Even though their days on the oval are behind them, a group of former Benalla footy players are determined to retain the mateship and camaraderie they enjoyed in their playing days.
Don Robertson said the meet-ups began with just three people, and have grown by the week.
On Friday, December 13, a group of 11 met up at Hides Bakery, on Bridge St East, Benalla.
Mr Robertson said there’s nothing better than a chat about the good old days.
“Two or three of us started to have a morning coffee and through word of mouth it just grew,” Mr Robertson said.
“Most weeks there's 13 or 14 that show up. So we’ve just kept doing it, and it's been really good.”
Most of the men are former Benalla Saints players, but Mr Robertson said it wasn’t limited to the one club, or even the Rose City.
“There might be someone who’s moved to Benalla who used to play somewhere else,” he said.
“We’d be happy for them to come along. We’ve had visitors join us.”
The group meets each Friday at 10am, at Hides, and they’re pretty easy to spot.
“We tried a few different places, but we’ve settled on Hides, as everyone knows where we’ll be.”
Mr Robertson said it was a bit similar to meeting up with the boys after a game in the pub, just a bit less rowdy.
“We’re a bit older and have mellowed down a bit nowadays,” he said.
“We enjoy a chat about how much better things were in the old days.”
If you’d like to join in the banter with some like-minded former footy players head to Hides Bakery on a Friday at 10am.