotiate that with the club and see what it thinks.’’
Depasquale raised eyebrows towards the end of the recent VFL season with some notable goal kicking performances for Werribee.
He kicked seven goals in the final round against Sandringham and five against eventual premier Box Hill in a finals clash.
In 10 games for Werribee this season he kicked 24.14.
When playing with Kyabram he finished second in 2024 on the GVL goal-kicking list with 71 goals before playing games with Kyabram and Werribee in the past two seasons.
Roos name coach
Girgarre has named its new coach for the 2027 Kyabram District League season.
Not venturing into the outside coaching market, it has appointed Shaun Haffensen to do the job in season 2027.
He is a relative newcomer to the club, joining it from Murray league side Echuca United this year.
Injury limited him to 10 games this season, but Girgarre liked what it saw in those games.
More on his appointment next week.
Bombers boost attack
Kyabram Football Club has named another recruit for the 2027 season.
Goal-kicking Lancaster small man Morrie Serra has signed on with the Bombers to see whether he can step up to GVL standard.
Serra is no stranger to GVL football, making his senior debut for Tatura at 15 years of age.
He also spent a season at Murray league club Numurkah, where he played 15 senior games before joining Lancaster.
He was in Lancaster’s premiership side in 2023 and has booted an impressive 137 goals in 54 games with the Wombats.
Serra joins several recruits already committed to playing with the Bombers including the Holman brothers Nick (Gold Coast), Tom (Tongala) and 2025 premiership player Archie Watt (West Coast AFL side).
Morrison medallist Mick Mattingly is hoping to make a comeback mid-season after missing all of this year with a knee injury sustained in the first round of the season.
Eagles appoint co-coaches
Murray league club Echuca United has named its coaches for 2027.
Former Echuca player Cameron Valentine and thirds premiership coach Leo Tenace will share the role.
They replace Frances Lias who coached the side this season.
Valentine, a 100 games senior player with Echuca, and Tenace, shared a three-person coaching combination with Simon Maddox at the Murray Bombers in 2025.
Tigers land goal machine
This year’s Murray league runner-up Cobram has lured power forward Daniel Johnston to its ranks for next season.
GVL fans watched Johnston in action for Mooroopna in 2024 when he kicked 60 goals in 15 games.
He has played with Norwood in the SANFL and four years with Coburg in the VFL, where he played seven games this season.
Johnston and Adam De Cicco, who is returning from Shepparton and taking Jaden Gagliardi and Jhett Cooper along with him, will further bolster Cobam’s ranks for next season, and it is probably the flag favourite even at this early stage.
Maddox not alone
My claim Simon Maddox created a GVL record by being involved in four premiership wins as a co-coach of Echuca after it won the recent grand final was not quite correct.
It was an equal record.
GVL legend Des Campbell has also coached four premiership sides in the GVL – Shepparton United in 1974 and 1980 and Tongala in 1983 and 1984. He also played in a premiership side he didn’t coach with Shepparton United as a teenager in 1967.
Assistant and co-coaches weren’t in fashion in those days, and Des’ feat was achieved without any offsiders.
Hill given fitting farewell
Former Kyabram cricketer John Hill was given a fitting farewell last week.
A memorial ceremony on the quaint white picketed fenced oval at Koondrook reserve where he played and umpired after his days at Kyabram staged his well-attended funeral, which had a strong cricket theme from the guest speakers.
John recently lost a battle with cancer.
He played with Kyabram Cricket Club in the mid-1980s to 1990, establishing himself as one of the best batters in the KDCA in the modern era.
One of the speakers mentioned he played in a country representative side against India when he was living and working at Kyneton – before his move to Kyabram – and got to face the great Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev.
Rochy crowns Ferguson
Ryley Ferguson has celebrated a stellar first season with the Rochester Football Club by winning its best-and-fairest award.
Ferguson edged out dynamic midfielder Mitch Trewhella, who was going for a hat-trick of awards.
A ruckman/on-baller, Ferguson is a player who can also win the ball regularly at ground level.
While Trewhella just missed the threepeat netball star Tia Webb took the top award for the third successive year.
Wizard weaves more magic
The Kyabram crew, which owns Wicked Wizard, celebrated another win with the pacer at Menangle last Saturday night week.
The four-year-old son of McWicked staged a huge run to notch his seventh win in 27 starts. There have also been nine minor placings.
Kyabram publican Brenton Sheppard, Peter Hall, Rob Whitford, Tony Hanson, Rohan and Suzie Bennett and Steve Sharp are among the owners of the pacer, which produced a scorching PB mile rate of 1:51.6 over the 1609m trip in a decisive win.
Nagambie’s Haisman hiatus
Nagambie Cricket Club is not fielding a team in Cricket Shepparton’s Haisman Shield competition this season.
The club has cited a player shortage is behind the reluctant decision to not have a side in the top tier of competition.
Nagambie has been a regular finalist since joining Cricket Shepparton from the Seymour Cricket Association in the 2018-19 season.
Nagambie still has sides in B and D-grade competitions and a women’s and junior teams competing in Cricket Shepparton this year and will try to return to the Haisman Shield ranks next season.