After spending the 2024 campaign sidelined with a back injury, the Bomber's midfield dynamo saved one of his best performances for last in the 30-point grand final victory against Rochester.
It was a classy performance that netted him the Wilf Cox Medal, adding to a glittering CV that includes two flag medallions, a Morrison Medal and a Barry Connolley Medal for best in finals during Kyabram’s last premiership year in 2019.
Six years later, the silky mover is still engineering GVL premierships.
“It was a long road back; there was definitely times last year where it was pretty tough,” Mattingly said.
“Tough to get out of bed and even do my shoelaces up and to even think to be back here now on this day is pretty special.
“It's awesome, I think we've had almost like a full reset from last time (the 2019 flag).
“We had such a successful era and a lot of these boys were young – some of them were in thirds, 16s, 14s at that time.
“We’ve had about five or six of us who are still here from 2019 and I’m so pumped for all these boys.
“They’ve had to work their way up and now they've got their time, so it's exciting.”
A first-quarter head knock failed to curtail Mattingly’s influence, sporting a bandaged head for the rest of the game.
His midfield cohort lifted with him in the second quarter, and he identified the areas where the Bombers managed to gain the ascendancy.
That includes a famous third-quarter blitz from Tom Holman.
“I obviously copped the head knock, which took the wind out of me for a little while there, but it's just lucky to play in such a deep midfield,” Mattingly said.
“We've got four or five boys who are really classy through there and allows all of us to just do our job and get the job done.
“And then when Tommy Holman turns it on like he does like that, it's pretty special.
“He's done it all finals, to be honest, so he was my player of the finals for sure.”
13°C