BAIRNSDALE AND DISTRICT JUNIOR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
This page in being developed. More information and the correction of errors is most welcome. Please phone Rod Twining on 0407347727.
FOUNDATION CLUBS
The Tambo Valley Rural Football Association was formed in the early 1960s, thought to be about 1962 or 1963.
Foundation Clubs:
The foundation teams were Metung and Nungurner.
Nungurner wore Essendon colours and Metung wore Richmond colours.
Nungurner’s home ground was Stephenson’s Paddock, where the players changed in the chook shed. Metung’s home ground was Patterson Park, opposite the General Store.
The Tambo Valley Rural Football Association was formed by Tom Cornwell from Bruthen and Ian Hansen from Nungurner, when Tom recognised that there were sufficient boys in Bruthen to have a game and he approached Ian to set up a competition.
This was in the early sixties, thought to be about 1963 or 1963.
It is worthy to note that Metung had a girl playing for their team.
The first season of competition saw Metung, Nungurner, Bruthen, Lakes Rovers (Lakes Youth Club), who wore blue and gold and Lakes Entrance who wore maroon and white.
A Round Robin was held at Stephenson’s Paddock between Bruthen, Metung, Nungurner and Lakes Entrance.
Matches were often scratch matches, with bikes as goal posts and hay bales for the boundary. (I wonder how today’s Risk Management Officers would have coped??)
Clubs who joined the competition over the ensuing years included Nowa Nowa, Buchan and Lindenow.
Nowa Nowa wore red and white and played on the old Nowa Nowa ground. They won a premiership in the late sixties under coach Clarrie Stevens. Many boys from Orbost travelled to play with the Nowa Nowa team.
Buchan wore royal blue with a white V, later changing to North Melbourne colours (as they wear today) and Lindenow wore Hawthorn colours. Lindenow won a premiership in the late sixties.
The competition was only Under 15, with a wide range of ages playing.
At this time the Bairnsdale area had a competition between North, South, East and West teams.
Later Metung and Nungurner combined and played at Swan Reach as Nungurner, retaining the Essendon colours.
It is worthy to note that three players went on from this Association to play with the VFL. Ian Rickman went from Nungurner to Lakes Entrance to play with Footscray. Ted and Bruce Lake, from Metung, both went on to play with Essendon.
In 1980 the teams were Lakes Entrance, Lindenow, Lindenow South (first year), Nagle College, Nungurner and Wy Yung.
In Round 3 (April 27th) W. Howe of Nungurner kicked 20 goals in the match against Lindenow South. Then in Round 8 (June 1st) W. Howe kicked 26 goals out of the Nungurner team total of 39 goals again against Lindenow South.
Round 12 (June 29th) saw a bye due to wet weather.
At the end of the 14 Round Season the final ladder saw Lakes Entrance on top of the ladder with 12 wins and two losses on percentage from Wy Yung who were also on 14 wins and two losses. Nagle College finished third with 9 wins, Nungurner was fourth with 6 wins, followed by Lindenow with three and Lindenow South with no wins in their first season.
1980 League Best and Fairest.
R. McNamara (Nagle) 27 votes, T. Anketell (Lakes) 21, P. Baker (Nungurner) 17, B. Smyth (Wy Yung) 12, M. O’Doherty (Lindenow) 10.
1980 Leading Goal kickers.
W. Howe (Nungurner) 78 goals, T. Anketell (Lakes) 58, F. Zagami (Lakes) 51, D. Counihan (Nagle) 35, B. Smyth (Wy Yung) 34, A. Thorn (Nungurner) 28 and D. Sanders (Nagle) 24.
In 1980 Lakes Entrance won the Tambo Valley Rural Football Association Premiership in the Under 15s.
The Bairnsdale Football Club Junior Competition was formed in ?.
Foundation clubs were ??
THe Shell Bairnsdale Petroleum Perpetual Shield records that in 1977 Bairnsdale Reds were premiers. Then in 1978 Lucknow were premiers and in 1979 Bairnsdale Green were premiers. The shield did not record the premiers in 1980, the final year of the competition.
At the end of the 1980 Season the Tambo Valley Rural Football Association, combining the former Bairnsdale competition, became the East Gippsland Junior Football Association. The East Gippsland Football League provided assistance in the development of the new competition.
The East Gippsland Junior Football Association was formed in 1981 from the Tambo Valley Rural Football Association and the Bairnsdale District Association.
Foundation Clubs:
Under 15s:
Bairnsdale
Lakes Entrance
Lindenow
Lucknow
St.Marys/Nagle
Swan Reach
West Bairnsdale
Wy Yung
Paynesville and Lindenow South did not field Under 15s.
Under 12s:
Bairnsdale
Lakes Entrance
Lindenow
Lindenow South
Lucknow
Paynesville
St.Marys/Nagle
Swan Reach
West Bairnsdale
Wy Yung
The newly formed East Gippsland Junior Football Association commenced the 1981 Season on Sunday April 5th 1981 with eight Under 15 teams and ten Under 12 teams.
It was noted that there were still vacancies in the Bairnsdale, Nagle/St. Mary’s, Lucknow, Lindenow and Wy Yung teams. Paynesville also needed additional Under 12 players.
Age requirements set included boys who were born between 1966 and 1971, both years inclusive, were eligible for the Under 15s and those born 1969 to 1971 were eligible for Under 12s. Juniors had to play for the Under 15s instead of Under 12s if they were selected in the higher age group. The bottom age limit was set as nine years or over on the 1st January 1981.
Parents were expected to support their clubs as many parents were required to control the matches, particularly with transport of up to 45 boys to different venues. Parents were also to act as timekeepers, goal umpires and canteen staff. Clubs including Wy Yung, Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale, Lucknow and Lindenow South asked for more parents to assist.
The Under 15 games were umpired by the East Gippsland Umpires Association and club umpires officiated the Under 12s.
The ladder after the final round in the Under 12s saw Lakes Entrance on top with 14 wins and no losses, followed by Bairnsdale with 13 wins and one loss. Then came Lucknow (11), Nagle/St. Marys (7), Lindenow (7), Swan Reach(6), West Bairnsdale (6), Wy Yung (3), Paynesville (2) and Lindenow South (0).
St Brendans joined the Association in ?
The Bairnsdale and District Junior Football Association was formed in 1988 from the East Gippsland Junior Football Association.
Foundation Clubs:
Bairnsdale
Lakes Entrance
Lindenow
Lindenow South
Lucknow
Paynesville
Swan Reach
West Bairnsdale
Wy Yung
In 1988 the competition was based on Under Twelve and Under Fifteen Age Groups. In 1992 the competition was adjusted to Under 13 (actually Under 12 and a half) and Under 15.
Lakes Entrance became two teams at the end of the 1994 season. (Lakes Maroon and Lakes White. )
1994:
Under 13s: First Semi Final: Lakes Entrance v Lucknow.
Coaches: Lakes Entrance: G. Brew. Lucknow: G. Templer.
Under 13s: Second Semi Final: Bairnsdale v Lindenow.
Coaches: Bairnsdale: S. Hamilton. Lindenow: J. White.
Under 15s: First Semi Final: Lakes Entrance v Lindenow.
Coaches: Lakes Entrance: C. Mayman. Lindenow: R. Watt.
Under 15s: Second Semi Final: Wy Yung v Bairnsdale.
Coaches: Wy Yung: Ian Linford. Bairnsdale: B. Fechner.
Under 13s: Preliminary Final: Lindenow v Lakes Entrance.
Under 15s: Preliminary Final: Bairnsdale v Lakes Entrance.
1995:
1996:
Under 13s: First Semi Final: Lucknow v Lakes White.
Coaches: Lucknow: Nigel Drowley. Lakes White: Tony Greenwood.
Under 13s: Second Semi Final: West Bairnsdale v Lakes Maroon.
Coaches: West Bairnsdale: Greg Matheson. Lakes Maroon: Jeff Hayllar.
Under 15s: First Semi Final: Wy Yung v Lakes White.
Coaches: Wy Yung: Daryl Varney. Lakes White: Alan Rowlands.
Under 15s: Second Semi Final: Bairnsdale v Lindenow.
Coaches: Bairnsdale: B. Fechner. Lindenow: Leigh Murray.
Under 13s: Preliminary Final: Lakes Maroon v Lucknow.
Under 15s: Preliminary Final: Bairnsdale v Wy Yung.
1997:
Under 13s: First Semi Final: Wy Yung v Lakes Maroon.
Coaches: Wy Yung: Steve Glassborow. Lakes Maroon: Jeff Hayllar.
Under 13s: Second Semi Final: Lucknow v West Bairnsdale.
Coaches: Lucknow: Bill Henderson. West Bairnsdale: Greg Matheson.
Under 15s: First Semi Final: Bairnsdale v Lakes Maroon.
Coaches: Bairnsdale: Brian Fechner. Lakes Maroon: Bill Fry.
Under 15s: Second Semi Final: Lindenow v Wy Yung.
Coaches: Lindenow: Leigh Murray. Wy Yung: Daryl Varney.
Under 13s: Preliminary Final: Lucknow v Lakes Maroon.
Under 15s: Preliminary Final: Lindenow v Bairnsdale.
1998:
Under 13s: First Semi Final: Lakes Maroon v Lucknow.
Coaches: Lakes Maroon: Jeff Hayllar. Lucknow: Doug Corrin.
Under 13s: Second Semi Final: Wy Yung v Lakes White.
Coaches: Wy Yung: Steve Glassborow. Lakes White: Lou Battista.
Under 15s: First Semi Final: Bairnsdale v Lakes Maroon.
Coaches: Bairnsdale: Peter Collins. Lakes Maroon: Geoff Downing.
Under 15s: Second Semi Final: Lucknow v Lakes White.
Coaches: Lucknow: Steve Muirson. Lakes White: Mick Edwards.
Under 13s: Preliminary Final: Lakes Maroon v Lakes White.
Under 15s: Preliminary Final: Lakes Maroon v Lakes White.
Under 13s: Grand Final: Wy Yung v Lakes Maroon.
Under 15s: Grand Final: Lucknow v Lakes Maroon.
1999:
Under 13s: Grand Final: Wy Yung v Lakes White.
Coaches: Wy Yung: Steve Glassborow. Lakes White: Lou Battista.
Under 15s: Grand Final: Lucknow v Wy Yung.
Coaches: Lucknow: Steve Muirson. Wy Yung: Ian Linford.
In 2003 the newly combined club Orbost Snowy Rovers was admitted to the competition and won the Under Thirteen (Under Twelve and a Half) Premiership.
In 2004, following directions from the VCFL, the competition became Under Fourteen and Under Sixteen.
In 2005 an Under 12 Age Group was added but did not play in a finals series.
