Corowa-Rutherglen grabbed the respect of the league with its gut-wrenching two-point loss to Wangaratta.

The Roos have now lost 27 successive matches.

“It gives the club a bit of a look at what the future’s going to be like,” coach Terry Burgess said.

“If we could just get another four or five players to come in and support the kids, the kids will rise to the occasion like they did and they’ll be able to start winning games and get back to being a normal footy club again.”

PORTER PARTY

Wangaratta’s win was the perfect way to celebrate the 250-game milestones of brothers Judd and Daine Porter.

“Massive, massive, it would have been a huge injustice on our behalf if we couldn’t find a way to win for Daine and Judd,” Pies’ coach Dean Stone said.

“Just for what they’ve contributed to the footy club over a long period of time, I would have been gutted and so would the footy club.”

LESLIE’S LEGACY

North Albury co-coach Clinton Gilson certainly grabbed some attention when he declared fellow mentor Daniel Leslie was the club’s greatest player after his starring role against Wangaratta Rovers.

Stan Sargeant is the other leading contender.

He’s the O and M’s leading goalkicker with 1096 and is a Hall of Famer at both club and league level.

“Dan’s been a 19-year-old centre half-back, he’s been a 26-year-old playing in a grand final at centre half-forward, and been the best player, and now he’s a 34-year-old with two best and fairests,” Gilson said.

MIC’D UP

Umpires were mic’d up at Saturday’s Albury-Myrtleford clash, as well as the Lavington-Wodonga Raiders game on Sunday.

“I reckon our long-term look will be at the junior level and even if we have inexperienced umpires, the coaches are able to communicate with their on-field umpires,” AFL North East Border umpire development manager Mark Bywater said.

Field umpires’ coach Shane Downie isn’t able though to make a decision on the game.

The technology will be used at one game per round.

TALL TASK

Nick Meredith gave a terrific insight into marking Collingwood’s Mason Cox at VFL level in Wangaratta earlier this month.

Along with Fremantle’s Aaron Sandilands, Cox is 211 centimetres.

Meredith is 194.

“It wasn’t much of a plan,” Meredith laughed after his strong performance against Raiders.

“I got caught in front of him, like I did today, and was trying to come back with the flight.

“I got a full jump at it, but still only hit his elbow.

“He’s a big boy.”