Anglesea, Torquay to face off in first Anzac Day clash

SURF Coast rivals Torquay and Anglesea are set for an epic Grand Final rematch this season, when they meet at Ellimatta Reserve in Round 4 of the Bellarine Football League (BFL).

Slated for April 25, the clash also marks the first time both teams will face off in an Anzac Day fixture.

It comes almost three years after the sudden passing of Anglesea Football Club legend and dedicated volunteer Dean Lobbe at the age of 57, days before the two clubs were scheduled to meet in Anglesea for a pre-Anzac Day showdown that had been orchestrated by Lobbe.

Since then, the clubs have maintained a pact to each year play a tribute match in Anglesea close to Anzac Day in honour of Lobbe and his lasting impact, not only on the BFL, but also the wider community.

Torquay Football Club president Cameron Healy said Lobbe had a record that spoke for itself and embodied the key values of the Anzacs, including endurance, mateship and sacrifice.

“We’re going into the third year of that schedule and it’s something that’s very important to the Anglesea Football Club and it’s something that Torquay Football Club’s very proud to be associated with and connected to.

“We both understand that the greatest strength of both our clubs, and all the BFL clubs, is community.”

 

 

Anglesea Football Club president Paul Nigro said the club was looking forward to hosting Torquay for the marquee game, which will see both teams battle it out for the Dean Lobbe Perpetual Trophy.

“He was a true warrior and he’s still missed to this day – the amount of work he did inside and outside the club – and we honour him on that day.

“The clubs have got great respect for each other and respect’s probably a key word that aligns with everything with Anzac Day and honouring those in the past.

“It’s a hugely significant day on the football calendar.”

Although the timing of Anzac Day this year was “fortuitous”, Nigro said, a future Anzac Day fixture would continue to be dictated by its timing, as a mid-week matchup would present challenges for both the fixture and the players’ recovery.

Looking at the 2025 fixture more broadly, both Nigro and Healy expressed optimism for the season ahead.

“Geelong Amateur have recruited so well. Barwon Heads are such a powerhouse. The competition’s in a really, really healthy state,” Healy said. “If you look at the fixture, there genuinely, as the season starts, could be seven or eight teams that could win the premiership this year.”