GIVEN St Arnaud's form over the past couple of years, a win over the Saints hasn't been something for its North Central league rivals to get too excited about. But after Charlton beat them by 56 points last weekend, the reaction from the Navy Blues' players and supporters was akin to the scenes following a finals victory.

For the residents of Charlton, located 100 kilometres north-west of Bendigo, their footy club's first win of the season was evidence that the community is finally getting back on its feet after it was ravaged by January's floods.

''It was our opening home game and it was great to be back in our own facilities,'' says Charlton senior coach Anthony Judd. ''To be honest, it was probably the best win we've had since winning the flag in '09. There was a really good feeling around the club afterwards. It's good to have everyone getting their mind off the flood and back into some kind of normality. The players were really keen to win for the town and for themselves.''

In January, the town of 1100 was almost entirely submerged when the Avoca River broke its banks. That crisis developed just as many local businesses were getting back on their feet after a large section of the town was flooded four months earlier.

The Charlton Football Club, the social hub of the district, was hit hard. While its home ground remained dry, largely thanks to the banked trotting track that surrounds it, the Navy Blues' change rooms and social club were inundated by more than a metre of water. Bar equipment was ruined, along with a large area of carpet. However, that wasn't the club's greatest problem. Much of the Navy Blues' income is derived from agricultural enterprises and these were devastated by the floods. Around $18,000 worth of hay was rendered unusable, while 130 sheep, valued at $15,000 thanks to record lamb prices, were washed away.

Charlton was one of many country football clubs affected by the natural disaster, which did more than $3 million damage to sporting facilities throughout rural Victoria. In the months since then, 26 clubs, including the Navy Blues' fierce rival Donald, have been granted funds from the AFL flood recovery program. Much of this money was raised from a levy on tickets sold for round one of the NAB Cup, while the VCFL and Collingwood FC Foundation were among the other contributors.

Across the state, the funds are being used in a range of different ways. Clunes (near Ballarat) is providing fuel vouchers to junior players to travel to matches, as its home ground will be unplayable this season. Marong (close to Bendigo) is focusing on getting its badly damaged oval back up to standard, as is Cardross (near Mildura), which has purchased marquees and other equipment so it can host matches at a secondary school oval.

Charlton used its grant to begin repairing its facilities and replace equipment. But it was soon clear that many local businesses were struggling, and this meant they would be unable to sponsor the club. Given such sponsorships often add up to more than $20,000, the Navy Blues' administrators found themselves staring at a budgetary black hole.

Out of the gloom emerged the Altona Sports Club. ''That club has a range of sports under its banner, including fishing, lawn bowls and cricket,'' explains VCFL chief executive Glenn Scott. ''They raised a lot of money for flood relief, but when they contacted us they specifically wanted to help one club and build a relationship with it, so they became Charlton's major sponsor.''

The support from the Altona Sports Club enabled Charlton's footballers to finally concentrate on preparing for the North Central League season. ''We didn't start training until mid-to-late February, when usually we would start in January,'' Judd says. ''It wasn't due to any problems with our ground. It was because our president, treasurer, secretary and coach all had their houses flooded. We all needed some time to clean our houses up and look after ourselves for a start.

''Even when we did get going I had to give a fair bit of leeway to blokes who were still cleaning their houses. That meant a lot of the time during pre-season we just didn't have great numbers on the track. That was challenging - just trying to get people to training. But really it hasn't been too bad. We've got a great bunch of fellas and I think they've enjoyed getting out on the track and supporting each other.''

Charlton played a practice match against Heathcote District league club Elmore in March and a bus load of people from Altona made the journey north to present a cheque for $17,000. ''They've been quite fantastic,'' Judd says. ''A lot of local businesses have been really good in continuing their sponsorship, but we have been very wary that the whole main street got wiped out and we haven't wanted to hit up people for money. So the Altona Sports Club's donation was amazing.''

Keen to improve on their 2010 campaign, during which they won only four games, the Navy Blues began this season with a 25-point loss to Boort. They had led by five points at three-quarter-time before running out of legs in the final term. Last weekend was a different story as Charlton led from start to finish against St Arnaud. If not for some inaccurate kicking, the margin would have blown out to three figures.

Star recruit Stephen Staunton, a big forward from Terang-Mortlake, kicked three goals and was judged best on ground. Staunton is attending university in Melbourne with a number of young lads from Charlton, including the president's son Michael Laffin. ''He's been the chief recruiter really,'' Judd chuckles.

Despite the influx of talent, the Navy Blues' young team is unlikely to match it with reigning premier Wycheproof-Narraport, which has been boosted by the return of local hero Corey Jones. The key forward, who played 157 games with North Melbourne, booted 11 goals against St Arnaud in round one and another six a week ago when the Demons thumped Birchip-Watchem.

While Wycheproof-Narraport and Wedderburn are expected to battle it out for the flag, Charlton has more modest aims. ''We're hoping to break into the four this year,'' Judd says.

But as the coach acknowledges, Charlton folk are just glad their team is on the field. ''A lot of the sports that we have over the summer had to stop. The basketball stopped and the cricket. I think the footy, and the netball and hockey that go with it, are really good for the mental health and wellbeing of the entire town.''

By Adam McNicol

Article first appeared The Sunday Age, April 24 2011

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