The Goulburn Valley and Ovens and Murray football netball leagues are set to renew their fierce rivalry again this year with the time and venue for the blockbuster clash locked in.
Representative football and netball sides from the leagues will face off on Saturday, May 20, at Albury Sportsground, the home of the Albury Tigers.
It will be the first time in five years that Tigerland has hosted the showpiece event and follows on from last year’s matches at Mooroopna.
“It was great to see people back at interleague at Mooroopna last season and, as a league, we are excited for our opportunity to play host to the GVL for the coveted Ash-Wilson Trophy in our own backyard,” OMFNL chairman David Sinclair said.
“We are confident all parameters are in place for a great spectacle at the Albury Sportsground, with the level of talent that will be on display in both football and netball not seen in our region for many years.”
O&M will be hoping to retain the Ash-Wilson trophy following a 55-point win over the GVL last season.
This year’s host led at every break, powering to a comfortable 18.11 (119) to 9.10 (64) victory.
In the open netball, it was the GVL that stormed home in the fourth quarter to triumph 44-39.
Last year the Battle on the Border returned for the first time since 2017 and GVL chair Jacqui Hudgson said she was excited about the tradition continuing to grow.
“The GOTAFE Goulburn Valley League is looking forward to renewing the rivalries between our two leagues in both football and netball,” she said.
“After the successful return of interleague last year, we look forward to seeing a strong contingent of GVL spectators in Albury on May 20 supporting our representative players.”
The OMFNL has locked in its football coaches for the match, with Damian Sexton (seniors) and Tom McGrath (under-18) to be at the helm.
“We are also delighted to have our football coaches committed so early, with both Damian and Tom looking to maintain their winning records from last year,” Sinclair said.
The coaches for the OMFNL interleague open and 17-and-under netball teams are yet to be confirmed.
The GVL is yet to announce its coaches.