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TIME AT THE TOP - Nathan Thompson's North Melbourne years
TIME AT THE TOP - Nathan Thompson's Hawthorn years
NEW Kyneton captain Hamish Govan is clinging onto the possibility that he may still get to lead the Tigers into battle in the Bendigo Football-Netball League this year.
Govan has taken over the Tigers' captaincy from his younger brother, Josh, who has moved to Queensland.
But so far in 2020 Govan's captaincy duties have been restricted to purely an off-field capacity with no BFNL season having been played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the majority of leagues across Victoria have pulled the pin on season 2020 - the Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland became the latest on Saturday - the BFNL is one of the last few still standing, with clubs now being given time to dissect AFL Victoria's recently-released Return To Play Protocols before reconvening again next week.
Govan and his Tiger team-mates have been back training for just under a month, and while there has been the lingering uncertainty around whether a shortened season will get off the ground, the skipper has relished being back in the club environment following an absence of more than two months when all training and club activity was suspended by the AFL on March 17.
"Being back these past few weeks and trying to get the boys up and about for what could be a nine-game season, I've been really enjoying it and, hopefully, I get to lead the boys out at some stage this year," Govan said.
"Me and Thommo (Nathan Thompson, coach) are both on the same page and that's to approach training as if we're going to be playing in three weeks' time.
"Every training session we're just rocking up and preparing as if there's a season to be played and the numbers have been really good and so too has been the vibe at training.
Every training session we're just rocking up and preparing as if there's a season to be played and the numbers have been really good and so too has been the vibe at training.
"The boys are all still up and about and we're having a laugh and we've picked up well from where we left off in March when it all got put on hold."
Like most footballers throughout the COVID-19 enforced sporting shutdown, Govan's motivation and optimism of a 2020 season has waned and he's now eagerly awaiting for a decision to be made by the BFNL.
"I think the league does need to make a decision sooner rather than later," Govan said.
"My motivation has gone up and down over the past three months.
"When you turn up to training you have the thought of how long is the unknown going to go on for, but once we start kicking the footy and have a laugh with each other, to be honest it's as if we're getting ready to play on Saturday.
"As a group we've spoken that even if the pin does get pulled on the season we'd still like to keep getting together, even if it was just one night a week, because being around the lads is just so good for our mental health more than anything else."
While Govan is enjoying being back around his mates at training, he is missing the competitive aspect and the crashing of bodies given there can be no contact training until July 13 for senior sport.
"The boys are eager to get tackling and bumping into each other, but we've got keep away from that, which is tough because for three months we were itching to get back to footy, and now that we are we've got to make sure we pull ourselves back," Govan said.
KYNETON'S 2010S DECADE IN REVIEW:
THE 2010s in the Bendigo Football-Netball League for Kyneton was a roller-coaster of a decade.
There were the highs of finally ending their lengthy finals drought, the downside of not winning any of the five senior finals they contested, the challenge of facing a significant financial debt, the joy of seeing one of their homegrown talents get drafted and the low of their senior side going into recess for a year.
The Tigers were absent from the BFNL senior competition in 2013 after confirming on February 1 they were lacking "senior quality" numbers following a mass player exodus.
"It hasn't been an easy decision, hence we waited until the last minute before making it and unfortunately, the facts are there in front of us," Kyneton president Cello Matricardi said.
"We fell a fair way short of the 25 players we needed. Even if we were around the 18 or 20 mark we might have been a chance, but we were nowhere near it."
The Tigers' senior absence was for just one season and in 2014 they were back on the park with Mark Adamson as their new coach and a plethora of new faces.
They won six games in their first season back in 2014 and in 2015 reached the finals for the first time since 2003 with Luke Beattie at the helm after the club replaced Adamson with four rounds remaining.
The Tigers' first September appearance for 12 seasons ended in a 26-point elimination final loss to Eaglehawk.
Kyneton - which had Rhys Magin (wing) and Ben Weightman (half-forward) selected in the BFNL Team of the Decade - also played finals in 2016, 2017 and 2018 (with a double chance), but were unable to achieve a September victory, leaving their 1997 premiership season as the last year the club won a senior final.
On the eve of the 2018 finals the club went public on its debt of around $200,000 to call on community support, with a legacy debt from the Tigers' 2013 senior recession and improvement costs at the club two of the factors behind the financial troubles.
"If we changed nothing now we would go down that path (withdrawing the senior team) again and that's why we've gone public and called for help,'' president Karen O'Sullivan said.
Meanwhile, earlier in the decade after overcoming two knee reconstructions, Kyneton power forward Jack Redpath was selected by the Western Bulldogs in the 2012 AFL Rookie Draft on his 21st birthday.
Redpath, who was Kyneton's leading goalkicker in 2011, went on to play 36 games and kick 57 goals for the Bulldogs in his AFL career.
YEAR-BY-YEAR:
2010
Finished - 9th (4-14)
Most best player votes:
Robert Trajkovski - 47
Leading goalkicker:
James Condos - 66
............................................
2011
Finished - 10th (0-18)
Most best player votes:
Shane Page - 67
Leading goalkicker:
Jack Redpath - 29
............................................
2012
Finished - 9th (2-16)
Most best player votes:
Harrison Huntley - 43
Leading goalkicker:
Nathan Thompson - 43
............................................
2013 - No team
............................................
2014
Finished - 7th (6-12)
Most best player votes:
Ben Weightman - 58
Leading goalkicker:
Ben Weightman - 64
............................................
2015
Finished - 5th (8-11)
lost elimination final to Eaglehawk
Most best player votes:
Joel Stevenson - 50
Leading goalkicker:
Ben Weightman - 76
............................................
2016
Finished - 5th (10-9)
lost elimination final to Eaglehawk
Most best player votes:
Rhys Magin - 45
Leading goalkicker:
Mitch Scholard - 74
............................................
2017
Finished - 5th (10-7-2)
lost elimination final to Sandhurst
Most best player votes:
Rhys Magin - 53
Leading goalkicker:
Ben Weightman - 96
............................................
2018
Finished - 4th (12-7-1)
lost first semi-final to Sandhurst
Most best player votes:
Josh Govan - 51
Leading goalkicker:
Ethan Foreman - 58
............................................
2019
Finished - 8th (5-13)
Most best player votes:
Rhys Magin - 78
Leading goalkicker:
Max O'Sullivan - 24
BEST PLAYER VOTES:
1 - Rhys Magin
Votes: 271
Times in best: 64
Top 3: 41 No.1: 21
............................................
2 - Josh Govan
Votes: 181
Times in best: 45
Top 3: 28 No.1: 10
............................................
3 - Harrison Huntley
Votes: 170
Times in best: 44
Top 3: 24 No.1: 12
............................................
4 - Ben Weightman
Votes: 139
Times in best: 30
Top 3: 23 No.1: 12
............................................
5 - Max O'Sullivan
Votes: 113
Times in best: 32
Top 3: 19 No.1: 4
............................................
6 - Shane Page
Votes: 111
Times in best: 27
Top 3: 18 No.1: 7
............................................
7 - David Romer
Votes: 99
Times in best: 27
Top 3: 14 No.1: 7
............................................
8 - Hamish Govan
Votes: 95
Times in best: 29
Top 3: 11 No.1: 4
............................................
9 - Jake Hyland
Votes: 89
Times in best: 23
Top 3: 15 No.1: 5
............................................
10 - Zac Boyer
Votes: 86
Times in best: 23
Top 3: 13 No.1: 2
TOP 10 GOALKICKERS:
1 - Ben Weightman
Goals: 278
High: 13 Games: 68
5+: 24 10+: 4
............................................
2 - Mitch Scholard
Goals: 186
High: 9 Games: 52
5+: 16 10+: 0
............................................
3 - Rhys Magin
Goals: 109
High: 8 Games: 56
5+: 5 10+: 0
............................................
4 - Nathan Thompson
Goals: 106
High: 8 Games: 28
5+: 10 10+: 0
............................................
5 - Max O'Sullivan
Goals: 97
High: 6 Games: 52
5+: 2 10+: 0
............................................
6 - Ethan Foreman
Goals: 92
High: 8 Games: 39
5+: 5 10+: 0
............................................
7 - James Condos
Goals: 66
High: 12 Games: 11
5+: 7 10+: 2
............................................
8 - Harrison Huntley
Goals: 54
High: 5 Games: 32
5+: 2 10+: 0
............................................
9 - Rhys Ellis
Goals: 38
High: 3 Games: 22
5+: 0 10+: 0
............................................
10 - Alik Magin
Goals: 37
High: 6 Games: 15
5+: 2 10+: 0
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
v Castlemaine
Record - 14-4
............................................
v Eaglehawk
Record - 2-19
............................................
v Gisborne
Record - 9-9
............................................
v Golden Square
Record - 2-15-1
............................................
v Kangaroo Flat
Record - 7-11
............................................
v Maryborough
Record - 11-7
............................................
v Sandhurst
Record - 3-16-1
............................................
v South Bendigo
Record - 7-10-1
............................................
v Strathfieldsaye
Record - 2-16
DECADE RECORD:
Played - 167
Won - 57
Lost - 107
Drawn - 3
Winning % - 34.1%
Average for/agst - 80/112
Seasons in finals - 4
Finals record - 0-5
Premierships - 0
RESERVES:
Total wins - 40
Seasons in finals - 1
Premierships - 0
UNDER-18S:
Total wins - 38
Seasons in finals - 0
Premierships - 0
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