GVL Data stars who ‘say it, don’t spray it’

By Rohan Aldous

Aug 8, 2022

Clanger king: Blake Evans, in spite of his terrific form for Rochester this season, has the most clangers for the team and is seventh in the category for the Goulburn Valley competition. Photo by BrucePoveyPhotos.com 2022

When Rochester coach Steve Stroobants demands his playing personnel “hit targets’’ he can do so with the strong backing of GVL Data statistical information, and his own outstanding 2022 record.

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Stroobants, who has kicked 36 goals in the Goulburn Valley competition this season, has committed only five clangers from his 120 kicks this season.

The brilliant forward doesn’t dispose of the ball by hand too often (only 29 this season) and has committed just five clangers for the season in 13 games.

For the uninitiated a clanger is considered to be any kick or handball that directly turns the ball over to the opposition.

Stroobants hasn’t, however, always been on target shooting for goal. He has kicked 26 behinds this season, having plenty of opportunities to score through his 42 forward-50 marks (eighth in the league and equal to Mitchell Cricelli).

Rochester is middle of the field (sixth most) when it comes to clangers. Half back-cum forward Blake Evans has the most clangers for the team (seventh in the league), having committed 33 from 181 kicks.

He also prefers to kick, having had only 34 hand balls out of defence this season.

Christopher Jansen is the next worst offender with 22 clangers, but his kick count is 214 (sixth in the league for disposals with 394).

Kyabram ball magnet Kaine Herbert is among only a handful of the GVL’s top 50 disposal winners to have committed less than a clanger a week this season.

From his 15 games Herbert has a clanger count of 13 — but even that is almost double that of Euroa’s handball happy clanger category leader, Max Gleeson.

Herbert has a 318 possession count this season and sits 23rd in the competition for disposals. He is the only player, of those who have had more than 200 kicks, to have less than 20 clangers.

Kyabram is the team with the lowest clanger count in the competiton — 43 less than the second-best team Mooroopna.

Shepparton United has committed more clangers than any team, closely followed by Benalla and Shepparton.

Of the top 50 ball winners in the league, only three others have a similar clanger count to the Kyabram star.

Gleeson’s preference to handball, only 106 of his 267 possessions have been kicks, have allowed him to give up only seven clangers in 14 games.

Gleeson is the 36th ranked player for total disposals in the competition and his single-figure count is heavily influenced by his preference to dispose of the ball by hand.

Herbert, conversely, has 223 kicks and just 95 handballs for the season.

His 13 clangers is bettered only by Echuca’s Ben Reid (27th on the disposal list), who has had 299 possessions (201 kicks) playing at half back.

Shepparton Swans ball winner Andrew Riordan, ranked 34th for disposals, is the only other player (of the top 50 ball winners in 2022) to have committed less clangers than he has played games.

In 14 games he has made only 12 clangers.

Riordan’s season count will probably remain at this for the season as he left the field on Saturday with a hamstring injury.

Next best is Logan Prout (56th most disposals this season) with 12 clangers from 12 games.

Not surprisingly the more disposals a player has the more likely they are to commit clangers, hence the surprising nature of the results for Herbert, Reid, Riordan and, to a lesser extent, handball happy Gleeson.

Benalla’s Will Martinello has the most disposals in the competition, passing the 450 mark on the weekend from his 14th match.

He has registered more than 40 clangers this season, just ahead of teammate Christopher Welsh and with brother James Martinello having committed the fourth most clangers (30).

Will Martinello also enjoys disposing of the ball by hand, but has still had 266 kicks.

Seymour’s Jack Murphy has had the most effective kicks of any player in the GVL and has a 74 per cent kicking efficiency. He has only 25 clangers from his 313 kicks, the second most in the competition (behind Tatura’s Billy Cooper, 317 — 24 clangers).