East Coast Eagles vs. Fitzroy Dockers: Aussie Rules at its purest, poorest and most passionate

Football’s a funny game. It’s even funnier when two teams of lowly skilled yet passionate amateurs run out once a year for a no holds barred game of football. Funnier still when you consider the game is played between West Coast and Freo fans … in Melbourne. Fitzroy Dockers vice captain and duel premiership player Leigh Josey looks back at that one Saturday in July…

Last Saturday, on a little patch of grass in Clifton Hill called Ramsden Oval, nearly 50 Western Australians who now live in Melbourne played a game of Aussie Rules.

Every weekend thousands of people play footy in Melbourne, but what made this Saturday different is that this game was divided along Sandgroper expatriate lines, West Coast and Freo, and that the two teams, the East Coast Eagles and the Fitzroy Dockers, were playing for the 4^th Annual Grudgematch Trophy.

What started as a one on one duel by East Coast Eagles captain Gavin Ashley and Fitzroy Dockers captain Clinton Lubcke five years ago is now an annual exhibition featuring football mad West Aussies who honour the local Derby between WA’s AFL teams by staging their own, albeit slightly less skilled, spectacle.

On the day of the second Derby every year — irrespective of getting council approval of a ground — a game is played, rain, hail or shine. Banners are made, a Footy Record produced and once the game itself is done and dusted both teams troop off to the closest pub to watch the professionals emulate their actions.

For Ashley and Lubcke, the contest has evolved beyond all expectations.

Ashley, 34,  said the highlight of leading the East Coast Eagles is “wearing the Eagles cape before the match, there’s not many opportunities to wear a cape nowadays so it feels like a great privilege.”

“Realistically though there’s not much better feeling than walking off after a great team win, patting 18 or 20 bums — no one thinking it’s odd — and have them say ‘well done skip’ in return”.

For Lubcke, 34, “we are such a maligned club in the East, so its fantastic to be showing the locals that we are proud to support Freo regardless of what kind of year we are having in the AFL.”

“To begin with I think how we were tracking in the AFL season influenced how much enthusiasm there would be for the Grudgematch, but I think the Grudgematch has developed into such an event and has so many people involved that it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Before Saturday’s game the Eagles had the wood over the Dockers 2-1. Last year the Dockers broke the drought and won. This year’s contest had the makings of a classic. The upstart Dockers versus the wounded Eagles. Both teams were made up of amateurs, most of whom only kick a footy once a year in anger.

However once that line is crossed every man and woman (yes a girl from each team played this year) give their all. You don’t flinch in a derby. It’s a contest only West Australians can probably understand. We hate each other yet your daughter/father/husband/girlfriend/cousin/best friend likely follow the team you hate. It’s a wonderful conundrum and ultimately the hatred is benign. I love Freo but hate the Eagles. My Dad’s the opposite. And life goes on.

As for the captains of the East Coast Eagles and Fitzroy Dockers:

“You know when you meet someone and they look alright  — seem like a good sheila or bloke — and then it turns out they vote Family First or something stupid like that? That’s how I feel about Focker supporters,” said Ashley.

“The only thing I regret at the moment is that the Eagles are much better at tanking than us and will probably end up getting a bloody first round priority pick … the culture at that club, I swear!” said Lubcke.

So on Saturday we went to battle. Former Fremantle coach Damien Drum, now the National’s Member for the Northern Victorian Region in Victoria’s Upper House, came down before the game to rally the troops. Drummy, as he’s affectionately known to the Freo faithful, has a special place in Fremantle fans’ hearts. He drafted us Matthew Pavlich and Paul Haslebly, got Peter Bell back, and won our first ever Derby. Drum and Fremantle fans also have a unified dislike of Adrian Barich.

Drum, perhaps a little perplexed that he was sought after to come down to this bizarre football display, appeared to enjoy retelling stories from his days in purple (it’s not like the voting public of Bendigo care about the inner workings of Clive Waterhouse’s mind) and on hearing his words the Fitzroy Dockers began to morph from lowly Clinton Wolfs into slightly more capable Scott Thorntons.

Drum wasn’t the only Fremantle connection present. Ben Allan, Fremantle’s inaugural captain, current Vice President and ironically the man who took over from Drum as caretaker coach, wasn’t there – but his brother was. Jake Allan, Fremantle royalty, started in the centre and had a brilliant game. He even had Ben send us an inspirational text message which Jake read out aloud in the huddle before the game. Fremantle’s favourite son wrote:

Good luck for the big game at Clifton Hill today.

You guys may not be as big as Sandilands or as skillful as Wirrapunda, however your efforts need to be the equal of the AFL boys.

Play well gentlemen.

Ben Allan, Vice President, Fremantle Football Club

So Footy Records were handed out, the banners run through. Backs were pat, last minute changes were made. The siren keeper went to his position in his car. The umpires (the fantastic Walch brothers, Sam being Head of AFL Media) called for the ball. It was time.

So to the game. It was windy. Too windy. The city end of Ramsden Oval possessed a three or four goal breeze. Captain Lubke won the toss and kicked with the wind. Eagles full forward Michael Taylor kicked the opening goal with his first kick in Grudematch football – against the breeze. The Eagles were on a mission.

The Fitzroy Dockers steeled themselves and fought back. The Dockers, consisting largely of archetypical Fitzroy types – actors, artists, musicians – were in for a scrap against an East Coast Eagles team with notably more athletes.

Allan led a mid field brigade that prospered from the dominance of its ruckman Jarrad “JK” Kennedy. The Eagle midfield, led by a Cousins-Judd-Kerr hybrid in Matt Sullivan, counter attacked tearing the Freo defence apart.

At three quarter time the Dockers were 22 points up. Was it enough?

In the final quarter Freo failed to score a goal. The Eagles were coming. However like Phil Read to Dale Kickett they failed to land a killer blow. The car horn sounded – the Fitzroy Dockers won by two points. The Freo theme song, an unusual yet beautiful beast, was sung with gusto.

Afterwards, both teams went to the Royal Derby Hotel in Fitzroy. JK was awarded best player for the Fitzroy Dockers, Sullivan judged the best for the East Coast Eagles.

“JK’s a very, very handy player,” said Lubcke. “He took a couple of massive marks that pretty much sealed the game for us.”

As for Sullivan, “I’ve ever seen a guy who’s  so pure Eagle,” said Ashley. “Flying, swooping, diving, soaring. He  lifts those players around him in a way that only a player of his type can.”

Beers in hand, both teams watched the “real” derby. Eerily, Fremantle Dockers proper won a low scoring error riddled derby. Its giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands was judged best afield, like JK before him.

At some point everyone scattered back to their respective lives. At some point next year the call will come for preseason. It will be ignored. The call will come again and we’ll most likely go to the pub. Then we’ll wait for the second Derby, make a banner and do it all over again.