FOUR-PAGE JUNIOR SPORT LIFTOUT

WHILE the Blues and the Maroons will do battle once again tomorrow night in rugby league, a Geelong-based junior footy club enjoyed success in a State of Origin-inspired game over the weekend.

A lighthearted conversation between parents on holidays led to an Origin-style footy match — of the AFL variety and minus the spiteful aggression — between the Ocean Grove Collendina Cobras and the Glebe Greyhounds, from NSW.

Hundreds of people turned up to support the youngsters at Collendina’s home ground, with the two clubs combining to raise $1584 for SIDS charity River’s Gift.

Cobras president Shaun Stow said the game was a great celebration of grassroots footy.

“It was a bit of a pipedream the idea — Glebe is 965km away from Ocean Grove, so they put in a fantastic effort to make it,” Stow said.

“The concept was initially discussed on a holiday with a parent from our club and one from Glebe, they just had a bit of a joke around saying that Glebe should come down and play at Ocean Grove.

“But to get that up and running, and have both clubs supporting it was an unbelievable effort.”

Ocean Grove Collendina fielded a side of 34 players and rotated 16 players every 10 minutes in an operation Stow said mirrored the “charge of the light brigade”.

The Cobras won the match easily, but Stow said nobody paid too much attention to the score and that given the suc- cess of the charity game, he hoped there would opportunities for the concept to become a regular fixture.

“We’re two communityfocused junior clubs — it’s all about the enjoyment and fun of the kids, and that was really on display,” he said.

“You often see a really competitive and spiteful game, but this was played with the charity and experience in mind.

“Glebe has invited the Cobras up to Sydney next year, and hopefully things are looking positive for that to happen, obviously with the charity in mind, and the experience for the boys from both sides to play against teams from a different state, region and league.

“Ultimately we want to make this an annual event.”

For the record, the Cobras won 17.11 (113) to 4.10 (34). MORE PICTURES: PAGE 22