Echuca, Cobram, Marong, Trentham and Avenel poised for long overdue premiership success
Country footy flags will be decided in coming weeks and for some teams victory will be extra special. Find out the clubs with the longest premiership droughts.
Victoria
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Premiership droughts are ready to end for clubs competing in some of the biggest and smallest leagues in Victoria.
The Weekly Times has compiled a list of country teams with premiership droughts of at least 20 years.
Some droughts are far longer.
Loddon Valley club Pyramid Hill has not won a grand final for 72 years.
Benalla All Blacks’ last flag in 1981 was in a league that no longer exists and Chiltern hasn’t won a premiership since switching competitions in 2003.
They’ve had outstanding seasons and are sitting either first or second on the ladder with finals just around the corner.
But can they win that elusive silverware in coming weeks?
ECHUCA (Goulburn Valley)
Triple Carlton premiership player Ken Sheldon coached Echuca to the flag in 2001 in the same season former North Melbourne player Craig Sholl won the Morrison Medal playing for the Murray Bombers.
But when Sheldon accepted a job as coach of VFL side Springvale, Ash Byrne stepped up and completed back-to-back flags the next year.
The flag defence had its moments with Echuca recovering from a 145-point thrashing from Shepparton Swans early in the season to win a second successive grand final over old foes Rochester.
Rochester had beaten Echuca in the second semi-final, but Sholl, Rhys Archard and Guy Campbell played big roles in the finals for the eventual premiers.
Regular forward Brad Smith starred in the centre in the grand final win.
Present position:On top and red hot favourites to win the flag.
COBRAM (Murray)
The late appointment of Don Rudd as coach proved no barrier to the club winning the 1998 flag.
Rudd’s two sons Adam and Simon played in the grand final win against Congupna.
Cobram’s star player was midfielder Michael Smith, who tied with Congupna’s Shaun Gordon in the O’Dwyer Medal on 26 votes, after he had been a leading player in the Ballarat league with Redan.
He won back-to-back Henderson Medals in 1993-94 before joining Cobram.
Present position:Was on an undefeated march to finals before suffering back-to-back defeats to Nathalia and Moama. Plays second-placed Tongala next round.
PYRAMID HILL (Loddon Valley)
Still in the state’s longest flag drought with the club’s last premiership being 1950 with a five-point win against Mitiamo in the now defunct Mitiamo and District league.
Kevin Hunt, who played four matches for Carlton, was a member of the 1950 premiership team.
Pyramid Hill joined the Loddon Valley league in 1995 and lost the 2019 grand final.
Present position: Sitting second on the ladder to Marong.
MARONG (Loddon Valley)
The club’s only flag came in 1989 after being in the Loddon Valley league for six years.
Marong had previously played in the Bendigo Football Association and Golden City league, but 1989 remains a year to remember when it defeated Mitiamo in the grand final by 80 points.
Peter Treyvaud was credited with taking 18 marks and former South Bendigo star defender David McMurray was also high up in the best.
Coach Ian Hando booted five goals in the grand final and Terry Noden won the league best and fairest to cap off a brilliant season.
Present position: On top with a 14-1 record and has the state’s leading goalkicker Brandyn Grenfell at its disposal.
ARARAT EAGLES (Mininera)
Yet to win a flag since the club was formed in 2000 following a merger of Prestige Trinity and St Mary’s.
Present position: On top and undefeated with two rounds remaining.
DUNNSTOWN (Central Highlands)
Played in 14 grand finals between 1975 and its last ultimate success came in 1999 when it beat Beaufort in the grand final.
Darren Britt coached Dunnstown to the flag with his uncle Con, a member of Collingwood’s 1970 losing grand final team.
Darren also coached the previous year when Dunnstown rolled Bungaree in the grand final.
Rover Damian Wood and ruckman Mark Keating were among Dunnstown’s best players in 1999 with the latter joining the club from East Ballarat.
Dunnstown is the last club in the league to go through a Central Highlands league season undefeated with the impressive feat taking place in 1994.
Present position: Sitting second on the ladder with only two defeats with the most recent being to Springbank in round seven.
GORDON (Central Highlands) 1988
Premierships have been few and far between for Gordon and its 1988 success ended another drought stretching back to 1966.
On an atrocious day at Learmonth, Gordon beat Bungaree by 37 points with Ian Denny the premiership winning coach after previously playing for Essendon and District league club Moonee Valley and a short stint with Wangaratta in the Ovens and Murray.
Despite having his jaw broken during the year, Denny kicked more than 70 goals for the season with Gordon reversing a loss to Bungaree in the second semi-final to win the flag.
Gordon had stars in multiple best and fairest winners in Mark Milne and Rob Fuller.
Denny left at the end of 1988 before returning in the early 1990s to kick more 100 goals the both years he played.
Present position: Sitting on top with just one loss to Skipton.
BENALLA ALL BLACKS (Tungamah)
Playing in the now defunct Tungamah league, Benalla All Blacks beat Shepparton East in the grand final by 43 points.
Shepparton East had beaten All Blacks in the second semi-final and the grand final started in controversial fashion when All Blacks coach Mark Stone had his jaw broken and took no further part in the game.
Centre half-forward John Virtue, with eight goals, was a star for the All Blacks whose line-up also included teenager John Brunner, who would become one of the champion players of country football for the next two decades with Yarrawonga, Barooga and Benalla.
He won three Morris Medals playing for Yarrawonga and was a star in its 1989 premiership team.
Brunner played in four flags in six seasons for Barooga and also won the O’Dwyer Medal twice.
Benalla All Blacks joined the Ovens and King league in the mid-2000s.
Present position: Sitting on top of the ladder with only one loss.
NEERIM SOUTH (Ellinbank District)
Completed back-to-back flags in 1998-99 under former Warragul player Peter Fusinato.
Beat Bunyip by six goals in the 1999 grand final with ruckman turned key forward Paul Whelan kicking a league record 125 goals.
Michael Dike kicked 123 goals for Neerim South the previous season before departing for Phillip Island.
Shannon Toner, an attacking half-back flanker, was one of Neerim South’s stars and another premiership player Rob Wilson’s son Kody is the club’s current assistant coach.
Present position: Undefeated with two rounds remaining.
INVERLEIGH (Geelong District)
The club was known as Leigh Districts in 1992 when second year coach Arthur Hodgson led the club to a five-point grand final win against Modewarre.
Best on ground was ruck rover Scott Ogle, closely followed by centreman Jason Hasset.
Inverleigh beat arch rival East Geelong in a fiery second semi-final and without some players due to suspension East Geelong lost the preliminary final.
A surprise visitor in the rooms before the match was Gary Ablett Senior, who was at the height of his powers with Geelong.
Present position: Just two rounds remaining and a game clear on top of the ladder with just two losses.
AVENEL (Kyabram District)
Arguably shouldn’t have made the grand final in 1994 when it trailed Nagambie in the preliminary final by more than 10 goals early in the last quarter.
Proceeded to slam on 11 goals and win narrowly to move into the grand final against Merrigum, which it had not beaten all season.
But they won the flag decisively with Peter Thorpe moved to the forward line for the grand final and kicking five goals in a team that had plenty of firepower in coach Darren Meek, Bill Hannan, Darren Brock.
Also had the services of champion centreman Rohan Aldous, who won four league best and fairests, one with Avenel in 1988 and three at Nagambie.
Present position:A 13-match winning streak came to an end last round when rolled by Nagambie by four points.
TRENTHAM (Maryborough Castlemaine)
Won flags in 1992 over Maldon and two years later against Talbot and hasn’t saluted since.
Playing coach Mick Hewitt was in his first season with Trentham in 1994 after previously playing at Darley among other clubs when it won the premiership.
Trentham won a bruising second semi-final to advance straight into the grand final where assistant coach Paul Hayward, two-time league best and fairest winner Keith Ennis and key defenders Simon Hawkins and Simon Beattie were among the best players.
Trentham’s 1994 premiership captain Matt Bourke and Craig Dovaston, who also played in the successful team, have sons playing for Trentham this season.
Present position: On top and a game clear with three rounds remaining.
CHILTERN (Ovens and King)
Chiltern has moved to the Tallangatta and District league, but in 1998, Paul Twycross coached the Swans to a 26-point win against Bright in the Ovens and King league grand final.
Key forward Dale Andrews, who was only 16, booted six goals and Craig Peake five for Chiltern, which sealed the win with six goals to three in the third term.
Mick Murphy, Mark Young, Scott Jarvis and Steve Anderson were instrumental in the Chiltern triumph on the same day the club also won the reserves and thirds.
Present position:Took over top spot on the ladder with a one-point win against Kiewa-Sandy Creek at the weekend.
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