1985 Senior Boys Football

Our very first champion team, that claimed the Herald Sun Country Cup, our first of 4 (1987, 1999 and 2003 the others).

Their winning margins are extraordinary. They accounted for Wodonga West by 95 points (111-16) at Wodonga West, Wodonga High School by 98 points (119-21) at the Rovers Ground, and Albury High School by 95 points (138-43) in Albury.

Then in the Grand Final, a night game at V.F.L. Park Waverley, they demolished Mt Austin High School from Wagga Wagga by 61 points, with Year 11s Paul Bryce (6 goals, 25+ possessions), Matthew Allen (39 possessions from Centre Half Back) and Anthony Rule (2 goals, 25+possessions) dominating.

A 2nd bus full of spectators followed the boys to Melbourne for the Grand Final, which was a curtain raiser before an AFL night match between North Melbourne and Footscray (now Western Bulldogs), part of the popular Pre-Season Night Series, huge in that era. 

We sadly don’t have a Team Photo or articles about their earlier games. Does anybody have these?

Incredibly, the game was televised by Channel 7, complete with commentary from legendary caller Drew Morphett, and 3-time Brownlow Medalist Bob Skilton. 

The star of this team was our 16-year old 194cm key forward Paul Bryce. The Year 11 kicked 6 goals, and it’s believed his performance that night was key to him being recruited to North Melbourne that year. He would the following year play for the North Melbourne Under 19s while completing Year 12 at Trinity Grammar in Melbourne, and later went on to play 91 AFL games (48 for North Melbourne, 26 for Melbourne, and 17 for Sydney), kicking 41 goals despite playing a lot as a Backman and Ruckman, before leaving at 25.

Bryce had already played a season of O&M Thirds for the Rovers in 1984 as a Year 10, and was about to play Basketball for Vic Country in the Under 18 National Championships. He would also soon debut in the Seniors Round 8 of 1985 when in Year 11, still only 16, come onto the ground in the 2nd quarter and kick 6. A month later, he kicked 10, including 4 in the 1st quarter against the league’s best backman, Dennis Sandral. He kicked 3 other bags of 5, and then moved to Centre Half Back, where in his 1st ever game as a defender, took 18 marks (along with 25 kicks). The Border Mail wrote: “You would have to go a long way to see a more sensational marking exhibition.”

Watching the 1985 Grand Final footage, you can see why North Melbourne wanted him with Bob Skilton raving about him in the commentary. Local historian Kevin Hill wrote a great piece on him here: https://kbonreflection.wordpress.com/2020/08/28/regrets-ive-had-a-few/

While no others in the team would join AFL ranks, Matthew Allen became a legend in the Ovens & Murray, playing 410 games (League record) as one of the best Full Backs of the era, and even kicking 83 goals in one season as a forward. He would win 3 Premierships for the Rovers (1988, 1993, 1994), win 2 Best & Fairests, and coach the Rovers. 

Allen’s sister Lisa (now Lisa Beck), played in 4 A Grade Netball Premierships for the Rovers (most all-time in terms of our alumni). As a sibling par, they are our greatest ever Ovens & Murray winners, with 7 Premierships between them. Lisa also was in 2 of our State Netball Championships at school (1982, 1983), equal most all-time. 

Year 11 Rick Marklew would also become a Rovers legend, playing in 3 Premierships (1988, 1993, 1994) alongside Allen, playing 241 games and kicking 351 goals, including bags of 8, 7 and 6 (5 times). His 351 goals puts him 4th all-time in Rovers history and 23rd all-time for the Ovens & Murray. 

In 1985, Marklew played Centre Half Forward in the Rovers Thirds Premiership, taking 12 marks and kicking 5 goals to be named Best On Ground. He debuted in the Seniors at 17, and in the 1988 Premiership aged 19, kicked 4 goals in the 2nd half, including 2 in a row to seal the match.

Marklew’s father Roly (1971, 1972) and son Alex (2024) also played in Premierships, making them our only 3-generation family to play in an O&M Senior Premiership. Alex is likely the most talented footballer we saw in the 2010s decade, and many believe would have been drafted to the AFL if he didn’t turn down the invite to play for the Murray Bushrangers.

Four of the boys were apart of the 1985 Rovers Thirds Premiership – Marklew, Anthony Rule, Paul Stefaniak and Brett Williamson Of course Bryce and Allen were playing in the Seniors for the Rovers.