East Gippsland: Orbost and Snowy Rovers dominated early years of league
Football runs deep in Carlton coach Michael Voss’ family. See where his dad Garry ranks in the 50-year history of East Gippsland league.
Orbost-Snowy Rovers’ premiership drought since merging has ticked over more than two decades with the East Gippsland league bringing up its 50-year milestone in 2024.
The contrast in fortunes to the first 20 years of the competition is staggering, with Orbost and Snowy Rovers claiming 13 flags between them as one of country footy’s greatest rivalries simmered away.
The first six flags were evenly split before Lindenow in 1980 ended the premiership stranglehold held by the timber town’s two clubs.
The league’s powerbase has drifted west with Wy Yung the reigning premier and Lindenow winning the most flags of the current clubs with eight.
Bairnsdale dropped back to the East Gippsland league between 1999 and 2010 and matched Lindenow’s record before returning to the region’s major competition.
But what can’t be overstated is how strong Orbost and Snowy Rovers were in the formative years of the league that came about with a merger of the Gippsland and Bairnsdale District leagues.
Garry Voss started playing when Orbost became the dominant force of the former Gippsland league from the early 1960s following Bairnsdale’s switch to the Latrobe Valley league and the demise of the Snowy Valley competition that once boasted teams in Newmerella, Cabbage Tree and Buchan.
Another big factor was the coaching of former Richmond player Brian Turner, who led Orbost’s first two flags in the East Gippsland league in 1974-75 after being in charge of six premierships in the Gippsland league.
Voss was Snowy Rovers’ inaugural coach in 1970, but after leading them to the 1973 premiership, he left the area with his work as a policeman before returning to coach Rovers again in 1976 and be a prominent figure in the intense rivalry with Orbost.
“Supporters walked on different sides of the street when the two teams played,” he said.
“They wouldn’t communicate at all and to get a parking spot at either the ground for a game you had to park your car on Friday night.
“Orbost supporters drank at the bottom pub and the Snowy Rovers supporters drank at the top pub and never crossed paths.
“Snowy Rovers were basically farmers and timber workers and Orbost was school teachers, bank staff and those in similar type jobs.”
Russell Heathcote felt the full force of Orbost and Snowy Rovers as opposition coach in the first four East Gippsland league grand finals.
He coached Lucknow in 1974-75 and lost to Orbost both times before coaching Lakes Entrance in 1976-77 to defeats at the hands of Snowy Rovers.
“I could have been the Ron Barassi of the bush, but I ended up being Bobby Rose instead,” Heathcote said of the contrasting fortunes of the two VFL coaching greats in the same era.
The closest he came to glory was 1974 when Lucknow went down by eight points.
“Those two clubs’ strength was all to do with the timber industry,” Heathcote said.
“Snowy Rovers were brutal.
“It was good, hard footy in those days.
“You knew you were going to cop it, but you just had to grin and bear it and then have a beer afterwards.”
Heathcote was in his late 30s when he finally savoured East Gippsland premiership success with Lindenow in 1986 when he lined-up with his son Tim in the same team.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
(Fifty players who have made the biggest impact in the 50-year history of the East Gippsland league)
1. GARRY VOSS, Snowy Rovers, Orbost
Feared foe of every club in the early years. Coached Snowy Rovers to a hat-trick of EGFL premierships from 1976 before switching to Orbost where he coached the club to another flag in 1981.
2. BRUCE COWELL, Lindenow, Lakes Entrance
Brilliant player who won the league’s best and fairest in 1975 and won three of his five Lindenow best and fairests before heading to Canberra. Returned to Lindenow and played in the 1980 flag before starring for Bairnsdale in the Latrobe Valley league. Later coached Lakes Entrance to flags in 1994-95.
3. CHRIS REDENBACH, Lindenow, Lucknow
1981 premiership teammate of Cowell at Bairnsdale, Redenbach joined Lindenow and won three league best and fairests, three club best and fairests and coached it to a flag in 1986. Star rover won a fourth league best and fairest in 1991 for Lucknow.
4. LUKE DYER, Lindenow
The league’s modern day superstar. Holds the record of five league best and fairests either side of a stint with Bairnsdale. Powerhouse midfielder went back-to-back in 2009-10 and then won three in four years from 2016 when Lindenow also won three flags.
5. PETER JENKINS, Snowy Rovers, Orbost
Mr Consistency over two decades, firstly for Snowy Rovers before joining Orbost where he had his biggest impact. Multiple premiership player and best and fairest at both clubs, but the crowning glory was 1998 when he coached Orbost to a flag and won the league best and fairest.
6. DAVID PRESTON, Bairnsdale
Brilliant player at both ends of the ground, but found his niche up forward for Redlegs, winning EGFL goal kicking award six times with a best of 119 in 2005. Also played in six flags with Bairnsdale.
7. TERRY MATTHEWS, Lucknow
One of Lucknow’s early stars in the EGFL, the key defender winning six club best and fairests from 1975 to 1984.
8. JACK LIGHT, Orbost, Snowy Rovers
Four-time premiership player with Orbost before coaching Snowy Rovers to four successive flags from 1982. Also won the league best and fairest in 1983.
9. RUSSELL WHITE, Wy Yung
Brilliant high mark who was a key player in Bairnsdale’s 1981 LVFL flag before returning to Wy Yung in 1988 as coach when the Tigers finished runner-up and he won the league best and fairest.
10. CRAIG SOMERVILLE, Lucknow, Wy Yung
Recruited from Lucknow by Footscray where he played eight matches before suffering serious knee injury. Returned to EGFL and won the league best and fairest in 1992 and 1994.
11. Ken Heyne, Orbost, Snowy Rovers
12. Leon Brunt, Snowy Rovers
13. Bruce McLaren, Lucknow, Lindenow South
14. Ernie Dingle, Wy Yung
15. Luke Moresi, Bairnsdale
16. Brett Walker, Lindenow
17. Peter Neville, Snowy Rovers
18. Michael Turner, Orbost, Snowy Rovers
19. Doug Patterson, Lindenow
20. Wayne Reggardo, Lakes Entrance
21. Tony Tancredi, Lindenow
22. Wilfred Carter, Wy Yung
23. Adrian Bromage, Bairnsdale
24. Darren Vickery, Orbost, Orbost-Snowy Rovers
25. Russell Heathcote, Lucknow, Lakes Entrance, Lindenow
26. Graham Dempster, Lindenow, Snowy Rovers
27. Steven Schaeche, Wy Yung
28. Gary Jones, Lucknow
29. Paul Harrison, Lakes Entrance
30. Paul Elliott, Lucknow
31. Ron Dooley, Orbost
32. Tim McAuliffe, Lindenow, Lucknow
33. Keith Hanna, Snowy Rovers
34. Glenn Bills, Lakes Entrance, Orbost
35. Graeme Joiner, Snowy Rovers
36. Colin McDonald, Snowy Rovers, Orbost
37. Graeme Armstrong, Lakes Entrance
38. Russell Christy, Orbost
39. Peter Baker, Orbost
40. Jeff Watts, Lindenow South
41. Jodie Bennett, Snowy Rovers
42. Wayne Trinder, Lindenow, Lucknow, Wy Yung
43. Brian McDonald, Snowy Rovers, Orbost
44. Steve Somerville, Wy Yung
45. Matthew Davidson, Bairnsdale, Paynesville
46. Stuart Baud, Lindenow
47. David Ashworth, Paynesville
48. Lachie Channing, Stratford
49. Rod Olds, Lakes Entrance
50. Michael Betts, Wy Yung
*Criteria for selection: Minimum three years in the East Gippsland league.
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