2024 Season
Miscellaneous
Women's Black Diamond Cup Premiership Click here
Fixtures, Results & Statistics
Men's Black Diamond Cup Click Here
Women's Black Diamond Cup Click Here
Men's Black Diamond Plate Click Here
Women's Black Diamond Plate Click Here
Senior Presentation
Josh Mifsud and Eliza Hand have claimed the respective Men's & Women's Cup Best & Fairest Award for 2024.
Approx 1340 people attended the club's presentation night and saw Mifsud claim his fourth Paul Harrison Medal whilst for Hand it was her first Sean Riedel Medal and makes it a double having also won the Leaue Best & Fairest Award.
In other major awards, Ryan Mahalm was number Club Person of the Year whilst Anne Bailey was a popular winner of the Presidents Award. Taya White was named Senior Player of the Year after a stellar year which not only saw he play in the Women's Cup Premiership team but she also played for the Sydney Swans VFLW team as well as representing the Allies and the Women's U18 National Carnival.
The Rookies of the Year's were Zane McLaren and Leah Murphy whilst Hugh Wells and Maeve Doherty claimed the respective Plate Best & Fairest Awards.
Full List of Award Winners
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Sponsors
Hand Claims Back-to-Back Women's Cup Best & Fairest
AFL Hunter Central Coast - Seniors held their annual Elliott Davey Medal Presentation Night last evening and Killarney Vale Bombers figured prominently throughout the night with the highlight obviously being Eliza Hand making it back-to-back Women's Cup Best & Fairest awards.
After not being on the leaderboard after eight rounds Hand made her move over the next four rounds to move into second position. Hand polled three votes in the Round 17 win over Terrigal Avoca and one vote in the final round against Newcastle City to seal the win by a solitary vote.
To cap off a great count, Brooke Turner, who polled well early, hung on to finish equal third.
Other award winners on the night included:
- Luke Flack, Josh Mifsud and Brandon Lloyd named in the Men's Cup Team of the Year
- Holly Gibbons, Kristen Kessler, Brooke Turner, Eliza Hand, Mia Wilson & Bubbah Browne named in Women's Cup Team of the Year
- Georgia Butler, Sarah Woolford, Vanessa Segarino named in Women's Plate Team of the Year
- Courtney Barnett named as Women's Plate Coach of the Year
- Killarney Vale runner Up in the Spirit of AFL award for the community work they do in filling sandbags during the floods
- Corey Shackleton being named as NSW/ACT Coach of the Year and as such now in the running to win the National Award
- Kylie Bryson nominated for the Volunteer of the Year
- 'Bubbah' Browne leading Goalkicker for the Women's Cup competition
- Kristen Kessler being named Female Representative Player of the Year
If you missed the night you can relive all the action cy clicking here
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#onebigbomber
Games Milestones
Ladies Day a Great Success
Saturdays Ladies Day was a resounding success with plenty of people in attendance and approx $900 raised for "We Care Connect" Charity. Congratulations to the raffle winners.
Representative Football
AFL Hunter Central Coast played AFL South Coast in Representative Football in both Men & Women.
Killarney Vale were represented by :
Men
Ryan Arthur, Luke Flack, Brandon Lloyd & Hayden Mahalm
Women
Eliza Hand, Kristen Kessler, Brooke Turner, Mia Wilson, Bethany Wood & Peter Kelleher (Asst Coach)​
Luke Flack was awarded the Andrew Scott Memorial Trophy as being adjudged Best on Ground in the Men's Fixture.
Four Bombers Inducted into AFL NSW/ACT Hall of Fame
Four people with links to Killarney Vale Bombers will be involved in the induction of the new NSW AFL Hall of Fame.
They include:
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Ian Granland who was club president for 23 years and a founding member of both the Central Coast and Black Diamond Football Leagues as well as founding the Killarney Vale club with a hand in the establishment of both the Wyong and Bateau Bay clubs; before his involvement locally, he had a long association with football in Sydney and is now the president of the NSW Australian Football History Society;
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Mark McVeigh who played junior football with the club winning two competition best and fairest awards before playing junior football at Pennant Hills. He was then drafted by the AFL Club, Essendon and later coached GWS and now the assistant coach at the Sydney Swans. He also played several senior games with the Bombers following his retirement from Essendon;
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Jarrad McVeigh, brother to Mark who played junior football with the Bombers, then to Pennant Hills where he was recruited to the Sydney Swans, played in their premiership team and is now an assistant coach at the club;
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John Grose who coached junior teams at Killarney Vale. His father (Ossie) is the inductee who played for the Newtown club in Sydney and represented both NSW and Sydney on eighteen occasions. John will receive the award on behalf of his father, now deceased.
One hundred people were inducted into the NSW AFL Hall of Fame at a prestigious dinner at the Sydney Cricket Ground last Friday, nine of these, some of whose involvement dates back to 1881, wereidentified as legends.
Another from the Central Coast who was also inducted was goalkicking legend Maurie Goolagong who played several seasons with Woy Woy and Terrigal-Avoca Clubs.
2024 Leadership Groups
Congratulations to those players who have been elected to a Leadership Groups this season.​
The Leadership Groups as announced at the Season Launch on Friday Night are as follows:​
Men's Cup
Josh Mifsud (capt), Ryan Arthur, Alex Bailey, Enjay Convy, Tom Mumford​
Women's Cup
Brooke Hoolihan & Kristen Kessler (co-captains), Skye Bailey, Eliza Hand​
Men's Plate
Joe Crick (Capt)​
Women's Plate
Taylah Hilditch (capt), Courtney Lenihan, Kim Thoseby
Community Involvement
Killarney Vale Bombers were again active in their community involvement with nothing bigger than their commitment in filling sandbags during the flood periods.
The club also assisted their major sponsor, Mingara Recreation Club in the set up & pack down of the marquees for the Relay for Life.
2024 Indigenous Guernsey Unveiled
Emerging leaders Brooke Turner and Taya White, proud Gumbayggnir and Wiradjuri women respectively, are proud to share the 2024 Killarney Vale Bombers Indigenous Round Guernsey.
Both of these proud First Nations Women have done an amazing job and our players are looking forward to wearing them with pride and honour.
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Season Launch a Huge Success
The opening round of the AFL Hunter Central Coast competition may have been washed out on Saturday but that did not dampen the spirit of in excess of 100 players and supporters who attended the clubs Season Launch on Friday night.​
The night saw the introduction of the 2024 Board members and sponsors whilst Coaches Corey Shackleton (Men's Cup) and Courtney Barnett (Women's Plate) gave those in attendance an insight into how pre-season went and what we can expect for the 2024 season.​
The coaches and captains also presented guernsey's to a select number of new players.​
The Leadership Groups and captains for both Men's and Women's teams were also announced.​
A highlight of the evening was Taya White describing the inspiration behind the indigenous guernsey she designed in conjunction with Brooke Turner and will be worn by all four teams on Indigenous Round.
Senior Men Hold Successful Camp
Well done to our Mens Squad after completing our annual preseason camp at Seal Rocks the weekend before last.
The camp was specifically designed to test the group physically, build leadership and push everyone outside their comfort zone.
The group, a mix of old and new faces, covered over 45km across the weekend (36km on the Saturday alone!) which included dune sprints, beach running, speed and power circuits, team building activities and football craft.
We now shift our focus to our upcoming trial matches which begin on 9 March.
A huge thanks to our senior coaching staff and Michael McGill from our awesome sponsor Gage Roads Brew Co for all their help and support.
Supercharged Saturday a Success
The Killarney Vale Bombers Senior Women's Program kicked off their inaugural Supercharged Saturday with a bang!
The day was designed to test our girls physically, mentally, and in leadership. They all pushed themselves beyond their limits and out of their comfort zones, tallying over 16kms in challenges and conditioning throughout the day.
Teamwork and culture building took centre stage as the Pink, Blue, and Green teams battled it out, showcasing intense competitiveness and camaraderie.
Despite the fierce competition, everyone walked away a winner, building on the tight-knit bond and culture already instilled within the team.
The girls are now ready to tackle the 2024 season head-on!
Life Member Inductee - Michael Smith
Killarney Australian Football Club is pleased to announce Life Member Inductee # 38 is Michael Smith.
Michael's Life Membership was confirmed at the club's Annual General Meeting held on 9 December 2023.
"Smithy" has served the club magnificently both on and off the field since he joined the club in 2006.
After a distinguished junior career with Bateau Bay which included numerous representative honours, Michael began his senior career with the Bombers in 2006 and made an immediate impact winning the "Rookie of Year" award in his first season.
He would go on and play 170 senior senior games for the club including 126 first grade games as well as being a member of the 2007 Premiership team, which he still claims to be one of his footballing highlights.
Unfortunately injuries cut short his senior career but his on-field performances were such that he was named in the KVAFC Team of their first 40 Years.
Whilst his playing days may have been over, this did not stop Michael from playing an active role in the club as the following shows:
2010 - U18's Coach
2016-17 - 1st Grade Assistant Coach
2021-23 - Black Diamond Cup Women's Coach
2016-17 - Committee Member
2015-23 - Senior Football Operations Manager
Michael was also acknowledged at a league level with the following accolades:
2016-17 - Black Diamond AFL Player
2016-18 - Black Diamond AFL Representative Official
2021 - AFL Hunter Central Coast Assistant Coach
2023 - AFL Hunter Central Coast Clubperson of the Year (James J Arnold Award)
Whilst the above is a very distinguished list of milestones and awards, probably Michael's greatest achievement is not recognised by these but rather through the respect he receives, not just by his peers at Killarney Vale but throughout the whole AFL Hunter Central Coast footprint. To get universal respect is not given rather earned and Michael you have certainly earned yours.
Congratulations Michael Smith, Killarney Vale AFC Life Member # 38.
Life Member Inductee - Terry Ford
The Killarney Vale Australian Football Club are pleased to announce our 37th Life Member inducted in 2023 is Terrence Ford.
Terry Ford joined the Bombers in 1996 and hit the ground running finishing in top 5 of the Clubs B&F. After having the 1997 season away from and missing out of the premiership, he returned in 1998 to become a premiership player himself and was also adjudged Best on Ground in the Grand Final winning the McBain Medal! A tough and tenacious defender and the ultimate team man.
From there it was off field where Terry has had arguably the biggest impact. Wanting to help the club in anyway possible he became a mainstay of the clubs executive committee serving as Vice President for 3 years (2011-2013) then to the Secretary position for a total of 9 years and will again be Secretary in 2024!
Everything he does is for the club, he has its best interests at heart and just wants it to be as successful as it can be! In that time Terry has donated his time improving club facilities and doing whatever is needed when it’s needed! He has cooked up a storm many a time for the senior players on a Thursday night to make sure they have the best preparation for the weekends games!
Fordy was also apart of the First Grade Premiership Coaching Group in 2022 being Coach Shackleton’s Runner from 2019-2022 and helping deliver the Clubs first flag in 15 years!
2023 had him join the coaching ranks becoming a line coach for First Grade and did a fantastic job in what was a difficult season.
Terry is extremely popular amongst the playing group and around the club! He’s also been dubbed the “Commissioner of Welfare and Culture” which is a testament to exactly what he’s about and how much he’s loved.
Congratulations Fordy!
Forster Re-elected as President
Paul Forster was re-elected as President of the Killarney Vale AFC was the 2024 season at the clubs Annual General Meeting held recently.
It will the 14th season in which Forster has held the top position after taking over from Alan Elsworthy in 2011.
Forster will lead an unchanged Executive which includes Peter Harvey as Vice President, Terry Ford as Secretary and Peter Kelleher as Treasurer.
There were two changes on the Ordinary Committee with both Chris Forster and Courtney Barnett retiring from the Committee with Ashleigh Page and Ben Simpson taking their positions and joining Mick McLeod and Skye Bailey on the Committee.
We wish the Executive and the Committee all the best for the upcoming season.
Senior Coaches Confirmed
The Killarney vale AFC are pleased to confirm the reappointed of Jimmy Newburn as Men's Plate Coach and also the appointments of Brad Edwards and Courtney Barnett as Women's Cup and Plate Coaches respectively.​
They would also like to thank outgoing coaches, Michael Smith, Sean Mitchell and Cassie White for their dedication and commitment in their time as coaches. They have left an excellent platform on which to build on.
Shackleton Signs on as Coach for 2024
Killarney Vale have confirmed the Corey Shackleton has signed on as Men's Black Diamond Coach for the 2024 season.​
In a further boost Shackleton will also take on the newly appointed role of Club Coaching Coordinator which will see him oversee all senior and junior coaches.​
The 2024 season will be Corey's 6th season as the Head Coach of the the Bombers, a tenure that has seen the Bombers play finals each year and of course reach the pinnacle in 2022 when they defeated Terrigal Avoca to claim the premiership.​
Shackleton is excited to continue in the role,​
"to coach the Bombers is a great honour and one that I cherish. Having won the Premiership in 2022 was one of the highlights of my football career and one I am keen to repeat" Shackleton said​
"Last year was a great learning curve for both myself and the playing group and to be honest we probably didn't handle the premiership defence as well as we should have. I have had the opportunity to have a decent break since the end of the season and I am now keen to get back to work and help the playing group grow and improve" he added.​
Shackleton is also excited about the new Coaching Cordinators role​
" We have some very enthusiastic and knowledgable coaches throughout both the seniors and juniors and to be able to work with them help them not only grow and improve their skillset but have all the coaches throughout the club pulling in the same direction can only be a positive" he said.​
On the playing front Corey said that the club expected to lose a couple of players but he is also in deep discussion with a number of players about joining the club and he hopes to have some exciting announcements in the near future.​
Last years Women's Coaches, Michael Smith and Sean Mitchell (Black Diamond Cup) and Cassi White (Black Diamond Plate) have indicated that they are stepping down from their roles and as such these roles will be advertised shortly.​
Photo: President, Paul Forster (left) and Corey Shackleton
