Schultz hit back at critics late yesterday after comments from a host of league greats about the need for equalisation measures to curb the lopsided nature of the competition.

Albury and Yarrawonga have played in the past five grand finals and look every chance of doing so again this season.

It has prompted Hall of Famers Peter Tossol and Tim Sanson to form a working party to speed up equalisation talks with the league.

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But Schultz, speaking from Melbourne, said things could, and should, have been very different over the past five years.

“Last year, we were very lucky to even be in the grand final,” Schultz said.

“We shouldn’t have been.

“We won the preliminary final by a point and how we did still has me stumped.

“Two years ago, a bloke who played more than 200 AFL games (Barry Hall) missed a shot from 20 metres out to put Rovers into the grand final.

“One of us or Yarra would have missed out.

“If either or both of those things had happened, would we be having this ­discussion?

“I don’t think so.”

Schultz said there was no problem with the state of the competition.

He pointed out every Ovens and Murray club had featured in a senior grand final in the modern era.

Wodonga Raiders have the longest grand final drought in the league, having not featured in the biggest game of the season since the club won its first and only O and M premiership in 1998.