As we approach the latest instalment in the historic rivalry between Echuca and Rochester this Saturday, May 4 at Victoria Park, the contest has been highlighted as one of the most long-standing and intense rivalries in football at any level.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Formerly of Rochester, Rodney Gillett, a lecturer at Macquarie University and vice-president of the NSW AFL Football History Society, 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 the very beginning of their history.
Rochester Football Club was formed on June 1, 1874, and while the current incarnation of the Echuca Football Club traces its foundation to two years later, 1876, Echuca had a footballing presence at the time.
Indeed, in the June 1, 1874, edition of the Rochester Express, later echoed in the June 3 Riv, in which Rochester formed the club it ‘resolved to practice with the purpose of playing and soon beating Echuca’
‘Tall talk. We shall see’ responded The Riv.
“(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,” said Gillett.
“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 over 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, and 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.
In the club's entire history, there have been 252 games between the sides, with this Saturday’s game set to be match 253.
Over that time, Echuca holds a notable, but not overwhelming, edge over Rochester, having won 134 matches to 118.
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, and was later revived for a number of years and has now once again been neglected, with the trophy located in possession of Rochester during Gillett’s visit.
During the presentation in Echuca prominent club figures of past and present shared some of their memories of prominent clashes between the two clubs.
Overall, those in attendance felt the rivalry is much less vicious than it was in the past, with the two towns mixing more socially and professionally, identifying Euroa as a maybe an even stronger rivalry right now due to recent battles.
“It’s probably not as acrimonious as it once was,” said Gillett
“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 which will be the case (on Saturday).”
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 The Riv spoke to them ahead of this Saturday’s clash.
“It's our biggest rival in the comp and has been for a number of years,” said Tigers coach Ash Watson.
“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