After a six-season stretch where Echuca reigned supreme, 2025 looks to be the year a 16th Goulburn Valley League flag will hang at Kyabram Recreation Reserve.
With the Bombers on a break in a split round 13, the Free Press thought it was a perfect opportunity to recap Kyabram’s blistering 2025 season.
After making major off-season moves, including getting a good portion of the 2019 flag-winning band back together and adding joint 2024 Murray Football League best-and-fairest Jack Russell to the mix, the Bombers have seemingly re-established their dominance in the league.
“We are going really well currently and we are happy where we are at, especially with getting our local players back to the club,” Kyabram Football Netball president John Guinan said.
“Out of the starting 22, only three haven’t played junior football at Kyabram, so we are pleased with our start, but we aren’t getting ahead of ourselves.
“Having our local players come back that played in our flag winning sides like Tom Holman, Jack Sheldon and Mick Mattingly has been huge for us.
“We’ve got nearly all of our leadership group and captains at training every week, Tom Holman in particular is a big part of that. He’s a big presence and a lot of our younger players look up to him.
“We’ve got seven players in our senior side that played in our premiership-winning team that beat Echuca in 2019, so we’ve still got a lot of experience to take us through finals.”
Going a perfect 12-0 to date this season is no easy feat, toppling major threats to its flag hopes along the way in the form of Echuca, Rochester, Shepparton, Mansfield and Shepparton Swans.
Surprisingly, the closest the Bombers came to losing was in that match against the 2024 runner-up Bears, escaping by nine points.
Guinan chalks a lot of Kyabram’s recent success in the past 12 years to the club’s ability to retain and nurture local emerging talent, in the same vein as three-time defending GVL premier Echuca, an initiative that is bearing fruit in 2025.
“Having that local talent staying at the club and bringing them through our system is more important than winning flags,” he said.
“If you look at two of the most successful clubs in recent times, Echuca and Kyabram, they’re both fielding local-based talent and I think that’s the key in the GVL.
“Archie Watt has been dynamic and he came through our junior ranks and to watch him grow and progress into the footballer that he is and having the impact he’s having for us at 19 is just wonderful.
“Aidan Robinson has also been someone who has played in our system for years and has had a big impact for us this year, which has been great to see.
“Longevity and consistency will take you a long way in this competition and backed by the right coaching staff and culture is the recipe for success.”
Despite being more than halfway through the season and remaining undefeated, Guinan emphasised that the club wasn’t thinking about finals, instead taking a week-to-week approach until late August.
“We are just taking it as it comes at the moment, I can tell you that we are not looking at finals just yet and I think that’s the best attitude to have to get through the home and away season,” he said.
The Bombers will be in action in the second half of round 13 this weekend, hosting bottom-dweller Tatura at Kyabram Recreation Reserve.