Longest premiership droughts, premiership tallies for every current club in the Geelong region

How many premierships has your club won, and who has the longest flag droughts across Geelong? See how your club has fared across its history.

See the last time every club won the flag. Picture: Mark Wilson

Finals are approaching and contending teams across the region have one thing in mind: winning a premiership.

While powerhouses like St Mary’s and Barwon Heads have tasted recent success, it’s been decades since current top-five sides Newtown & Chillwell, Anglesea and Inverleigh have held the cup aloft.

Who has the longest premiership drought across the region, and who is a chance of ending it this year?

We take a closer look at the biggest flag droughts across the Geelong Football League, Bellarine Football League and the Geelong and District Football League.

Newtown's last premiership players from 1986. Picture: Peter Ristevski

GEELONG FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Founding GFL club Grovedale is yet to win a premiership in its 43 seasons, coming close in 2013 in its 20-point grand final defeat to South Barwon.

Geelong West Giants – who joined the competition in 2017 following a merger between Geelong West Sports Club (eight seasons in GFL) and Geelong West St Peters (28 seasons) – hasn’t won a flag either, but Geelong West St Peters did play off in a losing grand final in 1986.

The Giants remain in the hunt for finals this year after an upset win over Newtown & Chillwell, but it is the Eagles that shape as the biggest contender to break their longstanding 37-year premiership drought.

The Eagles won back-to-back flags in 1985-1986 and have suffered grand final heartbreak three times since in 1987, 2005 and 2015.

Newtown & Chilwell captain Basil Flynn and coach Kevin Higgins celebrate the 1986 GFL premiership.

An elusive premiership seems a while off for St Albans – who has lost its last 41 matches in the GFL – with the club’s two GFL flags coming with back-to-back triumphs in 1987 and 1988.

But St Joseph’s is evidence that things can turn quickly once the monkey is off the back. After breaking a 36-year drought in 2015, the Joeys saluted in 2017 and 2018 to take their GFL premiership tally to four.

However, it can also go the other way. North Shore won a staggering seven premierships in eight years from 1993-2000 but have failed to win one since.

Narrowly ahead on the GFL ladder this year is Lara, who have won two GFL premierships in 33 seasons, its last coming in 2002.

Premiership contender Colac has won just the single premiership in its 21 GFL seasons, which came in 2014, and has as good a chance as any to double that figure this year.

Leopold also has one GFL premiership to its name – winning in 2016 – and is within touching distance of the top sides after losing last year’s grand final.

BELLARINE FOOTBALL LEAGUE

It has been 24 years since Anglesea held the cup aloft and 23 years since they played off in a grand final, but its win over Geelong Ammos in round 14 would have filled the club with hope that it could win a fairytale flag this year.

A founding club, the Roos have won three BFL premierships across their history and they loom as the most realistic drought-breaker in 2023.

The three other clubs with lengthy droughts reside in the bottom three spots on the ladder: Portarlington (1992), Newcomb (2007) and Ocean Grove (2003).

Astonishingly, the Grubbers played off in 12 consecutive grand finals from 1993-2004, claiming two four-peats (1994-1997 and 2000-2003) and losing four others — their eight flas the equal-highest of any team in the competition.

However, their most recent grand final appearance was in 2014, which was a devastating 91-point loss to Geelong Ammos.

Portarlington has the second-longest active losing streak in the state, having lost its last 64 matches, while Newcomb had success in the 2000s with two flags and a final loss from three consecutive grand finals in 2005-2007.

While not a significant drought, Drysdale is in a strong position to challenge for its first premiership since 2010.

Ocean Grove won eight premierships from 1993-2004.

GEELONG AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Inverleigh has won the solitary flag in the GDFL since 1970 – a second division premiership in 1992 as its former name Leigh Districts – making last year’s four-point grand final defeat to Bannockburn even more heartbreaking.

But the Hawks are right in the hunt to break their 31-year-drought in 2023.

Corio and Belmont have also won one GDFL premiership – in 1995 and 2007 respectively – but both appear to be out of the finals race.

Malcolm Quinlivian, who played in the last premiership Inverleigh won 25 years ago, pictured pictured with the 1992 premiership cup picture: Glenn Ferguson

Anakie has the second longest premiership drought in the competition, winning its fourth GDFL premiership in 1994

Winchelsea remains in the mix for the finals, having never tasted premiership success in its 22 years in the competition.

Werribee Centrals is approaching a two-decade drought of its own, winning its seventh GDFL flag in 2004.

Last-placed North Geelong has won 21 premierships across its 139 seasons in the GDFL, with its most recent coming in 2013.

Originally published as Longest premiership droughts, premiership tallies for every current club in the Geelong region