Tallangatta District: Jason Akermanis and ex-AFL players can’t lift Wahgunyah to victory

Jason Akermanis and two other former AFL players couldn’t help Wahgunyah to victory. See what’s next for the struggling club.

Wahgunyah has produced its most competitive performance of two troubled seasons in the Tallangatta and District league as attention turns to ensuring the club’s long-term survival.

Bolstered by one-off appearances from three former AFL players, Jason Akermanis, Jared Brennan and Harley Bennell, before the June 30 clearance window shut, the embattled Lions lost to Thurgoona by 28 points.

Jason Akermanis provides some at one of the breaks in the match between Wahgunyah and Thurgoona. Picture: Supplied Wahgunyah Facebook

Wahgunyah also fielded four other “recruits” including former juniors in a desperate bid to win a match after enduring another season of weekly triple figure losses.

“Our No.1 goal was to get people through the gate and we definitely achieved that,” Lions president Daryl Hore said.

“Our gate takings were three times as much as it would be for a normal home game.

“We did put a bit out to put the day on with the expectation that it would pay for itself.

“Days like this will push us through to 2024.”

Jason Akermanis, bottom right, in his one off match for battling club Wahgunyah. Picture: Supplied Wahgunyah Facebook

Akermanis has played one-off games for four clubs this season and Bennell was playing his third in a different jumper.

Brennan travelled from Queensland where he has played four games with Morningside.

But, Mr Hore said the club craved long-term viability and a July 13 community meeting shaped as a major test of support within the town after the recent collapse of merger talks with neighbouring club Rutherglen.

“It will be great to see 200 people in the room,” he said.

“We saw people (on Saturday) who live in Wahgunyah, but have never been to a game before.

“They’ve seen we’re not a rabble.

“We’re actually a well organised club and things work really well on game day because we’ve got great volunteers.”

Wahgunyah Football-Netball Club president Darryl Hore. Picture: David Johnston

But the health of the game has never been worse in the Corowa cluster of clubs including Wahgunyah, Corowa-Rutherglen and Rutherglen.

Ovens and Murray league team Corowa-Rutherglen is in recess and Rutherglen’s only win this season was over Wahgunyah.

It was predicted six years ago that there would be club casualties due to a lack of players with Wahgunyah’s vulnerability made worse by not having two junior teams for the second year in a row.

But, AFL Northeast Border has opted against full-scale intervention of forcing mergers or other sorely needed structural changes.

AFLNEB chairman David Koschitzke declined to comment on the Corowa Cluster situation.