MIDSEASON REVIEW
2025 Gippsland League – Mid-Season Football Review
As the Gippsland League hits the halfway mark of the 2025 season, the quality and consistency of talent across the competition is on full display. Whether it’s emerging stars, consistent match-winners, or goalkicking machines, the season to date has delivered across every line. Below is a breakdown of the top performers at the mid-season point based on ratings, rankings, goals, MVP votes, and appearances.
Moe and Leongatha are the clear premiership frontrunners with identical 8–1 records and monster percentages over 190%. Their midfields, anchored by the likes of Trent Baldi, Myles Poholke, Crocker and Keilty for Moe while Heppell, Harding, Bowman and Maskell, have made them consistent, powerful units.
Traralgon and Wonthaggi remain dangerous challengers sitting just behind on 6–3, showing both depth and versatility. Traralgon’s mix of Hourigan, Waack, and D’Angelo is proving hard to contain. Sparkes, Reid, Chugg and Bates have been standouts for the Power.
Morwell and Warragul (both 4–5) are fighting to stay in the finals mix. Morwell’s strong performers like Rosato and Bailey are key to their second-half push. Hobbs and Masterson will be in strong team of the year consideration after their starts for Warragul.
Bairnsdale, Maffra, and Sale are locked at 3–6 and still a chance if they string wins together. Each club has shown promise — WIll Mitchell & Tyran Rees (Bairnsdale), Alex Carr & Noah Christy (Maffra), and Will and Jack Leslie (Sale) among the standout individuals.
Drouin, despite sitting winless, has shown bright patches through players like Kye Quirk and Aden Quirk and will look to break through in the coming weeks.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | D | % | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moe | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 195.54% | 32 |
| 2 | Leongatha | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 191.06% | 32 |
| 3 | Traralgon | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 144.89% | 24 |
| 4 | Wonthaggi | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 110.74% | 24 |
| 5 | Morwell | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 117.79% | 16 |
| 6 | Warragul | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 100.13% | 16 |
| 7 | Bairnsdale | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 89.14% | 12 |
| 8 | Maffra | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 72.73% | 12 |
| 9 | Sale | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 69.17% | 12 |
| 10 | Drouin | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 37.43% | 0 |
Overall Player Ratings – Top Performers, using a positional efficiency model that accounts for disposals, impact, and defensive or offensive effectiveness, Ben Crocker (Moe) sits on top with a rating of 14.5, underlining his dominance up forward. Jack Leslie (Sale) has been the standout ruck with a rating of 13.8, while Ethan East (Bairnsdale) headlines the defenders at 12.2. The highest-rated midfielders include Trent Baldi (Moe), Ryan Sparkes (Wonthaggi) and Will Mitchell (Bairnsdale), showing balance between experience and rising stars.
Ranking Points system, Ryan Sparkes (Wonthaggi) leads the league in average ranking points with 170 per game, highlighted by a massive top score of 287 and 31.8 disposals per game. Close behind are Jack Johnstone (Sale), Will Mitchell (Bairnsdale) and Trent Baldi (Moe) – each showing elite ball-winning ability and scoreboard impact.
MVP & Best Players Leaderboard – Coaches and Club assessments
Tye Hourigan (Traralgon) – 21 votes
Anthony Rosato (Morwell) – 20 votes
Ben Crocker (Moe) – 19 votes
Myles Poholke (Moe) – 18 votes
Four players have been named in their team’s best 8 times from 9 games – an impressive return:
Luis D’Angelo (Traralgon)
Will Mitchell (Bairnsdale)
Will Leslie (Sale)
Tye Hourigan (Traralgon)
Close behind are names like Cooper Harvey, Boyd Bailey, and Tom Hobbs, who have also been key drivers of their team’s performances.
Team of the Week – Selections, Ryan Sparkes leads the league with 7 Team of the Week appearances, showing remarkable consistency. He’s followed by:
Cade Maskell (Leongatha) – 6 appearances
Ben Crocker, Tye Hourigan, Shannen Lange, Aaron Heppell, Myles Poholke – 5 each
This reflects the weekly impact these players have in their respective positions across different statistical categories.
Goalkicking Leaders, it’s no surprise that Ben Crocker (Moe) tops the goalkicking with a staggering 51 goals from 9 games, well clear of the pack. Brandon McDonald (Morwell) and Jenson Garnham (Leongatha) round out the top three, while Tye Hourigan continues to stand out as a rare forward-defender hybrid, currently sitting 5th.
Other consistent contributors include:
Patrick Ireland (Leongatha) – 15 goals from 7 games
Tyran Rees (Bairnsdale) – 14 goals from midfield/forward
Overall Player Ratings – Top 20
Assesing key stats and efficiencies available for each area of the ground into a player rating
| Player | Club | Position | Player Rating |
| Ben Crocker | Moe | FWD | 14.5 |
| Jack Leslie | Sale | RUC | 13.8 |
| Ethan East | Bairnsdale | DEF | 12.2 |
| Trent Baldi | Moe | MID | 11.9 |
| Tye Hourigan | Traralgon | DEF | 11.2 |
| Ryan Sparkes | Wonthaggi | MID | 11.0 |
| Patrick Ireland | Leongatha | FWD | 10.9 |
| Will Mitchell | Bairnsdale | MID | 10.9 |
| Cade Maskell | Leongatha | DEF | 10.9 |
| Nathan Scagliarini | Moe | MID | 10.8 |
| Luis D’Angelo | Traralgon | MID | 10.5 |
| Sean Masterson | Warragul | DEF | 10.5 |
| Anthony Rosato | Morwell | MID | 10.4 |
| Tom Hobbs | Warragul | MID | 10.4 |
| Shannen Lange | Sale | MID | 10.4 |
| Brandon McDonald | Morwell | FWD | 10.3 |
| Tyran Rees | Bairnsdale | FWD | 10.2 |
| Brock Smith | Moe | DEF | 10.1 |
| Tristen Waack | Traralgon | DEF | 10.0 |
| Chris Prowse | Moe | RUC | 10.0 |
| Dylan Loprese | Traralgon | FWD | 10.0 |
Ranking Points – Top 20
| Player | Club | Games | Ranking Points -Average | Highest Match Ranking Points | Disposals -Average |
| Ryan Sparkes | Wonthaggi | 9 | 170 | 287 | 31.8 |
| Jack Johnstone | Sale | 8 | 154 | 209 | 30.8 |
| Will Mitchell | Bairnsdale | 9 | 142 | 179 | 37.1 |
| Jack Leslie | Sale | 9 | 139 | 190 | 23.6 |
| Trent Baldi | Moe | 9 | 137 | 188 | 32.8 |
| Tye Hourigan | Traralgon | 9 | 134 | 193 | 23.0 |
| Kye Quirk | Drouin | 9 | 134 | 193 | 33.4 |
| Nathan Scagliarini | Moe | 5 | 132 | 147 | 32.4 |
| Shannen Lange | Sale | 9 | 130 | 196 | 26.8 |
| Tom Hobbs | Warragul | 8 | 130 | 221 | 26.0 |
| Tyran Rees | Bairnsdale | 9 | 127 | 172 | 30.7 |
| Cade Maskell | Leongatha | 9 | 127 | 165 | 29.0 |
| Cooper Harvey | Bairnsdale | 9 | 127 | 187 | 33.9 |
| Aaron Heppell | Leongatha | 9 | 125 | 159 | 27.3 |
| Boyd Bailey | Morwell | 9 | 125 | 146 | 29.3 |
| Benjamin Harding | Leongatha | 9 | 123 | 175 | 34.0 |
| Anthony Rosato | Morwell | 9 | 123 | 158 | 22.2 |
| Alex Carr | Maffra | 8 | 118 | 156 | 25.6 |
| Luke Bowman | Leongatha | 8 | 117 | 189 | 27.0 |
| Myles Poholke | Moe | 9 | 116 | 138 | 25.1 |
MVP – Top 20
| Tye Hourigan | Traralgon | 21 |
| Anthony Rosato | Morwell | 20 |
| Ben Crocker | Moe | 19 |
| Myles Poholke | Moe | 18 |
| Luke Bowman | Leongatha | 17 |
| Nathan Scagliarini | Moe | 15 |
| Ryan Sparkes | Wonthaggi | 14 |
| Shannen Lange | Sale | 13 |
| Will Mitchell | Bairnsdale | 13 |
| Aaron Heppell | Leongatha | 12 |
| Tom Hobbs | Warragul | 12 |
| Cooper Harvey | Bairnsdale | 11 |
| Cade Maskell | Leongatha | 11 |
| Tristen Waack | Traralgon | 11 |
| Jye Gilmour | Wonthaggi | 11 |
| Tom Marriott | Leongatha | 10 |
| Ethan East | Bairnsdale | 9 |
| Alex Carr | Maffra | 9 |
| Luis D'Angelo | Traralgon | 9 |
| Tyran Rees | Bairnsdale | 9 |
| Jaxon Williams | Wonthaggi | 9 |
| Isaac Abas | Morwell | 9 |
Team of the Week – Apperances – Top 20
| R.Sparkes | Wonthaggi | 7 |
| C.Maskell | Leongatha | 6 |
| B.Crocker | Moe | 5 |
| T.Hourigan | Traralgon | 5 |
| S.Lange | Sale | 5 |
| A.Heppell | Leongatha | 5 |
| M.Poholke | Moe | 5 |
| T.Baldi | Moe | 4 |
| T.Waack | Traralgon | 4 |
| T.Hobbs | Warragul | 4 |
| S.Masterson | Warragul | 4 |
| W.Mitchell | Bairnsdale | 3 |
| J.Garnham | Leongatha | 3 |
| J.Cunico | Traralgon | 3 |
| C.Harvey | Bairnsdale | 3 |
| L.Bowman | Leongatha | 3 |
| A.Rosato | Morwell | 3 |
| J.Leslie | Sale | 3 |
| T.Rees | Bairnsdale | 3 |
| N.Scagliarini | Moe | 3 |
| B.Smith | Moe | 3 |
| J.Johnstone | Sale | 3 |
| T.Stern | Warragul | 3 |
| N.Christy | Maffra | 3 |
| E.East | Bairnsdale | 3 |
| B.Bailey | Morwell | 3 |
Goals
| Name | Club | Games | Goals |
| Ben Crocker | Moe | 9 | 51 |
| Brandon McDonald | Morwell | 9 | 26 |
| Jenson Garnham | Leongatha | 8 | 24 |
| Dylan Loprese | Traralgon | 8 | 22 |
| Tye Hourigan | Traralgon | 9 | 18 |
| Jamie Dore | Bairnsdale | 9 | 17 |
| Brayden Fowler | Warragul | 7 | 17 |
| Jai Williams | Wonthaggi | 9 | 15 |
| Cooper McInnes | Wonthaggi | 9 | 15 |
| Patrick Ireland | Leongatha | 7 | 15 |
| Declan Keilty | Moe | 9 | 14 |
| Tallin Brill | Leongatha | 9 | 14 |
| Archer Watt | Maffra | 9 | 14 |
| Tyran Rees | Bairnsdale | 9 | 14 |
| Leigh Poholke | Moe | 4 | 14 |
| Jaxon Williams | Wonthaggi | 9 | 13 |
| Tom Stern | Warragul | 9 | 13 |
| Jacob Balfour | Moe | 9 | 13 |
| Ryan Sparkes | Wonthaggi | 9 | 12 |
| Shannen Lange | Sale | 9 | 12 |
| Caleb Calwyn | Maffra | 9 | 12 |
| Boyd Bailey | Morwell | 9 | 12 |
Times in the Teams Best
| Player | Club | Games | Times in Best |
| Luis D’Angelo | Traralgon | 9 | 8 |
| Will Mitchell | Bairnsdale | 9 | 8 |
| Will Leslie | Sale | 9 | 8 |
| Tye Hourigan | Traralgon | 9 | 8 |
| Cooper Harvey | Bairnsdale | 9 | 7 |
| Tristen Waack | Traralgon | 9 | 7 |
| Noah Anderson | Wonthaggi | 9 | 7 |
| Kye Quirk | Drouin | 9 | 7 |
| James Harrison | Warragul | 9 | 7 |
| Benjamin Harding | Leongatha | 9 | 7 |
| Sean Masterson | Warragul | 9 | 7 |
| Boyd Bailey | Morwell | 9 | 7 |
| Tom Hobbs | Warragul | 8 | 7 |
| Ryan Sparkes | Wonthaggi | 9 | 6 |
| Shannen Lange | Sale | 9 | 6 |
| Cooper Whitehill | Sale | 9 | 6 |
| Riley Senini | Warragul | 9 | 6 |
| Anthony Rosato | Morwell | 9 | 6 |
| Jack Leslie | Sale | 9 | 5 |
| Jordan Cunico | Traralgon | 9 | 5 |
