OMEO and Benambra, fierce on-field rivals for more than a century, will unite in the pursuit of premiership glory in the Omeo and District League grand final today. Article first appeared: 08 September 2007 Herald Sun
The clubs merged at the start of the season and are on the brink of capping a dominant year by beating Swan Reach in the grand final at Ensay as the ODFL celebrates 100 years of football in the high country.
Omeo and Benambra were the ODFL powerhouses during the halcyon years of the competition in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, and from 1961 to 1977 every grand final was won by one of the two teams "above the gap".
Benambra won five flags, but Omeo emerged as the competition powerhouse by claiming a remarkable 12 premierships, including six in a row from 1962.
Benambra produced 10-time league best-and-fairest ruckman Barry Pendergast, and John Crisp played in all 12 Omeo premiership teams.
Dennis Prendergast played a league record 450-plus games for Benambra before he retired in the early 1990s.
But the problem of finding sufficient players and administrators to keep the clubs afloat as single entities came to a head at the start of this season.
Benambra won the flag last year, but faced the stark possibility of folding due to the lack of players almost immediately afterwards.
Omeo confronted a similar problem before a century-old rivalry was put aside just days before the season started. Omeo-Benambra finished the season undefeated and ruckman Stuart Yates won the league best-and-fairest.
Brent West, a Benambra premiership player last year, has topped the league goal-kicking with 84 goals from teammate Gary Fenton on 80.
In the second semi-final the duo booted a combined 13 goals against Swifts Creek which lost to Swan Reach in the preliminary final.
Allan Marshall, who works at nearby Dinner Plain during winter, has been a brilliant pick-up in the midfield for Omeo-Benambra. Darren Hayward and David Hill also hold down key positions for Omeo-Benambra with Hayward's father Peter a former league president.
Hayden Bodycomb, the local policeman, is the playing coach of Omeo-Benambra after coaching Omeo last year.
Swan Reach booked a grand final berth by winning a high-scoring preliminary final against Swifts Creek last Saturday.
Swan Reach forwards Greg Baylis and Doug Edwards were impossible to contain and spoiled the centenary year dream match-up of Omeo-Benambra and Swifts Creek in the grand final.
Swifts Creek is another foundation member of the league and ended the "above the gap" dominance of Omeo and Benambra in the mid-1970s.
Ensay, another original member of the ODFL, went into recess after five matches in 1995. But, the decision to play all finals matches at Ensay since 2003 has proved a resounding success with record crowds turning out each year.