Driving down Strathfieldsaye Road, you wouldn’t know the town’s three football sides were playing Grand Finals on Saturday.
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But don’t let that fool you.
“We’re the new boys on the block but we’re pretty passionate out here,” said local newsagent Leanne Waterson, who was an original committee member.
Since the club’s inception in 2007, it has never had three football teams competing in Grand Final day of the Bendigo Football Netball League.
“It’s a big day for the town, we’re pretty excited,” Ms Waterson said.
“The players are awesome, especially with the young children.”
Strolling into the newsagent on Friday morning was Raymond Patterson – Strathfieldsaye’s first president, now timekeeper for the senior side.
“There’s a great anticipation around town, we’re looking forward to it,” he said.
For Mr Patterson, the thrill of a Grand Final was no different to a regular season game.
“The anticipation to win a game of football on the weekend is the same,” he said.
Asked whether the evenly-matched sides would make for a great game, he said: “I would much prefer for us to be ten goals up with ten minutes to go in the last quarter.”
Recent on-field success hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm of fans in the town.
Paul Drechsler, who supported South Bendigo before the ‘Storm’, said having three football teams make Grand Finals was a fantastic achievement for a club that started from scratch.
Even the local service station is offering free coffee for the town on Monday if its senior football side is successful on Saturday.