Last weekend, AFL fans nationwide salivated over the quality of competition during the first round of finals.
But it’s possible the best game played that weekend wasn’t at the MCG or the Gabba or Perth Stadium, but in the hamlet of Wandella — and a small rural football league four hours north of Melbourne.
In a match that brought new meaning to the sporting cliché “do or die”, the Quambatook Football Club played its final game ever.
In April, the club announced it would fold at season’s end for lack of juniors.
This set off a scintillating, emotional run of form that even saw Quambatook beat top side Nullawill.
But on Saturday it all came to an end.
The Saints got within one week of the Golden Rivers Football Netball League grand final, but Moulamein ended its fairytale run 10.15.75 to 10.8.68 in a contest of superb goals, controversial decisions and multiple lead changes.
The B-Grade Netball also made it to the finals but got knocked out in the first round.
Eulogy for a sports club
Former club president Rhys Carmichael said he was proud of how far the club had come, but also devastated.
“It’s really starting to hit home for a lot of people,” he said.
“We’ve got our presentations day this Sunday, I think that will be an emotional day for quite a few. I don’t know what will happen after that. It will be pretty upsetting.
“It was [a tough decision to make], but in another way it wasn’t, we really have struggled with volunteers. We haven’t had any kids around the club for a while. It got to a point where we just couldn’t really see a future for the club.
“It’s a weight off the shoulders that it’s finished. It’s been a bloody big year organising everything.”
And that big year was set to continue for Mr Carmichael.
Like a person, the club’s death involved answering some tough questions: What happens to the ground they played at? What will the town do now for fun? Where will the men and women play next year?
At a meeting on Tuesday night, locals threw around a bunch of ideas about how the Saints’ home ground could be used in the future.
The oval sits on a committee-owned reserve that also includes a golf course, netball and tennis courts.
“We are planning to turn it into a community centre but we’ve got to keep paying amenities and keep the ground in a respectful look,” Mr Carmichael said.
“We’ve got to keep trying to raise money to keep paying the bills, it’s going to be a drawn-out process, but we knew that when we came to this decision.
“[Selling it] is not something I think we would consider, the community needs a place to meet.”
Mr Carmichael said they would work out what to do with the courts in coming months.
The trophies and memorabilia will stay in the club rooms.
“We will have reunions and ‘back to’s and whatnot in the future. It would be nice to think that the club will [come back], but we need such an influx of young people into the community,” he said.
“The way things are going with farms getting bigger, there is not that big of a drawcard for families to move to Quambatook.”
Mr Carmichael said he expected many players would drift to other nearby clubs.
The right way to do a swan song
On Monday night, Quambatook’s captain Ricky Wild won the 2022 E.G Hunt medal as the GRFNL’s best and fairest player of 2022.
Ross Stanton, a league board member, also paid tribute to the club in his opening speech.
“It’s gut-wrenching to see clubs close: A big part of my own career was playing against them,” he said.
“But Rhys and the board came up with a formula that allowed many people to come back and celebrate their successes for one last year, which should be a blueprint for any clubs in Australia who find themselves in the same position.”
Mr Stanton is also a councillor for Gannawarra, Quambatook’s shire.
He said councils like his needed to have discussions about how to support towns that lose their sports clubs and called on people everywhere to consider their own abilities to keep their local teams alive.
“Maybe there are community connections or events we can fund or put on,” he said.
“Maybe it is a demographic thing, but it seems less and less people are willing to put their hands up to do things. Sports clubs are a great way to keep involved. It’s about trying to do things with the community.”
The ABC has contacted AFL Victoria for comment on how many other clubs have folded in 2022.
Source: AFL NEWS ABC
