STATE CHAMPIONS

2002 Year 8 Boys Football

Our first ever Year 8 team to win it all.

The boys beat Horsham Secondary College by a comfortable 35 points at Whiten Oval in Footscray, with Centre Half Cade McDonald winning the Best On Ground medal.

They earlier won the Semi Final by 38 points over Warragul Secondary College, and prior at the Eastern Zone Finals at Benalla, they had blitzed Yarrawonga (22-1), Seymour (72-0) and Mooroopna (74-0). They began the campaign dominating the NEDSSSA carnival in Wangaratta, beating Galen (36-6), Benalla (25-1) and Ovens College (43-12).

They won the Final even without star player Leeton Spriggs, who moved to Boarding School to pursue Tennis after the Semi Final. He’d been the match-winner of that Semi, kicking 5 of our 8 goals. Spriggs in earlier rounds had been written up as an “attacking Centre Half Back.”

Although one of just 2 of our 9 State Champion boys team that didn’t boast a future AFL player or draftee, the team was stacked with talent.

Captain Luke Morgan would play for the 2004 Under 15 Vic Country team two years later (alongside Year 9s Daniel Boyle and Casey McDonald). Morgan starred at the National Championships Carnival in Perth, winning the Vic Country Best & Fairest with 34 votes. He would later Captain the Under 18 Murray Bushrangers, and then play 54 VFL games for the Northern Bullants. He later Captain-Coached Benalla to a GVFL Premiership, and almost did the same for Wangaratta Magpies (raging favourite, only for Shaun Mannaugh to rip the Grand Final away).

Three of the team played U18 Murray Bushrangers – Morgan, Brent Newton and Tyson Hartwig.

Hartwig became one of the premier key defenders in the Ovens & Murray for the Rovers, wearing the O&M Interleague jumper 5 times, and later a VCFL jumper (and All-Australian) at 24. The strong and inspirational leader would also win 2 Rovers B&Fs, Captain them for 3 years in his 150+ Rovers games, and be named in the O&M Team Of The Year. He also represented the strong EDFL in Interleague.

Newton was recruited to the VFL, spending time at the Northern Blues, for 2 Reserves games, before returning to star in a Premiership for Milawa. The monster key forward/ruckman with a booming kick also played for the Magpies, and Captain-Coached Chiltern

A number played plenty of O&M Seniors.

Jordan Solimo was the first to win a flag, for the Magpies in 2008 as a 20 year old. When Shane Gaston won his flag in 2024, he joined Solimo as two of only 7 of our boys to ever win both a VSSSA State Title and O&M Senior Premiership.

Gaston had an enduring career, playing 241 Senior games for the Rovers, including a Best & Fairest (2014), 2-time Interleague representation (2015, 2016), 2-time O&M Team Of The Year (2014, 2016) and a Premiership (2024). He also played a few SANFL Reserves games for South Adelaide.

Daniel McCullough became a star for Wangaratta Rovers as a freakish small forward, once kicking 7 in a match. He’d also been a key part of Tarrawingee’s 27-year-drought-breaking 2007 Premiership, as a 19-year old.

Luke Peters was good enough to rack up 100+ games for the Rovers, and the 203cm Tim Aumann played some Seniors for the Magpies. Aumann (2012) and his grea mate Solimo (2016) would both later win a Best & Fairest at Tarrawingee.

Our archives reveal there were plenty of all-rounders in this team.

Hartwig (2003) and Aumann (2204) both later played in a Victorian State Volleyball team. Hartwig‘s Vic team won the National Championships in Canberra.

McCullough won 3 Squash State Titles (2001, 2003, 2005). His 4 total Titles sit him equal first all-time, alongside Jordan Fisher and Daniel Barassi.

Hartwig and Morgan won a State Athletics Gold Medal together in 2006, in the 4x100m Relay. They must have been a hell of a Clearance Combination in this midfield.

Morgan actually won Relay Gold twice – the other occasion being 2005. He also won State Bronze in the 800m twice (2005, 2006). He must have been some athlete.

Cade McDonald won 1 Athletics and 2 Swimming Age Group Champion medals. He is one of only 39 to win Age Group at both carnivals. He is the only one to ever also win a BOG Medal in a State Football Final.

Hartwig still holds 2 Upper Hume Track & Field records (16 Boys Shot Put from 2003 – 14.23m, and a 17 Boys 4x100m Relay from 2005), as well as our 18+ Boys Discus Athletics Carnival record, with his throw of 38.34m. This is who opponents had to contend with in the Ruck.

In terms of football genetics, Hartwig‘s father Leigh was a 5-time Premierships player for the Rovers. Newton‘s older brother Leigh played 13 AFL games for Melbourne and won an O&M Morris Medal. Another brother, Mick, also spent time at Melbourne in the Reserves.

The team interestingly was coated by a parent (Tony Hill, father of star forward and leading goalkicker Nick), with teacher Frank Ford the assistant/team manager. This would be the case again two years later, when this group as Year 10s, lost the 2004 Intermediate Grand Final by a goal to Lilydale High School.

That 2004 team must have been strong, with two Year 9 Vic Country players (Boyle and Casey McDonald) added to this group. It would have given these 2022 Year 8s their 2nd Title in 3 years, and a claim as our 2nd best cohort of all time (behind the 1996 Year 7s of Steve Johnson and Karl Norman etc, who won 3 Titles in 4 years). They probably take that 2nd place regardless.

GOAL KICKERS: NIck Hill 15, Lukę Morgan 6, Brent Newton 6, Leeton Spriggs 5, Brent Ibrom 4, Tyson Hartwig 2, Troy Winzer 1, J Bismire 1, Ruary Read 1, Nathan Salmon 1.

BEST PLAYER VOTES: Troy Winzer 10, Cade McDonald 9, Leeton Spriggs 9, Tyson Hartwig 6, Luke Morgan 7, Tim Aumann 3, , Daniel McCullough 2, Nick Hill 1, Luke Peters 1.

HOW THEY LINED UP (WE THINK) –

B: Chris Bodlivic, Daniel McCullough, Shane Chilcott

HB: Shane Gaston, Cade McDonald, Tom Holgate

C: Corey Saunders, Luke Morgan (C), Tom Sorraghan

HF: Tim Aumann, Brent Newton, Jordan Solimo

F: Nick Hill, Brent Ibrom, James Bismire

RUCK: Tyson Hartwig, Troy Winzer (C), Luke Peters

INTER: Mitch Glover, Nathan Salmon, Michael Boal, Kayne Clarke.