WHEN Balranald run onto the grand stage for the first time in 14 years tomorrow, you can be guaranteed that one name will be on the lips of nearly everyone in attendance.
In 2023, the Neagle brothers have taken the Central Murray by storm, with Matthew and Jaxon joining older brother Jydon in donning the blue and white stripes.
Now, their journey has brought them to the precipice of greatness, with the Neagle name synonymous with success in the town where they grew up.
That time was in the mid-2000s, after their late father Merv, a champion footballer with Essendon and Sydney, moved his family to Balranald, where he became a Roos legend in his own right after leading them to the 2006 flag – and breaking a 22-year premiership drought.
Now, fast forward almost two decades, and it’s Jydon’s turn to end a dry spell for the town, and in the process emulate the feats of his father.
While the pull of following in his late father’s footsteps was strong, it wasn’t the catalyst for Jydon’s return.
Balranald found themselves in a perilous position several years ago, to the point where there were talks of folding, a position that Jydon found unfathomable.
“The club had been in contact with me almost every year for close to 10 years, but when I saw that, it was quite a shock,” Jydon said.
“When we were here, the town was thriving, and to see the club in that much trouble was unbelievable.
“I was having a couple of wines with my mate ‘Zoomy’ Campbell one night a few years ago and it just kind of went from there really.
“I was a bit burnt out after playing SANFL and the Ovens & Murray was a bit intense too, so I thought let’s change pace and try something different.
“It’s pretty surreal that life’s almost come full circle, and for them (his brothers) to leave the SANFL and come here makes it even more special.
“I wasn’t expecting them to, but we’re pretty tight us three, it wouldn’t matter where we are, I think we’d all be playing together.”
For Balranald president Tony Stead, having the Neagle brothers return has been a game changer, not just one the field, but off it as well for this tight-knit community.
“This is his (Jydon’s) legacy, he rang me a few years ago and said I want to come and have a kick and maybe one day coach the club and see if I can do what my old man (Merv) did,” Stead said.
“People come up to me and say we have the best footballer going around and to me, he’s like a star that’s fallen from heaven.
“More than that, he’s just a quality human being, he works as hard off the ground as he does on it, that’s just how he is.
“He’s only been back for five minutes, but everyone knows what he and his lovely family are about, you just want to wrap him up and keep him here forever.
It’s not just the Neagle brothers who have made an impact this season, with another name synonymous with the blue and white featuring prominently, after the return of Kobe Lloyd to play alongside younger brother Drew.
While Ethan Gant and Ian Fuller also arrived at Greenham Park this season, if history is any guide, they too may not be leaving anytime soon according to Jydon.
“It’s just the people, the people suck you in here,” Jydon said.
“Someone like Gavin Lloyd is a great example, he was playing footy down in Melbourne and came up here for a weekend and never left, and now we’ve got his boys playing as well.
“The old man (Merv) won back-to-back flags at Merbein and then got the job coaching here, us kids didn’t want move to Balranald because we were pretty set up in Mildura, but he moved us anyway.
“As a kid, we used to just roam the streets from sun up to sun down, and then he won the flag here and we didn’t want to leave.
“Now, having kids of my own, the people here and the community in general are just amazing. We know there’s two or three hundred people looking out for them and you can’t put a price on that.”
For everything that Jydon and his brothers have achieved, the one thing missing is a premiership medallion, with Jaxon the only one to achieve that feat after playing in a reserves flag at the Wodonga Raiders many moons ago.
For Jydon and Matt, tomorrow will be their first time crossing the white line on that final day of the season – and while grand final experience may side with their opposition, the hopes, hearts and best wishes of an entire community will side with them.
