Kyabram sporting greats Paul Newman and Ashlea Mangan are among the latest Kyabram Goulburn Valley League Hall of Fame inductees.
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Both were afforded the honour at a league function on Sunday night in Shepparton and are two of eight new faces to join the league’s prestigious honour roll.
The selection committee headed by veteran chairman and legendary Goulburn Valley media man Don Kilgour also delved back over 80 years with one of its inductees, Rushworth’s Keith Kane.
Kane was the star in the GVL in the 1930s when the Tigers won five flags and were runners-up five times.
In that period he won the league’s Morrison Medal in 1938 and 1939 before a distinguished war career.
Others in the latest batch of inductees were Tatura champion John Greenwood who won successive Morrison Medals in 1969 and 1970, Seymour’s Matthew O’Sullivan and 2004 Morrison Medallist Shane Schottner and Shepparton Swans stalwart player and administrator Matty Sellman.
Tatura’s Gay Eaton had the honour of being named the first netball Legend of the League after a dominant playing and administrative career.
Eaton was also the first GVL netballer to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
PAUL NEWMAN
Paul Newman commenced playing with Dawes Road Primary School and the Kyabram Wombats under-16s before joining the Bombers under-18 team.
He went on to play 222 senior games and kick 764 goals for the Bombers and established the most amazing coaching record. He developed into a champion forward who could belittle the best defenders with his superb judgement and uncanny marking power.
His first grand final success was in 2013 when he coached the Kyabram Under-18s to a flag and in the same year he captained the senior team to a premiership, winning by 49 points.
In 2015 he transferred to support his brother David who was coaching the Tongala team in the Murray League. He was a sensation and kicked more than 100 goals to become the first and only Tongala player to have achieved the feat.
In 2016 he returned to Kyabram to the senior coaching role and had the distinction of coaching the Bombers to a Victorian record of 61 wins in succession from 2016 to 2019.
He coached Kyabram to premierships in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
At one stage he had coached Kyabram to 83 wins out of 84 games, the only blemish being in the 2018 grand final which Kyabram lost to Shepparton by two points.
Newman won the Kyabram’s best and fairest award in 2002 and 2005.
The GVL was delighted to have a player of his brilliance wear the purple and gold league colours which he did on 21 occasions and captained the league four times. His ability won him a position in the VCFL team where he performed admirably over a number of years and was selected in the Country All Australian team.
Paul became a GVL qualified life member on playing his 200th game and was honoured with a life membership of the Kyabram Football Netball Club.
Paul, or Paulo as he is known, has been an incredibly gifted sportsman and is equally as talented as a cricketer with the ability to score freely and bring attacks to their knees.
A Fire Brigade Cricket Club stalwart who holds the record for being the club’s most prolific run maker with five double centuries in his resume and several centuries at Melbourne Country Week carnivals.
GVL Hall of Fame member, Kyabram’s legendary sports journalist Gus Underwood rates Newman as the best all-round sportsman he has seen in the Kyabram district in his 80 years.
ASHLEA MANGAN
When the official GVL netball competition commenced in 1983, local girls playing netball in their home town competitions were keen to join the inter town-based competition of the GVL.
Ashlea Mangan of Kyabram joined the Kyabram association as a nine-year-old and fell in love with the game.
She was clearly an accomplished player as she proceeded through the age groups and when she was almost 14, she was enticed to try out with the Kyabram team which had entered the first year of the new under-17 competition in the GVL. That was a great decision by her, as the Bombers netballers won the under-17 premiership in 2003 and 2004 with Ashlea in the team winning the Kyabram best and fairest award and was runner-up in the GVL Medal.
Ashlea was also asked to fill in for the Kyabram senior team when it had a vacancy. This gave her a wonderful opportunity to prepare for a long career as a senior GVL player.
In 2005 Ashlea became a full-time A-grade player in goal defence and quickly became a brilliant player for Kyabram and commenced a very successful A-grade career. The year 2006 was special for Ashlea as she was part of the first A-grade premiership Kyabram team.
The Kyabram girls became a power in the league with Ashlea being a vital cog.
Kyabram lost the 2007 grand final with Ashlea winning best on court, but then won the premiership in 2008.
Ashlea took a year away in 2009 and played a season with Tongala in the Murray League, winning a premiership and the Murray League’s best and fairest medal.
On her return Kyabram won back-to-back flags in 2011 and 2012 as well as 2016 and 2017.
It was Ashlea’s consistency that made her a star and she became a triple Wellman Medallist when she polled the most votes in the GVL Netball seasons of 2008, 2010 and 2012.
She was also runner-up in 2011.
Ashea was voted best on court in the grand final in 2016.
Ashlea’s career came to a halt when she missed the 2014 season with an ACL injury.
Ashlea was chosen to represent the league in six country championships where she once again was in winning teams.
The Kyabram school teacher took some time off for family leave to have three boys — Billy, Tommy and Toby.
In 2010 the family moved to Echuca, but she continued to play for Kyabram.
Her first full season with Echuca in 2023 saw her once again in a premiership team and she won the best and fairest award with Echuca. Her love of the game sees her still playing the sport.
KEITH KANE
With a history dating back to the 1890s, the GVL can recognise players who not only served the league as top class footballers, but served their country with distinction in times of war.
From 1908-1964 the Rushworth Football Club competed in the GVL and was a powerhouse in the 1930s, winning five premierships and also playing in five losing grand finals.
A name that stood out throughout that era was dual Morrison Medal winner Keith Kane.
Keith joined the Rushworth team as a youngster, played in all five Rushworth premiership teams and five losing grand final teams in the 1930’s.
His class saw him win the Morrison Medal in 1938 and repeat the honour in 1939. He was the first GVL player to win back-to-back league medals.
He was a farm worker who set an inspiring example as a player and a gentleman.
He was presented with his Morrison Medals during the half-time break on GVL grand final days.
Keith played all his football with Rushworth and won the club’s best player award, the Colliver Cup.
He was selected to represent the GVL in inter-league games and excelled in the league’s five-point victory against the Waranga North East League in 1935.
It was a spectacular era for the Rushworth club and Keith played a huge part in the success it enjoyed.
Keith’s football career was halted in 1940 following the outbreak of World War II.
He enlisted in the army and became a member of one of the most famous battalions in Australian military history, the 2/8th Battalion. He served at Tobruk in North Africa before taking part in the defence of Greece and Crete.
He then moved to the Pacific theatre of war against the Japanese and served as a corporal in the Solomon Islands, Bougainville and Papua New Guinea.
Keith lost his brother Bazil in 1941 while on active service.
Following his distinguished military service Keith returned to his beloved Rushworth and not only donned the yellow and black colours again but became coach of the team in 1947, still playing at the age of 37.
He was much loved by his teammates and the supporters of the club who recognised that the Tigers were being led by a special man.
However, the club’s glory days in the GVL were effectively over then, with the club only making one post-war finals series.
Keith died at 55 years of age in December 1965. Rushworth left the league in 1966.
Keith’s family donated his memorabilia and medals to the Rushworth Football Club where they were displayed in the clubrooms but, unfortunately, some memorabilia were stolen.
Sports reporter