Weekly Times | RIGHT on the border of the Northern Grampians Shire is Navarre, population 241, according to the last census.
The tiny town is home to one of the most successful clubs currently in Victorian country football.
Navarre has played in every Maryborough Castlemaine District league senior grand final since joining the competition in 2011, after its former home, the Lexton Plains league, was wound up.
After two grand final losses, the Grasshoppers finally prevailed in 2013 and again last year. They are on track for a hat-trick, having not lost a game since their 2013 qualifying final defeat at the hands of Newstead.
Family connections are also holding strong. On Saturday, there were no fewer than five sets of brothers playing in the senior side that defeated Maryborough Rovers by 121 points — and it could to jump to six sets if Rhett Murphy reunites with brother Nick after a stint away due to injury and an overseas trip.
Cody Driscoll booted nine goals in his 50th senior game, which was also his brother Josh’s 100th with the Grasshoppers.
Their oldest brother, Ash, finished with the most goals in the league last year, but Cody sits second behind Lexton’s Matt Brown this season.
Their father, Wayne Driscoll, is on Navarre’s coaching panel, along with playing coaches Louis Hannett, Brent Flood and Daniel Parkin.
Former juniors form the backbone of the Grasshoppers’ senior side, as Parkin and Flood were two of just four players from Saturday’s team who did not play junior football at Navarre.
The club is now reaping the rewards of three under-17 premierships from 2006-08, and, further showing just how young this senior side is, eight players from Saturday’s team played in Navarre’s 2012 under-17.5 premiership.
Wayne, a former club president and multiple premiership winner, said it was a “real highlight” to have his sons playing for the same club where he and his father, Lyle, played.
“We’ve been back here (at Navarre) now the last 13 years or so … and the boys have gone from little nippers to what they are now,” he said.
“I’m very lucky that they’ve been able to do that.”
Club president Andrew Murphy said the club’s culture was the key to retaining players. Navarre has one home-and-away game left, away to Natte Bealiba, and regardless of who wins, the two sides look set to meet again in the qualifying final.
