Country football: Benalla All Blacks and Wahgunyah off to flying starts

TWO recent country football battlers in Victoria’s North East are undefeated after five rounds.

Harry Moran. Picture: Andy Rogers

TWO recent country football battlers in Victoria’s North East are undefeated after five rounds.

Wahgunyah is the only side left unconquered in the Tallangatta District Football League following Saturday’s win against Yackandandah, which was also 4-0 entering the match.

Meanwhile, Benalla All Blacks in the Ovens and King league has won the same number of games it won all of last season by scoring a significant three-point win against reigning premier Glenrowan on Saturday.

Second-year playing coach Harry Moran said it was “the best win our footy club has had in at least seven or eight years”.

The Panthers played finals in 2012 then won four games combined for the next three seasons.

“It’s never easy to face Glenrowan at their home ground as it is,” he said.

“They’re looking for a fourth-straight premiership … to knock them off and play the brand of footy we wanted to play (on Saturday) was a step in the right direction.”

Alistair Jacka was the prized recruit for the All Blacks this year, crossing over from Goulburn Valley club Benalla Saints, but Moran said it had added 15-16 players on the off-season, a “monster number”.

Grand finalist Tarrawingee and Goorambat and District, which last year played finals for the first time since joining the league in 2010, are also undefeated.

Meanwhile, Wahgunyah has finished sixth to eighth in a top five finals structure since 2011, the last season it played in the finals.

President Darryl Hore said they had benefited from a kind draw — three of its first five opponents finished bottom three last year — and the early success had been reflected in the gate, canteen and bar takings.

“Yackandandah was definitely our first test, so it’s good to get that one out of the road, but we’ve got the hard work coming up,” he said.

Hore said an off-field focus by the club last year was paying off, and it had targeted former juniors to recruit them back to the Lions.

The club also has depth this year as its reserves are also undefeated.

“The attitude of the players has been outstanding.,” Hore said. “The club’s a very good place to be around at the minute, winning does that, but the focus of the club has been on the off-field stuff and it is starting to pay off for us now.”