Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, are a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League, the highest level of Australian rules football in Australia; the Cats have been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with three in the AFL era. The Cats have won nine McClelland Trophies, a record shared with Essendon; the club was formed in 1859, making it the second oldest club in the AFL after Melbourne and one of the oldest football clubs in the world. Geelong participated in the first football competition in Australia and was a foundation club of both the Victorian Football Association in 1877 and the Victorian Football League in 1897; the club first established itself in the VFA by winning seven premierships, making it the most successful VFA club leading up to the formation of the VFL in 1897. The club won a further six premierships by 1963, before enduring a 44-year waiting period until it won its next premiership—an AFL-record 119-point victory in the 2007 AFL Grand Final.
Geelong have since won a further two premierships in 2009 and 2011. The Cats play their home games at Kardinia Park, while sporadically playing home games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Docklands Stadium. Geelong's traditional guernsey colours are navy white hoops; the club's nickname, "The Cats", was first used in 1923 after a run of losses prompted a local cartoonist to suggest that the club needed a black cat to bring it good luck. The club's official team song and anthem is "We Are Geelong". Geelong's traditional navy blue and white hooped guernsey has been worn since the club's inception in the mid-1800s; the design is said to represent the white seagulls and blue water of Corio Bay. The team have worn various away guernseys since 1998, all featuring the club's logo and traditional colours. "We Are Geelong" is the song sung after a game won by the Geelong Football Club. It is sung to the tune of "Toreador" from Carmen; the lyrics were written by former premiership player John Watts. Only the first verse is used by the team after a victory.
The song used by the club was recorded by the Fable Singers in April 1972. We are the greatest team of all We are Geelong. Stand up and fight, remember our tradition Stand up and fight, it's always our ambition Throughout the game to fight with all our might Because we’re the mighty blue and white And when the ball is bounced, to the final bell Stand up and fight like hell Geelong's administrative headquarters is its home stadium, Kardinia Park; the club trains here during the season, however it trains at its alternate training venue, Deakin University's Elite Sport Precinct. The latter features an MCG-sized oval and is used by the club in the pre-season, when Kardinia Park is being used for other events; the rivalry between Hawthorn and Geelong is defined by two Grand Finals: those of 1989 and 2008. In the 1989 Grand Final, Geelong played the man, resulting in major injuries for several Hawks players, Mark Yeates knocking out Dermott Brereton at the opening bounce. In 2008 Grand Final, Geelong was the backed favourite and had lost only one match for the season, but Hawthorn upset Geelong by 26 points.
It was revealed that after the 2008 grand final, Paul Chapman initiated a pact between other Geelong players to never lose to Hawthorn again. The curse was broken in a preliminary final in 2013, after Paul Chapman played his final match for Geelong the previous week. Hawthorn went on to win the next three premierships. In 2016 Geelong again defeated Hawthorn in the qualifying final. In 20 matches between the two sides between 2008 and 2017, 12 were decided by less than 10 points, with Geelong victorious in 11 of those 12 close games. In 1925, Geelong won their first flag over Collingwood. In 1930, Collingwood defeated Geelong in the grand final making it four flags in-a-row for the Pies. Geelong would deny Collingwood three successive premierships in 1937, winning a famous grand final by 32 points; the two sides played against each other in 6 finals between 1951 and 1955, including the 1952 Grand Final when Geelong beat Collingwood by 46 points. In 1953, Collingwood ended Geelong's record 23-game winning streak in the home and away season, defeated them by 12 points in the grand final, denying the Cats a third successive premiership.
Since 2007, the clubs have again both been at the top of the ladder and have met in finals. Geelong won a memorable preliminary final by five points on their way to their first flag in 44 years. In 2008, Collingwood inflicted Geelong's only home-and-away loss, by a massive 86 points, but the teams did not meet in the finals, they would meet in preliminary finals in 2010, each winning one en route to a premiership. They met in a Grand Final in 2011, which Geelong won by 38 points. President: Colin Carter Vice President: Bob Gartland Chief Executive Officer: Brian Cook General Manager – Football: Steven Hocking PremiershipsVFL/AFL: 9 Victorian Football
Michael Gardiner
Michael Strickland Gardiner is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles and the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League. From Albany, Western Australia, Gardiner played for the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League before being drafted by West Coast with the number-one pick in the 1996 National Draft, he made his debut for the club in 1997, over the next seasons replaced Ryan Turnbull as the club's first-choice ruckman. After being named in the All-Australian team in 2003, Gardiner missed most of the 2004 season due to injury. Loss of form and a series of off-field controversies led to him being traded to St Kilda at the end of the 2006 season, having played total of 129 games for West Coast. During his time at St Kilda, Gardiner added another 52 games, including St Kilda's 2009 and 2010 losing grand final teams, before retiring at the end of the 2011 season. Gardiner was born in Albany, Western Australia, played junior football for the Royals Football Club before heading to Perth Western Australia to play for Claremont Football Club in the WAFL.
Gardiner was the number 1 draft pick in the 1996 National Draft. Gardiner debuted in 1997 at only 17 years of age. There were big wraps on Gardiner as an emerging ruckman/forward, he did not disappoint, winning a Rising Star nomination in 1997 and All Australian selection in 2003. However, he was limited by chronic knee injuries, played 18 games in the next three seasons with the Eagles with Dean Cox becoming the leading ruckman in the AFL competition. In May 2005, Gardiner and West Coast team mate Ben Cousins were criticised for involvement with a group of alleged Perth underworld figures. Cousins and Gardiner received phone calls from gangland figures both before and after a stabbing and shooting at the Metro City nightclub. Police questioned Cousins and Gardiner about the incident but they refused to aid the inquiries; the Eagles told the pair that they were on their "last warning" and that their off field behaviour would not be tolerated. Gardiner's off field lifestyle was seen as detrimental to the West Coast playing group and, in February 2006, in the midst of the Ben Cousins booze bus incident, he was dropped to the Western Australian Football League side Claremont indefinitely on grounds of poor performance and poor off field behaviour.
On 18 July 2006, Gardiner's playing contract was suspended indefinitely and he was fined $5,000 following his involvement in a traffic accident in the Perth suburb of Scarborough. While he escaped the accident with only minor injuries, West Coast Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett said that it was unlikely the club would renew his contract at the end of the year. With Michael Gardiner's football career in limbo due to his effective sacking by the West Coast Eagles, speculation linked him with a trade to a Victorian-based club, with St Kilda or Carlton touted as the most destination for the ruckman. During the 2006 AFL Trade Period, the Eagles traded Gardiner to St Kilda with a swap of third round draft picks. Due to persistent injuries, Gardiner was unable to play any competitive AFL football during the 2007 season. Michael Gardiner started his St Kilda career by playing in the Saints' 2008 NAB Cup winning side, only the third time St Kilda had won a pre-season cup. During the AFL season Gardiner, hampered by injury, only managed to play 8 games.
However, his attitude and effort in training, combined with the glimpses of form and class he showed in his handful of games warranted playing on again the next season. The 2009 season saw Gardiner return to some of his best football form. Gardiner played in 16 of 22 matches in the 2009 home and away season in which St Kilda finished top of the ladder, winning the club’s third minor premiership, he averaged 10 disposals and 20.5 hit outs per game, while proving a threat up forward, kicking 12 goals for the season. Though unfortunate to narrowly miss out on selection, Gardiner’s return to form and value to the St Kilda side saw him touted as a potential All-Australian selection. Gardiner played his 150th game of AFL football in the Saints' Round 13 match against Richmond, a remarkable milestone for a player who had battled persistent injuries that saw him cut down in his prime, before being delisted by the West Coast Eagles in 2006. Another of the highlights of the season for Gardiner occurred the next week in the Round 14 blockbuster clash between the two undefeated sides of the competition - the Saints and the Cats.
In front of an AFL record crowd of 54, 444 at Docklands Stadium, Gardiner kicked four goals including the match-winner after a spectacular mark in the closing minutes of the game. Gardiner would receive 3 Brownlow Medal votes in recognition of his performance as best player on ground against the Cats. St Kilda qualified for the 2009 AFL Grand Final after preliminary finals wins. Gardiner played in the grand final. Gardiner had a stellar 2010 season, he played 22 games, the most he had played in a single season, during which he averaged 10.5 disposals, 17 hit-outs a game and kicked 10 goals for the year. He combined his aggression and mobility around the ground with masterful ruck performances, recording a top three finish in the competition for hit-outs to advantage. During the season, Gardiner hit the headlines for a late night altercation with Carlton Football Club's Mitch Robinson. However, Gardiner's onfield performances helped the Saints reach the Grand Final his critical role in the Saints' Preliminary Final victory over the Bulldogs which included his kicking the first goal of the game.
However, during the first half of the Grand Final, Gardiner sustained a hamstring injury which p
North Ballarat Football Club
North Ballarat Football Club, nicknamed The Roosters, is an Australian rules football club based at Mars Stadium in Ballarat. The club is locally known as the Roosters, was most notable for competing in the Victorian Football League between 1996 and 2017; the club has an affiliated Under 18s club, the Greater Western Victoria Rebels, which participates in the TAC Cup. The club was established in 1882, playing in a number of regional competitions before entering Ballarat's "B" grade league as'North City Football Club' in 1946 where it won its first premiership. In 1952 the club was admitted to the Ballarat Football League as'Ballarat North City' making its first Grand Final appearance in 1959. In 1960 the club played as'North City – Wendouree' and was renamed'North Ballarat Football Club' in 1961; the club won its first BFL Premiership on its second Grand Final appearance in 1963 against Ballarat Football Club. The 1970s heralded the start of a golden era for the club. In the 27-year period from 1970 until 1996 the club claimed a further 14 BFL Premierships in the period spanning the 1970–1995 seasons.
The latter feat was no doubt what prompted an invitation to join the re-constructed Victorian Football League for the 1996 season. The team had two unsuccessful VFL Grand Final attempts in 1999 and 2000, won the 2008 VFL Premiership defeating the Port Melbourne Football Club. In 2009 and 2010 they gained back-to-back Premierships defeating the Northern Bullants at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne on both occasions; the VFL competition has changed since 1996 with ten of the fourteen teams in the present day VFL competition being aligned to much larger AFL clubs. The North Ballarat Roosters separated their association with the North Melbourne Football Club at the end of the 2015 season and struggled to transition as a stand-alone team against the AFL backed teams. At the end of the 2017 season, AFL Victoria revoked North Ballarat's VFL licence due to difficulties in the club's governance and on-field performance, citing difficulties at board level and the club's divided attention between its VFL team and its North Ballarat City BFL team, ending the club's stint in the VFL after 22 seasons.
The club will have the opportunity to restructure and attempt to regain its licence for the 2019 season. A meeting of the club's board and members in October 2017 drew unanimous support for the board to take all steps necessary to regain the VFL Licence; the Roosters future in the VFL will be determined by how the club re-structures as a new representative team of the Greater Western Victoria region. Recent proposals have included re-branding the team and establishing a separate administration to unlink it from its BFL sister team. Rebranding of the team is considered necessary for re-entry to the VFL as long term antipathy toward the club is said to exist across the wider Ballarat football community due to the club's past unparalleled success when competing in the BFL prior to its admission to the VFL. Throughout its history the club has maintained an excellent junior development program, producing sportsmen of the calibre of Brownlow Medallist Tony Lockett and past West Coast Eagles dual AFL premiership coach Michael Malthouse and Olympic marathon runner Steve Moneghetti.
There are many players past and present who have played Australian football at its highest level. The North Ballarat Football Club has played on ovals contained within the Ballarat Council owned Ballarat Showgrounds precinct. Between 1952 and 1990 the main playing oval was contained within the showgrounds harness-racing and show arena with the clubrooms located in surplus'P' huts recycled from the former WW2 Ballarat RAAF Base; the original Showgrounds oval was noted for its muddy surface and blustery winds making it an unpopular venue for opposing teams and spectators alike. By 1990 the club had accumilated substantial revenues to fund construction of a new social club and entertainment complex that coincided with the construction of a new all-weather oval on the site of the former harness-racing arena. While the new oval was built on Crown Land, the new clubrooms were established on adjacent freehold title land to the North; the new oval and clubhouse complex was unimaginatively named'Northern Oval Number 1' with a secondary training oval established nearby.
Between 1990 and 2015 the No 1 oval and social club were subsequently expanded and developed in line with the club's inclusion into the VFL. In 2009 the ground adopted the name Eureka Stadium and by that time had capacity for several thousand around its perimeter with limited seating to the front of the social club. Above: 2012 - Northern Oval Number 1 in its original configuration during the annual Ballarat Show Between September 2015 to July 2017 both ovals were re-built with new grandstands and video scoreboard established at the Mars Stadium site. In April 2017 the Ballarat Council commenced the process to compulsorily acquire the North Ballarat Social Club and carparks to centralise management of the redeveloped stadium and social club as one entity. Between 2006 and 2015, North Ballarat was in a partial reserves affiliation with the AFL's North Melbourne Football Club. Under the arrangement, half of the players not selected in the North Melbourne senior team were allocated to play with North Ballarat.
The arrangement ended after the 2015 season leaving North Ballarat as a stand-alone and sole regional VFL team. North Ballarat have had many versions of their club song in the past. All versions have contained the same lyrics, but
Australian rules football
Australian rules football known as Australian football, or called Aussie rules, football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of eighteen players on an oval-shaped field a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by kicking the oval-shaped ball between behind posts. During general play, players may position themselves anywhere on the field and use any part of their bodies to move the ball; the primary methods are kicking and running with the ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled: for example, players running with the ball must intermittently bounce or touch it on the ground. Throwing the ball is not allowed and players must not get caught holding the ball. A distinctive feature of the game is the mark, where players anywhere on the field who catch the ball from a kick are awarded possession. Possession of the ball is in dispute at all times except when mark is paid. Players can use their whole body to obstruct opponents. Dangerous physical contact, interference when marking and deliberately slowing the play are discouraged with free kicks, distance penalties or suspension for a certain number of matches, depending on the seriousness of the infringement.
The game features frequent physical contests, spectacular marking, fast movement of both players and the ball and high scoring. The sport's origins can be traced to football matches played in Melbourne, Victoria in 1858, inspired by English public school football games. Seeking to develop a game more suited to adults and Australian conditions, the Melbourne Football Club published the first laws of Australian football in May 1859, making it the oldest of the world's major football codes. Australian football has the highest spectator attendance and television viewership of all sports in Australia, while the Australian Football League, the sport's only professional competition, is the nation's wealthiest sporting body; the AFL Grand Final, held annually at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, is the highest attended club championship event in the world. The sport is played at amateur level in many countries and in several variations, its rules are governed by the AFL Commission with the advice of the AFL's Laws of the Game Committee.
Australian rules football is known by several nicknames, including Aussie rules and footy. In some regions, it is marketed as AFL after the Australian Football League. There is evidence of football being played sporadically in the Australian colonies in the first half of the 19th century. Compared to cricket and horse racing, football was viewed as a minor "amusement" at the time, while little is known about these early one-off games, it is clear they share no causal link with Australian football. In 1858, in a move that would help to shape Australian football in its formative years, "public" schools in Melbourne, Victoria began organising football games inspired by precedents at English public schools; the earliest such match, held in St Kilda on 15 June, was between Melbourne Grammar and St Kilda Grammar. On 10 July 1858, the Melbourne-based Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle published a letter by Tom Wills, captain of the Victoria cricket team, calling for the formation of a "foot-ball club" with a "code of laws" to keep cricketers fit during winter.
Born in Australia, Wills played a nascent form of rugby football whilst a pupil at Rugby School in England, returned to his homeland a star athlete and cricketer. His letter is regarded by many historians as giving impetus for the development of a new code of football today known as Australian football. Two weeks Wills' friend, cricketer Jerry Bryant, posted an advertisement for a scratch match at the Richmond Paddock adjoining the Melbourne Cricket Ground; this was the first of several "kickabouts" held that year involving members of the Melbourne Cricket Club, including Wills, Bryant, W. J. Hammersley and J. B. Thompson. Trees were used as goalposts and play lasted an entire afternoon. Without an agreed upon code of laws, some players were guided by rules they had learned in the British Isles, "others by no rules at all". Another significant milestone in 1858 was a match played under experimental rules between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College, held at the Richmond Paddock; this 40-a-side contest, umpired by Wills and Scotch College teacher John Macadam, began on 7 August and continued over two subsequent Saturdays, ending in a draw with each side kicking one goal.
It is commemorated with a statue outside the MCG, the two schools have competed annually since in the Cordner-Eggleston Cup, the world's oldest continuous football competition. Since the early 20th century, it has been suggested that Australian football was derived from the Irish sport of Gaelic football, not codified until 1885. There is no archival evidence in favour of a Gaelic influence, the style of play shared between the two modern codes was evident in Australia long before the Irish game evolved in a similar direction. Another theory, first proposed in 1983, posits that Wills, having grown up amongst Aborigines in Victoria, may have seen or played the Aboriginal game of Marn Grook, incorporated some of its features into early Australian football; the evidence for this is only circumstantial, according to biographer Greg de Moore's research, Wills was "almost influenced by his experience at Rugby School". A loosely organised Melbourne side, captained by Wills, played against other football enthusiasts in the winter and spring of 1858.
The following year, on 14 May, the Melbourne Football Club came into being, making it one of the
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL serves as the sport's governing body, is responsible for controlling the laws of the game; the league was founded as the Victorian Football League as a breakaway from the previous Victorian Football Association, with its inaugural season commencing in 1897. Comprising only teams based in the Australian state of Victoria, the competition's name was changed to the Australian Football League for the 1990 season, after expanding to other states throughout the 1980s; the league consists of 18 teams spread over five of Australia's six states. Matches have been played in all states and mainland territories of Australia, as well as in New Zealand and China to promote the sport abroad; the AFL season consists of a pre-season competition, followed by a 23-round regular season, which runs during the Australian winter. The team with the best record after the home-and-away series is awarded the "minor premiership."
The top eight teams play off in a four-round finals series, culminating in the AFL Grand Final, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground each year. The grand final winner is termed the "premiers", is awarded the premiership cup; the current premiers are the West Coast Eagles. The Victorian Football Association was established in 1877 and went on to become Victoria's major Australian rules football competition. During the 1890s, an off-field power struggle occurred between the VFA's stronger and weaker clubs, the former seeking greater administrative control commensurate with their relative financial contribution to the game; this came to a head in 1896 when it was proposed that gate profits, which were always lower in matches involving the weaker clubs, be shared amongst all teams in the VFA. After it was intimated that the proposal would be put to a vote, six of the strongest clubs—Collingwood, Fitzroy, Geelong and South Melbourne—seceded from the VFA, invited Carlton and St Kilda to join them in founding a new competition, the Victorian Football League.
The remaining VFA clubs—Footscray, North Melbourne, Port Melbourne and Williamstown—were given the opportunity to compete as a junior sides at a level beneath the VFL, but rejected the offer and remained for the 1897 VFA season. The VFL's inaugural season occurred in 1897, it made several innovations early on to entice the public's interest, including an annual finals tournament, rather than awarding the premiership to the team with the best record through the season. Although the VFL and the VFA continued to compete for spectator interest for many years, the VFL established itself as the premier competition in Victoria. In 1908, the league expanded to ten teams, with Richmond crossing from the VFA and University Football Club from the Metropolitan Football Association. University, after three promising seasons, finished last each year from 1911 until 1914, including losing 51 matches in a row; as a result, the club withdrew from the VFL at the end of 1914. Beginning sporadically during the late 1890s and from 1907 until World War I, the VFL premier and the premier of the South Australian Football League met in a playoff match for the Championship of Australia.
South Australia's Port Adelaide was the most successful club of the competition winning three titles during the period along with an earlier victory. In 1925, the VFL expanded from nine teams to twelve, with Footscray and North Melbourne each crossing from the VFA. North Melbourne and Hawthorn remained weak in the VFL for a long period. Although North Melbourne would become the first of the 1925 expansion sides to reach a Grand Final in 1950 it was Footscray that adapted to the VFL with the most ease of the three clubs, by 1928 were well off the bottom of the ladder. Between the years of 1927 and 1930, Collingwood became the first, only VFL team, to win four successive Premierships. In 1952, the VFL hosted ` National Day'. Matches were played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Brisbane Exhibition Ground, North Hobart Oval, Albury Sports Ground and Victorian country towns Yallourn and Euroa. Footscray became the first of the 1925 expansion teams to win the premiership in 1954. Melbourne became a powerhouse during the 1950s and early 1960s under coach Norm Smith and star player Ron Barassi.
The club contested seven consecutive grand finals from 1954 to 1960, winning five premierships, including three in a row from 1955 to 1957. Television coverage began with direct telecasts of the final quarter permitted. At first, several channels competed through broadcasting different games. However, when the VFL found that television was reducing crowds, it decided that no coverage was to be allowed for 1960. In 1961, replays were introduced although direct telecasts were permitted in Melbourne. In 1959, the VFL planned the first purpose built mega-stadium, VFL Park, to give it some independence from the Melbourne Crick
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Melbourne, the club competes in the Australian Football League, was one of the competition's eight founding member clubs in 1897; the club's headquarters and training facilities are located in Carlton at Princes Park, its traditional home ground, it plays its home matches at either Docklands Stadium or the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Carlton has been one of the AFL's most successful clubs, having won sixteen senior VFL/AFL premierships, equal with Essendon as the most of any club; the club has fielded a team in the AFL Women's league since its establishment in 2017. Carlton has had a long and successful history, winning the most premierships of any club in the VFL era. Together with fierce rivals Collingwood and Essendon, Carlton was considered to be one of the league's "Big Four" clubs, enjoys a healthy rivalry with all three others.
Since winning its last premiership in 1995, Carlton is experiencing its longest premiership drought, has finished bottom of the ladder the most of any club since the competition became known as the AFL. The Carlton Football Club was formed in July 1864. In the early days, Carlton became strong and having grown a large supporter base, it became a fierce rival to the Melbourne Football Club in early competition, including the South Yarra Challenge Cup, which it won in 1871. Carlton won four premierships during the pre-VFA era in the 1870s. In 1877, Carlton became one of the foundation clubs of the Victorian Football Association, was a comfortable winner of the premiership in the competition's inaugural season. Carlton was one of the first clubs to have a player worthy of the superstar tag: champion player George Coulthard, who played for Carlton between 1876 and 1882, was noted by The Australasian as'The grandest player of the day', he died of tuberculosis in 1883, aged 27. The club won one more VFA premiership, in 1887, but after that during the 1890s, the club went from one of the strongest clubs in the Association to one of the weaker, both on-field and off-field.
In spite of this, the club was invited to join the breakaway Victorian Football League competition in 1897. The club continued to struggle in early seasons of the new competition, finished seventh out of eight teams in each of its first five seasons. Carlton's fortunes improved in 1902; the Board elected the respected former Fitzroy footballer and Australian test cricketer Jack Worrall the secretary of the Carlton Cricket Club, to the same position at the football club. As secretary, Worrall took over the managing of the players, in what is now recognised as the first official coaching role in the VFL. Under Worrall's guidance in the latter part of the 1902 season, Carlton's on-field performances improved, in 1903 he led Carlton to the finals for the first time. Carlton built a strong reputation and financial position, was able to convince many great players to shift to the club from other clubs, or out of retirement. Worrall led the club to its first three VFL premierships, won consecutively, in 1906, 1907 and 1908.
Carlton became the first club in the VFL to win three premierships in a row, its win-loss record of 19–1 in the 1908 season was a record which stood for more than ninety years. N 1Following these premierships, Carlton went through a tumultuous period off-field; some players had become frustrated by low payments and hard training standards, responded by refusing to train or play matches. The club removed Worrall from the coaching role, after significant changes at board level after the 1909 season, Worrall left the club altogether. Many players who had supported Worrall left the club at the end of the season. In 1910, several players were suspected of having taken bribes to fix matches, with two players both found guilty and suspended for 99 matches. Despite this backdrop, Carlton continued its strong on-field form, reaching the 1909 and 1910 Grand Finals, but losing both. Carlton fell out of the finals in 1913, but returned in 1914 under coach Norm Clark, with many inexperienced players, to win back-to-back premierships in 1914 and 1915 VFL seasons.
Most football around the country was suspended during the height of World War I, but Carlton continued to compete in a VFL which featured, at its fewest, only four clubs. Altogether, between Jack Worrall's first Grand Final in 1904 and the peak of World War I in 1916, Carlton won five premierships and contested nine Grand Finals for one of the most successful times in the club's history; the only success which eluded the club was the Championship of Australia. Through the 1920s and the Great Depression of the 1930s, Carlton maintained a strong on-field presence; the club was a frequent finalist. However, premiership success did not follow, the club contested only three Grand Finals for just one premiership during this period, endured the second longest premiership drought in the club's history; the drought was broken with the club's sixth VFL premiership in 1938, when former Subiaco and South Melbourne champion Brighton Diggins was recruited
Heidelberg Football Club
Heidelberg Football Club is an Australian rules football club in Heidelberg, Victoria competing in the Northern Football League. Established in 1876, Heidelberg Football Club is one of the oldest Australian rules football clubs in the country; the club competed in the Melbourne Football League against other suburban clubs such as Northcote, South Melbourne and Sandridge. Heidelberg's original guernsey was blue and white until adopting the current strip of yellow and black during the 1880s. Heidelberg has competed in many different football leagues during its history. Commencing in the Melbourne Football League, the club was a founding member of Bourke-Evelyn Football League in 1890. Between 1900 and 1902, Heidelberg competed in the VFA before transferring to the Northern Suburban Football League; the club was a founding member of Heidelberg District Football League in 1909 before transferring to the fledgling Diamond Valley Football League in 1923. Heidelberg's dominance of the DVFL led to the club moving temporarily to VFL Sub-Districts League in 1925 whilst still fielding a second team in the DVFL.
The club returned to the DVFL in 1930 and has remained in this league since with considerable success. The junior club now resides in the YJFL; the Club has won a total 27 senior premierships including a record 19 in the Northern Football League, the first being in 1890, the most recent in 2009. The original home ground was at Heidelberg Park, but after a recess during the World War 2, the club moved across Beverley Road to the current address at Warringal Park. At the end of the 1980 season the bottom four clubs were to be relegated to a newly formed Second Division in 1981 so Heidelberg having finished 13th was relegated. After three seasons in Division Two the club earned promotion with a breakthrough Grand Final victory over Northcote Park in 1983. After two respectable years in 1984/85 the club went on to achieve Division one success in 1986 and again in 1990. Heidelberg became the inaugural Northern Football League Premier and Champion in 2007, going through the season undefeated. Heidelberg were the last Diamond Valley Football League Premier in 2006 after a formal audit by Football Victoria forced the league to change its name, this was caused by concerns expressed by the club while attempting to transfer to the Eastern FL.
In 2009 Heidelberg completed a four peat of Premierships defeating Bundoora in the Grand Final, making it five wins from the past six Grand Finals. Heidelberg defeated Macleod to win the 2016 premiership, their first premiership since 2009. Heidelberg holds the record for the longest winning sequence in DVFL/NFL history with 48 wins in a row Seniors: 1923, 1928, 1929, 1937, 1938, 1948, 1950, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1964, 1986, 1990, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016. Reserves: 1950, 1951, 1953, 1956, 1960, 1963, 1967, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2016. Thirds: 1980 Seniors: 1983 Reserves: 1981 Seniors: 1890 Seniors: 1905, 1908 Seniors: 1910, 1911, 1912, 1919, 1920 Fred Clarke John Murphy Brian Wilson Jim Edmond Geoff Austen Bill Twomey, Sr. Pat Twomey Shane Kerrison John Wise Pasi Schwalger Ty Zantuck Jess Sinclair Justin Murphy Brad Miller Anthony Franchina Renato Serafini Blair McDonough Television personality Michael Brunelli Television personality Heidelberg Football Club homepage Northern Football League Website Twitter
