V/Line Cup
Stingrays supreme at 2023 V/Line Cup
29 SEP 2023 BY: JONATHAN PERILLI, AFL VICTORIA
South East Stingrays won all six of their matches across the three divisions in the 2023 V/Line Cup. Photo: Luke Hemer / AFL Victoria
Games were played in mostly warm, sunny conditions at Deakin Reserve, Mooroopna Recreation Reserve and Tallygaroopna Recreation Reserve, with many family and friends travelling from all parts of the state to support the teams and players representing their regions.
The 2023 V/Line Cup took place this week with 21 games played over three days at three venues across Greater Shepparton.
Of the seven competing regions, it was the South East Stingrays program that took home the title of overall winning region of the 2023 V/Line Cup.
More than 500 of the most talented under 15 boys and girls footballers from country Victoria participated in the 74th edition of the event, along with 70 umpires who had been selected from the V/Line Umpire Academy.
Games were played in mostly warm, sunny conditions at Deakin Reserve, Mooroopna Recreation Reserve and Tallygaroopna Recreation Reserve, with many family and friends travelling from all parts of the state to support the teams and players representing their regions.
The criteria for winning is based upon results over the course of the carnival, as well as development opportunities, behaviour of players and coaches, growth, and overall teamwork. The Stingrays excelled in all aspects and won all six of their matches across the three divisions – Boys Division One, Boys Division Two and Girls.
Boys Division One
In Boys Division One, the Stingrays went two from two, beating Goulburn Murray by 78 points on day one and then the Barwon Cats by 16 points on day two. The Stingrays were the only side to win both their matches in the top boys division.
The Stingrays team included several impressive talents, such as Marcus Prasad, who booted five goals over the two games in which he played in. Other standout players included Keenan Boi, Benjamin Carroll, Ocean Shepheard and Sunny Ashton.
Prior to going down in a tough contest to the Stingrays, Barwon had a strong win over Gippsland on day one. Five of the seven sides in Boys Division One won one of their two matches, highlighting the evenness of the competition.
Some other standout players of the top boys division included Bendigo Pioneers’ Max Kiel, Phoenix Hemming and Cody Walker, Gippsland’s Marlon Neocleous and Thomas MacMillan, Barwon’s Darcy Harrington, Jack Pickett and Bohdi Hateley and GWV Rebels’ Mason Osborne, Ethan Kuchel and Frank Gill. Another standout performer was Goulburn Murray’s Rhys Osborne, who slotted a carnival high five goals in his second game.
Boys Division Two
In Boys Division Two, South East Stingrays and GWV Rebels both went unbeaten in their two games. South East defeated Goulburn Murray by 63 points on the first day and a stunning comeback win saw them defeat Barwon Cats by 10 on their second day. It was their captain Diesel De Santis leading the charge, earning the best on-ground honours for their second game while Fletcher Pittard also stood out.
Meanwhile GWV defeated NEB by 12 in their first outing and toppled the Bendigo Pioneers by 28 in their second match of the carnival. Jack Henry slotted five goals over his two matches, including an impressive four-goal outing in GWV’s win over the Pioneers, while Jake Connolly and Jacob Hutchinson also excelled for the Rebels. For the Pioneers, Eamon Austin, Bodhi Kelly and Carter Reid performed strongly.
Other standout players from Boys Division Two included NEB’s Connor Breheny and Riley O’Sullivan, Barwon Cats’ William Hibble and Darcy Harrington. Goulburn Murray’s Jai Sneddon and Logan White both slotted four goals in their final game of the carnival and for Gippsland, Will Hamilton, Lachlan Harrington and Leo Stephenson played well.
Girls Division
In the Girls Division, three sides won both their games - South East Stingrays, North East Border and Bendigo Pioneers. South East showed their might beating Goulburn Murray by 142 on day one and then beat Barwon Cats by 23 in the second outing. Ava Deszcz was a shining star for South East, leading the division in goals with five. Other Stingrays to shine included Ruby Geurts, Alice Cunnington and Marlee Black.
For NEB, they were able to take down GWV Rebels by 28 points in their first outing, before beating Gippsland by 49 points. NEB were led by standout Eliza Roche, while Sarsha McElhinney kicked a division-high four goals over the two-game stretch.
Meanwhile, Bendigo held off GWV to win by 26 in their first matchup of the carnival, before convincingly beating Goulburn Murray by 59 in their final game. They were led by Hannah Cochrane and Georgia Garlick.
All matches were live streamed free and available on replay via aflvic.tv
AFL Victoria would like to thank the City of Greater Shepparton for hosting the carnival again and also V/Line for their ongoing support of the competition.
Full results, best players and goal kickers on PlayHQ here and below:
RESULTS – GIRLS
Day 1, Monday September 25
SE Stingrays 20.22 (142) def. Goulburn Murray 0.0 (0)
SE Stingrays Goals: Ava Deszcz (4), Georgia Goss (3), Zoe Zach (2), Ruby Bohan, Ruby Guerts, Hannah Griffiths, Kiara Harvey, Evi Irving, Gabrielle Mehrmann, Sadie Peeters, Jayde Pudney, Tessa Symonds, Sophie White, Marlie Wood (1)
Best – Sophie White, Alice Cunnington, Ava Deszcz, Georgia Goss, Ruby Geurts, Evi Irving
Goulburn Murray Goals: N/A
Best – Lana Carroll, Savannah Emery, Ashanti Walker, Tabatha Ingham, Harper Delamare, Leila Creevey
Barwon Cats 5.9 (39) def. Gippsland 2.2 (14)
Barwon Cats Goals: Ava Bilyk (2), Grace Carroll, Amy Litaize, Milla Wall (1)
Best – Ava Bilyk, Meyah Fursland, Teliah Tkaczuk, Emie Dowling Button, Milla Wall, Claudia Collins
Gippsland Goals: Lara Healey, Elizabeth Sowden (1)
Best – Grace Dillow, Kira Wilson, Tara McInnes, Georgia Coombes, Ella Sowden, Charlotte Anthony
NE Border 6.7 (43) def. GWV Rebels 2.3 (15)
NE Border Goals: Lily Gibb (2), Charlee Bradsworth-Kerr, Sarsha McElhinney, Evelyn Niedzwiedzki, Eliza Roche (1)
Best – Rose Bell, Eliza Roche, Majella Day, Oceana Dodd, Skylah McPherson, Lily Gibb
GWV Rebels Goals: Ruby Cleaver, Audrey Murnane (1)
Best – Laura George, Anna Seymour, Kate Aikman, Milly Shortal, Charli Parsons Jones, Jessica Dawe
Day 2, Tuesday September 26
SE Stingrays 6.6 (42) def. Barwon Cats 3.1 (19)
SE Stingrays Goals: Alice Cunnington, Ava Deszcz, Hannah Griffiths, Kiara Harvey, Scarlett Marsh, Sadie Peeters (1)
Best – Marlee Black, Ruby Guerts, Ava Deszcz, Mia Smith-Clark, Alice Cunnington, Scarlett Marsh
Barwon Cats Goals: Grace Carroll (2), Ava Bilyk (1)
Best – Charlee Morrow, Teliah Tkaczuk, Jayme Lasky, Greea McKeegan, Meyah Fursland, Grace Carroll
NE Border 8.8 (56) def. Gippsland 1.1 (7)
NE Border Goals: Sarsha McElhinney (3), Skylah McPherson (2), Rose Bell, Ebony Chapman, Eliza Roche (1)
Best – Majella Day, Rose Bell, Eliza Roche, Skylah McPherson, Crystal Holdsworth, Abbey Ibrahim
Gippsland Goals: Georgia Coombes (1)
Best – Jessica Grimsted, Jasmin O’Connor, Steevie McClements, Summer Harbour, Georgia Coombes, Isabel Goldsmith
Bendigo Pioneers 7.4 (46) def. GWV Rebels 3.2 (20)
Bendigo Pioneers Goals: Alysha Boyd, Leni Brown (2), Georgia Garlick, Lacey Nihill, Evie Nuttall (1)
Best – Georgia Garlick, Elise Napier, Evie Nuttall, Hannah Cochrane, Emmerson Lihou, Leni Brown
GWV Rebels Goals: Airlie Aldridge, Macy Burrows, Milly Shortal (1)
Best – Charli Parsons Jones, Macy Burrows, Laura George, Tayla Bell, Jessica Dawe, Lidia Thomas
Day 3, Wednesday September 27
Bendigo Pioneers 7.17 (59) def. Goulburn Murray 0.0 (0)
Bendigo Pioneers Goals: Beth Morris (2), Jayda Alford, Mia Clark, Maddie Dunn, Matilda Meersbergen, Lacey Nihill (1)
Best – Lacey Nihill, Mia Clark, Matilda Meersbergen, Sage Dennis, Georgia Garlick, Hannah Cochrane
Goulburn Murray Goals: N/A
Best – Harper Delamare, Lana Carroll, Leila Creevey, Tabatha Ingham, Savannah Emery, Ruby McIver
RESULTS – DIVISION 2 BOYS
Day 1, Monday September 25
GWV Rebels 8.15 (63) def. NE Border 8.3 (51)
GWV Rebels Goals: Archie Elliott (2), Tobias Dixon, Jack Henry, Reggie Jenkins, Charlie Kenna, Joshua Slater, Luka White (1)
Best – Charlie Kenna, Jake Connolly, Jacob Hutchinson, Cole Hutchinson, Jack Henry, Luke Shea
NE Border Goals: Riley O’Sullivan, Archie Skehan (3), John Dove, Kane Venturoni (1)
Best – Lucas Webb, Connor Breheny, Archie Skehan, Jye Eckhardt, Riley O’Sullivan, Zach Lambert
SE Stingrays 10.13 (73) def. Goulburn Murray 1.4 (10)
SE Stingrays Goals: Riley Arundale, Fletcher Pittard (2), Xavier Barr, Jack Bugeja, Diesel De Santis, Reilly Donovan, Cooper Remy, Tristan Skillen (1)
Best – Xavier Barr, Diesel De Santis, Fletcher Pittard, Thomas Sipthorpe Foster, Cooper Coats, Zac Keene
Goulburn Murray Goals: Van Kreeck (1)
Best – Jayden Thorne, Cody Montgomery, Judd Tamburro, Spencer Sharp, Ethan Saxon, Ben Jeffrey
Barwon Cats 7.14 (56) def. Gippsland 1.7 (13)
Barwon Cats Goals: Joel Bartley, Tamar Holt (2), Xavier Collins, Hamish Darroch, William Hibble (1)
Best – Bodhi Black, Joel Bartley, Fletcher Bent, Xavier Collins, Oliver Cincotta, Tamar Holt
Gippsland Goals: Levi Macumber (1)
Best – Matthew Simpson, Lachlan Harrington, Jesse Etchell, Leo Stephenson, Cooper Anderson, Kael Frith
Day 2, Tuesday September 26
GWV Rebels 11.14 (80) def. Bendigo Pioneers 8.4 (52)
GWV Rebels Goals: Jack Henry (4), Tobias Dixon, Ryley Munro, Archie Poumako (2), Joshua Slater (1)
Best – Jack Henry, Archie Elliott, Joshua Slater, Jake Connolly, Jacob Hutchinson, Tobias Dixon
Bendigo Pioneers Goals: Jake Barden, Max McCarty (2), Eamon Austin, Finn Brown, Archie Chadwick, Sam Crossley (1)
Best – Sam Crossley, Bodhi Kelly, Carter Reid, William Hann, Eamon Austin, Oscar Giddings
SE Stingrays 8.11 (59) def. Barwon Cats 7.7 (49)
SE Stingrays Goals: Xavier Barr, William Dempster, Cooper Kanngiesser, Jordan Nortan, Fletcher Pittard, Wyatt Quinlan, Thomas Sipthorpe Foster, Tristan Skillen (1)
Best – Diesel De Santis, Noah Bevis, Jack Bugeja, Fletcher Pittard, Cooper Kanngiesser, Thomas Sipthorpe Foster
Barwon Cats Goals: William Hibble (3), Joel Bartley, Bodhi Black, Hamish Darroch, Ashton Middleton (1)
Best – William Hibble, Ashton Middleton, Sage Losinno, William Nicholls, Baxter Golding, Jonathon Punchard
NE Border 12.10 (82) def. Gippsland 6.4 (40)
NE Border Goals: Will Prebble (3), John Dove, Riley O’Sullivan (2), Oliver Ackerly, Zach Lambert, Nathan Lock, Archie Skehan, Harrison Westmoreland (1)
Best – Jesse Carey, Kane Venturoni, Will Prebble Olvier Ackerly, Connor Breheny, Banjo Davies
Gippsland Goals: Froley Anderson, Kael Frith, Chidi Otuonye, Leo Stephenson, Harper Walker, Jayden Worrall (1)
Best – William Hamilton, Oscar Henwood, Lachlan Harrington, Jaylen Henry, Leo Stephenson, Xavier Williams
Day 3, Wednesday September 27
Goulburn Murray 14.7 (91) def. Bendigo Pioneers 5.1 (31)
Goulburn Murray Goals: Jai Sneddon, Logan White (4), Wade Mele (2), Mikael Corso, Tanner Miller, Archie Purtle, Jack Walters (1)
Best – Mikael Corso, Logan White, Lucas O’Hora, Liam Sutton, Wade Mele, Cody Montgomery
Bendigo Pioneers Goals: Eamon Austin (2), William Bartlett, Anthony Gray, Max McCarty (1)
Best – Eamon Austin, Campbell Wood, Bodhi Kelly, Carter Reid, Harper Milsom, Jack Bell
RESULTS – DIVISION 1 BOYS
Day 1, Monday September 25
SE Stingrays 18.11 (119) def. Goulburn Murray 5.11 (41)
SE Stingrays Goals: Marcus Prasad (3), Keenan Boi, Will Stewart (2), Sunny Ashton, Fynn Barber, Hunter Beaumont, Orlando Clark, Hudson Price, Cody Ray, Ocean Shepheard, Kaie Sullivan, Tom White, Noah Wisken (1)
Best – Marcus Prasad, Keenan Boi, Benjamin Carroll, Kaie Sullivan, Ocean Shepheard, Gus Kennedy
Goulburn Murray Goals: Blake Sofra (2), Lincoln Brand, Rhys Osborne, Keelan Phillips (1)
Best – Jack Mellington, Keelan Phillips, Blake Sofra, Oscar Emanuelli, Angus Williams, Dallas Ornsby
Barwon Cats 11.8 (74) def. Gippsland 6.6 (42)
Barwon Cats Goals: Darcy Harrington, Riley McLeod, Noah Willams (2), Max Chambers, John Fitzgerald, Charlie Hanegraaf, Fletcher Harty, Reuben Long (1)
Best – Darcy Harrington, Noah Williams, Jack Thomson, Charlie Gray, Jack Pickett, Reuben Long
Gippsland Goals: Ayden Fawaz, Jobe Froud, Thomas Macmillan, Wil Malady, Marlon Neocleous, Cody Templeton (1)
Best – Cody Templeton, Blair Roscoe, Marlon Neocleous, Connor Macmillan, Thomas Macmillan, Blake Bibby
NE Border 13.15 (93) def. GWV Rebels 6.0 (36)
NE Border Goals: Charlie Haring (3), Hunter Hall, Tex Longmire, Blake Newton (2), Jaxon Coleman, Benji Hanrahan, Charlie Johnson, Deegan McBurnie (1)
Best – Ashton Everett, Blake Newton, Lachlan Reid, Tex Longmire, Jaxon Coleman, Hudsen Gray
GWV Rebels Goals: Mason Osborne (2), Ned Charleson, Leo Ellerton, Mack Mills, Oscar Stone (1)
Best – Ethan Kuchel, Ned Charleson, Frank Gill, Jake Abrams, Mason Osborne, Edmund Walsh
Day 2, Tuesday September 26
SE Stingrays 9.8 (62) def. Barwon Cats 6.10 (46)
SE Stingrays Goals: Sunny Ashton, Benjamin Carroll, Marcus Prasad (2), Hunter Beaumont, James Downward, Ocean Shepheard (1)
Best – Cody Ray, Benjamin Carroll, Keenan Boi, Hunter Stephens, Ocean Shepheard, Sunny Ashton
Barwon Cats Goals: Jack Pickett (2), Charlie Gray, Darcy Harrington, Noah Williams (1)
Best – Jack Pickett, Bohdi Hateley, Fletcher Pulleine, Darcy Harrington, Tom Teague, Riley McLeod
Gippsland 9.12 (66) def. NE Border 9.4 (58)
Gippsland Goals: Thomas Macmillan (3), Marlon Neocleous, Kaiden Walmsley (2), Judd Burgiel, Connor Macmillan (1)
Best – Marlon Neocleous, Thomas Macmillan, Mitchell Grant, Jobe Froud, Cody Templeton, Wil Malady
NE Border Goals: Charlie Johnson, Tex Longmire (2), Jaxon Coleman, Jobe Fraser, Hunter Hall, Will McCoy, Lachlan Reid (1)
Best – Blake Newton, Hudsen Gray, Jaxon Coleman, Will McCoy, Chad Brookes, Jobe Fraser
Bendigo Pioneers 8.14 (62) def. GWV Rebels 6.2 (38)
Bendigo Pioneers Goals: Max Kiel (4), Tom Connelly, Archer Lancaster, Ben Miller, Cody Walker (1)
Best – Phoenix Hemming, Cody Walker, Harrison Keating, Xavier Grant, Lenny McNamara, Sonny Beasy
GWV Rebels Goals: Mason Osborne (3), Klay Nicholls (2), Lenny Stephens (1)
Best – Mason Osborne, Klay Nicholls, Max Inkster, Frank Gill, Charlie Mahncke, Edmund Walsh
Day 3, Wednesday September 27
Goulburn Murray 9.7 (61) def. Bendigo Pioneers 7.6 (48)
Goulburn Murray Goals: Rhys Osborne (5), Rory Kennedy (2), Baxter Donovan, Judd Tamburro (1)
Best – Rory Kennedy, Oscar Emanuelli, Alex Krause, Blake Sofra, Josh Porter, Angus Williams
Bendigo Pioneers Goals: Logan Howell (2), Bohdi Edwards, Xavier Grant, Max Kiel, Lewis Pigdon, Oliver Stewart (1)
Best – Seamus Doherty, Sonny Beasy, Xavier Grant, Bohdi Edwards, Ben Miller, Cody Walker
