Omnia   

Border Walwa FCBorder-Walwa's footballers have done it tough in recent times.

The Magpies, who play in the Upper Murray Football-Netball League, have lost their past 44 senior games, a streak stretching back to round 1, 2012. Their reserves have won just five games in the past three seasons.

During those winters, it has been the club's off-field activities that have kept its supporters upbeat.

"It's a really good club with really good people," Border-Walwa's non-playing senior coach Tony Brennan said.

"Because they're such great people, there's always been a really good social side of the club. I know a lot of people who say it's best club they've been to."

Border-Walwa was formed in 1962, and the Magpies enjoyed a dream run through the 1980s and '90s, winning seven senior premierships, including three on the trot between '96 and '98.

They made their most recent grand final in 2002, losing to Corryong by a big margin, then made the finals in each year between 2008 and 2011. But times have been tough since then.

Brennan, who runs a supermarket in Holbook, half-an-hour's drive north-west of Walwa, took over as senior coach for last season. He set his team simple goals, like winning a quarter or a half.

The Magpies held their own against the two teams just ahead of them on the ladder, Tumbarumba and Federal, but were unable to break through for a win. Their closest result was a 12-point loss to Federal in round 7.

"We got a lot of injuries in the front half of the year, which hurt us," Brennan said. "But, in the back half of the year, the boys got on board with the game plan and we were really competitive.

"We just didn't have the depth that we needed to get over the line in games. Quite often teams would kick a few late goals to make the scoreboard more one-sided than the game really was."

However, there is a spirit of optimism at Border-Walwa ahead of the club's round 1 clash with Federal at the Corryong Recreation Reserve on Saturday, May 2.

The club, which was on the verge of folding in the lead-up to the 2013 season, has a number of new committee members, including female president Lou Coutts.

The footy teams have also been bolstered by the addition of talent.

"We've had really good numbers at training, and we've probably got 60 blokes on our list this year," Brennan said.

"Most of our recruiting is done out of Albury-Wodonga, but we've got a few from neighbouring country towns around the area, mates of our players. A lot of them are between 19 and 23 or 24.

"[Walwa and Jingellic] are only small communities, so raising money is really difficult. That's why we've gone this way, with a heap of young blokes.

"We hope they stick around and enjoy their time here, and then we can keep building on it, rather than spending a heap of money to win a flag and then ending up folding."

Brennan's players need to look no further for inspiration than Border-Walwa's netballers.

Just three years ago, the Magpies were unable to field an A-grade netball team. Yet last season they not only fielded a team, they won the premiership, defeating Federal, which had dominated the competition for a decade, in the grand final.

To cap off the revival, the team's star player, Sophie Greenhill, won the Upper Murray league's A-grade best and fairest.

"At last year's presentation night, I gave a bit of a speech saying that what they've done, and the work they've put in, is where our footy teams have to get to," Brennan said.

"We've been letting the club down a little bit and it's time to turn things around."

Given its recent form, Border-Walwa's senior footy team is not expected to trouble the Upper Murray league's top sides this season, and the Magpies will go in as outsiders against Federal on Saturday.

But such is the confidence pervading the club, Brennan is adamant his team can win.

"Because we've got so many new blokes who have come from successful backgrounds, they're not feeling any pressure about our losing streak," he said.

"We've been training really hard since January and, being a young side, we're very fit. We've given ourselves every opportunity to win in round 1."

Even if the Magpies don't win next weekend, Brennan is confident the senior side's victory drought will be broken this year. And if that happens, there will be an almighty party to celebrate.

"The local communities would be pretty happy, I imagine," Brennan said. "But even when we win that game, it will only be the start of what we're about. We want to go on and keep winning."

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BORDER-WALWA FNC

* The Upper Murray FNL has just six clubs: Border-Walwa, Bullioh, Cudgewa, Corryong, Federal and Tumbarumba.

* The old Border Football Club was based in the town of Jingellic. These days Jingellic and Walwa have a combined population of about 600.

* Border-Walwa is a cross-border club. Jingellic is on the New South Wales side of the Murray River, while Walwa is on the Victorian side.

By Adam McNicol