STATE CHAMPIONS

1998 Senior Girls Football “The Goannas”

Our second Senior Girls State Title in 3 years.

The Girls were also Equal 3rd in the State in 1997 (12 point loss in the Semi Final), in a stellar 3-year period which could have easily been 3 in a row.

The “Goannas” name had came from teammates calling out “Go Anna” to player Anna Stansbury in 1995, the first year of competition. Our Junior team became The Geckos.

In the State Final they beat Belmont High School by 24 points at Hansen Reserve, Airport West, after a 43 point (47-4) demolition of Frankston Secondary College in the State Semi at Scammel Reserve, Oakleigh.

On the way there, they accounted for Broadford SC (112-0), Corryong SC (110-0), and then Warrandyte High School (64-20) in the Eastern Zone Final at the Barr Reserve.

The team was Coached by Ian Harrison, long time Year Level Coordinator who had been a gun footballer in his day. The towering Harrison had been recruited to the AFL and trained with Essendon and Geelong, but didn’t stay. He, remarkably, is in the Team Of The Century for two different clubs – Euroa, who he played in a Premiership for as a teenager, and Beechworth, where he played when moving to Wangaratta to teach. One of the great stories of this team, is that Harrison was coaching daughter Jo.

A number of the Year 12 girls were also in the 1996 team – Captain Carley Allen, Vice Captain Shannon Knox, Deputy Vice Captain Kara Moore, Jo Harrison, Amanda Norman-Smith, Jordana Leerson and Leah Valencia. Other Year 12s were inclusions Jessica Cunningham, Rochelle Gannon, Shannon Humphries and Kristy Wright.

Humphries especially was a Boom Recruit, leading the Goalkicking with 16 (twice that of the next best), including 5 of our 8 in the Final from her Forward Pocket.

Six strong Year 11s were also important – Deputy Vice Captain Kate Graham, Lorissa Clarke, Michelle McKenzie, Megan Lowry, Rebecca Naish, Sarah Tucker.

Graham, playing in midfield, was awarded B.O.G in the Final, was 2nd in the Goal Kicking, and was 3rd in the Best Player Votes. She would be our 1999 Head Girl Prefect the following year.

There were also 8 talented Year 10s in the team – Melissa Andison, Alli Coster, Nicole Everitt, Rebecca Hogarth, Susie James, Alice Minns, Lisa Spence-Bailey and Sharnee Thompson. For a number of those, it was, incredibly, their second State Title that year

Addison, Coster, Hogarth and Minns were all in the Under 17 Volleyball team that were State Champions at the 1998 Vic Schools Cup.

Everitt and James were in the 1998 Touch Rugby State Champion team championship. In fact they had gone back-to-back, after winning the Touch Title in 1997 too.

For good measure, Minns won State Titles in 3 seperate Sports, claiming both the Relay & Track Cross Country Skiing Titles at the 1995 Vic Interschools Snow Championships, when in Year 7.

The other team member to win a different State Title was Lorissa Clarke, who was in the 1995 Year 8 Basketball State Champion team.

Graham and McKenzie had gone State Runner-Up in Softball in 1995 as Year 8s.

There were some very talented girls in this team who appear in our Sport archives elsewhere, including:

KARA MOORE – Ovens & Murray Netball League Best & Fairest two years in a row (1996 C Grade, 1997 B Grade) for Wangaratta Rovers. Member of Rovers C Grade Netball Premiership team 1996.

AMANDA NORMAN – Ovens & King Netball A Grade League Best & Fairest (and Premiership) 2009 for Tarrawingee, 1x WHS Athletics Champion.

JO HARRISON – 6x WHS Swimming Age Group Champion.

We note some strong football genetics in this group. At a glance:

AMANDA NORMAN. Daughter of Steve Norman – 7x Premiership player for Wangaratta Rovers, 1,000+ goals in Ovens & Murray, O&M Hall Of Fams, Rovers Team Of Century Full Forward. Sister of Karl Norman – 27 AFL games for Carlton, 3rd O&M Morris Medal, Rovers B&F, 4x Premierships with Glenrowan.

JO HARRISON. Daughter of Ian Harrison – Invited to AFL clubs Geelong & Essendon, Team Of The Century player for both Euroa and Beechworth, Premiership player at Euroa, Coach of the 1998 State Champion team.

CARLY ALLAN. Daughter of Richie Allan – Premiership player for Wangaratta Magpies 1976, plus Ovens & King League Best & Fairest (Baker Medal) & Premiership Captain Coach for King Valley 1981. Sister of Trent and Jayden – 2x O&K Premiers for Tarrawingee (2008,2010).

ROCHELLE GANNON. Daughter of John “Jack” Gannon – 423 games, 17 years coach. Interleague rep for several leagues (Ovens & Murray FL, Riverina FL, Farrer FL, South West FL), VCFL rep, NSW rep, Senior Coach of 8 clubs including Yarrawonga, Wangaratta, Glenrowan, Tarrawingee, King Valley). Brother of Sean – Murray Biushrangers player, 3 Senior B&Fs and Captain of West Preston-Lakeside.

LORISSA CLARKE. Daughter of Barry Clarke – 2x Premiership player at Milawa 1984-1985, 1x Premiership at Sale. O&M League Reserves B&F for Wangaratta Rovers.

KATE GRAHAM. Sister of Rohan – 2-time U18 Vic Country Teal Cup, once Vice Captain. Murray Bushrangers U18 Leading Goalkicker 1996, Pre-Season @ Western Bulldogs. VFL games at Williamstown.

ALICE MINNS. Granddaughter of Norm Minns – 5x Ovens & Murray Premiership player, 4 for Wangaratta Magpies, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1 Captain Coach for Benalla 1953). Forward flank in Magpies Team Of Century, Wangaratta Showgrounds named after him. Brother of Riley – Murray Bushrangers U18, Vic Country Under 16 squad member.

Six of the Girls had brothers that also won a State Football Title – Leah Valencia (brother Mark, 1994 Intermediate, Amanda Norman (brother Karl, 1996 Year 7, 1998 Intermediate, 1999 Intermediate), Michelle McKenzie (brother Chris, 1996 Year 7), Sharnee Thompson (brother Scott, 1994 Intermediates), Jessica Cunningham (brother Luke, 2003 Senior) and Alice Minns (brother Riley, 2003 Senior Boys Herald Shield).

The Norman siblings (Amanda and Karl) have the most ever, with a combined 6. They are the only pair to do it in the same year (1998).

GOAL KICKERS: Shannon Humphries 16, Kate Graham 8, Amanda Norman-Smith 6, Shannon Knox 5, Carly Allan 4, Jo Harrison 3, Make Ito 3, Rebecca Naish 2, Rebecca Hogarth 1, Lorissa Clarke 1, Ali Coster 1, Cassie James 1, Rochelle Gannon 1, Kara Moore 1, Michelle McKenzie 1.

BEST PLAYER VOTES: Shannon Knox 14, Carly Allan 13, Kate Graham 12, Shannon Humphries 8, Kara Moore 6, Michelle McKenzie 3, Rochelle Gannon 3, Melissa Addison 2, Alice Minns 1, Jessica Cunningham 1.

HOW THEY LINED UP:

B: Rebecca Hogarth, Rebecca Naish, Megan Lowry.

HB: Alice Minns, Leah Valencia, Sarah Tucker.

C: Michelle McKenzie, Kate Graham (DVC), Lorissa Clarke.

HF: Jessica Cunningham, Carly Allan (C), Melissa Andison.

F: Jo Harrison, Amanda N0rman-Smith, Shannon Humphries.

RUCK: Rochelle Gannon, Shannon Knox (VC), Kara Moore (DVC).

INTER: Susie James, Kristie Wright, Alli Coster,Lisa Spence-Bailey

MISSING: Jordan Leerson (injury), Maki Ito (returned home to Japan).

COACH: Ian Harrison