Remember when - finals week 1
This week we look back at the last time the Wangaratta Derby was played out in finals. To do that, we go back to the 1989 season when the Magpies who finished 2 nd on the ladder and Rovers who finished 4 th clashed in the first semi-final in week two of finals.
In a quirky circumstance, the top five teams to contest finals in 1989 – Wodonga, Wangaratta,
Yarrawonga, Wang Rovers and North Albury are the same top five who will slug it out in the 2024 finals series! In week 1 of the 1989 finals Wangaratta Rovers hammered North Albury by 82 points and Wangaratta lost to Yarrawonga by 16 points to set up the first semi-final showdown.
The venue for the clash was kept in Wangaratta and played at the lower ranked Rovers home venue – WJ Findlay Oval on Sunday September 10. With a strong wind blowing to the city end Rovers defended superbly against the breeze and scored heavy with it to blow the Magpies off the park winning 21-14-140 to 3-9-27 in front of a record gate of $12,085 up almost $5K on the previous year’s 1 st semi-final.
In the preliminary final the following week Rovers suffered a narrow 3-point loss to Wodonga at the Albury Sportsground. The following week Yarrawonga defeated Wodonga in the grand final at Lavington by 16 points after the grandstand was cleared at half time due to a bomb scare!
The Morris Medal was shared between Wodonga ruckman Brett Allen and Yarrawonga rover John Brunner both with 21 votes. The leading goalkicker in 1989 was Myrtleford’s Paul McCarty with 84.
The last time North Albury and Wodonga played out a final was in 2004 when Wodonga defeated the Hoppers in the grand final at Lavington Sportsground 16-17-113 to 11-6-72, with Matt Shir awarded the Did Simpson Medal for best on ground. The Morris Medal winner was Corowa Rutherglen’s Ryan Mackenzie polling 21 votes to beat Yarrawonga Craig Ednie by one vote. The leading goal kicker was Damian Lang (Wangaratta) with 88.
On the netball court it was also an A grade flag to Wodonga beating Myrtleford 39-36, reversing the result of the previous year. Rachel Wild from Yarrawonga took out the Toni Wilson Medal, while in B Grade it was a premiership to Yarrawonga and a league B&F to Raiders Alicia Walsh. In C Grade North Albury were premiers and the league B&F was won by Wangaratta Rovers Madelaine Byrne. Wodonga took out both the football and netball club championships.
