Ex-AFL star Jarrod Garlett boots four in historic draw between Railways and Rovers

A replay of the Great Northern Football League’s league grand final got the season off to an interesting start in round one.

Railways and Rovers kicked 84 points each to finish with a draw in the hot sunshine at Greenough Oval, the Demons’ home ground, the first time the fixture has ended even in its 60 years of history, with ex-AFL player Jarrod Garlett kicking four for the Blues.

Blues coach Karl Pirrottina said the run-out had showed his team were in shape although some of the players had had a shortened pre-season, and they had managed to go toe to toe with a side that has won the last two grand finals.

“It was bittersweet,” he said. “We didn’t lose, we didn’t win. It was a bit of a shootout.

“Most of the first half was goal for goal.

“We’ve got a few players, and I’m sure Rovers do too, who are a bit underdone. We’ll get better for sure. We lifted to get control of the game back. Defence was awesome. Offensively, we showed some really good signs.

“It was a very physical, really good game of footy, and pretty hot out there, so the players were feeling it last night.

“We both had opportunities to win and we stopped a few of their forward entries.

“We played the best team of the last two years in first round ... it’s fantastic how he (Garlett) presents himself on the training track and on the field, and he’s a great person to have around our whole team. He’s really good.”

He said last year’s Guardian medallist in the grand final, Tristan Simpson, also played well while Elliott Delaney kicked five goals in the first quarter.

Rovers won the grand final against Railways last year, 7.12 (54) to 7.6 (48). It was a second premiership in a row for the Demons.

GNFL historian and football writer Victor Tanti said it was the first draw in 179 games between the two clubs across six decades.