In north-east Victoria they reckon if you kick a fallen log, out will come three rabbits and a ready-made half-back flanker. Over the border in southern New South Wales they produce footballers who play as straight and hard as the Hume Highway.
In football terms, the Murray River is a Rio Grande. Cross the border and you soon know you are in enemy territory.
Sydney’s Zen-master Brett Kirk played all of his junior football and about 80 senior games with North Albury in the Ovens and Murray League.
“There was a very fierce rivalry over the border,” he remembers. “Albury versus Wodonga games were a bit spiteful and something you’d look forward to it all year.
“I count myself as very much a New South Welshman and remember the day NSW beat Victoria at the SCG with big Horse [John] Longmire kicking eight goals. He’s reminded me about that a few times this week. In Albury, footy is big. State of Origin was always massive as a kid.”
From the other side of the Murray is Daniel Bradshaw of Wodonga, Brisbane and Victoria.
“The cross-border rivalry is pretty fierce,” the sharpshooter says.
“The Ovens and Murray is a pretty strong league, it’s got a pretty tough reputation and I was playing as a young bloke against older blokes so that was an experience. You look at Kirky and Crossy (Daniel Cross), the way they play their football, they are very hard at it. The way they go about it represents the way Ovens and Murray blokes play.”
Dream Team inside midfielder Cross is in an unusual situation. He was born and bred in Albury and played for NSW at the national underage championships, but he was also a Murray Bushranger in the U18 TAC Cup competition. He will be opposing former Bushranger teammates such as Steve Johnson (Wangaratta), Jarrad Waite (Benalla) and Josh Fraser (Mansfield). (Fellow Albury boy and former Murray Bushrangers and NSW underage teammate Justin Koschitzke was trimmed from the original 40-man Dream Team squad.)
“There is plenty of rivalry,” Cross says. “If I wasn’t in the squad this weekend I was going to go back and watch Albury Tigers, my home town, play against Wodonga Bulldogs. I haven’t seen those guys play for a while so it would have been good, but I’m happy to be here.
“I played for NSW as a junior and I have never really beaten Victoria, despite playing them a lot of times. Primary school, high school, I never won, but I would love to have a crack at them and have a win.
“The Bushrangers were a good side when I was there. We had eight or nine drafted from the team in my year. A lot of guys have gone on to play great AFL footy.
“Kirky is from North Albury, very much a guy I respect and always have,” Cross says. “Hopefully we both get a game on Saturday and can represent the area.”
“It’s a highlight playing with the Bushrangers boys,” ruckman Fraser says. “When I knew this concept was coming in I thought of the boys I might get to play with. Crossy was a year after me at the Bushrangers, but here you’ve got Bushrangers running around on arguably the biggest game in football’s history, and I just hope all the boys represent the Murray well.”
Carlton’s Waite concurs. “It’s great to catch up with those blokes again. You don’t see them in the season because these days you don’t go and have a beer with the opposition. The Bushrangers were a good team at that time and it’s great to play with them again.”
Former Melbourne small Kelly O’Donnell was the Murray Bushrangers’ coach from 1994-2000.
“It was a reasonably successful era, we finished no lower than third for a number of years and won a premiership in 1998,” he recalls. “Josh Fraser and Crossy were involved throughout that period and Kosi as well.
“Josh was always very highly rated through his junior career, but Crossy had great athleticism and ability to run hard during games for long periods. His work ethic and attention to detail was a great strength.
“That has always been a strong region, the talent has always been there, and it will be great to see those ex-Bushranger players in the Hall of Fame match.”
