Oliver, grew up in Echuca, moved to Mooroopna to attend Goulburn Valley Grammar School and play for the Cats — while Vandermeer was born into the club being the son of legendary footballer Jeff and netballer Katie.
Following their junior careers, Oliver would be selected by Melbourne with pick 4 in the 2015 national draft — playing 121 games and developing into one of the game’s most accomplished midfielders.
While Vandermeer was taken with the 37th selection in the 2018 draft by the Western Bulldogs and has played 17 games in his first three seasons at AFL level.
Mooroopna Football Club president Bill Dowling said it was a thrill to see the two boys fly the flag for the Cats on the game’s biggest stage.
“It is very exciting and it probably doesn’t happen too often where a country football netball club has two players participating in the AFL grand final,” Dowling said.
“Having one on each side probably makes it a little bit awkward in the sense of having to choose between the two teams, but as a club we think it is great and we are just hoping they go well.”
Reflecting back on the duo as kids coming through the ranks, Dowling shared stories of their feats on the field and the impact they had on the people around them.
“Clayton played in a Mooroopna under-16 premiership in 2013 and played alongside current North Melbourne player Jy Simpkin in a side that really was very dominant,” he said.
“In regards to Laitham he had a lot of injuries during his junior career, so he is a great example of persistence and working really hard and it is great to see him being rewarded because you could always see that talent was there.
“As people they were both perfect examples of young people with ability that were very humble, but also worked very hard to try and get where they are and formed a fantastic part of the culture of our club.”
Now plying their trade at the highest level the fame that comes along with playing AFL has not gone to their heads as they constantly keep in contact with the club and come back to their old stomping ground whenever they can to help guide the next generation.
“Along with Jy Simpkin, the boys continue to support the club in whatever way they can — whether it is coming down to games when they are home on weekends or if you want something to go in a newsletter they put their hand up every time,” Dowling said.
“Over the last year or two they have also done a lot of training down at the Mooroopna ground and have been more than happy to help our juniors by introducing themselves and showing them a few tricks of the trade.”
While the club won’t be able to come together and celebrate its two exports at its traditional grand final breakfast its has found other ways to honour the duo — with the temporary rebranding of its famous entrance gate garnering national attention.
“Normally we promote who we are playing this weekend on that sign above the entrance to the ground, so what we have done is change the sign to say that this week’s match will take place at Optus Stadium and replaced Mooroopna’s name with Laitham’s name and the opposition with Clayton’s name just to show our pride in the two boys,” he said.
“After sharing the photo we have received a lot attention, 3AW contacted us — so it is great to see the wider community taking notice of our club.”
