Richard McLeish
Local community radio station MainFM’s annual MAIN Game football fundraiser drew a crowd of birdwatchers, musos and legends alike to Camp Reserve last Sunday.
As the siren sounded it was two footy teams of a different persuasion than usual that had taken centre stage.
Dressed in pink, grey and white, with plenty of glitter and face-paint to match, the Radio Galahs held off a fast-finishing Rockatoos in red, black and yellow to take out bragging rights.
Connecting three pillars of Mount Alexander’s diverse community – sports, radio and music – the MAIN Game has become a prominent feature of the local events calendar since its inception in 2018.
In front of a 700-plus crowd of all ages dressed largely in the colours of their preferred team, this year’s battle of the birds didn’t disappoint.
After the sporran-donned Highland Pipe Band sounded the opening of the afternoon in fine style, the ball was bounced and the feathers began to fly.
A close contest was battled out between the two sides but in the end the Radio Galahs were victorious. Photo: Max Lesser. 
Rockatoos fans get vocal as the proceedings hit fever pitch. Photo: Max Lesser. 
The Rockatoos and Radio Galahs pause for a minute’s silence for Dallas Keogh-Frankling. Photo: Craig Gaston. 
The Rockatoos are cheered onto the ground at the start of the match. Photo: Craig Gaston. 
The Castlemaine Highland Pipe Band performs at the opening of the annual match. Photo: Craig Gaston. 
The Radio Galahs celebrate their victory last Sunday. Photo: Craig Gaston.
With some efficient use of the ball inside 50, the Galahs managed to kick three goals in the first quarter utilising the breeze.
Sam Wills snagged a pair, offering a strong target up front and leaving the Rockatoos scratching their beaks for defensive answers.
But with a change of direction in play to downwind, the Rockatoos went to work in the second quarter chipping away at the deficit.
The mixed-gender nature of the game saw the ladies take the on-ball roles in the even quarters, with players from both local female teams – CFNC and The Falcons – racking up the stats and matching the physicality of their counterparts with prowess.
The seven-piece Presbyterians took to the stage at halftime in an assortment of footy tops, belting out originals and familiar favourites such as Electric Six’s Gay Bar and Morphine’s Thursday, giving the crowd something further to cheer about as they snacked on sausages cooked by the Castlemaine Football and Netball Club (CFNC) and sipped locally brewed beer from the Taproom.
As the action returned to the field for the third quarter and the players’ hammies began to tighten and the height of the Galahs came to the fore.
A series of intercept marks helped them hold off the hard-running Rockatoos who were contained in their defensive half for much of the term.
Play was briefly suspended as an unidentified streaker graced the field wearing a head-to-toe ‘nude’ onesie before being subdued by a dubious-looking figure of authority.
The boundary rider for the MainFM broadcast, which ran all afternoon on 94.9FM, was also in a full-length He-Man costume complete with inflatable sword, in line with the costumes of the day – Castlemaine loves to dress up.
A similar pattern of play continued for the final term, where the Rockatoos spent most of the time in their forward line trying to pierce through the solid Galah defence.
Alas, their comeback was ultimately denied by the clock as much as anything else.
But by that stage of the afternoon, most of the crowd mightn’t have even noticed.
The winner was indeed the event itself and nobody left the ground with a frown.
Final scores were Radio Galahs 5.1 (31) to Rockatoos 3.4 (22).
Rockatoos captain Paddy Tobias took out best on ground with a swag of possessions.
The attention to detail reflects the commitment to such events in a testament to the passion of the local community.
Professional-grade team songs were recorded in the build up to the match by Rockatoo Tim Johnson.
Football cards have been a fixture, along with plenty of merchandise.
It’s an event that totals more than the sum of its parts, and rivals anything like it, including the Reclink Community Cup in Melbourne that inspired it.
It’s been a challenging month for many involved in the sporting community of the region after the tragic passing of local footballer Dallas Keogh-Frankling late last month.
Players and officials acknowledged the resilience and solidarity of the late young footballer’s family and the community around him with a minute’s silence before the game.
The trending hashtag #putyourbootsoutfordallas had featured prominently among the social media accounts of MAIN Game players in the build-up to the match.
Regional rocker Tim Rogers graced the DJ decks at the afterparty held at the Bridge Hotel as the sound of bird calls were heard late into the night.
The MAIN Game happens each year on the King’s Birthday Weekend at Camp Reserve in Castlemaine.
Visit www.mainfm.net for more details.
