By David Nagel
Kooweerup sharpshooter Jason Wells leads an elite list to have kicked 100 goals in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition (WGFNC) since the inaugural season of the league in 2017.
Leading into the weekend just 11 players had achieved the 100-goal milestone, with Wells joined by Nathan Gardiner (Cora Lynn), Toby Mahoney (Inverloch-Kongwak), Nathan Voss (Kooweerup), Troy McDermott (Nar Nar Goon), Nathan Langley (Cora Lynn), Taylor Gibson (Kilcunda-Bass), Jack Taylor (Phillip Island), Travis Woodfield (Cora Lynn/Phillip Island), Stewart Scanlon (Tooradin-Dalmore) and Julian Suarez (Tooradin-Dalmore) as rulers of their respective forward lines.
That group was joined on the weekend by Phillip Island coach – and two-time league best and fairest winner – Cam Pedersen, who kicked four goals against Nar Nar Goon on Saturday to add to his 99 goals he had kicked since joining the competition in 2019.
Wells began life in the WGFNC as a Panther, kicking an even 50 goals for Kilcunda-Bass in 2017.
He then played two seasons for Kooweerup, kicking 88 and 57 goals respectively in 2018, ’19, before having a season at Longwarry in the Ellinbank and District Football League in 2021, the year after the Covid pandemic ruined football in 2020.
He returned to Kooweerup last year, kicking 74 goals for the season, taking his tally to 269 goals heading in to this year’s campaign.
In two matches this year he has added a total of five goals to his haul, making it 274 goals from 79 games at an average of 3.47 per outing.
Hot on the heels of Wells is imposing Cora Lynn full-forward Gardiner, who has kicked 244 goals since joining Cora Lynn in 2019.
Gardiner has hauls of 84, 50 and 88 over his first three seasons of footy, and has added a league-high 22 goals in 2023 to take his overall number to 244.
Gardiner has the highest goals-per-game ratio of any of the hundred-plus goal-kickers, averaging 4.44 goals per game across his 55 outings in the Cobra jumper.
Joining Wells and Gardiner as the only players to have kicked 200 goals in the WGFNC is Inverloch-Kongwak star Toby Mahoney, who has slotted 221 goals from 91 games at an average of 2.66.
Mahoney is the only one of the top-three to have a WGFNC premiership medallion hanging over his neck, kicking a match-winning seven goals in the Sea Eagles 2017 grand final triumph over Cora Lynn.
A total of 44 players had kicked 50 goals or more heading into the weekend’s round of matches.
The next group of players heading towards the 100-goal milestone in the WGFNC are Inverloch-Kongwak’s Thomas Wyatt (98), Nar Nar Goon star Brendan Hermann (91) and his Goon teammate Dermott Yawney (82).
Yawney (4.32) is the only player to sit alongside Gardiner with an average of more than four goals per game, while a trio of forwards are averaging exactly three or higher.
Wells (274 at 3.47) is joined by former Cora Lynn star Nathan Langley (132 at 3.00) and Tooradin-Dalmore premiership forward Stewart Scanlon (102 at 3.00) in the elite class of three goals per game.
Former Seagull Andrew Dean (87 at 2.72), Inverloch-Kongwak star Toby Mahoney (221 at 2.66) and Nar Nar Goon lefty Troy McDermott (149 at 2.37) are the only others to average two goals or more in the group of players to have scored 80 goals-plus.
WGFNC LEADING GOALKICKERS SINCE 2017
80 GOALS PLUS
PLAYER CLUB/S GOALS AVE
Jason Wells Kilcunda Bass/Kooweerup 274 3.47
Nathan Gardiner Cora Lynn 244 4.44
Toby Mahoney Inverloch Kongwak 221 2.66
Nathan Voss Kooweerup 162 1.78
Troy McDermott Nar Nar Goon 149 2.37
Nathan Langley Cora Lynn 132 3.00
Taylor Gibson Kilcunda Bass 130 1.97
Jack Taylor Phillip Island 115 1.62
Travis Woodfield Cora Lynn/Phillip Island 105 1.48
Cameron Pedersen Phillip Island 103 1.91
Stewart Scanlon Tooradin-Dalmore 102 3.00
Julian Suarez Tooradin-Dalmore 100 1.85
Thomas Wyatt Inverloch Kongwak 98 1.40
Zak Vernon Phillip Island 93 1.33
Brendan Hermann Nar Nar Goon 91 1.20
Andrew Dean Tooradin-Dalmore 87 2.72
Dermott Yawney Nar Nar Goon 82 4.32
Brendan Kimber Phillip Island 81 0.99
Jackson Dalton Cora Lynn/Bun 81 1.16
Matthew Stevens Nar Nar Goon 80 1.60
Jai Rout Cora Lynn 80 1.70
MOST GOALS EACH CLUB
Bunyip Jason Williams 66
Cora Lynn Nathan Gardiner 244
Dalyston Blake Carew 78
Garfield Daniel Johnson 67
Inverloch-Kongwak Toby Mahoney 221
Kilcunda-Bass Taylor Gibson 130
Kooweerup Jason Wells 224
Korumburra-Bena Rhys Dixon 60
Nar Nar Goon Troy McDermott 149
Phillip Island Jack Taylor 115
Tooradin-Dalmore Stewart Scanlon 102
Warragul Industrials Mason McGarrity 78
