By David Nagel
One of the great rivalries in local football will be reignited on Saturday 5 April when Narre Warren welcomes Cranbourne to Kalora Park for a blockbuster opening to the Southern Division 1 season.
The rivalry between the Magpies and Eagles dates back to the South West Gippsland Football League in the mid-1950s, and reached boiling point when both were at the top of their games in a five-year period from 2010 to 2014.
The clubs last played a legitimate match for premiership points on June 26, 2021, with Cranbourne winning by two points on the very deck where the reunion of the clubs will take place in early April.
That season was Cranbourne’s last in Outer East Football Netball, with the Eagles moving to the Southern League where they had immediate success in 2022.
They finished runners up in 2023 before a first semi-final exit at the hands of St Pauls’ McKinnon last year.
Narre Warren makes the move to Southern after six years in Outer East; with only four of those seasons being completed due to the impact of Covid-19.
In the four completed seasons, the Magpies made every grand final played and leave the Outer East competition with their trophy cabinet bolstered by three premiership cups.
Cranbourne has built a strong rivalry with Cheltenham in recent seasons while Narre Warren has a one-one record in grand finals against Wandin over the last two years.
But the rivalry between the Eagles and Magpies cannot be matched; leading to huge excitement ahead of their April 5 showdown.
Those wishing to watch the huge clash in comfort, can contact Narre Warren and book tables of 10 for $900; with the cost including a sit-down dinner, entertainment and beer, wine and soft drink until half-time of the senior game.
The function kicks off at 5.30pm, with the rivalry to resume with the first bounce of the ball at 7pm.
Contact Stuart Stephenson (0419 820 024), Darren Dwyer (0466 273 177) or Matt Shinners (0414 403 970) for tickets and more details.
