GVL Hall of Fame Inductee: Matthew O'Sullivan

 2024 GOTAFE Goulburn Valley League Hall of Fame Inductee 

Matthew O’Sullivan

When looking through the list of top footballers in the GVL you come across many who not only succeed at football, but excel in other sports as well. The GVL now inducts such a person who would have to be regarded as the best all round sportsman at Seymour Football Netball Club

Matthew O’Sullivan is a part of a well-known Seymour family who have produced top sports performers as well as taking on important roles as administrators and supporters.

Matts football life began as many Seymour players have, as a junior at St. Marys junior football club in the under 10s. After juniors, he was elevated into the Seymour 3rds in 1983 where he played under the coaching of Robin Gardener.

He took to the game with gusto and it was no surprise when he became a member of his beloved Seymour Lions senior team in 1985 after playing 6 reserves games. Peter Gorski was the coach.

Matt relished the opportunity to play with top players and in his second season in 1986 he won the Seymour Best player award. By 1987 he was the senior captain of the Lions. He settled in to the team as a top player and guided the Lions during their team building towards the ultimate prize which came in 1991 when the Lions defeated Tongala by 9 points to become GVL premiers.

Then there were some lean years during the nineties when Matt played his heart out in a club which was struggling to play finals.

He was selected to represent the League on 7 occasions and loved the opportunity to be involved in Interleague games and enjoyed wearing the purple and gold GVL jumper. He appreciated the friends he made and the opportunity to play with top players in the League. He also won the Shepparton News Award selected by the News football writers.

He took the opportunity to accept a coaching role with the Broadford club in 1995 & 6 then returned to the Lion’s Den. At the end of the nineties, he decided to retire on 199 games. However, he was talked into returning to play 2 years later to notch up his 200th game. This gave him a qualified Life membership of the GVL to add to his Life membership of Seymour. In 2000 he was named in the Seymour Team of the century.

Following his playing days, he remained highly involved with the club. He was president of Seymour in 2001 and 2002 and then was a selector on the match committee for the premiership years of 2005 & 6.

Matt also supported junior football as coach of St. Marys under 16s from 2009 – 2011 and moved on to coach the Seymour 3rds from 2012 to 2014 which was a grand final year. He coached the Reserves in 2016 & 17 and also spent more time on the match committee. What a wonderful commitment to Seymour.

In the year 2017 only 2 players in the Seymour senior team had not been coached by Matthew. It is also important to note that Matt did not receive any money from the Seymour club either as a player, an administrator or a coach. His commitment was voluntary.

As mentioned, Matt has also excelled in other sports. He was amongst the best performers in the Seymour Cricket Association, he is a champion lawn bowler, and plays golf off scratch.

With that wonderful sporting record and an example of what a dedicated player can do for a club he loves. It is with great pleasure that we welcome Matthew O’Sullivan as a member of the GVL Hall of Fame.

Seymour FNC News

Round 4 Football Reports

By Mitch Itter • April 26, 2025
Janelle Puppa Real Estate UNDER 18s Seymour 2.7.19 def by Euroa 11.9.75 Best: A Nash, C Baumann, L Donnelly, Z Brown, P Dixon Goals: A Munro 1, R Powell 1 O'Keefe's IGA Seymour Reserves Seymour 14.14.98 def Euroa 0.5.5 The Lions made light work of Euroa, keeping them goalless for the entire game and dominating from the outset. Jack Radford continued his fantastic start to his career at The Den with a six goal haul, while Will Le Deux made an impressive start to the season in a best on ground performance. Curtis Powell, Nic Davey and Thomas Wardley rounded out the best, just some of the great young Lions coming through the ranks. Best: W Le Deux, C Powell, J Radford, N Davey, T Wardley Goals: J Radford 6, W Le Deux 2, J Badger 1, J Davey 1, N Davey 1, C Murray 1, D Saunders 1, T Thomas 1 Seymour Club Seniors Seymour 16.11.107 def Euroa 8.11.59 The Lions put on a dominant performance to get their first win of the season, keeping Euroa goalless for the best part of three quarters. From the first bounce the result was never in doubt as the Lions dominated the play and through strong pressure created plenty of Euroa turnovers. Cam Osmond kicked his first senior goal for the club early and certainly didn’t look out of place, booting three for the day, with Nathan Fowler and Tom Jeffrey also lively up forward. Jack Murphy put in a best on ground performance with four goals to go with plenty of possessions around the ground. Jesse Brock played his best game for the Lions, completely outclassing his opponent and patrolling the ground with great presence. Nathan Beattie put in a trademark performance, with Darcy Giles providing a spark around the ground and James Wooster building strongly after a delayed start to the season. While Euroa won the last term, the game was over early with the Lions taking bragging rights in the ANZAC round fixture. A great team effort from all. Best: J Murphy, J Brock, D Giles, N Beattie, J Wooster Goals: J Murphy 4, C Osmond 3, N Fowler 3, T Jeffrey 2, M McLean 1, L Lubeck 1, L Giles 1, S House 1

Round 4 Netball Reports

April 26, 2025
Australian Trenching & Excavations UNDER 15s Seymour 23 def by Euroa 48 It was a tough start to the day for the Lions with Euroa beginning strongly with their defensive pressure creating errors. Our defenders Eden Webster and Isabel Meller worked hard for little reward as Euroa were accurate in the circle. Eva Hay, Georgia Hadisutanto, Sienna Lynch and Matilda Barry all worked hard with strong leads. Charlotte Bradley did an amazing job, holding her head high and showing persistence throughout the game. Inari Sushi Award: Charlotte Bradley Trawool Shed - Cafe, Cottages & Restaurant UNDER 17s Seymour 50 def Euroa 32 The Lions got back on the winner’s list with an 18 goal victory over Euroa. Sophie’s consistency in the goal circle was outstanding, shooting beautifully and taking some crucial rebounds. Paige Cooper’s defensive pressure yet again was amazing. Paige took control of the centre circle and provided the team with lots of turnovers. Sienna Porter came back from a week off and created great space, chasing every loose ball in the attacking end and creating great turnovers. The 17s worked beautifully together and pulled off a team defence, full court zone through Euroa’s transition. The girls should be very proud of their performance. O’Sullivan Builders Award: Sophie Butterworth O’SULLIVAN BUILDERS B RESERVE Seymour 46 def Euroa 43 The Lions continued their unbeaten run with a three goal win over Euroa. It was a team effort across the first quarter with the Lions showing great intensity. Defensive pressure from the girls created turnovers and rebounds, to go with some fantastic long court connections. It was a solid mid court game by both teams with Casey Drummond and Grace Barry in great contests with their opponents. Welcome back game for Liv Pearce, bringing accurate goaling and combining well with Shona to push the lead at half time. Chloe Locke stabilized the defensive circle with Sarah Waite and Ruby Trimble getting their hands to balls in an even final term. Rooks Pizza Award: Sarah Waite Seymour Hardware Group B GRADE Seymour 55 def Euroa 45 Defensive pressure from the Lions created early turnovers in a 21 goal first term. Precision passing by into goals by Andrea McKenzie rewarded by both shooters giving the Lions an 11 goal lead at quarter time. Euroa’s defensive play dominated the second quarter as the Lions made some changes. Euroa reduced the margin to just 2 goals at half time. The Lions were composed in the 3 rd with some great passages of play and connections the length of the court to extend the three quarter time lead out to nine goals. Courtney Aldous showed her experience and settled the defensive end when under pressure. A strong finish from the girls saw them pick up a 10 goal win in a great team effort. Whistle Award: Courtney Aldous Beer Auto Group Seymour A GRADE Seymour 48 def by Euroa 69 Euroa started the game with quick ball movement and accurate goaling to take the lead by seven goals at the first break. The Lions kept fighting the entire game with the last quarter proving to be their best. Ruby Martin, Toni Bootland and Olivia Barry were standouts across the match.

Round 3 Netball Reports

April 19, 2025
Australian Trenching & Excavations UNDER 15s Seymour 21 def by Mansfield 41 It was a bright and early start for the Lions in Mansfield who worked tirelessly but came up short in the end. The pressure in defence stepped up, creating many turnovers but the Lions were unable to fully capitalise on these. Isabel Meller and Eden Webster were both strong in defense despite the very accurate Mansfield goalers providing little opportunity for rebounds. Charlotte Bradley was accurate at the other end of the court, creating space in the goal ring. The girls are continuing to improve their skills and gel as a team each week. Whistle Award: Isabel Meller Trawool Shed - Cafe, Cottages & Restaurant UNDER 17s Seymour 31 def by Mansfield 45 The Lions couldn’t get the win after a fantastic performance last week. Paige Cooper’s defence in the circle was outstanding, creating many turnovers and taking some amazing rebounds to give the team lots of opportunities to score. Sophie Butterworth created great space in the ring and took some beautiful shots. Ella Zotti worked tirelessly all day in the middle of the court creating great pressure. The 17s girls kept their heads up in this tough game and will be back next week to try and get the W! O’Sullivan Builders Award: Paige Cooper O’SULLIVAN BUILDERS B RESERVE Seymour 63 def Mansfield 12 The Lions got off to a confident start with the whole team firing, piling on 20 goals in the first quarter while keeping Mansfield to a solitary goal. Ruby Trimble was everywhere and crucial to many goals, giving the team plenty of scoring opportunities. Mia Allen and Shona Gesler were reliable as always, shooting accurately. A great team effort and a great win. Inari Sushi Award: Shona Gesler Seymour Hardware Group B GRADE Seymour 76 def Mansfield 15 It was a great team effort by all the girls in what was a flawless win. Our team showed great spirit and determination throughout. Toni Bootland was instrumental with lots of turnovers in a best on court performance. It was a consistent four quarter effort with a nice start to the game as Chloe Butterworth and Ashlyn Webster started strongly. Rooks Pizza Award: Toni Bootland Beer Auto Group Seymour A GRADE Seymour 73 def Mansfield 25 The game started out with quick footwork and great ball movement from Seymour, adding on eleven goals for the quarter. The Lions saw two Under 17s step into the game with Taylah Mason and Ella Zotti making great connections through the mid court. Ally Black was a standout with accuracy in the goal circle and feeds into Ellie Fuhrmeister. A really consistent game from the Lions with various combinations. The last quarter was brilliant with 21 goals scored.
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