THE Ovens and Murray (O&M) interleague team reclaimed the Ash-Wilson trophy in a dominant display that ended with a 77 point victory over their rivals, their counterparts from the Goulburn Valley League (GVL). No Mansfield Seniors were called up for selection and as such, the Eagles will go into Saturday 31 May's match against Benalla rested and refreshed. But two U18s Eagles, Adam Storer and Sam Guppy, represented the GVL in the thirds. 1000 people swarmed upon the WJ Findlay Oval in Wangaratta to watch the black and gold beat the GVL 18.19 (127) to 7.8 (50). O&M’s midfield lit the spark in the first quarter, winning the ball and delivering it cleanly into the forwards. While they were a tad wasteful early, kicking seven minor scores during the opening term, the sheer volume of looks inside forward 50 O&M were producing kept the scoreboard pressure ratcheting up. O&M would take a six-goal lead into the second quarter, but with GVL kicking with the wind, momentum began to swing the way of the Violet Crumbles. Defensive pressure went sky high during the second, with GVL failing to penetrate O&M’s half back line, led by Zac Pethybridge and Ned Pendergast in the air, while Cody Schutt and Liam McCarthy operated well at ground level. Counterpunch efforts saw the margin blow out, with the O&M leading 10.12 (72) to 1.7 (13) by half-time The scores kept coming in the second half, with O&M's forwards sharing the goals around. With the game beyond a doubt heading into the fourth quarter, O&M took the foot off the gas and went into preservation mode, determined not to let any late injuries ruin their seasons for their clubs. While GVL would kick six goals in the final term, it wasn't enough to concern the O&M who ran out 77-point winners. Senior coach Jake Sharp said it was immensely satisfying to produce such a one-sided match against a quality outfit, particularly in the opening quarter. “I’m pretty rapt, the application to tasks and execution of roles from all of our 22 players was super,” he said. “To have an opposition league who is considered on the same level as us with one goal at three quarter time just spoke to the level of detail our boys played with. “We started with six to one with centre clearance in the first quarter, so we were able to gain a lot of field territory from that and apply a lot of pressure on their defence. “We were 1.5 to start, and we needed to start taking our chances, but then luckily toward the back end of that quarter we really capitalised on some opportunities. “Our inside 50s that quarter was 19, so we had a lot of looks at goal, and thankfully we were able to put some scoreboard pressure on because of that." North Albury’s Josh Murphy was named best on ground, finishing with six goals, while Corowa Rutherglen’s Kaelan Bradke snagged three. Sharp said every single player contributed in their way across the three lines. “Our back seven for the whole day were just elite, one of the points they wanted to be was organised, and they were,” he said. “Any attacks which were coming in, we had aerial support - Zac Pethybridge, [Ned] Pendergast, Charlie Morrison just supported each other in the air, and we had really good shape at the contest with our smaller types in Schutty [Cody Schutt], Simmo [Simon Curtis], Liam McCarthy and Jack Costello. “They [the forwards] were super all day, for probably three quarters, GVL played with a spare behind the ball – it’s difficult as a marking player to compete with two as opposed to one, and for the large part they did a fantastic job at either marking those balls and bringing them to ground. “We spoke about whether that spare was having an impact but it was clear we were still getting shots on goal and we were happy to role with that, because we knew those boys were competing so well in the air.” The O&M under 18s also celebrated victory, grinding out the win 10.13 (73) to 9.6 (60). Sharp said the O&M’s commitment to the interleague program was exceptional. “Representing your league is an awesome accolade to have, and something I’m sure all of those boys will look back on fondly," he said. “I love how committed the Ovens and Murray is to interleague football and providing that opportunity for the boys. “They put a lot of money into the program to make sure it’s a really positive experience and I’m sure a lot of those boys are going to take a lot from it and remember it for some time.”
