Gippsland League
The Gippsland League (formerly known as the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball league in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is considered the only AFL Victoria major league in Gippsland.[1]
| Formerly | West Gippsland Latrobe Football League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Inaugural season | 1954 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | Australia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Maffra (9) |
| Most titles | Traralgon (20) |
| Official website | Gippsland Football League Official Website |
History
The original Gippsland Football Association was formed in 1889,[2] at a meeting of club delegates from the following clubs - Hazelwood, Morwell, Rosedale, Thorpedale, Traralgon and Yarrum.[3]
The Gippsland Football Netball League (GFNL) has roots dating back to the Central Gippsland Football League (CGFL) which was founded in 1909[4][5] with many former CGFL clubs now part of the GFNL.
The CGFL morphed into the Latrobe Valley Football League in 1954. The promoters of the LVFL wanted to have a league that consisted of towns along the Orbost railway line, from Warragul to Sale. "The background of the move, as reported on several occasions in this journal, is (1) to remove unbalances in the present population strengths of the towns at present fielding teams in the Central Gippsland Football League; (2) to link up with towns with the same community of interest; (3) to uplift the standard of football, by bringing the strongest clubs into competition; (4) to strengthen clubs financially through expected enhanced gates."[6]
Three clubs from south Gippsland towns, Leongatha, Korumburra and Mirboo North, were therefore barred from joining the new league and went on to form the South Gippsland FL. The Central Gippsland Football League actually folded, when seven clubs joined the new La Trobe Valley Football League[7] and due to their geographical location these three remaining clubs chose not to join the La Trobe Valley Football League.[8] These three club's then joined the South Gippsland Football League in 1954, with Leongatha entering two senior teams - Green & Gold!
The LVFL changed its name, in 1995, to the Gippsland Latrobe FL.
At the end of 2001, The West Gippsland FL and the Gippsland Latrobe FL had an administrative merger. This created a two-division competition and a name change to the West Gippsland Latrobe FL.
From 2002 until 2004, the league comprised a premier division, consisting mainly of the former Gippsland-Latrobe clubs, and a western division, comprising most of the former WGFL clubs.
After the 2004 season, the western division was dissolved, with Warragul, Drouin and Garfield joining the premier league. The remaining clubs from the western division moved to other competitions, such as the Alberton Football League, Ellinbank & District Football League and the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League.
In 2009, Garfield left the GFL for the Ellinbank & District Football League, whilst Wonthaggi[9] and Bairnsdale[10] joined the GFL in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
The Latrobe Valley area does not have a team participating in the Victorian Football League. Traralgon competed in the VFL during 1996-97, winning just four matches across those two years, before returning to the regional competition.[11] The region does have a representative team in the TAC Cup Under-18 competition, Gippsland Power.
The Central & Southern Gippsland Competition league was founded in 2019.
Clubs
As of 2019, the Gippsland League consists of the following teams:[12]
| Club | Colours | Moniker | Formed | First Year | Home venue | Premierships | Premiership Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | |||||||
| Bairnsdale | Redlegs | c. 1900 | 2011 | Bairnsdale City Oval | 24 | 2010 | 1902, 1903, 1908, 1912, 1913, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959 (BDFL), 1981, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 (EGFL) | |
| Drouin | Hawks | 1890 | 1960 | Drouin Recreation Reserve | 8 | 1992 | 1941, 1946, 1949, 1958, 1967, 1978, 1991, 1992 (WGFL) | |
| Leongatha | Parrots | 1894 | 1969 | Leongatha Recreation Reserve | 26 | 2018 | 1894 (KDFA), 1905 (WFA), 1923, 1924, 1931, 1932, (SGFA), 1934, 1935, 1950, 1951 (CGFA), 1954, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964 (SGFL), 1970, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1989 (LVFL), 1995, 1997 (GLFL), 2001 (WGFL), 2017, 2018 (GFL) | |
| Maffra | Eagles | 1901 | 1960 | Maffra Recreation Reserve | 22 | 2019 | 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1914, 1920, 1921, 1926, 1935, 1938, 1946, 1948 (GFL), 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2019 | |
| Moe | Lions | 1909 | 1954 | Ted Summerton Reserve | 5 | 1967 | 1927 (EDFA), 1944, 1945 (GWFL), 1956, 1967 (LVFL) | |
| Morwell | Tigers | 1905 | 1954 | Morwell Recreation Reserve | 14 | 2014 | 1907, 1922 (MMFA), 1950, 1952, 1953 (CGFL), 1961, 1966, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1993 (LVFL), 1996 (GLFL), 2013, 2014 (GFL) | |
| Sale | Magpies | 1901 | 1954 | Sale Recreation Reserve | 20 | 2012 | 1901, 1905, 1911, 1924, 1927, 1931, 1934, 1937, 1949, 1950, 1953 (GFL), 1954, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1986 (LVFL), 2008, 2012 (GFL) | |
| Traralgon | Maroons | 1883 | 1954 | Traralgon Recreation Reserve | 25 | 2015 | 1919, 1923, 1925 (GFL), 1945, 1946, 1949 (CGFL), 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 (LVFL), 1998, 1999, 2000 (GLFL), 2005, 2011, 2015 | |
| Warragul | Gulls | 1879 | 1954 | Western Park Reserve | 13 | 2003 | 1900, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1907, 1922, 1927, 1932, 1938 (CGFL), 1974, 1976, 1984 (LVFL), 2003 (WGFL) | |
| Wonthaggi | Power | 2005 (merger) | 2010 | Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve | 3 | 2008 | 2005, 2006, 2008 (AFL) | |
| Note: AFL (Alberton FL), BVWDFL (Bass Valley Wonthaggi & District Football League), CGFL (Central Gippsland FL), EDFA (Erica DFA), EGFL (East Gippsland FL), GWFL (Gippsland Wartime FL), KDFA (Korumburra & District FA), LVFL (Latrobe Valley FL), MMFA (Morwell Mirboo FA), SGFL (South Gippsland FL), WFA (Woorayl Football Association), WGFL (West Gippsland FL), GLFL (Gippsland Latrobe FL) | ||||||||
Former clubs
| Jumper | Club | Nickname | Years competed | Home Ground | Premierships | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Churchill | Kangaroos | 1984-1994 | Gaskin Park, Churchill | (0) | [1] | |
| Garfield | Stars | 2002-2009 | Garfield Recreation Reserve | (7) 1963, 1964, 1966, 1983, 1993, 1994, 2004 (WGFL) | ||
| Heyfield | Kangaroos | 1960-1974 | Gordon St Recreation Reserve | (0) | [3] | |
| Newborough | Bulldogs | 1979-1985 | Newborough Recreation Reserve | (0) | [4] | |
| Stratford | Swans | 1961-1964 | Stratford Recreation Reserve | (0) | [5] | |
| Trafalgar | Bloods | 1954-1968 | Trafalgar Recreation Reserve | (6) 1906 (WGFA),[13] 1911, 1913, 1923 (CGFL), 1958, 1962 | [6] | |
| Traralgon Tyers United | The Two Blues | 1983-1988 | Tyers Recreation Reserve | (0) | ||
| Yallourn | The Blues | 1954-1976 | Yallourn Recreation Reserve | (11) 1925, 1926, 1928, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1948 (CGFL), 1932, 1933 (GFL), 1944 (CGWFA), 1950 (WGFL) | ||
| Yallourn Yallourn North | Bombers | 1977-1985 | Yallourn Recreation Reserve | (0) | [8] | |
| Yarragon | Panthers | 1954-1960 | Yarragon Football Ground | (2) 1908, 1921 (CGFL) | [9] |
Players
VFL/AFL Players
A number of players from the Gippsland league have gone on to play and have success at the AFL level.
| Player | Original Gippsland Football League club | VFL/AFL club(s) | VFL/AFL games played | First season | Most recent season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Ablett | Drouin | Sydney Swans | 133 | 2002 | 2009 |
| Ben Ainsworth | Morwell | Gold Coast Suns | 56* | 2017 | 2020 |
| Craig Biddiscombe | Traralgon | Geelong / Richmond | 78 | 1995 | 2003 |
| Shane Birss | Sale | Western Bulldogs / St Kilda | 71 | 2002 | 2008 |
| John Butcher | Maffra | Port Adelaide | 31 | 2010 | 2016 |
| Jordan Cunico | Traralgon | Geelong | 15 | 2015 | 2019 |
| Josh Dunkley | Sale | Western Bulldogs | 75* | 2016 | 2020 |
| Kyle Dunkley | Sale | Melbourne | 5* | 2019 | 2020 |
| Jeff Gieschen | Maffra | Footscray | 24 | 1974 | 1978 |
| Brendan Goddard | Traralgon | St Kilda / Essendon | 334 | 2003 | 2018 |
| Jason Gram | Traralgon | Brisbane Lions / St Kilda | 156 | 2002 | 2012 |
| Will Hams | Sale | Essendon | 13 | 2013 | 2016 |
| Dyson Heppell | Leongatha | Essendon | 172* | 2011 | 2020 |
| Changkuoth Jiath | Morwell | Hawthorn | 7* | 2018 | 2020 |
| Declan Keilty | Moe | Melbourne | 2 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Jack Leslie | Sale | Gold Coast Suns | 28 | 2014 | 2019 |
| Jarryd Roughead | Leongatha | Hawthorn | 283 | 2005 | 2019 |
| Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti | Drouin | Essendon | 105* | 2016 | 2020 |
| Ben McKay | Warragul | North Melbourne | 14* | 2016 | 2020 |
| Harry McKay | Warragul | Carlton | 46* | 2016 | 2020 |
| Dylan McLaren | Sale | Brisbane Lions / Carlton | 59 | 2001 | 2006 |
| Robert McMahon | Moe | Fitzroy | 2 | 1996 | 1996 |
| Andrew McQualter | Traralgon | St Kilda / Gold Coast Suns | 94 | 2005 | 2012 |
| Tim Membrey | Traralgon | Sydney Swans / St Kilda | 106* | 2013 | 2020 |
| Irving Mosquito | Maffra | Essendon | 4* | 2020 | 2020 |
| Robert Murphy | Warragul | Western Bulldogs | 312 | 2000 | 2017 |
| Ryan Murphy | Traralgon | Fremantle | 48 | 2004 | 2010 |
| Jay Neagle | Traralgon | Essendon | 28 | 2007 | 2010 |
| Scott Pendlebury | Sale | Collingwood | 313* | 2006 | 2020 |
| Ben Robbins | Maffra | Brisbane Bears / Brisbane Lions / North Melbourne | 92 | 1996 | 2003 |
| Michael Ross | Warragul | Essendon | 2 | 2011 | 2011 |
| Jacob Schuback | Sale | Adelaide | 7 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Caleb Serong | Warragul | Fremantle | 12* | 2020 | 2020 |
| Sam Skinner | Moe | Brisbane Lions | 3* | 2016 | 2020 |
| Dale Thomas | Drouin | Collingwood / Carlton | 258 | 2006 | 2019 |
| Matthew Watson | Warragul | Essendon | 1 | 1939 | 1940 |
| Leo "Gus" Young | Maffra | Hawthorn | 10 | 1939 | 1940 |
| Current AFL listed player *Games played correct as at 17 September 2020 † List may not be complete | |||||
Premiers and Best & Fairest Winners
| Year | Senior Premier | Senior B&F Winner | Season Summary (Ladder & Finals) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Maffra | Jack Lipman (Sale) | 2019 Season |
| 2018 | Leongatha | Tom Marriott (Leongatha) | 2018 Season |
| 2017 | Leongatha | James Blaser (Moe), Kane Martin (Sale) & Jack Blair (Wonthaggi Power) | 2017 Season |
| 2016 | Maffra | Brad Scalzo (Warragul) | 2016 Season |
| 2015 | Traralgon | Bob McCallum (Drouin) | 2015 Season |
| 2014 | Morwell | Adam Bailey (Morwell) | 2014 Season |
| 2013 | Morwell | Kelvin Porter (Maffra) | 2013 Season |
| 2012 | Sale | Luke Collins (Sale) | 2012 Season |
| 2011 | Traralgon | Andrew Soumilas (Drouin) | 2011 Season |
| 2010 | Maffra[14] | Gary Jones (Maffra) | 2010 Season |
| 2009 | Maffra[15] | Adrian Cox (Sale) & Michael Geary ( Traralgon) | 2009 Season |
| 2008 | Sale | Nick Hider (Maffra) | 2008 Season |
| 2007 | Maffra | Nick Hider (Maffra) | 2007 Season |
| 2006 | Maffra | Desi Barr (Warragul) | 2006 Season |
| 2005 | Traralgon | Andrew Soumilas (Garfield) | 2005 Season |
Records and Statistics
Finishing positions of current clubs since 1954[16]
| Club | Premierships | Runners Up | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traralgon | 20 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Sale | 10 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 2 |
| Leongatha | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| Maffra | 9 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
| Morwell | 9 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 7 |
| Warragul | 3 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 3 |
| Moe | 2 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Bairnsdale | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Wonthaggi | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Drouin | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Recent finishing positions[16]
| Club | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bairnsdale | 8th | 7th | 9th | 10th | 8th | 5th | 6th | 8th | 8th |
| Drouin | 5th | 8th | 10th | 4th | 7th | 10th | 9th | 7th | 2nd |
| Leongatha | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 7th | 7th | 3rd | 8th |
| Maffra | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd |
| Moe | 3rd | 5th | 4th | 8th | 9th | 8th | 10th | 10th | 7th |
| Morwell | 9th | 9th | 5th | 9th | 6th | 1st | 1st | 5th | 9th |
| Sale | 4th | 4th | 6th | 6th | 5th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 4th |
| Traralgon | 7th | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 6th | 5th | 4th | 1st |
| Warragul | 10th | 6th | 7th | 5th | 10th | 9th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
| Wonthaggi | 6th | 10th | 8th | 7th | 4th | 2nd | 4th | 6th | 6th |
Significant records
| Record | Detail |
|---|---|
| Highest score: | 45.22 (292) Traralgon vs. Churchill |
| Lowest score: | 0.2 (2) Stratford vs. Traralgon; Bairnsdale vs. Traralgon |
| Most goals in a match: | (19) Adrian Campbell (Leongatha vs. Moe) |
| Most goals in a season: | 136 Shane Loveless (Sale) |
| Record quarter score | |
| 1st quarter | 13.4 (82) Maffra vs. Newborough Warragul vs. Newborough Maffra vs. Churchill |
| 2nd quarter | 14.3 (87) Leongatha vs. Heyfield |
| 3rd quarter | 15.5 (95) Traralgon vs. Newborough |
| 4th quarter | 16.7 (103) Leongatha vs. Moe |
2022 Ladder
| Gippsland | Wins | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leongatha | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1966 | 795 | 247.30% | 72 |
| Wonthaggi | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1627 | 1033 | 157.50% | 52 |
| Sale | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1674 | 1140 | 146.84% | 48 |
| Traralgon | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1577 | 1011 | 155.98% | 46 |
| Morwell | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1326 | 1373 | 96.58% | 40 |
| Maffra | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1367 | 1291 | 105.89% | 36 |
| Moe | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1211 | 1563 | 77.48% | 32 |
| Warragul | 4 | 13 | 1 | 1005 | 1721 | 58.40% | 18 |
| Bairnsdale | 2 | 16 | 0 | 1087 | 1959 | 55.49% | 8 |
| Drouin | 2 | 16 | 0 | 959 | 1913 | 50.13% | 8 |
FINALS
| Qualifying Final at Morwell | Second Semi-Final at Moe | Preliminary final | Grand Final at Moe | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Leongatha | 10.4 (64) | Leongatha | 10.10 (70) | ||||||||||||||
| Wonthaggi | 9.6 (60) | Sale | 6.12 (48) | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Wonthaggi | 12.7 (79) | Wonthaggi | 5.7 (37) | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Sale | 9.9 (63) | First Semi-Final at Traralgon | Sale | 8.13 (61) | |||||||||||||
| Sale | 8.12 (60) | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Traralgon | 13.6 (84) | Traralgon | 8.9 (57) | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Morwell | 9.12 (66) | ||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ Australian rules football: West Gippsland Latrobe Football League becomes Gippsland League as Wonthaggi concedes move, Wikinews, 10 December 2009
- ^ "1889 -". trove Newspapers. The Age. 7 May 1889. p. 6. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "1889 - Proposed Gippsland FA". Trove Newspapers. The Gippsland Farmers' Journal and Traralgon, Heyfield and Rosedale News (Vic). 7 May 1889. p. 2. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "1909 - Football: Central Gippsland FA formation". Trove Newspapers. Traralgon Record (Traralgon, Vic). 20 April 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ "1909 - Football". Trove Newspapers. West Gippsland Gazette. 3 August 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "1954 - Football League Formed". Trove Newspapers. Morwell Advertiser (Morwell, Vic). 28 January 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "1954 - Major Gippsland League now Disbanded". Trove Newspapers. Morwell Advertiser. 11 March 1954. p. 12. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ "1954 - Central Gippsland League Seeks Conference". Trove Newspapers. Gippsland Times (Vic). 11 January 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ Wikinews contributors (10 December 2009). "Australian rules football: West Gippsland Latrobe Football League becomes Gippsland Football League as Wonthaggi concedes move". Retrieved 12 August 2012.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Wikinews:Australian rules football: Bairnsdale join Gippsland League, will play first game in Warragul
- ^ . Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ GL 2019 Fixture
- ^ "1906 - West Gippsland FA". Trove Newspapers. West Gippsland Gazzette. 25 September 1906. p. 2. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ Gillett, Patrick (20 September 2010). "Australian rules football: Maffra win 2010 Gippsland Football League grand final". Retrieved 2 December 2010.
- ^ Australian rules football: West Gippsland Latrobe Football League Grand Final, Wikinews, 20 September 2009
- ^ a b "GL Senior Finals Positions - Gippsland League - SportsTG". SportsTG.
External links
- SportsTG site
- Gippsland FNL - Football Best & Fairest Lists
- (Archived, 30 Aug 2003)
- Gippsland League on Country Footy Scores