Sport
9 August, 2024
'It just doesn't happen very often,' Summers verging on major milestone
Swifts' Paul Summers nears the 100 goals for the 2024 HDFNL.
Swifts' full forward Paul Summers needs only seven goals from his next two games to finish the home-and-away season with 100 goals.
Formerly a key defender in the Stawell Warriors' WFNL line up, Summers made the cross-town jump and immediately left a mark in the District competition.
Summers opened his account with an 11-goal bag against Kalkee in round one.
As opposing teams wised up to his potential impact, he often found himself outnumbered in the goal square, but no team could shut him out.
"I can't remember the last time a Swifts player kicked 100," said the Baggies' senior football coach Brett Hargreaves.
"And I've talked other people, and it just hardly ever happens."
The last player to come close was Rupanyup's then playing coach, Jack Musgrove, who fell five goals short of 100 after a successful run to the 2022 premiership.
When Summers hits triple digits, he'll be only the second player in the last decade to bring up the ton in the HDFNL's senior grade.
Current Loddon Valley footballer Kain Robbins kicked triple figures twice, in 2016 and '17 during the Southern Mallee Giants short and dominant tenure in the HDFNL.
Before Robbins, Shannon Argall kicked 125 in 2013 for Laharum, and Gavin Kelm kicked 144 for Taylors Lake in 2011.
Although rare in the senior grade, Summers is the second Swifts player in as many years to kick 100 goals through a season.
Baggies under-17 standout Austin Giusa kicked 108 goals in the black, white and teal's junior squad in 2023, in addition to eight goals in senior football and seven for the Ararat Eagles.
"We expect [Summers] to get his 100, and we need to celebrate that, and appreciate it for what is it," said Hargreaves.
"It just doesn't happen very often."
If Paul Summers kicks less than seven against Edenhope Apsley in round 17 at Edenhope Recreation Reserve, he has the chance to pass the milestone on the Swifts' home field, at Stawell's North Park in round 18 against Natimuk United.
Goals galore across the league
While Summers has been a constant feature at the top of the HDFNL's goal kickers list in 2024, plenty of players had strong seasons.
Judah Hobbs returned to Noradjuha Quantong after a few years out of the game.
The young gun was a junior when the COVID-19 pandemic led him away from the game but has returned with a break out season as the senior side's forward target.
He sits second on the HDFNL's top scorers list having kicked his 50th major in round 15.
Harrow Balmoral has had little trouble finding scoring options in 2024 despite not having two of its top scorers from the year before.
Between themselves, Simon Close and James Staude kicked 130 goals in 2023.
But, in making up for that loss this season, Harrow Balmoral has let its depth and adaptability shine through.
Jai Thompson, Nick Pekin, Cody Deutscher, Michael Close and Mitchell Grant each featured in the league's top 10 scorers through the season.
With two rounds of the season to go, Thompson (48) and Deutscher (43) sit third and fourth on the list of scorers.