DESPITE much evidence to the contrary, country football administrators, coaches and players love to bemoan the lack of support they get from the AFL. Yet by refusing to schedule matches on Good Friday, the elite competition has unwittingly provided a welcome boost to the grassroots game.
On Friday night, about 4500 people packed into Deakin Reserve to see the Shepparton Bears host the much-improved Shepparton Swans, whose team features former Melbourne players Adem Yze, Russell Robertson and Nathan Brown.
''If there was an AFL game on TV, many of these people would be home watching it,'' Bears president Pat Mei said.
''We've never played football on Good Friday in the Goulburn Valley league before. We thought we'd give it a crack, as there's nothing else to do on Good Friday in town.
''To be quite honest, we didn't expect the crowd to be as big. What we've got out there would be a good preliminary-final crowd, no doubt. For a home-and-away match, I've never experienced anything like it.''
Throughout regional Victoria, bush football competitions are wholeheartedly tapping into the public demand for more events on Good Friday.
One of the first to do so was the Murray league. Two days ago it staged four local derbies, with thousands of people - many of them Easter holidaymakers - turning out to see Cobram edge out Barooga, Moama beat Echuca United, Tongala defeat Nathalia, and Congupna prove too good for Tocumwal.
In Shepparton, the large crowd was entertained by a match that included a number of scuffles, seven goals from Robertson, a best-on-ground performance from Brown, and a head-count after confusion over a send-off.
Amid the drama, the Swans had their score wiped at half-time, only for it to be reinstated a short time later when an umpiring error was revealed.
The place where religious beliefs and footy traditions crossed paths was at the canteen. A comment made by a young man in the queue for food summed up the quandary faced by many people. ''There's not really any meat in dim sims, is there?''
''We cooked fried fish on the menu for the first time and it's all gone,'' said Shepparton Bears ladies' committee president Roe Harrop. ''I don't approve of Good Friday football, that's just my personal thing, [but] it's been a huge success.''
While the fish and chips were a hit, the crowd still chewed through a few dozen meat pies, while the men manning the barbecue sold out of hamburgers, steak sandwiches and beer.
''I had to go back and get another ute load of [beer] from our supplier and now we've cleaned them out,'' Mei said. ''It's pretty amazing.''
Sitting in the change rooms after the Swans posted a 43-point win - to be reviewed by the Goulburn Valley league tribunal during the week - Robertson said he had been won over by Good Friday football. ''I was pumped when I saw the crowd, mate,'' he said. ''Send the message back to the AFL. They love it. People love footy on Good Friday.''
Article by Adam McNicol.
Article first appeared The Sunday Age, April 4, 2010
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|