A Rivalry Reignites

[ The University of Melbourne Voice Vol. 3, No. 2  12 May - 9 June 2008 ]

By Rod Warnecke

Mark this date in your diary: Saturday 17 May. Why? Well, if you’re a true footy tragic, you won’t want to miss what promises to be a blockbuster game of local football.

That’s the day – at the University Oval in Parkville – you will see the University Blacks play against University Blues in the Victorian Amateur Football Association’s A-grade competition – the first time the two Melbourne University Football Club combatants have faced each other since 1982.

So, how can two teams from the one club end up playing against each other in the same competition?

The short answer is that Australian Rules football has always been popular at the University of Melbourne, with multiple teams being formed from the early 1900s.

The long answer is a bit more complex, and those interested in it will find all they need to know in the club’s recently published history, Black & Blue. The Story of Football at the University of Melbourne (see below).

It’s been 26 years since the Blacks and the Blues last met in a home-and-away fixture and bragging rights are on the line.

The Blues have been playing in A-grade for the past 12 years, winning the premiership in 2004 and finishing no lower than third in the years since.

The Blacks, however, dropped down to D-grade and languished in the lower grades for a number of years. Nevertheless they’ve fought back into the big league with a whirlwind past couple of seasons, having won C-grade in 2005 and finished runners-up in B-grade in 2007.

Logic would suggest that the Blues, with their recent A-grade success, should be too strong this year for the Blacks. But the Blacks have started well in the recruitment stakes and look set to mount a strong challenge.

Over the pre-season they’ve picked up two former AFL players – ex-Essendon utility Mark Bolton (he’s also studying a Masters of Property and Construction at Melbourne) and Western Bulldog Marty Pask.

They’ve also landed Kane Loxley and Matt O’Hara from Claremont in the WAFL and former Australian Institute of Sport Academy scholarship holder Mark Fitzgerald. Kudos to the Blacks recruiters who could soon be working for any of a couple of AFL teams!

According to University Blacks President Ray Wilson, recruiting was a high priority to ensure the team would be competitive in its first year back in A-grade.

“The Blues have been one of the dominant teams of the VAFA over the past few years and have certainly set the standard for University football. But we haven’t worked so hard over the past few seasons to simply get back into A-grade – we want to be competitive and make sure our opponents know they’ve been in a game of football,” he says.

The Blues have also been active in the recruitment stakes. But according to the University Blues President Bob Girdwood, they are most pleased that some past players have returned to the Club after being absent in recent seasons.

“Matt Torney has come back home after a stint with Geelong in the VFL. And Tim Muhlebach has returned to Australia after some study at the University of California. Luckily for us, he didn’t take his footy boots with him, otherwise he might have been signed up as a punter for their gridiron team and still be in the States,” says Girdwood.

The Blacks–Blues rivalry is equal to that between any two AFL teams and it’s easy to see why this game is important to both teams. New Blues Captain Andrew Lowcock is especially looking forward to playing in his first Blues–Blacks clash.

“I’ve heard stories about these fierce contests at the Uni Main (Oval). These games were showpieces for sport at the University. The crowds came along year after year expecting a red-hot game. I’m sure both teams will put on another great contest for supporters on 17 May,” says Lowcock.

Lowcock and University Blacks Captain Matt Kempton (a Property and Construction student) were only too happy to pose for a photograph for this story, especially when informed that their opposing number was also going to be in the frame.

“It’s going to be a big game. The team’s looking forward to playing in front of a huge home crowd, and I can’t imagine a sweeter victory than beating the Blues,” says Kempton.

The Blacks and Blues do things differently but both teams have a healthy respect for one another and while they will battle each other on the field, you can be sure that they will shake hands and have a drink after the game.

The University Blacks take on the University Blues on Saturday 17 May at the University Oval and you’re invited to cheer along the Blacks, or the Blues. And just for the record, the Blues won 16.25.121 to the Blacks 14.15.99 last time they met.

The Reserves game starts at 11:40am, followed by the Seniors at 2:00pm

Black & Blue. The Story of Football at the University of Melbourne is available from Melbourne University Sport and the Melbourne University Bookshop ($49.95).