2025 country footy: Ovens & Murray releases next year’s draw

Wang Rovers will unfurl their first flag in 30 years in front of their arch rival to kick off 2025 O&M season. See all the fixture highlights.

Wangaratta Rovers will unfurl their drought-breaking 2024 Ovens & Murray league premiership flag in a stand-alone fixture against arch rival Wangaratta to kickstart next season.

The Rovers pulled off the biggest grand final upset in more than 40 years when they beat hot favourites Yarrawonga in the premiership-deciding match in September.

Rovers beat Wangaratta on the way to winning the flag and will meet for the first time in 2025 on April 5.

The rest of the competition starts a week later in a full round that will include Rovers playing North Albury, the team they beat in the preliminary final this year.

Wangaratta Rovers downed Yarrawonga by three points in the Ovens & Murray league grand final at Lavington this year. Picture: Benjamin deOleveira

Wangaratta Rovers and Wangaratta have played on Good Friday in recent seasons.

But Easter and Anzac Day rounds falling in back-to-back weeks has created some scheduling headaches.

“Despite the equality of all clubs receiving nine home games apiece, the compilation of the fixture needs to consider each club’s individual situation and requests, with an attempt to maximise each club’s home games as much as possible,” O&M chairman David Sinclair said.

“Next year’s fixture created more complexities than usual with Easter falling the weekend before Anzac Day.

“We look forward to seeing plenty of interest in the early season marquee match-ups.”

.⁦@omfnl⁩ 2025 fixture out. ⁦@wangrovers⁩ to unfurl flag in standalone season opener. ⁦@theweeklytimes⁩ pic.twitter.com/CIYobIORJL

— David Johnston (@david_johnston5) November 27, 2024

A trade-off for Wangaratta agreeing to play Rovers in the season-opener has been a third match on Anzac Day for the first time.

Wangaratta will host Myrtleford on top of the longstanding Anzac Day fixtures between North Albury and Albury and Wodonga and Wodonga Raiders.

Wangaratta has a new coach in 2025, former St Kilda forward Jason Heatley, who joins the O&M coaching ranks from North Heidelberg.

Jason Heatley is coaching Wangaratta Rovers next year. (Photo by Josh Chadwick)

Wangaratta Rovers had not won a flag since 1994 with the Rovers recovering from a 71-point second semi-final thrashing from Yarrawonga to claim the flag.

In 1981, Wodonga rebounded from a 92-point second semi-final drubbing from Albury to win the flag a fortnight later.

The O&M will stick with its proven formula of hosting Easter matches in the tourist hotspots of Corowa, Myrtleford and Yarrawonga-Mulwala.

Corowa-Rutherglen, under new coach Daryn Cresswell, will start with an away match against Wangaratta before back-to-back matches against Wodonga Raiders and Yarrawonga.

Corowa-Rutherglen and Yarrawonga have opted against playing their two matches on a Sunday which had been a longstanding feature of the O&M fixture.

A bye has been set aside for the O&M-Goulburn Valley interleague match on May 24 with the O&M due to host next year.

The O&M grand final will be played on Sunday, September 21 at Lavington.

Meanwhile, the East Gippsland, Mid Gippsland and North Gippsland league grand finals will all be held on Saturday, September 13, a week before the Gippsland league grand final.

The Omeo District grand final will be played on September 6.