Victor Harbor Football Club
| |
Nickname | Kangaroos |
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Sport | Australian rules football |
Founded | 1885 |
League | Great Southern Football League |
Home ground | Victor Harbour Oval, Victor Harbour |
Colours | Blue, White |
Anthem | "It's a grand old flag" |
President | Peter Hooper |
The Victor Harbour Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club affiliated with the Great Southern Football League and is based in the coastal town of Victor Harbour, South Australia.
History
The club was founded in 1885 as a founding member of the Great Southern Football Association in 1923, along with Encounter Bay, Goolwa, Hindmarsh Valley and Port Elliot.[1] The club has won 24 senior premierships, the first of which being the inaugural Great Southern Football Association of 1923, a 9.11(65) to 2.4(16) victory over Port Elliot. The club then went on to win another three grand finals during the 1920s until Port Elliot beat them in the 1929 grand final.[2]
Victor Harbour won two more grand finals in 1930 and 1934 but lost the grand finals of 1931, 1935, 1936 and 1937. The club's two premiership successes of 1930 and 1934 saw the victories over Strathalbyn and Port Elliot. The Great Southern Football League then went into recess in 1941 to 1945 due to World War II and the post-war season of 1946 saw Victor Harbour embark on a premiership streak, winning each flag from 1946 to 1952, beating Encounter Bay in each decider from 1946-1950, Goolwa in 1951 and Yankalilla in 1952. 1953 and 1954 saw some unfortunate grand final losses to Goolwa and Mount Compass[3] but another two premierships were won in 1955, a 22-point victory over Yankalilla and a 7-point win over Encounter Bay in 1957.
The 1940s/1950s premiership successes saw the club's longest premiership drought, not winning another flag until 1972, 15 years since their last grand final victory. During that time the Kangaroos made the decider on five occasions but ultimately lost every time, one of those including the 1975 premiership, in which Goolwa comfortably took the flag. That drought was broken when another drought came that lasted for 18 years when the Roos' next premiership was 1990. After the 1990 grand final, the Kangaroos went on to win each grand final from 1991 to 1995, gaining another winning streak. They won the 1997 grand final also and their most recent premiership was in 1999, beating Langhorne Creek 10.5(65) to 6.11(47). The reserves side also won the 1999 premiership flag with a win over Yankalilla.
Since the 2000s, the Kangaroos have performed quite strongly, making the finals in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015 but 2014 saw a rather large downfall, finishing second-last and winning 5 games over the winless Yankalilla.
The Victor Harbour FC still continues to field teams in Seniors and Juniors in the Great Southern Football League.
A-Grade Premierships
- 1923 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1924 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1926 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1928 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1930 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1934 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1946 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1947 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1948 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1949 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1950 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1951 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1952 Great Southern Football Association A-Grade
- 1955 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1957 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1972 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1990 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1991 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1992 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1993 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1994 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1995 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1997 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
- 1999 Great Southern Football League A-Grade
References
- ↑ Lines, Peter (2008). Encyclopedia of South Australian country football clubs. Cowell, S. Aust. : Peter Lines. ISBN 9780980447293.
- ↑ Soda, Programmable. "Australian Football - Victor Harbor Football Club - Info". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
- ↑ "Country football". Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954). 1954-09-18. p. 42. Retrieved 2018-07-15.