By Ryan Long
Silvan
Ladder Position: 1st (14-2, 280.63%)
Best and Fairest winner: James Charge
Leading Goalkicker: Leigh Kimpton (109)
Summary:
A year to remember for Trent Martin and the Cats who won their ninth premiership in the league and their first one since 2014. The season started with strong recruiting in the off-season, adding experienced players from higher divisions to the list including boosting their scoring power up forward with small forward Jusrin Ficorilli and Billy Rattray. The two combined for 96 goals for the year while star key forward Leigh Kimpton broke the ton on a special day for the club in their Round 17 victory over Chirnside Park.
Cruising through the first nine rounds of the Home and Away season, the Cats were undefeated with an average winning margin of 118 points, becoming the undoubted premiership favourites. However, they had their first slip-up in Round 11 when Surrey Park pinched a four-point victory. The Panthers had been the first side to limit the influence of Kimpton and the Cats high-scoring forwards while winning the midfield battle, again defeating Silvan for the second time in the final match of the home and away season.
With a serious challenger to compete against, Silvan was forced to meet Surrey Park twice in the Finals series on their way to the 2022 Division Four premiership. In the Semi-Final, the Cats were down by 19 points at Half Time, before kicking six goals to one in the third term to set up a comfortable 27-point win. It was a similar situation two weeks later when the sides met in the Grand Final, Silvan trailing at the first two changes before levelling the scores at three-quarter time. Led by playing coach Trent Martin in a best-on-field performance, the Cats managed to get home by twelve points and claim premiership honours.
The club now moves to Division Three in season 2023.
Key Players:
James Charge made his way to Silvan in 2022 as one of the best recruits for the season. The ruckman filled a hole in the list that kept the side from being able to compete against the dominant Coldstream from the year before. Charge finished with the honours of the club’s best and fairest in a premiership year including a great performance on the big stage in the Grand Final.
Silvan’s strongest aspect of their side in 2023 was their potent forward line, led by Leigh Kimpton who finished with 109 goals from 18 games. Four times across the year, Kimpton kicked at least ten majors in a match. After being held goalless for the first three-quarters of the Grand Final, Kimpton broke free in the final term, kicking two late goals to get the Cats across the line. He was joined this season by Justin Ficorilli from Croydon who had 66 goals himself for the season playing his role as a dangerous small forward.
Their midfield group were impressive across the year, with Patrick Travers, Lachlan Lynch and Matteo D’Alfonso all featuring in the best regularly. While Darcy Turnbull had a breakout year, kicking 22 goals from 18 games along with being featured in the side’s best seven times.
The Cats had eight players feature in the Division Four Team of the Year, Trent Martin (Coach), James Charge, Matteo D’Alfonso, Patrick Travers, Tyson Bissels, Leigh Kimpton, Justin Ficorilli and Matthew Low.
Best Win: Grand Final – Silvan 10.9 69 def. Surrey Park 8.9 57 @East Burwood Reserve
Clearly the club’s most important win, not only just this year but the greatest Silvan victory since their last premiership back in 2014.
The Cats were made to earn it with the Panthers controlling most of the play in the first half. In a very physical affair early, Silvan couldn’t get their attacking brand of footy going. With the Panthers not able to make the most of their momentum and territory dominance, Silvan began to win the ball in the middle through some dominance from ruckman James Charge.
Tied at Three Quarter Time, Leigh Kimpton managed to work himself into the game after a quiet start with two last-quarter goals, snatching the lead back for the Cats. A Matthew Low goal late in the game sealed the premiership and guaranteed that the flag was coming home to Silvan.
Playing Coach, Trent Martin turned back the clock, playing a dominant role on the half-back line, saving multiple goals with his intercept marking. Martin was one of the key figures keeping the Cats in the game early when the Panthers looked to gain momentum. His performance earned him the best on-field honours in the twelve-point victory.
Off-Season Focus:
The recruitment of experienced heads was one of the key reasons why Silvan was able to come up on top on Grand Final Day. To compete for a finals position in Division Three, they’ll need their experienced veterans to again be at the peak of their game.
Next year is a little bit of a free hit for the Cats. They’ll test themselves out against the other division three clubs and put a lot of emphasis on consolidating their position in the division.
Netball Review
Silvan’s Section 4 Netball team finished the season winning five of their seventeen games. The club had impressive wins against Mulgrave, Ferntree Gully, Glen Waverley and Boronia. A very solid year in a competitive section where all sides had at least three wins for the year.
Jen Peterson had a fantastic season, finishing eighth in the regular season scoring for the section with 156 goals. Even more impressive considering she only played 13 games for the year. Peterson’s major highlight for the year was her 22-point game in the Cats’ 11-point win over the Glen Waverley Hawks, their biggest win for the year.
Both Bianca Stockley and Bailea Robinson had strong years too, combining for 225 goals while Tracey Ellis remained one of their most consistent players, playing fifteen games for the season.
A lot to look forward to for Silvan’s Netball team going forward into 2023.
