Week 2 - Eastern Football League

By Peter Baird
www.efl.org.au
Division 1 Round 1 – Rivalry Games
What is it about local football that stirs emotion and passion like nowhere else? Is it the thrill of being involved in your local
community? The excitement of watching grassroots football at its best? Or the passion of playing against a local rival?
Rivalries in local football can get the blood pumping in any football fan more than anything else. These rivalries can be born out
of many factors and can span an era before settling down. Others are perennial.
Quite often it is pride on the line, bragging rights to be had or just the satisfaction of a win against the most feared or respected of
opposition.
This week in the opening round of Division1 matches, four of the fiercest rivalries will face off against each other.
Croydon vs. South Croydon
Although Croydon was formed in 1906 and its closest neighbour, South Croydon, was formed in in 1969, the two teams didn’t
meet each other until 1984. Long before this however a healthy rivalry was being established between the two clubs with the
frequent transfer of players between them and the development of almost a big brother, little brother-type relationship. People
from South Croydon often resented what they perceived to be an air of arrogance from their longer established neighbour, whilst
the Croydon faithful were growing weary of the new upstarts from just down the road. To commemorate the first meeting of the
two clubs, a group of local traders from the Arndale Shopping Centre inaugurated a perpetual trophy to be battled for by the clubs
whenever they met. And so the Arndale Cup was born. Encounters between these clubs have quite often meant much more than
just the trophy on offer and this was evident when the two teams met in Round 18, 1985. As the first division competition was
being reduced from 12 to 10 teams in 1986, two sides were due to be relegated at the completion of the season. Coincidentally,
Croydon and South Croydon met in the final round of 1985 with the loser of the match facing the destiny of relegation. South
Croydon lifted the Arndale Cup on this occasion to keep its place in the Premier division and send Croydon back to Division 2. In
1988 and 1991 the two again met in huge games, a Division 2 Preliminary Final (1988) and a Division 2 First Semi Final (1991)
and on both occasions South Croydon triumphed on the way to winning Premierships. The rivalry was reignited recently when
South Croydon returned to Division 1 action in the 2010 season. This is one of the most evenly contested rivalries in the EFL with
hardly anything between the two sides after 18 meetings. The head to head tally currently sits at nine wins to South Croydon,
eight to Croydon and one draw. So this week is an opportunity for the Blues to square the ledger and regain the Arndale Cup.
Noble Park vs. Balwyn
One of the fiercest rivalries in the Eastern Football League dates back so far that it actually transcends over four different
competitions spanning more than five decades. The Noble Park and Balwyn Football Clubs first met each other in the old
Federal League days and were reunited in the early 1980’s when Noble Park entered the South East Suburban Football League
(now Southern Football League). Coincidentally, Noble Park’s first match in the SESFL was against Balwyn in 1982. The two
clubs fought many a tough contest and when a pair of Balwyn favourite sons, including captain at that time Jimmy Hunt who had
also won a South East Suburban Football League Best and Fairest, applied to transfer to Noble Park after the 1984 finals series,
the rivalry between the two clubs reached fever pitch. Both clubs were involved in a bitter battle with the SESFL over these
transfers and the pair stood out of football for some six weeks until they were finally cleared to play for Noble Park. They played
their first game for Noble Park in Round 6, 1985, ironically against Balwyn. This rivalry cranked up even higher a few years later,
when Balwyn's 1989 Premiership coach David Dickson crossed to join the Bulls as coach and led them to win the 1990 and 1992
Senior Premierships. Dickson was also able to coax Balwyn premiership rover Danny Staffieri to join him at the Bulls. Balwyn
suffered some tough times in the early 1990’s but Noble Park enjoyed a real golden period. In 1998 and 1999 this all turned
around however, as Balwyn claimed back to back SFL premierships defeating Noble Park on both occasions. The following year
the Bulls joined the EFL and the rivalry was reignited in 2007 when their old foes Balwyn were also admitted to our league. Since
that time both clubs have tasted the ultimate success in the EFL claiming a Division 1 premiership and this rivalry is destined to
continue long into the future. In 2010 the rivalry stepped up to another level with the clubs organising to play each other on an
annual basis on the Queen’s Birthday weekend.
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