Sport
Goulburn Valley Suns finalise off-season signings, headlined by reigning league medallist Callum Schorah
Shepparton football’s worst kept secret is out of the bag.
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Goulburn Valley Suns are rolling out the red carpet for their new cast of players and among the role players is a genuine A-lister ready for his encore in orange and navy.
Reigning Victorian Premier League Two MVP and 2024 joint golden boot holder Callum Schorah has committed to Craig Carley’s side for the upcoming season and the Suns gaffer could not be more rapt to finally announce the signing.
“Cal’s massive for us — he was instrumental in us staying up last year with his performances,” Carley said.
“It’s been something in the pipeline; we’ve known that he’s coming back for a couple of months, but obviously had to keep it under wraps.
“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome him back and I think he will complement this group of players that we’ve managed to assemble really well.
“It’s an attacking team that we’ve got this year; I think we’ll be far more dynamic and actually be able to implement the philosophy and style of play that I want to achieve at this club.”
As Carley eluded, Schorah isn’t the only flashy recruit for 2025.
The dazzling midfielder is joined by fellow new announcements Mangara Munguakonkhwa, Christian Ntambwe and Israel Monga, who have all come across from the Albury-Wodonga region.
Carley described Munguakonkhwa as a “scary good” number 10, who will add class to the Suns’ stocks alongside Burundi under-20 international Ntambwe and Victorian youth representative Monga.
Ex-St George Willawong goalkeeper Ashton Bonsall has also impressed since arriving from Queensland, while winger Brandon Giaccherini has returned to McEwen Reserve after several months on trial at NPL powerhouse Oakleigh Cannons.
It’s a sizeable new intake, but for Carley, the positives are already shining through.
The Suns took on Langwarrin in a pre-season friendly at the weekend and cashed in a 1-1 draw against the higher ranked side, welcoming three of its imports into the squad despite them arriving in the country less than 48 hours before kick off.
“It was good to get some minutes into their legs; we weren’t expecting them to play, but they wanted to and all performed really well,” he said.
“They’re all very good players, but more importantly, really good people too. I think they will fit into our football community really well.
“We certainly mixed it with Langwarrin, who are a decent side in their own right in the league above.
“They went on a 10-game unbeaten spell last year, but there was certainly no difference in the quality of teams on the weekend — if anything, we were probably the better side.”
The new boys have hit the ground running — however, with signings come departures.
Long-serving midfielder Harun Aktas has moved on to play for Geelong Soccer Club, while Hassan Alhilfi and Marcus Thomas have stepped away from the club.
Others who also won’t suit up for the Suns in 2025 are lethal forward Russell Currie and defensive rock Tutu Taya, who will be sold after being placed on professional contracts.
“We’ve sold Russ — we sold him for a fee and the club has agreed terms with a team in New Zealand for him, so that’s all done,” Carley said.
“Tutu is still a registered professional player on our books and is another one who we’ll be looking to move on, but that obviously comes with a transfer fee too, so we’ll be seeking training compensation from his incoming team.”
It’s a lot of moving parts for a Suns side looking to push up the ladder in 2025, but Carley hasn't forgotten about youth.
“We know we have a talented crop of under-23s players that won the league last year that we’re looking to continue with their development and expose to first team games,” he said.
“The more local players we can get, the better.
“Obviously it’s always a challenge every year, but we’ll definitely do the best we can to aim for those top spaces in the new format with promotion/relegation this year.
“I’m really looking to what we can achieve this year.”
ˑ The Suns’ season kicks off on February 8 with a home match against Boroondara-Carey Eagles at 6pm.
Senior Sports Journalist