But one ex-GVL talent has already been there, done that.
Shepparton United product Charlie Di Stefano, who now dons the colours of Parkside in Western Football Netball League, ignited an old flame when he suited up for duty on Saturday.
He kicked a goal and was named among the best as the WFNL defeated Southern Football Netball League 10.16 (76) to 9.8 (62) at Avalon Airport Oval.
But winning was only half the fun.
It had been six years since his last rep clash in the juniors for Shepparton — and after all that time in between, interleague did not disappoint.
“Obviously you feel pretty lucky to be picked out of the whole league to represent the teams you play against and for,” Di Stefano said.
“It’s a really good day; I hadn’t played interleague since I was young — 14, 15 was probably the last time I did it.
“It was really enjoyable to give back in a rep game, play with some different boys under different coaches — it was a good day.”
Di Stefano was a proud representative during his junior years, playing for Shepparton District Junior Football League on four occasions against the Bendigo league.
Upon return to the interleague fold at the weekend, he soccered through the game’s second goal early, a poacher’s finish on a wet day where he was stationed at half-forward throughout the clash.
It was a tactical shift from his usual midfield role at Parkside, a concession to the sheer depth of talent in the league.
But it didn’t bother him.
He embraced it — like many of his teammates — because the day was bigger than individuals.
“It’s hard; there are a lot of gun midfielders in the league, so you’ve got to fit some in other spots,” he said.
“But with our team, the coaches did a really good job of picking — our backline was outstanding, we didn’t really have any blokes who didn’t want to be down there.
“We played really well as a team and a lot of boys embraced playing different positions and that’s probably why we got on top in the end.”
For Di Stefano, the chance to represent Western FNL, after growing up in the Shepparton footy scene, wasn’t just a cap.
It was a culmination. A test. An awakening.
“It was so good to play with some of the guns you play against during the season,” he said.
“You know everyone’s faces and yet you don’t really get to chat to them when you’re playing against them obviously.
“To kit up with them was really special because some of them played an outstanding game and it shows you the level of the best players in local footy in the league.”
While Di Stefano never got the chance to pull on a GVL interleague jumper — which he now regrets — his affection for the concept remains undimmed.
Sure, the tune of interleague may not be played at the frequency it used to.
But for guys like Di Stefano, there’s a romance to it: the sight of rival players trading elbows for high-fives and jumpers uniting whole regions.
“I’m a bit sad I never got to play for the GVL — I haven’t been around when they’ve done interleague,” he said.
“I think it’s a really good thing and people love it — you can see the hype around it.
“There’s always talk about this league’s better than the other, so it’s important to have those hit-outs and see which league comes out on top.
“I love it, I think it’s really important that people get to come down and see the players that represent the league.”
