Before the latest instalment in the historic rivalry between Rochester and Echuca played out on Saturday, the contest was highlighted as one of the most long-standing and intense rivalries in football at any level.
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Formerly of Rochester, Rodney Gillett, a lecturer at Macquarie University and NSW AFL Football History Society vice-president, is in the midst of compiling an academic work titled Football Rivalry: What Does it Mean? with the battle between Echuca and Rochester the defining case study through which the research is framed.
“The Rochester-Echuca rivalry is one of the longest, fiercest and most contested,” Gillett said.
“From 1876 to 2024, they haven’t always played in the same competition, but Echuca just couldn’t go without playing Rochester, so they left the Bendigo league (in 1974) to follow Rochester and the history is that they always managed to find a way to be in the same competition.”
Gillett made presentations to members of both clubs, first in Echuca on April 17, followed by Rochester on April 18, outlining his findings and listening to the experiences of those in attendance.
The conflict between the two clubs was present from their very beginnings.
Rochester Football Club was formed on June 1, 1874. While the current incarnation of the Echuca Football Club traces its foundation to two years later, Echuca did have a footballing presence at the time.
Indeed, in the June 1, 1874, edition of the Rochester Express, later echoed in the June 3 Riverine Herald, it was claimed when Rochester formed the club it ‘resolved to practice with the purpose of playing and soon beating Echuca’.
“Tall talk. We shall see,” The Riv responded.
“(Normally) when you form a football club it’s for the youth of the district or to promote recreation, but for Rochester, it was to beat Echuca,” Gillett said.
“It’s been the mission of the football club ever since, so Echuca have had to respond.”
Rochester recorded its first win over Echuca in 1886.
Gillett set out to measure the importance of different elements of the rivalry, surveying a total of 166 respondents from both Echuca and Rochester.
“The thing that came out as the highest-rated thing for both clubs, across all age groups, was the historic element,” he said.
“Not far behind was the geography because of the closeness and then the third one was the frequency of competition, they play each other all the time.”
Unfairness in the rivalry, created by higher population size, increased media attention and council support, was overall rated as the least significant of all factors, with respondents averaging a rating of 2.1 out of 5 for how much they agreed that there was unfairness.
However, digging into the data revealed a divide between the two towns as more than half of Rochester respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that there was unfairness in the rivalry.
Where the rivalry really heats up is on the field. While Echuca has had the better of Rochester in recent years, the all-time numbers paint a picture of a contentious and hard-fought battle.
Saturday’s game was match 253 between the two sides.
Echuca has the edge over Rochester, having won 134 matches to 119.
For many years, beginning in 1957, the clubs contested the George Ogilvie trophy at every game, named in honour of the prominent player who has a history with both clubs.
The trophy eventually fell into disuse before later being revived for a number of years. However, it has now once again been neglected, with the trophy found to be in Rochester’s possession during Gillett’s visit.
During the presentation in Echuca, prominent past and present club figures shared some of their memories of clashes between the two clubs.
Overall, those in attendance felt the rivalry was much less vicious than it was in the past, with the two towns mixing more socially and professionally. They questioned if the club had a stronger rivalry with Euroa right now due to recent battles.
“It’s probably not as acrimonious as it once was,” Gillett said during his visit.
“There’s greater integration of the people in workplaces, but by the same token, the rivalry is still deep-seated.
“Everybody gears up for when they play each other.”
Gillett remarked that Echuca’s response stood in contrast to those at Rochester, who felt their side of the rivalry was much stronger than their opponents.
This sentiment was mirrored by the reactions of the two coaches when Campaspe News spoke to them ahead of Saturday’s clash.
“It’s our biggest rival in the comp and has been for a number of years,” Tigers coach Ash Watson said.
“I remember playing myself against Echuca when I was a young kid and watching the Rochy-Echuca games are always bigger games than normal games crowd-wise.
“We’ve had a lot of good battles over the years and we always get up for the challenge against Echuca, and they do as well, so it’s always really good games of footy and the rivalry is still alive.”
Murray Bombers co-coach Simon Maddox acknowledged the rivalry but was more focused on his own side’s performance heading into the game.
“The history and heritage and everything, that obviously won’t go away, it’s been there for years and, as I said, Rochy want nothing more than to beat Echuca,” he said.
“It’s definitely there. It’s in the background, but we won’t touch on it too much. We’ve got a game of footy to win.
“What happened 20 years ago, 10 years ago, five years ago is in the past, so we’ll keep looking forward, but it’s definitely there and definitely something to think about.”
Cadet sports journalist