Golden opportunity awaits: BFNL looks to bring down O&M

SENIOR interleague coach Simon Rosa insists the BFNL has nothing to lose as the team readies for battle against the powerful Ovens and Murray league at the QEO on Saturday.

The clash – the first of two be played against each other under a two-year agreement – will be the first in 29 years between the BFNL and O&M.

While the BFNL will go into the game as underdogs against a rival widely considered to be among the top three strongest in Victorian country football, Rosa is sensing a rare opportunity for the host league.

“We’ve known for the last 12 months that we’ve got this opportunity to play the Ovens and Murray and I know I’ve been looking forward to it and so is the playing group,” Rosa said ahead of the team’s final training session at the QEO last night.

“We’ve had three sessions already and the commitment levels have been really good.

“The buy-in and the effort to get the boys to gel together has gone really well.

“Ultimately, there is going to be some very good players miss out on selection.

“It’s sad, but it’s positive. It means we are going to put a good side out there on the park to compete against the O&M, so it’s exciting times ahead.

“We have gotten a bit position specific for different roles and that means some talls will miss out and so will some smalls, just trying to pick our best mix.

“Still, I do feel for the guys who are missing out.”

The BFNL will be captained by Sandhurst star and co-coach Fergus Greene, with Castlemaine’s Bailey Henderson and Eaglehawk’s Ben Thompson joint vice-captains.

Underlining the challenge that lies ahead, O&M is coming off a statement-making 77-point win over Goulburn Valley in its most recent interleague outing last year.

It was a robust response to a 14-point loss the previous season to Goulburn Valley.

A brave BFNL was beaten in overtime last season by the Victorian Amateur Football Association, the second of two narrow losses to the VAFA in consecutive years.

Rosa said his side would embrace both its underdog status and relish the challenge against a country Victorian powerhouse.

“We know it’s going to be a big test, but that excites us,” he said.

“We have an opportunity to, one, earn a little more respect across country Victoria, but two, to knock off one of the absolute best leagues in the ‘so-called’ ranking system.

“That’s the belief I want to bring to the group, that we have an opportunity to knock off one of the best.”

Rosa has left no stone unturned in pursuit of success, watching plenty of video of O&M games this season and eliciting information from trusted sources across the league’s catchment area.

The visitors’ team will have solid representation from the league’s current powerhouses, undefeated Wangaratta Rovers (6-0), and Wangaratta and Myrtleford, both 5-1.

“We know they have some great players and it’s a strong competition, but for us, it’s got to be about what we are doing, how we want to play and backing our players in,” Rosa said.

“Our group are committed and eager to challenge themselves against the best.

“We have to come ready to play and play the way we want to play.”

Perhaps most pleasingly of all for Rosa, who is into his second year in the role, is the level of interest he has detected in the interleague concept since taking over the reins.

“There is definitely a bit of hype around it … and that’s one thing I wanted to bring back,” he said.

“Once interleague footy isn’t around anymore, it doesn’t give any of our players, especially our young players, an opportunity to play at the highest level anymore.

“Interleague footy and representative footy in general was huge for me as player, but what it does is, it gives our league and players a chance to test themselves against the best.

“I’ve felt that bit of excitement and hype, which has been really pleasing.

“Whether I am coaching or not, I will continue to support interleague footy moving forward.

“Our guys now have an opportunity to keep it rolling and to do the best thing by our league.”

In a move to inspire the playing troops, Rosa brought in BFNL Hall of Famer Brendan Hartney to address the group on Tuesday night.

A two-time Michelsen Medal winner in 1987 and 1989 and seven-time club best and fairest winner, the former Sandhurst champion was inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame in 1996 and was last November elevated to Legend status.

Hartney, who played 35 senior games for Carlton in the early to mid-1980s, captained the BFNL in a winning effort its last game against the O&M 29 years ago.

In what was then a round one encounter in the old Victorian Country Championship series, the BFNL prevailed by nine points.

On Saturday, Rosa and his charges will dare to dream of another unforgettable victory.