North East Football-The Early Years 1885 to 1945. Back in the 1860s football was played around the North East in unofficial games way before any organized competition began. Around 1885 Tallangatta (the red caps), Mitta Mitta (Snowy’s) and Allan’s Flat fielded teams but there was no official League or draw set up in those days. Tallangatta was often referred to as Mitta Valley with red, white and blue as their team colours and the Allans Flat team were judged by their size and weight. In their first game that year Allan’s Flat was soundly defeated by a more streamlined and fitter Tallangatta combination played at Tallangatta. The games were organized weeks before so the clubs could train and organize the teams and transport. Travel was a major factor in those days with horse drawn drags, coaches, horseback or walking the common mode of travel until the arrival of rail. The drags held about 20 people with the majority of the team and supporters meeting at the pub Saturday morning and heading off about 7am arriving about midday. A lot of the time the teams struggled for numbers but generally the games went ahead anyway with players borrowed from the opposition. After the game the home team would host a function with the club President toasting his counterpart in a gentlemanly fashion and being returned the compliment. The visitors would return home that night or the next morning. Tallangatta Football Team were undefeated in 1885. A meeting of the Tallangatta Football Club was held at the Court House Thursday Evening May 27th1886. On the agenda was a match between Tallangatta and Albury Federals to be organized for the 12th June of that year. Mitta Mitta and Tallangatta played each other twice in 1886 with the first game May 15th, which resulted in Tallangatta flogging Mitta Mitta at Tallangatta. In fairness to Mitta they only fielded 16 players that day and their best players were Crebbin, Roderick, McLeod, Ned McGrath, Harry Hailes and Andrew Thompson. The final score was Tallangatta-5.25. to Mitta Mitta-0.1. The second game was held on the 26th June at Tallangatta with Tallangatta the victors once again. Saturday August 7th 1886 Tallangatta travelled to Staghorn Flat and were victorious against Allans Flat. Granya Football Club was formed mid August 1886 and their first game was against Tallangatta played at Granya on the 25th September of that year. Granya were the victors that day. Granya was coached by a Mr. Campbell and captained by J. Downes. The team was as follows-Walton, Webb, Webb, Sutherland, Sutherland, McMahon, Sparrow, Phillips, Cross, Locheard, Hughes, Crisp, Garing, Jewell, Walker. Emergencies. Carter, Bohun, Phillips, Gilbert, Vandenburg and Robinson. No finals were played as the season ended with the home and away games. The season finished Sept 1886 with Tallangatta playing six games winning five and losing one. They played Albury Federals twice, Allans Flat once, Mitta Mitta twice, Granya once, which was their only loss. Granya only played one game that year winning against Tallangatta. Mitta Mitta played only two games losing both to Tallangatta. A drawn game in those days was when both teams kicked the same amount of goals so they called it a draw. Even though one team had kicked more behinds they were not declared the winner as the total points score line had not come into being yet. Mitta Mitta had improved from the previous year in 1885 even though they didn’t win a game. Tallangatta lacked a goal sneak and it was obvious from their low goal score tally, but their defence was very strong. After the football season ended the only battles that took place were the ones in pubs and other watering holes where footballers congregated. The Melbourne to Wodonga Rail link opened November 21st1873 and in 1889 the rail stretched from Wodonga to Huon Lane. Huon Lane and Old Tallangatta were linked up in 1891 and it wasn’t until 1921 before the rail finally linked up Cudgewa and the Upper Murray District. The North East and Upper Murray district was still serviced daily by Royal Mail Coaches from Wodonga through to Bethanga, Talgarno across to Tallangatta and up the river to Cudgewa and Corryong and other outlying areas. In preparation for the 1887 season clubs were in full swing organizing their teams. Granya Football Club held their A.G.M at Reillys Hall at Granya Tuesday 22nd March 1887. Elections for office bearers were held. Tallangatta Footy Club held their A.G.M. at the Court House on Friday the 18th March that same year. Captain-D. Sutherland and Vice-captain was E. Henty. Mitta Mitta Football Club had their meeting April 1st1887 also that same year a section of Magorra Park was cleared for their new footy ground. Magorra Park is the present day Golf Course/Caravan Park/Football Ground Complex in Mitta. Albury and Albury Federals fielded teams that year. Allan’s Flat did not field a team in 1887. Albury played Tallangatta on the 14th May with Tallangatta the winners. Tallangatta proved they were the inform team by winning six games and losing one that year. 1887 also saw the push in the back rule used for the first time in this comp as the VFL had been using it for a couple of years. It took a while for the players to come to terms with this new rule but they soon adapted to it. That same year Granya, Tallangatta, Bethanga and Bungil fielded juniors. Bethanga played their home games at Bethanga Park or the Recreation Reserve (the current footy ground) as it is now known. In 1888 Albury and Albury Federals merged and became Albury United. Quite often teams would merge for only one or two games and then revert back to their original club. Albury and Wagga played a game in 1888. Yackandandah and Tallangatta played each other twice in 1889 and in 1890 teams from Tallangatta, Yackandandah, Hillsborough, Middle Creek/Indigo United, Beechworth, Hurdle Flat Wanderers, Gundowring (Freedom Brothers), Wooragee, Rutherglen and Chiltern were represented. In 1891 Yackandandah, Chiltern, Back Creek, Wagga and Osborne Flat playing in red and white played a few games and in 1892 the first official competitions were organized. Tallangatta, Yackandandah and Osborne Flat also known as Imperials entered into the Craven Trophy Challenge. The competition was named after a local MP from Yackandandah and only clubs and players in the Benambra electorate could compete. The matches were held fortnightly with the teams playing each other twice. The games were played under VFA rules with a win worth 4 points and a draw worth 2 points. This was the first time that a season with an official draw had been set up with teams playing each other regularly for points etc. Yackandandah won the Trophy that year by defeating Tallangatta. Besides playing in this competition Tallangatta still managed a game against Beechworth/Hurdle Flat Wanderers Football Club, a practice game against Newtown Football Club with the final result a draw and pitted their junior team against Granya but lost. Besides the Craven Cup competitors Albury was the only other club to field a team. The following year in 1893 Tallangatta won the Craven Trophy comp but a team had to win the comp twice before they took the cup home so it stayed at Yackandandah. Also that year a motion was brought before a delegates meeting to play the decider on a neutral ground at Kiewa so there was no advantage but it was not carried so the games remained at Yackandandah. Tallangatta also played Albury and Granya that year but these games were not part of the Craven Trophy. In 1894 Glen Wills battled Mitta Mitta at Mitta and Corryong defeated Cudgewa at Corryong. The Craven Cup was held once again with Tallangatta the victors and this time they took the cup home from Yackandandah. Eskdale, Tallangatta and Granya once again did battle in non-trophy games and Sandy Creek defeated Bolga at Sandy Creek. In 1895 Albury joined the Ovens and Murray Association and Kiewa, Tallangatta and Sandy Creek fielded Juniors. Tallangatta did not play any games in 1895. In 1896 Tallangatta held their A.G.M on the 18th April at the old Tallangatta courthouse to re- establish the Football Club. The move went ahead, and Tallangatta played an intra-club game the 16th May 1896 in preparation for the coming season. The 1896 season saw the Craven Trophy Competition replaced by the Johnson Trophy Competition with teams from Yackandandah, Sandy Creek, Wodonga, Gundowring and Osbornes Flat competing. Mr. R. Johnson from Yackandandah donated the trophy and the same rules applied as with the Craven Cup. Sandy Creek defeated Wodonga kicking 3.13 to 5 behinds at Sandy Creek. Sandy Creek had an advantage over Wodonga as they had eight Tallangatta players in their side as Tallangatta didn’t play in the comp that year. Gundowring defeated Osbornes Flat at Gundowring by a goal. Osbornes Flat defeated Sandy Creek at Sandy Creek by 4.2 to 3 goals and Yackandandah defeated Sandy Creek at Sandy Creek on the 18th July. Gundowring beat Sandy Creek at the Creek kicking 3.8 to 1 behind on the 29th August. Yackandandah won the Cup defeating Osbornes Flat becoming the 1896 Premiers. Other non-trophy games played that year- Tallangatta-4.6 defeated Sandy Creek-1 behind at Tallangatta in their first home game for the season on the 13th June. Mitta Mitta played Eskdale that same day, Granya lost against Tallangatta on July 11th at Tallangatta with the scoreline 2.7 to 1.4, Snowy Creek 2.9 defeated Tallangatta 2.5 on 25th July at Mitta and Granya defeated Tallangatta at Granya on the 27th August by 1.9 to 1.4.