The Tasmanian football community is riding high after defeating traditional rivals Victoria in the inaugural Heath-Lovett Cup.
The event, dubbed “The Battle of Bass Strait”, saw Tasmania win four of five games across men’s and women’s divisions in the masters division.
AFL great Kevin Sheedy was among the spectators at the marquee event.
Player-coach of the Tasmanian women’s team Kristy Baker said the home advantage of playing at Dial Park in Penguin helped Tasmania’s cause.
“It’s good to get it over the Victorians,” the Hobart local told Pulse.
“Normally, Victoria are a lot stronger than Tassie, but I think, you know, we did exceptionally well as the host state in the inaugural match.”
Players travelled from across Australia to represent Tasmania, with former Tasmanians flying in from Queensland and Western Australia for the matches.
The teams adopted the playful rivalry slogan “Kick a Vic” for the tournament.
The women’s team delivered the most emphatic victory, thrashing Victoria 58-0 in their match.
The Heath-Lovett Cup was conceived by Victorian David O’Brien and Tasmanian Dwayne Ahern to provide more playing opportunities for masters footballers.
The competition is named after Tony Lovett from Victoria and Lee Heath from Tasmania, both long-time contributors to masters football.
“Both have been around football since they were five years old, and both been huge contributors to football in their respective states,” Baker said.
Former Melbourne Football Club star Russell Robertson pulled on the boots for Tasmania’s men’s over-45s team.
The event will alternate between Tasmania and Victoria every two years.
