THANKS to a good crowd, a supportive local club and welcoming local footy fans, Bendigo Gold won’t be shy of returning to Swan Hill if it plays regional games in the future.
About 1000 people attended Gold’s game against North Ballarat at Alan Garden Memorial Reserve on Sunday, with Gold chairman Tim Dixon happy with the off-field outcomes for the club.
“It was a valuable exercise for us, even just in allowing some of the players to play in front of friends and family who can’t often get down to Bendigo or Melbourne to see them play,” he said.
“We would certainly consider Swan Hill again. Tyntynder were sensational to work with and the feedback from North Ballarat was really good also.”
Dixon said the interleague weekend might not be the ideal weekend to play a game in northern Victoria.
“With interleague, some people go away,” he said.
“But I spoke to a lot of people that were there and they were surprised and pleased with the standard of football played.
“It is still on the cards [to play an annual regional match] but whether or not we go to the same place annually, I’m not sure.”
Dixon said while Gold was outclassed on the field, he felt the side’s endeavour remained a positive throughout the day.
“Some of the mistakes we made obviously let us down, but our endeavour was good and while that’s strong you have something to keep working with,” he said.
Dixon said disposal efficiency was a key area for Gold to work on.
“I actually reckon they had some key forwards that performed on the day but from my point of view we worked three or four times harder to get our goals, so that took its toll,” he said.
“Everything we did we seemed to have to work two or three times harder and that comes down to things like disposal and efficiency of ball use.”
Dixon said the club was grateful to Swan Hill for giving it a warm reception.
“We are very grateful to Tyntynder and to the people of Swan Hill for making us feel welcome, the level of support was appreciated,” he said.
