Seven rounds into what has been a bruising start to the Goulburn Valley League season, players could be forgiven for opting to enjoy a weekend off rather than pull on a different guernsey for a clash worth no premiership points.
But for many, including Echuca young gun Hugh Byrne, the pull of the so-called ‘violet crumble’ Goulburn Valley League interleague strip is strong.
At Shepparton’s Deakin Reserve on Saturday, Byrne will line up with a host of fellow superstars from across the competition in taking on the highly fancied Ovens and Murray side in a tantalising interleague clash, with the prestige of representing the league an opportunity he can’t turn down.
“As a young fella it's a pretty awesome opportunity to go out there and have a crack against some pretty awesome players,” he said.
“You always strive to play the best kind of footy and obviously the interleague is a step up from senior footy. (I'll) get in and have a crack, and see how I go.”
Already with a senior GVL premiership under his belt at just 18 years of age, Byrne has made a hot start to the year up front for the Murray Bombers, and will no doubt be a driving force if the purple and gold are to reclaim the Ash-Wilson trophy on Saturday.
Averaging two goals a game in the 2024 campaign, which ranks as elite across the competition, Byrne is also ranked in the top echelon for score involvements (7.6) and contested marks (1.9), with his average ranking points per game of 88.9 also above the league average.
While the lure for Byrne is the challenge of high-level footy, which his statistics for Echuca suggest he is more than up to meeting, the forward is also of the view that there is more to gain from the experience after conversations with teammates that played last year.
“(I've spoken with) a couple of the boys, 'Jackie' Evans was pretty happy with himself last year,” he laughed.
“They loved the opportunity, apart from going over to Albury of course, but they said it was an awesome experience.
“Obviously getting to know all the different boys from all the different clubs is a pretty cool experience, and then you get to know more people that you'll know for the rest of your life.
“They loved that part of it, and they loved the footy, playing with the highest players in the comp.”
Having made his way to Deakin Reserve for a light session on Tuesday night, and mixing with some of his adversaries-turned-allies that he will play alongside on the weekend, Byrne reckons the side selected by the GVL coaching panel is in with a real shot of walking away with a win.
“We're looking to play quick, outside footy, and really take the game on,” he said.
“We're not looking to go slow, it's a high-risk, high-reward-type game style that we're going to look to play, and I think yeah, we've got a good side in to do that.”
The most well-represented team in the initial squad, Byrne will be joined by teammates Matt Lias, Liam Tenace and Riley Smith on Saturday, while fellow Murray Bombers Cameron Valentine, Jack McHale and Evans have had to withdraw.
There’s an Echuca influence in the moving of the magnets too, with Sam Reid on co-coaching duties with Mark Lambourn, with the Murray Bomber encouraging Byrne to play to his strengths come Saturday.
“I'll be playing half forward,” Byrne said, his regular position with the Murray Bombers.
“He's (Reid) thinking about throwing me back if need be, but yeah, I’ll play that high half forward and keep moving all day, and hopefully get a few looks.”