Country interleague footy battles on without financial backing from AFL Victoria
Interleague footy has long been a stepping stone for country players chasing AFL dreams, but now funding cuts threaten its future.
Interleague footy has been pushed to the brink of being financially prohibitive in a move that could rob the elite level of some talented hidden gems.
For more than 70 years, country leagues have played for pride and bragging rights, but this year marks a turning point for the poorer.
Matches are being played for the first time without financial backing from AFL Victoria.
Previously, leagues relied on shrinking contributions from head office to help cover the $30,000 to $40,000 spent on travel, accommodation and playing gear.
Despite rising costs, interleague footy has long been a platform for mature-aged players hoping to catch the eye of AFL recruiters.
In the post-Covid era alone, Wangaratta’s Joe Richards and Albury’s Riley Bice are rolled gold examples of players whose starring roles at interleague level were a crucial starting point to being drafted.
They were Ovens & Murray teammates in 2022 with Richards the first to go when Collingwood drafted him at the end of the season.
He is now a regular senior player with Port Adelaide.
Bice stayed in the O&M for another season before joining VFL club Werribee.
Playing a crucial role across halfback in a premiership-winning team in 2024 was enough for Sydney to draft him last November.
In the absence of a statewide structured interleague format, O&M and Goulburn Valley will play for a fourth successive year at Wangaratta on Saturday.
The choice of venue means GV won’t have to stump up for overnight accommodation as it did when the two leagues met in Albury two years ago.
Hampden and Ballarat will play for a third successive year in July and Hampden general manager Trent Hill said interleague required a lot of financial prudence.
“We want to make it as great an experience as it can be for the players because we want them to have that chance to play at the next level,” he said.
“But we’re mindful it’s a costly exercise and are smart with how we spend our money.
“We don’t want to blow the budget doing it.
“We’re appreciative of the (financial) support we’ve had previously, but would we like it to continue?
“Absolutely we would.”
The Hampden-Ballarat fixture is for under-23 players only and Hill hopes the two leagues plus Bendigo and Geelong could form an expanded, more structured format, in the future.
Former Hampden representatives Myles McCluggage and Jackson Grundy have joined Werribee, which has had the most success with country recruits of all VFL clubs.
Two other 2024 premiership players from the bush, Aidan Johnson and Jack Henderson, have joined Bice in playing at AFL senior level this year.
Werribee chief executive Mark Penaluna said his club shifted its focus to country recruits with the VFL development league’s demise at the end of 2017.
“There is definitely a void that exists for aspiring country players who want to get into the VFL and beyond,” he said.
“Absolutely we do have our recruiters looking at interleague games.
“Would AFL clubs be able to pick up a Joe Richards-type directly out of Wangaratta if interleague games didn’t exist? Probably not.
“It doesn’t matter whether they are at their best at 18, or whether they are at their best at 23 like a Riley Bice.
“I know the AFL is reviewing the ecosystem of Victorian football at the moment, particularly the VFL, so putting these showcase games on are absolutely pivotal.”
In acknowledging Werribee’s success with country-based recruits, Greater Western Sydney started up a training base in Albury this year with Wodonga’s Noah Bradshaw making his debut last Saturday.
The O&M, which won the first interleague carnival played 70 years ago, remained fully committed to representative footy despite the financial pressures.
‘The O&M fully supports interleague football and netball and have made it clear we think our peak body should be facilitating a structured program,” O&M chairman David Sinclair said.
“There are plenty of examples of players who have slipped through the traditional talent pathways and have found a way to get noticed by performing well in these games.
“But it needs to be done in a structured way.
“Leagues can then plan and factor into budgets the cost of such programs if they’re supported by AFL Victoria.”
The amount available to support interleague matches dropped from $6000 to $3000 last season.
In confirming there would be no future assistance, AFL Victoria said in December: “Interleague football holds value for some leagues across the state and provides players from participating leagues with an opportunity to compete at a higher level.
“However in considering the game’s priorities across community football, participation programs, volunteers and facilities, the intention is for these funds to be directed to other areas of the game in 2025.
“AFL Victoria is supportive of the concept of interleague football and will continue to get behind these games in other ways.”
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