Saints, Sharks unite to honour NTFA football greats in memorial game

The Saints and Hillwood will play-off for the inaugural Gary Crane/Rod Green Shield in the NTFA premier division.

The pair passed away in December 2022 and November 2023 respectively.

A George Town Football Club Facebook post summed up their contributions to both clubs and noted they were teammates, rivals and great mates.

"Both Gary and Rod were two of the most respected and revered players of their time," it said.

"When we think of these men the word integrity comes to mind, they played with integrity, worked with integrity and lived with integrity, there is no better legacy to leave than that."

Gary's brother Dale Crane spoke fondly of the pair on Thursday.

He played with Gary and Rod in the late 1970s and early 80s when he was a teenager in what was a golden era for the Saints.

Dale said the Saints-Sharks rivalry stretched back to the late 1950s with the clubs being about 15 minutes apart.

He noted Hillwood went into recess at one point and the clubs established a stronger relationship when Gary coached the Sharks.

"I'm not sure about friendly (rivalry), I think that was probably fixed when Gary went up there and coached and the clubs became a lot closer," he said.

He later added that the notion of 'not liking each other' as rivals was "only footy talk" and the reality was there were a lot of friendships between the two clubs.

Dale said Gary and Rod also worked at the Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO) together in supervisor roles for about 30 years.

Rod, a highly regarded full-forward, was named best on ground in the George Town's 1982 grand final win with four goals, according to the Saints' Facebook page.

Gary was the coach that year.

As per Hillwood's Facebook page, Rod was a member of their club for more than 20 years and president for 10. He also played for the Sharks.

He was described as "a gentle, kind, funny, caring, loving man with a heart of gold".

His son Brad Green played 254 AFL games and kicked 350 goals for Melbourne between 2000-2012.

Hillwood midfielder Alistair Taylor said he was a George Town boy and grew up supporting the Saints.

He described it as a great rivalry.

"It means a lot and both clubs lift for the occasion," he said.

Taylor said he was expecting a great match and the Sharks were looking to bounce back after their 21-point loss to South Launceston.

"We know George Town are up and coming and have recruited really well," he said.

"It's going to be tough game on their home deck which they will play well, we're certainly up for the challenge."

The best player for each senior team will be presented with a medal as judged by the families.

George Town matches: