Kyabram and Shepparton have both had 10 players over the years to play with Melbourne.
Kyabram and Shepparton Swans, with three players each, have supplied the Western Bulldogs with the most players from the league.
Don also had Bert Connolly on his list and although he played one season — 1949 — with Stanhope, he was actually recruited from Werribee where he played the 1950 season after leaving Stanhope.
Here’s the list of Melbourne and Western Bulldogs players recruited from GVL clubs, which will bring back a lot of memories for GVL fans:
Melbourne Football Club
Kyabram:Garry Lyon – 226 games, 426 goals, 3 x All-Australian 1993, ‘94, ‘95, Victorian captain.Trevor Castles – 1 game.Daryl Bourke – 18 games.Ross Dillon – 85 games.Shane Fitzsimmons - 63 games.Stuart McKenzie – 9 games.Noel “Kelly” O’Donnell – 80 games.Paul Rowlands – 35 games.John Sparks – 9 games.Maurice Wingate – 39 games.
Euroa:Hayden Lamaro – 2 games.
Shepparton Swans:Les Bamblett – 11 games.Wayne Delmenico – 31 games.
Nagambie:Graeme Taylor – 2 games.Robert Taylor – 13 games.
Rochester:David Williams – 67 games.
Seymour:Tony Barnes – 7 games.Peter Garratt – 1 game.Peter O’Keefe – 10 games.Michael O’Sullivan – 53 games.Russell Richards – 81 games.John Soloman – 2 games.
Tongala:Brad Campbell – 1 game.
Shepparton United:Des Campbell – 50 games.Chris Connolly – 84 games. Fremantle coach.Adam Yze – 257 games. All-Australian 2002.Des O’Dwyer – 8 games.Chris Woodman – 32 games.
Shepparton:Stephen Tingay – 138 games. All-Australian 1994.John Ahearn – 2 games.Dale Dickson – 56 games.Russel Dickson – 4 games.Arthur Maskell – 1 game.Peter Maynard – 8 games.Trevor Rollinson – 49 games.Eric Roscoe – 17 games.Barry Tippett – 18 games.Barry Vagg – 115 games.
Mooroopna:Barry Ough – 1 game.Clayton Oliver – Still playing. 2021 grand final player. All-Australian 2018, ‘19, ‘21.
Tatura:Adrian Battiston – 96 games.Sean Charles – 47 games.Bill Fischer – 1 game.Paul Payne – 28 games.
Total 46 players
Western Bulldogs Football Club
Kyabram:Frank Fanning – 2 games.Ian Howard – 16 games.Bryan Pleitner – 28 games.
Shepparton Swans:Barney McKellar – 22 games.Les Bamblett – 37 games.Charlie Stewart – 20 games.
Mooroopna:Jarrod Harbrow – 70 games.Laitham Vandermeer – Still playing. 2021 grand final player.
Seymour:Josh Schache – Still playing. 2021 grand final player.
Total 8 players
I was interested to see Don Kilgour’s list above initially mentioned Bert Connolly, who played with Footscray (now Western Bulldogs) in 1951-52.
He played 11 senior games with Footscray and was recruited via Stanhope and Werribee.
He was 188 cm (6 ft 2) and weighed 87 kg (192 pounds).
Who better to ask about Connolly’s time at Stanhope than 99-year-old Alex Nelson, who still retains incredible knowledge and memories of anything in football or cricket that has happened in Stanhope for almost a century?
Still as sharp as a tack, Alex immediately quipped, ‘‘Yeah, he coached and played with Stanhope in 1949,’’ when I asked him if he could remember a Bert Connolly playing with the club.
‘‘He had only the one season. He was very mobile for a big man and a really good ruckman.’’
Alex said Connolly was supposed to play with Kyabram and trained with them but something happened and he ended up playing with Stanhope.
Connolly played the 1950 season with Werribee from where he was recruited by Footscray. He had two seasons with Footscray playing a total of 11 games.
Born on January 12, 1928, Connolly died in 1998 aged 70.
Because he was not directly recruited from Stanhope he hasn’t made Don Kilgour’s list above.
