2005 Year 7 Boys Football

The Year 7 Boys of 2005 are the last of our Football teams to claim the State Title.

The boys won the Title by 6 points over Horsham Secondary College at the then-named Optus Oval in Carlton, in an epic finish where they didn’t hit the lead until the final minute.

After trailing all day, and being 3 goals down with just a few minutes left, they clawed their way back, and then Centre Half Forward Chris Thewlis took a strong mark 30m out in the far pocket, with 45 seconds on the clock. 

Thewlis kicked the goal, with the siren sounding moments after his goal, and us State Champions by 6 points. It has to be one of the two greatest moments in our School Football history – alongside Matt Graham’s match-winner from the pocket to beat Box Hill HS by 3 points in the 2003 Senior Final, two years earlier at Whitten Oval.

The team had earlier won the State Semi Final round-robin at Lewis Reserve in Wantirna South, beating Drouin Secondary College by 11 points (4.4.28-2.5.17), Niddrie Secondary College by 27 points (5.11.41 -2.2.14) and St Helena’s by 16 points.

In the local rounds, they had smashed Wodonga High School by 126 points (17.30.132 – 1.0.6) at Wareena Park, and before that, a round-robin at the Barr Reserve, beating Benalla Secondary College by 68 points (68-0) and Galen College by 33 (8.5.53 – 2.8.20).

Coach Gary Michael claimed his 2nd State Title, the previous being the 1996 Year 7 Boys led by future AFL players Steve Johnson and Karl Norman, who won it by 73 points at Windy Hill.

The 2005 team was a different beast to the 1996 one. For starters, thy boasted no future AFL players. In fact, of our 11 State Title teams, the 2005 team is one of only two (1994 Intermediates the other) not to feature a future AFL player. In fact this group didn’t feature anybody that went through the Murray Bushrangers system either.

They did however have a great mix of good talent and size.

Captain Danny Allan followed the lead of older brother Jamie, who 2 years prior was Co-Captain of our 2003 Senior State Champion team. They remain the only brothers to both Captain a State Title Football outfit.

Allan played in the Under 15 Ovens & Murray Schoolboys (equivalent to today’s V-Line Cup North East Border Division 1 team) two years later as a Year 9.

Allan, Dale Martin and Patrick O’Donoghue, would all play in an O&M 3rds Premiership for Wangaratta Rovers in 2008 as Year 10s.

As far as boys that had long Senior careers, Martin led the way, playing 100 Senior games for the Rovers, including debuting as a Year 11 in 2009. His father Rick had once spent time on St Kilda’s list in the AFL

Daniel Mulrooney was another known to be a classy player, and played some Senior football at Wangaratta Magpies while still at school. Mulrooney, Allan and Martin made up a strong and skilled starting midfield unit. Mul‘s father Peter had also been recruited to the AFL, playing some Reserves for St Kilda.

Nathan Hooper played Senior football at Wangaratta Magpies, and many say he had the talent to play a lot more. He instead moved to the Ovens & King and was a top line goal kicking midfielder for Milawa, before coaching Whorouly at a young age.

Hooper won the 2005 McCormick Medal (League Best & Fairest, Under 16) two years later as a Year 9, a year after going Runner-Up in the Farrell Medal (League B&F, Under 14) in Year 8.