The GVL won the clearance count at the end of the contest 48 to 45, highlighting it was a commendable effort from those doing the grunt work, and why one of Kyabram’s finest walked away with silverware to boot with his interleague honours.
Named by the coaching staff as the Goulburn Valley League’s best on ground, Bomber Jack Russell lived up to his name in the way he dug himself into congestion and extracted the football from the Elsternwick Park turf.
Donning the number four, it was not often you wouldn’t see that figure among the action.
The overall team numbers from the engine room signified the effort put in by the GVL’s midfield on Saturday, despite not being able to capitalise on the scoreboard, and why Russell earned the medal for best afield at full time.
“Played in the midfield today, we had a pretty good crew, a lot of guys could go through there so there was plenty of opportunity for a lot of boys,” Russell said.
“Obviously the conditions were the same for both sides but they just played it a lot better than us, and the ball just went their way.
“It is what it is, it was a great opportunity and I’m proud to represent the league.
“Hopefully we can go again next year.”
Russell’s appearance was his first interleague selection, and the midfielder lauded the process in the lead-up under Nick Pearson’s instruction.
“It was awesome. Nick tried to make it as professional as possible and we got a really good list,” he said.
“A lot of the best talent in the comp were there, so it was good to get amongst everyone, get to meet some new boys and train and play with some quality players.”
With a second encounter with the VAFA expected for next year on the Goulburn Valley’s home turf, Russell explained what was the difference in the landslide result - albeit it was a margin that grew significantly in junk time when the game was won.
“Obviously they are a quality outfit, I know it’s not their top division side but it just shows the depth that they’ve got across Melbourne, it’s a big area,” he said.
“Credit to them, they played the conditions well.
“I’m sure they probably play these windy conditions a fair bit in winter, so they were really good.
“But you know, it was a good opportunity to compete with them and they were just too good today.”
