THE FINAL scoreline might not have indicated a heated battle, but the 2000-odd fans who flocked to Windy Hill on Saturday afternoon witnessed just that when Old Essendon Grammar took on St Bernard's Old Boys for local bragging rights in the B Section of the VAFA.

The two sides were meeting at senior level for the first time, as past grading has previously seen them face off only at school level.

With football a large part of the Essendon area, the prospect of a closely-fought match was highly anticipated, but Essendon Grammar was far too strong, thumping an undermanned St Bernard's side 20.15 (135) to 11.13 (79).

St Bernard's coach and former Essendon star Simon Madden said it was a "disappointing result" for his side, given the exciting build-up to the match and undisputed rivalry between the local clubs.

"They played very good footy, they're a very good side and they have a very good game plan," he said after the match.

"We had some injuries, but even with that, it was their run and their discipline and backing up and good use of the ball – very basic things, but they did them very, very well.

"It's a good reality check for us. We were top [of the ladder] and now we're second, and we're one game behind them and they're obviously the measuring stick now.

"We don't play them until the last round, so that means there's another 12 games in between us playing them again, so there's a lot we can take out of this."

It was suburban football at its best, with scuffles breaking out across the field – one of which involved trainers and all but six players – and passionate locals turning out to support their chosen side as it fought for the Fletcher-Madden Cup.

The inaugural trophy was named after Essendon Grammar Old Boy Dustin Fletcher and the famous Madden brothers, who together have recorded over 900 games for the local AFL side, the Essendon Bombers.  

A pre-match president's function, hosted by Essendon Grammar and attended by Fletcher, sold out, while supporters poured into Windy Hill to witness a local derby that provided the perfect way for the northern suburb to celebrate the AFL's Community Football Weekend.

"I said to the players there would be lot more coverage in the lead-up, especially because it's the Community Weekend and there was no AFL football on, and with two Essendon teams meeting in footy-mad Essendon," Madden said.
"We knew there would be coverage, but we'll analyse what came out of it and improve on it.

"But I think the Community Weekend is a great idea. There is more to footy than just AFL, because all this footy feeds up into it."

It was only fitting the two sides met for the first time during a weekend that celebrates football at grassroots level, which was acknowledged by St Bernard's general manager Glenn Scarborough.

But while the historic aspect of the match was significant on Saturday, Madden found it hard to take his coach's hat off after witnessing the 56-point defeat.

"The disappointing thing was in the first quarter they got ahead, and that was the difference all the game until the last 10 minutes when we really dropped off," he said.

"I think the rivalry will just be just as big, or even bigger, in the last home and away game when we meet again because there could be a whole lot of things riding on it."