After a busy preseason recruiting new and returning players to the club, Kyabram is on the doorstep of reigniting its dynasty and claiming the big one against Rochester in the Goulburn Valley League senior grand final on Sunday.

The Bombers have been the cut-and-dry team to beat this season, refusing to relinquish top spot throughout the entirety of the home-and-away season.

It took all the way until round 16 for Kyabram to lose its first game of the season, being pipped by Mansfield by a point, before suffering a shock defeat at the hands of Shepparton Swans in the final round of the regular season.

The Bombers have been picture-perfect through their two games of finals so far, beating fellow grand finalist Rochester by 42 points and getting revenge for its earlier defeat against Mansfield by 82.

Kyabram has been relatively unaffected by injury this season and has arguably the strongest and most consistent list in the competition, bolstered by young guns who have made the leap such as Archie Watt, Oscar Dixon and Bohden Learmonth and a new face in 2024 Murray League best-and-fairest Jack Russell.

Looking ahead to the big dance against the Tigers, coach Corey Carver was quietly confident that his side could return to the promised land.

“Ideally, you want the week off, so, we’re glad for that and any of the older boys who are a bit sore, they can get an extra week, which is nice,” he said.

“The vibe’s good, the energy’s really good, as it should be, you’d be worried if it’s not.

“It’s a great time of year to be playing, everyone wants to play this time of the year, so it’s good.”

Reflecting on the season as a whole, Carver highlighted the buy-in by his players as being vital for the team to build as the season has worn on.

“Overall, the season has been really good, winning all our games except two, so we hit the finals ready to go and so far so good,” he said.

“We’ve got one to go, and hopefully, we play well in that last one, which is the most important.

“I think the commitment’s been high all year, so right from the word go, the boys have been here and doing all the work and full commitment, which is good.

“It’s just been a steady build, and hopefully, we can build one last time.”

Carver also outlined the club’s effective recruitment and junior development as the keys to the Bombers’ recent success.

“We were deliberately targeting people who weren’t playing with us, if you look at some of the guys like Tom Holman played really well last couple weeks, so that’s a no-brainer to get back to play,” he said.

“Mick Mattingly missed last year and Zach Norris also missed the year, who're two really good players, so they can come back to play.

“Jack Russell’s a great pickup, and he was mates with the guys who come back from Moama, so a good one to get to play.

“You’ve got to promote your juniors, we’ve had a history of really strong junior development.

“If you look at some of our guys, Oscar Dixon’s played every game, he's developed and got better all the time.

“Archie Watt is an excellent player and he’s improved throughout the year.

“Angus Scoble is another one, he’s a first year out of thirds, he’s been really strong.

“Those guys have been critical for us. You’ve got to have your locals improving, and they have been, so that’s good.”

After having a down year last season, the Bombers have bounced back in an emphatic way and now stand on the precipice of a return to glory, with Carver ready for his side to win it all.

“As bad as last year was, sometimes I think you need that,” he said.

“It was a year when we had so many injuries that we’re able to expose some players to some senior footy last year.

“I think it helped the development of them and probably fast-tracked a couple, so it’s great to be back.

“Of course we believe we can win and anyone you ask will say the same thing, but you’ve just got to do everything right at training and put yourself in a good spot to go.”

One FM will be broadcasting all three Goulburn Valley League football grand finals on Sunday, kicking off at 9am.

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Wednesday, 30th August 2023

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