Mansfield’s connection to the past has it well poised for the future after the Goulburn Valley League preliminary finalist signed former Collingwood player Will Kelly for the 2026 season, 16 years after father Craig coached Mansfield to the promised land.
Drafted in 2018, Kelly spent five years on the Pies’ list, playing five games before his delisting in 2023.
After several games with Sydney’s VFL side in 2024, Kelly spent this year travelling overseas, but indicated a desire to return to the High Country on his return, linking up with former Pies teammate Callum Brown.
“Obviously, Will played his junior footy here and they lived in Mansfield,” club president Bo Christopher said.
“Ned (Craig Kelly) coached for three years and is our last premiership coach, so we’ve always got that contact – Ned’s a great friend of the club and the town.
“(Will) was probably always going to come back at some stage and after he finished up his AFL time he headed over to Europe for a fair period.
“He reached out and said he’s coming back to do a full year of university in Melbourne and he knows a fair few of the boys, obviously he played a lot of footy with Cal (Brown) and a few others.
“He was keen to get here and we’re keen to have him.”
Meanwhile, GVL premier Kyabram has waved goodbye to several members of its premiership squad following its grand final victory over Rochester, with Tom Holman (Tongala), Liam Ogden (Pascoe Vale) and young key forward Nicholas Jephson (Newton & Chilwell) all making their bow at Kyabram for now.
However, celebrated triple-premiership player and 2016 Wilf Cox medallist Rhys Clark makes his highly-anticipated return to Ky for the first time since the 2023 grand final against Echuca, following his stint at Southport where he reached the 2024 VFL grand final.
Aaron Hayes, another to have tasted the ultimate success with the Bombers, is back for the first time in six years.
“We’ve made an effort over the last few years to get our Kyabram people back,” Bombers coach Corey Carver said.
“I just made contact with (Rhys), he’d been playing elsewhere and spent some time on Southport’s VFL list.
“(Aaron) had been Bendigo way and playing some minor league footy, he thought it was probably his last go at doing some major league stuff.
“He said he’ll come back, have a crack and see where it takes him.”
Grand final opponent Rochester has also had change among the ranks.
The Tigers’ high-profile signing of former Melbourne defender Marty Hore stands as one of the off-season’s best so far, but tempered somewhat by the departure of the Williams brothers Sean and Dillon.
Both have made the switch to Heathcote in Heathcote District Football League.
At Deakin Reserve, Shepparton has added two-time Dookie United best-and-fairest Lachy Ludeman to its ranks, while Mooroopna has bolstered its midfield for its 150th season with VAFA Old Xaverians duo Dan Tuddenham and Harrison Bell making the move to the Goulburn Valley.
In the Picola District Football League, reigning premier Katamatite has bid farewell to Nick Ryan, who has made the move to Tooleybuc Manangatang.
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