Ovens & Murray: Old foes Wangaratta and Wangaratta Rovers do battle

Country footy rivalries don’t come much bigger than Wang Rovers and Wang Magpies who meet again on Sunday with plenty to play for.

Fierce rivals Wangaratta and Wangaratta Rovers will meet in a genuine mid-season blockbuster in the Ovens & Murray league on Sunday as both clubs target a top-three finish.

Wangaratta has recovered from a disastrous start when it dropped the first four matches of the season to be back into finals contention with five successive wins.

Rovers have dropped only two matches with the most recent being to reigning premier Yarrawonga by 24 points a fortnight ago.

The two clubs share one of the state’s biggest rivalries.

But strangely they haven’t met in a final since 1989 when Rovers thrashed the Magpies in the first semi-final by 112 points.

They almost played off in a grand final in 1993 when the Magpies lost a tight match against Wodonga in the preliminary final.

Last year, Rovers won a Good Friday thriller before the Magpies turned the tables in emphatic fashion with a 83-point caning.

Rovers also won the first encounter this season, but enters the clash against Wangaratta with young ruckman Will Christie in major doubt after limping off early against Yarrawonga with a foot injury.

Rovers also needs a lift from forward Alex Marklew, who hasn’t kicked a goal in two of his last three matches.

In contrast, Wangaratta’s Callum Moore has kicked 30 goals in the last four rounds to be leading the O&M goalkicking race with 43 for the season.

Wangaratta is also hopeful of regaining star midfielder Brad Melville from a foot injury within a month.

But a key factor in its resurgence has been the form of young players including Xavier Laverty, Josh Tweedale, Will O’Keefe, Harrison Hewitt and Fraser Holland-Dean.

Former Carlton player Lochie O’Brien has played every match for Rovers and will be a key player in determining how deep into September they go this year.

Wangaratta Rovers are in their longest premiership drought in the O&M with the club’s last flag coming in 1994.