Date Deep Dive | Whilst the topic, structure and interest in future Victorian country interleague matches remains undecided, this weekend sees the next installment of the Ash WIlson Trophy match between the Goulburn Valley FNL and the Ovens and Murray FNL.

Whilst this will be the 12th game for the aforementioned trophy, the two leagues have a long history of clashes, dating back to 1930. Currently the tally stands at 17 wins to the Ovens and Murray FNL and 10 wins to the Goulburn Valley FNL.  Last year saw the OMFNL with an 18.11 - 119 to 9.10 - 64 win while we have to go back to 2010 for the last time the boys from the GVFNL sang the song when they were winners, 12.16 - 88 to 9.10 - 64.

Historically there has been no love lost between the two leagues with bragging rights fiercely fought for in terms of who is the best league in the north of the state, or in broader terms for the title of the best league in Victoria. With apologies to the Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Hampden, Gippsland and Mornington Peninsula Nepean FNL’s, the GVFNL and OMFNL have historically been recognised as powerhouse leagues from the bush. So the local rivalry among league supporters usually boils down to this, which league is the best?  

So we’ve decided to have a look at it from a different angle, with no answer to the question, but just a breakdown of some info to fuel the fire among supporters and the leagues before the clash on the weekend.  So take a moment to look at our breakdown below before this weekend's clash to see how each league stacks up side by side via the graphic, with the data broken up even more in the rest of the article.

VFL/AFL Recruits:

A measure of a leagues strength can come down to how they prepare players for the next level, in this case the VFL or AFL. Since the inception of the VFL back in 1897, the OMFNL has the edge, producing 338 players to the GVFNL’s 286.  However the GVFNL players who have taken the next step to the big time have had fractionally longer careers averaging 41.59 games to 41. Collectively the OMFNL has the edge in VFL/AFL games total by 1964. 

The table below shows the breakdown of which clubs these players originated from.  These figures have been taken from every player who has played at a current or past club in each of the leagues in focus. This is why you may notice some clubs in the lists that no longer exist in any entity or some that are now present in other current leagues.  The Albury FNC leads all clubs with 55 players, followed by Shepparton FNC with 47. Benalla FNC is the anomaly in this as they have spent time in both leagues at some point since their formation in 1896. 

Premiership success:

Of the combined 624 VFL/AFL players produced by both leagues, 61 of them have tasted the ultimate success as premiership players being part of a combined 92 premiership teams.  The pioneer of this list was John ‘Frederick’ Hiskins who plied his trade at Excelsior FC before heading to Essendon for the 1900 season and then playing on their 1901 premiership side, lining up in the half forward flank. This wouldn’t be the only success Fred experienced during the 1901 season, which we will touch on further later in this article.  

The most recent former country footballer to climb onto an AFL premiership dais from either league was former Mooroopna FNC export Clayton Oliver as part of the Melbourne FC drought breaking premiership in 2021. From an OMFNL perspective it was Oliver's premiership teammates in James Jordan (Yarrawonga FNC) and Charlie Spargo (Albury FNC) who were the most recent recipients of an AFL premiership medallion.

The best of the best:

It goes without saying that historically players from Victorian country clubs have long been some of the greatest players to have graced VFL/AFL playing fields with names such as Leigh Matthews, Tony Lockett, Gary Ablett Snr and Jnr regularly appearing whenever Top 20 player lists are created.  The two leagues in focus are similar as well, producing some of the greats of the games and specifically as highlighted by the list below, those who have been recognised as the greatest players for a season at the top level of the game. 

 An interesting look at the data is that despite having produced more VFL/AFL players, the OMFNL collectively have less combined Brownlow votes than their peers from the GVFNL.

In front of the big sticks:

Forwards in full flight have always been a highlight of the great game of Australian Rules football. In the league comparison below, it’s the OMFNL leading the way in terms of goal kicking.  Fred Hiskins, who we mentioned below, not only was a premiership player in the 1901 season with Essendon, but was also the VFL leading goal kicker that year with a total of 34. Ironically he didn’t kick one in that grand final victory.  Fred would go on to kick a total of 78 games from his 50 game career with the Dons.  

From each league perspective, the biggest career tally of goals at VFL/AFL level belongs to 2 time Coleman Medalist Fraser Gehrig (Wodonga Raiders FNC) who managed 548 goals from his stints with West Coast FC and St Kilda FC.  From the Goulburn Valley FNL perspective it’s former MElbourne FC captain Garry Lyon (Kyabram FNC) topping their career goal kicking list with 426 career majors.

* In September 2001, the AFL decided to recognise all leading goalkickers from with all those who lead the league goal kicking total from 1955 the year after Coleman's last match to 1980 when the first Coleman was awarded. These winners were named retrospective Coleman Medallists, while any VFL goal kicking winners prior to 1955 were named Leading Goalkicker Medallists.

 ** Please note that the player data used to compile this article is based on players' VFL/AFL career tallies up to and including the 2022 AFL season.