By Adam McNicol

 

RECENT years have been hard work for the Edenhope-Apsley Football Club, based in Victoria's far west, near the South Australian border. The Saints have won only five games in the past three seasons. They have not made the finals since 2002.

Evidence of how the many losses have affected the players could be heard last Saturday, when Edenhope-Apsley hosted near-neighbour Harrow-Balmoral; the Horsham District league's top team.

 

As one of the club's young players yelled to his teammates "We're not out of it yet", a wry smile broke out on the faces of some members of the crowd. It was only quarter-time. And the Saints, against all expectations, were actually four points in front.

 

Despite bleached-haired senior coach Aaron Langsworth being sent off for deliberately throwing the ball into the face of an opponent, they were still leading at three-quarter time.

 

But the natural order was restored in the last quarter when Harrow-Balmoral kicked five unanswered goals, condemning the Saints to their sixth loss from seven games.

 

For Edenhope-Apsley's loyal supporters, it's an all-too familiar situation. However, the club's committee is adamant a recent change of scenery will set the Saints up for a rosier future.

 

After last season, Edenhope-Apsley, a club created by the merger of two former rivals in late 1998, ended its association with South Australian football. It cut ties with the Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara league, thus ending visits to places such as Keith, Penola and Mundulla, and moved to the Horsham District league.

 

"A lot of our players are going to Ballarat and Melbourne for their employment and schooling," said Edenhope-Apsley president Neville Forster. "We found it difficult to recruit from South Australia and especially Adelaide because we were at the end of the line. Even though we're still at the end of the line in the Horsham league, we have a chance to bring our home-growns back here.

 

"The future of the club depends on bringing in players from outside because of the population drift. This year, we've managed to bring in 11 players, which proved we can do it. Although we haven't got a lot of success on the field yet, the general atmosphere around the club is excellent."

 

The move meant the club had to change its colours. When Edenhope and Apsley merged, the black, white and teal worn by Port Adelaide had been chosen controversially. On joining the HDFL, supporters were delighted the strip already was being worn by Stawell Swifts and they promptly voted to become the Saints. By combining the old colours of Edenhope (Bombers) and Apsley (Magpies), the new jumpers have won everyone over.

 

The shift to the Horsham-based competition has also created a long-awaited local derby. Harrow and Edenhope are only 30 kilometres apart. But for most of the past 70 years, one community has travelled east for football and the other west.

Last weekend's match between Edenhope-Apsley and Harrow-Balmoral (founded in 1997 when Douglas-Harrow-Miga Lake merged with Balmoral) finally brought them back together.

 

Although the match pitted first against ninth, a huge crowd turned out. It was boosted by many former Edenhope players, who returned to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the club's three consecutive premierships; won in 1986, '87 and '88.

 

Edenhope's population has shrunk to about 900 people since then, while Apsley now has barely 200. But in the 1980s, the towns dominated the Kowree-Naracoorte league. Between 1985 and 1990, at least one of them played in every grand final. Neither made another one before the merger. The combined club made the finals in its first four years, with a preliminary final appearance in 2001 the best effort. Wins have been increasingly rare since.

 

However, that doesn't mean the locals have lost their ability to enjoy Saturdays at the footy. Not the men, anyway.

The male-only Longneck Club is a unique — the women say outdated — social event, which takes place at half-time of every senior match played at Edenhope.

 

Last Saturday, the Longneck Club drew its biggest attendance in years. As soon as the siren sounded, men of all ages poured into a small room at the end of the social building. An orderly procession to the bar followed and soon everyone was happily sipping beer from tall, brown bottles. The jovial crowd included plenty of Harrow-Balmoral supporters.

Among those working behind the bar was Chris White, who spent most of his career at Edenhope-Apsley but also coached Harrow-Balmoral to a premiership in 2004.

 

Forster kicked things off with a short stand-up routine before introducing the guest speaker, former Hawthorn player Paul Cooper, who was visiting relatives in the area. Each time the Longneck Club convenes, a (male) guest speaker is invited. Cooper regaled the crowd with an amusing anecdote about being named among the Hawks' best players one week, despite his opponent Gary Ablett kicking 10 goals.

As the third quarter began outside, the more committed Longneck Club members grabbed a second big bottle and talked about the widespread rain that has given crops and pastures in the Wimmera their best start in years.

 

But there isn't yet any water in Lake Wallace, which once attracted hundreds of water-skiers and fisherman to Edenhope. When it first went dry in 2002, the townsfolk gathered for a photo on the dry lakebed to commemorate the occasion. It has not held any water since.

 

The Longneck Club finally broke up as the last quarter began and Harrow-Balmoral wrested control of the match. Roos coach Heath Watson, recruited from Wimmera league club Horsham Saints, booted a vital goal, while Matthew Robertson was named best-on-ground.

 

Much-travelled midfielder Jay Tucker, who last year played in a North Central league premiership with Donald, gave his all for Edenhope-Apsley. Local youngster David McLeish, who is in the North Ballarat Rebels' TAC Cup squad, also was impressive for the Saints.

 

After the match, supporters of both the Saints and Roos mingled happily. "Country footy is alive and well," said Forster, as he proudly surveyed the big crowd.

 

The two clubs recently have formed such close ties, they now jointly hold an annual black-tie ball.

"As much as it's great to have healthy rivalries between neighbouring towns, you don't want to make it ridiculous," said Harrow-Balmoral president Tim Leeming, who spent part of his career with Edenhope-Apsley.

 

"In 15 years' time, we might be playing together."

Article first appeared: The Age June 17, 2007