Footy training for the North East & Goulburn Valley
The Ovens & Murray is one of the strongest country leagues in Australia, and the Bushrangers’ region produces AFL players out of all proportion to its size. The competition for a list spot is fierce, and much of the preparation happens a long drive from the club.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.
The Murray Bushrangers, based in Wangaratta, run the talent pathway for north-east Victoria and the Goulburn Valley, with much of their talent coming from around Albury-Wodonga. Community footy runs under AFL North East Border — including the Ovens & Murray and Ovens & King leagues — and AFL Goulburn Murray, including the Goulburn Valley, Murray and Kyabram District leagues.
Which club your address belongs to
The Murray Bushrangers co-ordinate the talented player pathway for the North East and Goulburn Valley, including under-15 and under-16 talent squads.
- Murray Bushrangers
- Based at Wangaratta, with a pre-season base at Wodonga. Much of the squad comes from around Albury.
Players on the New South Wales side of the border around Albury play in these Victorian competitions. The club can confirm eligibility.
The competitions
- Ovens & Murray Football Netball League
- Under AFL North East Border.
- Ovens & King FNL and Upper Murray FNL
- Under AFL North East Border.
- Albury Wodonga Junior Football League
- Junior football around the border cities.
- Goulburn Valley Football League
- Under AFL Goulburn Murray.
- Murray Football League and Kyabram District Football League
- Under AFL Goulburn Murray.
Set it up for North East & Goulburn Valley
Four things, in the order the app asks them. None of them needs a coach.
Choose footy, then your team nights
Onboarding asks “When do you train with your team?” Pick your club nights — Ovens & Murray Football Netball League or wherever you play — and your gym and conditioning are scheduled around them, lighter the day after a big one. Tell it your equipment and any niggles and every exercise is fitted to both.
Match the program to your league’s start
If your league starts later than March, set your season phase yourself in the app and stay in pre-season a little longer. The phase lives in Program → Your year.
Know your numbers on day one
Your first testing session is ready immediately: 2km time trial, Bench press 1RM, Max pull-ups, Trap-bar deadlift 1RM, Running vertical jump. It is re-run every 8 weeks, and the results re-price your training weights and conditioning paces.
Put your suburb on the board
In Social → Town, set where you train. Your minutes count toward that town’s weekly conditioning and strength top-10 boards — only the town is kept, never your location.
What you start with, by the month you join
Every block is four weeks — three building, one deload — so a free month is one complete block.
The footy year in North East & Goulburn Valley
- October
- Off-season. Rest, then rebuild general strength.
- November – February
- Pre-season through a hot summer. Aerobic base, then strength, then power.
- Late March
- Talent League begins.
- April – September
- Community season. Volume comes down, weights hold.
Hot summers, frosty winters
The North East swings from hot summers to cold, frosty winter mornings. Run early through summer and treat heat as training load; in winter, the warm-up on a cold ground is what keeps hamstrings on the park.
Coaching a side in North East & Goulburn Valley?
A club licence is A$8 per player, per month (minimum 5), and every player on it gets full Train Smart membership at no cost to them. You write the block once, it lands in each player’s app, and the console shows who actually did it.
Footy in North East & Goulburn Valley: questions
Which Talent League club covers Shepparton and Wangaratta?
What footy leagues are in the North East?
Where are the Murray Bushrangers based?
Where these facts come from
Checked September 2026. Zones, grades and dates change — if something here is out of date, the governing body is right and we are wrong.
- Murray Bushrangers — club profile
- Rookie Me — Murray Bushrangers
- AFL Victoria — metropolitan and regional leagues
Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.
Nearby and related
Melbourne
Footy training for Melbourne — the metro leagues, the Talent League zones by region, when pre-season really starts, and training through a Melbourne summer.
OpenGeelong
Footy training for Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast — the Geelong Falcons pathway, the four AFL Barwon leagues, and Geelong in the VFL.
OpenThe AFL pathway
From community level to state league and the draft — and what gets tested along the way.
OpenTurn up to round one already fit
Pick footy, tell it your team nights, and your first block and testing session are ready before you leave the car park.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.