Rekindled rivalry

Hepburn Springs and Daylesford are setting to meet on field for the first time since 1945, after many years playing in separate leagues. Rivalry comes to the forefront for both players and communities.

Thank you to Rob Rodini, Shane Robertson, Luke Adams. Television news excerpt reproduced with kind permission of WIN TV, Ballarat.

TRANSCRIPT

It’s all right; the time has finally arrived for Hepburn and Daylesford to go head to head. With both sides once again back in the same footy league, locals can’t wait for the big clash.

Oh well, they don’t have a lot going for them down there in Hepburn. They’re always a poor man’s version of Daylesford but we should be right….Come on there…

Been around the Club, I suppose, from when I was…I don’t know…from when they could carry me to the ground. I’ve been connected with Hepburn ever since, and I don’t know, the rivalry was there before my time, it was always…I think every town that is close has the rivalry in the footy sides. When they put the sewage line down through Hepburn, well there were people in Daylesford said “Oh great, we been waiting years to shit on Hepburn”. Well I suppose if you want to call that rivalry.

I think it’s always been there. Even when I was at Daylesford I must admit that I poached some Hepburn players, Hepburn Football Club’s poached Daylesford players. That tends to set a bit of rivalry off the field in a sense that while there having a beer together they’re actually sledging each other, an it’s got to a stage where the rivalry’s rebuilt but in a stronger situation because of ,uh, playing in the same league and the closeness of the towns.

The only thing that probably eats at me a little bit about Hepburn is I don’t think they give our footy club enough respect, you know. A few things in the paper this week they’ve said and you just see that there’s not much respect there and it does eat at you a little bit, but I’ve go no doubt, with my boys, the only way you’re goin’ ta get respect off a club like that is to have the win on the board Saturday afternoon. So that’s what we’re setting out to do.

Player game calls.

Don’t want Winda’s controlin…kick behind play…James Newton was paddling here, get back with him.

…you have to hit the target when you come back in the middle…the ball in the middle of the ground went sideways again to no one really aright…50 meter penalty…

Player game calls

You must do the job…you must do the job…OK…I don’t want to see you ten metres off the contest…we must hit it hard…

Siren

Cheers, whistles…sing…Red white and blue…should old acquaintance be forgot.