Oak Park and Maribyrnong Park will be participating in a standalone fixture this Saturday April 6 to honour the legacy of club legend Blake Albones.
Blake dominated the EDFL's top flight in the early 2000s playing in four grand finals and winning two as vice-captain of the Kangaroos.
He kicked 321 goals during this period including 94 in 2001, highlighted by a bag of 16 which still stands as a record in Premier Division.
Blake represented the EDFL in interleague during the 2001 season, as well as donning the Big V for Vic Metro in their contest against Canberra.
In addition to his impressive footy CV, Blake was a selfless character that would always look after others' needs before his own. A great mate to so many, someone people would gravitate toward.
Blake passed away in October 2023 but his legacy will live on forever in the Oak Park Football Club.
To further commemorate his honour, the club will be unveiling the "Blake Albones End” at the new clubrooms.
All clubs and communities are welcome to attend to be part of this special day.
Oak Park and Maribyrnong Park are set to meet in a home and away game for the first time since June 2013 with Oak Park earning promotion in Division One and Maribyrnong Park being forced to relegate down.
The Kangaroos are back in Division One for the first time since 2019 and did it on the back of a dominant season where they lost just two games on their way to the Division Two flag.
Marby, meanwhile, have had their ups and downs in the top flight and have made some off-season acquisitions in a bid to ensure it's a short stay in Division One.
Brodie Holland returned to the club as coach and along with the returning Marwan Abdul-Wahad, serve as the only players from that 2013 clash set to hit the field on Saturday.
The Lions landed arguably the biggest fish over the summer with former Blue Lachie Plowman signing with the club, joining former Crow Will Young and VFL mainstay Brodie Romensky.
Oak Park have lost a few from their premiership side but have brought in some size in Josh Ksiazek and Tom Lay, along with young gun Paul Pascu.
Division One is a new challenge for both these sides after time in either side of this competition and they'll both be looking to kick their 2024 campaign off with a win.
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURE
OAK PARK v MARIBYRNONG PARK
🎥 Streamer
📻 98.9 North West FM
Saturday 2:15pm at JP Fawkner Reserve
