Murray Bushrangers
Australian rules football club
Navy Blue Indigo YellowThe Murray Bushrangers is an Australian rules football team playing in Victorian statewide under-18s competition, presently known as the Talent League, since 1993 based in Wangaratta. The team trains on Norm Minns Oval, Wangaratta. The team is coached by Mark Brown in 2024. Guernsey colours are Black, Purple and Yellow, with black socks and black (home) or white (away) shorts.
The Bushrangers have produced some of the elite Australian Football League players through the AFL Draft including Daniel Cross, Brett Deledio, Steele Sidebottom, Steve Johnson, Jarrad Waite, Kayne Pettifer, Justin Koschitzke, Hamish McIntosh, Barry Hall, Fraser Gehrig, Ben Mathews, Steven King, Robert Campbell, Alipate Carlile, David Mundy, Shannon Byrnes & Laitham Vandermeer in recent years.
Club history
The TAC Cup was established in 1992 following the disbandment of the VFL Under 19's competition, due to the ceasing of the Victorian state geographical zoning regions and was initially ran by the Victorian State Football League.
The Murray Bushrangers are based at Wangaratta, near the Victoria-NSW border and have been involved in the competition since 1993 when the competition added another four country teams, which brought the number of teams to twelve regions.
The Murray Bushrangers supports local talent squads at Under 15 and Under 16 levels and co-ordinates the talented player pathways program for young aspiring AFL players throughout the North East and Goulburn Valley regions.
While the Murray Bushrangers forms an initial career path to the AFL for some, for many others it provides an outstanding experience of elite under 18 football, giving players a solid foundation for a successful playing and or coaching pathway at regional level.
Following season 1999, the AFL Reserves Grade was terminated leaving AFL clubs without a place to field their reserves players. The Kangaroos, together with the Ovens and Murray Football League launched their own stand-alone VFL club in the Victorian Football League called the Murray Kangaroos Football Club. The club's home games were split between Coburg City Oval in Melbourne, and Lavington Oval in Albury-Wodonga.[1]
The side was made up with players from the Kangaroos, topped up with players from the Ovens and Murray Football League, and offering a second chance to players from the statewide under-18s Murray Bushrangers team who had missed out on the draft.
At the end of 2002, The Kangaroos disbanded the club citing pressure from the AFL, and cost-cutting measures (the club cost around $100,000 a year to field). North Melbourne instead decided to align with the Port Melbourne Football Club in a short-term deal.[2]
Murray lost in the 2007 TAC Cup Grand Final to the Calder Cannons by 50 points and Ben McEvoy was selected in the TAC Team of the Year. 2008 saw the Bushrangers dominate the entire competition season finishing 1st at season end and defeating the Dandenong Stingrays by 81 points in the 2008 grand final and midfielder-forward Steele Sidebottom had a game-high 32 possessions and kicked 10.3 claiming best on ground honours.[3][4]
Grand Finals
- Under 18's Boys
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runner Up | Score | Venue | Best on Ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Murray Bushrangers | 17.18 - 120 | Geelong Falcons | 12.12 - 84 | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Michael Stevens |
| 2003 | Calder Cannons | 16.14 - 110 | Murray Bushrangers | 2.6 - 18 | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Brock McLean |
| 2007 | Calder Cannons | 14.20 - 104 | Murray Bushrangers | 7.12 - 54 | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Ashley Arrowsmith |
| 2008 | Murray Bushrangers | 21.16 - 142 | Dandenong Stingrays | 9.7 - 61 | Docklands Stadium/Etihad Stadium | Steele Sidebottom |
| 2016 | Sandringham Dragons | 12.13 - 85 | Murray Bushrangers | 9.14 - 68[5] | Docklands Stadium/Etihad Stadium | Andrew McGrath |
- Under 18's Girls
2017 - Murray Bushrangers finished 2nd on the ladder.[6]
Statistical Record
- TAC Cup Stats
- Premierships (2): 1998, 2008
- Runners-up (3): 2003, 2007, 2016
- Minor Premiers (4): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2008
- Wooden Spoons: Nil. (lowest: 13th of 18 in 2023)
- Grand Final Best On Ground Medalist: Michael Stevens (1998), Steele Sidebottom (2008)
- Most goals in a grand final: 10 - Steele Sidebottom (2008)
- Morrish Medalist: Derek Murray (1997), Farran Priest (2008) Clayton Oliver (2015)
- Leading U/18 Goalkicker: Josh Schache 34 (2015)
- No.1 Draft Pick: Josh Fraser (2000), Brett Deledio (2004)
- MB Games Record Holder: Derek Murray (48 games)
- MB Goals Record Holer: Adam Prior (85 Goals)
- MB Most goals in a season:
- TAC CUP Coach of the Year award winners: Nil
- Highest Score: MB: 28.12 - 180 d Sandringham Dragons: 8.7 - 55. Rd.8, 2003
- Lowest Score: Calder Cannons: 16.14 - 110 d MB: 2.6 - 18. Grand Final, 2003
- Most consecutive wins: 15 from Rd.9 2008 to Rd.1 2009.[7] (no available records between 1994 & 1999)
- AFL Stats (former MBFC players)
- AFL Coaches Association Award - Champion Player: Barry Hall (2005), Clayton Oliver (2021 & 2022)
- AFL Grand Final. Norm Smith Medalist: Steve Johnson: Geelong (2007)
- Anzac Day Match Medal: Mark McGough: Collingwood (2002), Steele Sidebottom Collingwood (2016)
- Leading AFL Goalkicker: Coleman Medal: Fraser Gehrig 2004 & 2005
- AFL Mark of the Year: Michael Newton: (2007), Jamie Elliott: Collingwood (2013)
- AFL Best First Year Player: Brett Deledio Richmond (2005)
- Yearly Ladder Placings (1993 - 2023)
| Year | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| Position | 8th | 6th | 6th | 10th | 2nd | 1st | 1st* | 1st* | 1st* | 2nd | 2nd | 9th | 8th | 9th | 2nd | 1st* | 10th | 8th | 11th | 5th | 8th | 8th | 3rd | 2nd | 5th | 5th | 9th[8] | N/A | 13th | 9th | 13th |
- 1st*: Minor premiers
- 1st: Bold - Major premiers
AFL Draftees
The following footballers were drafted to an AFL club from the Murray Bushrangers FC.
Team of the Year players
The following players were selected in the TAC Cup U/18 team of the year side.
| Year | Player's Name |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Fraser Gehrig |
| 1994 | Joel Smith |
| 1995 | Jason Sheather, Barry Hall |
| 1996 | Hayden Lamaro |
| 1997 | Matthew Hyde, Heath Younie, Derek Murray |
| 1998 | Chris Lamb, Derek Murray |
| 1999 | Craig Ednie, Josh Fraser, David Teague |
| 2000 | Craig Ednie, Justin Koschitzke, Sean O'Keeffe |
| 2001 | Mark McGough, Steve Johnson, Justin Davies |
| 2002 | Corey Brown, Hamish McIntosh |
| 2003 | Kane Tenace, Ryley Dunn, Lance Oswald |
| 2004 | Marcus Drum, Brett Deledio |
| 2005 | Tim Looby, Marcus Drum |
| 2006 | No player selected |
| 2007 | Ben McEvoy |
| 2008 | Jack Ziebell, Tom Rockliff, Kade Klemke |
| 2009 | Dylan McNeil |
| 2010 | Shaun Atley, Anthony Miles |
| 2011 | Jack Crisp |
| 2012 | Tom Clurey |
| 2013 | Michael Gibbons, Nick Holman |
| 2014 | Daniel Howe, Nathan Drummond |
| 2015 | Josh Schache, Clayton Oliver, Nick Coughlan |
| 2016 | Will Brodie, James Cousins |
| 2017 | Ben Paton |
| 2018 | Lachlan Ash, Jordon Butts, Hudson Garoni, Ely Smith |
| 2019 | Lachlan Ash |
| 2020 | NAB Cup in recess > Covid 19 |
| 2021 | Josh Rachele |
| 2022 | No player selected |
| 2023 | Connor O'Sullivan, Darcy Wilson |
| 2024 |
All Australian Team Selection
The following Murray Bushrangers FC players were selected in various All Australian sides below.
- AFL - All Australian Side
| Year | Player's Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Fraser Gehrig | West Coast Eagles |
| 2000 | Steven King | Geelong |
| 2001 | Joel Smith | Hawthorn |
| 2002 | Adam Yze | Melbourne |
| 2004 | Fraser Gehrig | St. Kilda |
| Barry Hall | Sydney Swans | |
| 2005 | Barry Hall | Sydney Swans |
| 2006 | Barry Hall | Sydney Swans |
| 2007 | Steve Johnson | Geelong |
| 2008 | Steve Johnson | Geelong |
| 2010 | Steve Johnson | Geelong |
| Barry Hall | Sydney Swans | |
| 2011 | Ben Reid | Collingwood |
| 2014 | Tom Rockliff | Brisbane Lions |
| 2015 | David Mundy | Fremantle |
| 2018 | Clayton Oliver | Melbourne |
| Steele Sidebottom | Collingwood | |
| 2021 | Clayton Oliver | Melbourne |
| 2022 | Clayton Oliver | Melbourne |
- Under 18 - All Australian Side
| Year | U/18 - Player's Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Nathan Tresize | Yarrawonga |
| 1998 | Chris Lamb | Wodonga Raiders |
| 1999 | Brad Horn | Lavington |
| 2000 | Kayne Pettifer | Kyabram |
| 2001 | Mark McGough | Mulwala |
| Steve Johnson | Wangararatta | |
| 2002 | Ryley Dunn | Shepparton |
| 2003 | Ryley Dunn | Shepparton |
| Kane Tenace | Shepparton | |
| Shaun Daly | Corowa Rutherglen | |
| 2004 | Brett Deledio | Kyabram |
| Marcus Drum | Congupna | |
| 2005 | No player selected | |
| 2006 | No player selected | |
| 2007 | Ben McEvoy | Dederang / Mt. Beauty |
| 2008 | Steele Sidebottom | Congupna |
| Jack Ziebell | Wodonga | |
| 2009 | Dylan O'Neill | Lavington |
| 2010 | Shaun Atley | Wodonga |
| 2011 | No player selected | |
| 2012 | No player selected | |
| 2013 | No player selected | |
| 2014 | Caleb Marchbank | Benalla |
| 2015 | Josh Schache | Seymour |
| 2016 | Will Brodie | Shepparton |
| 2017 | Ben Paton | Mitta United |
| 2018 | Jacob Koschitzke | Albury |
| 2019 | Lachlan Ash | Shepparton |
| 2020 | ? | |
| 2021 | ? | |
| 2022 | Oliver Hollands | Wodonga |
| 2023 | Connor O'Sullivan | Albury |
- Under 17 - All Australian Side
| Year | U/17 - Player's Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Shaun Gordon | Congupna |
| 1995 | Adam Houlihan | Corowa Rutherglen |
| Leigh Marshall | Deniliquin | |
| 2006 | Ben Reid | Wangaratta Rovers |
| Tim McIntyre | Corowa Rutherglen | |
| Ben McEvoy | Dederang / Mt. Beauty | |
| Ryan Normington | Shepparton United |
| Year | Player's Name | Club | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division One - Larke Medalist | ||||||||
| 1985 | Jason Kerr | North Albury | ||||||
| 2000 | Kayne Pettifer | Kyabram | ||||||
| 2015 | Josh Schache | Seymour | ||||||
| Division Two - Hunter Harrison Medalist | ||||||||
| 1998 | Derek Murray | Lavington | ||||||
| Under 16 Kevin Sheehan Medal | ||||||||
| 2003 | Brett Deledio | Kyabram | ||||||
AFL Rising Star Nominations
The following former Murray Bushrangers players were nominated as a AFL Rising Star.
| Year | Nominee | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Joel Smith | St. Kilda |
| Fraser Gehrig | St. Kilda | |
| 1996 | Adam Yze | Melbourne |
| Steven King | Geelong | |
| 1997 | Adam Houlihan | Geelong |
| 1999 | Ben Mathews | Sydney Swans |
| 2000 | Josh Fraser | Collingwood |
| Ryan Houlihan | Carlton | |
| Glen Bowyer | Hawthorn | |
| 2001 | Aaron Henneman | Essendon |
| Justin Koschitzke | St. Kilda | |
| 2002 | Mark McGough | Collingwood |
| 2003 | Marc Bullen | Essendon |
| Jarrad Waite | Carlton | |
| 2004 | Daniel Cross | Footscray |
| Kane Tenace | Geelong | |
| 2005 | Brett Deledio | Richmond |
| Shannon Byrnes | Geelong | |
| 2008 | Alipate Carlile | Port Adelaide |
| 2009 | Jack Ziebell | North Melbourne |
| 2010 | Ben Reid | Collingwood |
| Tom Rockliff | Brisbane Lions | |
| Sam Wright | North Melbourne | |
| 2011 | Sam Reid | Sydney Swans |
| 2014 | Matt Taberner | Fremantle |
| 2016 | Clayton Oliver | Melbourne |
| 2017 | Caleb Marchbank | Carlton |
| 2021 | Jacob Koschitzke | Hawthorn |
| 2022 | Elijah Hollands | Gold Coast Suns |
| Josh Rachele | Adelaide Crows | |
| 2023 | Ollie Hollands | Carlton |
| 2024 | Darcy Wilson | St. Kilda[9] |
Leading Goalkicker
The following MB players were the club's leading goal kickers.
| Year | Player's Name | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Jason Campbell | |
| 1994 | Jason McMartin | |
| 1995 | Barry Hall | |
| 1996 | Rohan Graham | |
| 1997 | Heath Younie | |
| 1998 | Ricky Symes | |
| 1999 | Brad Maxwell | |
| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | ||
| 2004 | ||
| 2005 | ||
| 2006 | ||
| 2007 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2009 | ||
| 2010 | ||
| 2011 | ||
| 2012 | ||
| 2013 | ||
| 2014 | ||
| 2015 | Josh Schache* | 34 |
| 2016 | ? | [10] |
| 2017 | ? | [11] |
| 2018 | ? | [12] |
| 2019 | Hudson Kaak | 19 |
| 2020 | In recess>Covid 19 | |
| 2021 | Cameron McLeod | 12[13] |
| 2022 | Braden George & | 19 |
| Fletcher Hart | 19 | |
| 2023 | Darcy Wilson | 17[14] |
| 2024 |
- - * Also won the TAC Cup goalkicking
Club Honourboard
| Murray Bushrangers FC: Under 18 Boys - TAC Cup | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Coach | Manager | Captain | Best & Fairest | |||||
| 1993 | Gary Foulds | John Byrne | Clint Whitsed | Fraser Gehrig | |||||
| 1994 | Kelly O'Donnell | John Byrne | Mark Knobel | Jason Sheather | |||||
| 1995 | Kelly O'Donnell | John Byrne | Jason Sheather | Rob Thorton | |||||
| 1996 | Kelly O'Donnell | John Byrne | Matthew Byers | Matthew Byers | |||||
| 1997 | Kelly O'Donnell | John Byrne | Matthew Hyde/Joel McKay/Heath Younie | Matthew Hyde | |||||
| 1998 | Kelly O'Donnell | John Byrne | Derek Murray/John Shiels | Adam Pearce | |||||
| 1999 | Kelly O'Donnell | John Byrne | Todd Brown / Matthew Shir | Craig Ednie | |||||
| 2000 | Kelly O'Donnell | John Byrne | Criag Ednie/Chris Hyde/Marc Bullen | Kayne Pettifer | |||||
| 2001 | Xavier Tanner | John Byrne | Josh Dicketts | Mark McGough | |||||
| 2002 | Xavier Tanner | John Byrne | Lachie Longmire/Corey Brown/Shannon Byrnes | Cory Brown | |||||
| 2003 | Xavier Tanner | John Byrne | Ryley Dunn/Will Gayfer | Kane Tenace | |||||
| 2004 | Xavier Tanner | John Byrne | Jayden Kotzer/Michael Davidson | Jordan Wood | |||||
| 2005 | Xavier Tanner | John Byrne | Marcus Drum | Marcus Drum | |||||
| 2006 | Peter Dean | John Byrne | Brad Collins | Mark Tyrell | |||||
| 2007 | Peter Dean | John Byrne | Ben McEvoy | ||||||
| 2008 | Phil Bunn | John Byrne | Steele Sidebottom | ||||||
| 2009 | Phil Bunn | John Byrne | Dylan McNeill | ||||||
| 2010 | Darren Ogier | Andrew Carson | John Byrne Medal | ||||||
| Shaun Atley & | |||||||||
| Willie Wheeler | |||||||||
| 2011 | Darren Ogier | Andrew Carson | Jack Crisp | ||||||
| 2012 | Darren Ogier | Andrew Carson | Sam Martyn | ||||||
| 2013 | Darren Ogier | Andrew Carson | Bryden Squires | ||||||
| 2014 | Darren Ogier | Lee Fraser | Nathan Drummond | ||||||
| 2015 | Darren Ogier | Lee Fraser | Clayton Oliver | ||||||
| 2016 | Leon Higgins | Mick Wilson | James Cousins | ||||||
| 2017 | Leon Higgins | Mick Wilson | |||||||
| 2018 | Leon Higgins | Mick Wilson | Harry Beasley/Elijah Hollands | Ely Smith | |||||
| 2019 | Mark Brown | Mick Wilson | Jye Chalcraft & | ||||||
| Jimmy Boyer | |||||||||
| 2020 | Mark Brown | Mick Wilson | In recess > COVID-19 | ||||||
| 2021 | Mark Brown | Mick Wilson | Kade Chalcraft | ||||||
| 2022 | Mark Brown | Mick Wilson | Noah Bradshaw & | ||||||
| Ryan Eyers | |||||||||
| 2023 | Mark Brown | Mick Wilson | Darcy Wilson | Darcy Wilson | |||||
| 2024 | Mark Brown | Mick Wilson | Zac Harding | ||||||
| Year | Coach | Manager | Captain(s) | Best & Fairest | |||||
Talent League Girls
- Premierships (0): Nil
- Runners-up (1): 2017
Notes/References
- ^ /www.footballvic.com.au/vfl/vfl_clubs.htm
- ^ http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,5287609%255E20322,00.html
- ^ Edmund, Sam (28 November 2008). "Grand Final demolition sets draft stage for Steele Sidebottom". Herald Sun. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ Siragusa, Leonard (26 September 2008). "Steele stars in TAC Cup grand final". Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ "2016 - TAC Cup Grand Final Scores". Gameday. MBFC. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "2017 - TAC Cup Girls Ladder". Gameday. MBFC. 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "2008 - MBFC Fixture & Results". Australian Football. AFL. 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "2019 - NAB League Ladder". Gameday. NAB League. 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "2024 - AFL Rising Star Nominees". Footywire: AFL Stats. 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "2016 - Competition Team Stats". Gameday. AFL. 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "2017 - TAC Cup - Competition Team Stats". Gameday. ADL. 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "2018 - Competition Team Stats". Gameday. AFL. 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "NAB League - Competition Stats". Gameday. AFL. 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "2023 - Coates Talent League". Play HQ. AFL. 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- Lovett, Michael, ed. (21 April 2024). AFL Record Season Guide 2010. G. Slattery. pp. 906–907. ISBN 978-0-9806274-5-9.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Murray Bushrangers.
- MBFC website
- Official NAB Cup website
- Murray Bushrangers Draftees via Draft Guru
- Murray Bushrangers Club Profile via Australian Football
- Rookie Me via Rookie Me Central
- v
- t
- e
Talent League Boys and Talent League Girls
| Full-time | |
|---|---|
| Academies | |
| Former |
