Brunswick Football Club

This article is about the former Australian rules football club. For the present-day VAFA club, see Brunswick Football Club (1963). For the association football (soccer) clubs, see Brunswick SC. For the 19th-century Scottish association football club, see Brunswick F.C.

Brunswick
Names
Full name	Brunswick Football Club Brunswick-Broadmeadows Football Club (1989–91)
Nickname(s)	Pottery Workers, Brickfielders, Magpies, Wicks, Wickers, the Combine
Club details
Founded	1865
Dissolved	1991;33 years ago (1991)
Colours
Competition	Victorian Football Association 1897–1991
Premierships	VFA (3) 1909 1925 1938
Ground(s)	Gillon Oval [1]
Uniforms
Home

Brunswick Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1897 until 1991. Based in Brunswick, Victoria, for most of their time in the Association they were known as the Magpies, and wore black and white guernseys. In its final two seasons in the VFA, it was known as Brunswick-Broadmeadows.

History

Brunswick Football Club was formed in 1865 and joined the VFA in the 1897 season.

The club was colloquially known in its early days as the Pottery Workers ^[2] or the Brickfielders, and its fans were known for sounding clayhole bells at matches; ^{[3] [4]} after changing their colours from light blue and red colors to black and white, they became informally, and then later formally, known as the Magpies. They struggled to be competitive in the league early on, finishing last in 1898, 1899 and 1902.

Brunswick FC side, 1909 premiers

They won the first of their three 1st division premierships in 1909 which started a successful era for the club under former Essendon player Jack McKenzie. Up until 1915 they played in six finals series and four grand finals.

After consistently making the finals following the end of the war they won another premiership in 1925. In 1926, the club dropped out of the Association near the end of the season in protest against suspensions meted out to captain-coach Wally Raleigh and team-mate Hassett, but was re-admitted prior to the 1927 season under an entirely new committee. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

1938 team

They struggled during the early 1930s, both financially and on the field, forcing them to sell their finest players to Victorian Football League (VFL) clubs, but they went on to be one of the strongest teams of the late 1930s, winning three consecutive minor premierships from 1936–1938 and reaching three consecutive Grand Finals from 1937–1939. Their third and last first division premiership came during this period, defeating Brighton Football Club in the 1938 Grand Final by 33 points in what was the first premiership of the throw-pass era.

For the remaining fifty years of its time in the Association, Brunswick was consistently a middle-of-the-pack team. After the Association was partitioned into two divisions, Brunswick spent similar periods of time in both divisions; it was a regular finalist while in Division 2, winning three Division 2 premierships (1975, 1980 and 1985) from seven grand finals; but it seldom played finals in Division 1 and did not feature in a top division Grand Final after 1939.

Brunswick was one of several inner suburban VFA clubs whose off-field viability deteriorated through the late 1970s and early 1980s, in large part due to demographic shifts in the local area towards a higher migrant population which was largely uninterested in Australian rules football, ^[8] and at different times the club was heavily in debt and appeared likely to fold. In October 1989, Brunswick entered into a merger with the Broadmeadows Football Club – which was a football club in an administrative capacity only, as it had a board of directors and enough local Broadmeadows support to have previously launched a bid to join the VFA, but it had no home ground nor a team active in any league – to form the Brunswick–Broadmeadows Football Club, which was still based in Brunswick. ^[9] However, factional infighting between Brunswick and Broadmeadows members of the club's unwieldy 14-man board of directors distracted from any efforts to clear the club's debt (prompting the VFA to intervene and sack the board in August 1990), ^[10] and the on-field position deteriorated dramatically after there was an exodus of 35 players in the 1990/91 offseason due to owing player payments; ^[11] on 6 May 1991, after three enormous losses to start the 1991 season, the club withdrew from the VFA, ^[12] and folded soon after.

VFA Premierships

1st 18/Seniors

• 1909, 1925, 1938, 1975 (Div 2), 1980 (Div 2), 1985 (Div 2)

2nd 18/Reserves

• 1919 (Melbourne District FA), 1931 (VJFA), 1932, 1933, 1936, 1963(Div 1),1971(Div 2), 1972(Div 2), 1983(Div 2), 1984(Div 2), 1985(Div 2)

3rd 18/Under 19's

• 1956

VFA Club Records

Highest Score	46.31 (307) v Sunshine, Round 12, 1983, Brunswick Park
Lowest Score	0.1 (1) v Williamstown, Round 10, 1897, Brunswick Park 0.1 (1) v Footscray, Round 10, 1899, Western Oval
Greatest Winning Margin	275 points v Sunshine, Round 12, 1983, Brunswick Park
Greatest Losing Margin	187 points v Port Melbourne, Round 13, 1981, North Port Oval
Lowest Winning Score	3.3 (21) v North Melbourne 1.10 (16), Round 3, 1897, Brunswick Park
Highest Losing Score	24.15 (159) v Frankston 24.21 (165), Round 14, 1979, Frankston Park

Club Champions/Best & Fairest

• 1938 J Dowling
• 1939 H Jones & R Quinn (equal)
• 1940 C Crawford & J Dowling (equal)
• 1947 R Shaw
• 1949 I McIvor
• 1964 B Wicks

Brunswick FC Captains

1991 David Callender 1990 David Callender 1989 David Callender 1988 Tony West 1987 Tony West 1986 David Whillas 1985 Barry Nolan 1984 Malcolm Toy 1983 Barry Nolan 1982 Barry Nolan 1981 Barry Nolan 1980 Barry Nolan 1979 George Stone 1978 Barry Nolan 1977 John Williams 1976 John Warden 1975 John Warden 1974 Jack Wrout 1973 Daryl O'Brien 1972 Daryl O'Brien 1971 Daryl O'Brien 1970 Alan Cook 1969 Graham Leydin 1968 Keith Burns 1967 Keith Burns 1966 Keith Burns 1965 Keith Burns 1964 Jim Whiley 1963 Jim Whiley 1962 Jack Edwards 1961 Ron Clegg 1960 Jim Whiley

1959 Bob McFarlane 1958 Jack Edwards 1957 Leslie Pollard 1956 Les Stanley 1955 Maurice Rolfs 1954 Maurice Rolfs 1953 Frank Nielsen 1952 Frank Nielsen 1951 Ray Priestley 1950 Ivor McIvor 1949 Ivor McIvor 1948 Ron Baggott 1947 Ron Baggott 1946 Ron Baggott 1945 Elton Plummer 1944 N/A - WW2 1943 N/A - WW2 1942 N/A - WW2 1941 Col Crawford 1940 Roy McKay 1939 Roy McKay 1938 Roy McKay 1937 Roy McKay 1936 Roy McKay 1935 Jim Jenkins 1934 Jim Jenkins 1933 Wally Raleigh 1932 Hedley Blackmore/Wal Warden 1931 Charlie Pannam 1930 Hedley Blackmore 1929 Charlie Pannam 1928 Tom Hassett

1927 Cyril Bright 1926 Wally Raleigh 1925 Wally Raleigh 1924 Dick O'Connor 1923 Barney Herbert 1922 Charlie Fisher 1921 Leo Sullivan 1920 Leo Sullivan 1919 Henry Chase 1918 Henry Chase 1917 N/A - WW1 1916 N/A - WW1 1915 Henry Chase 1914 Henry Chase 1913 Jack McKenzie 1912 Leo Leeds 1911 Jack McKenzie 1910 Jack McKenzie 1909 Jack McKenzie 1908 Henry Chase 1907 Henry Chase 1906 W Temple 1905 R Casey 1904 W Stevenson 1903 R Coburn 1902 R Coburn 1901 R Coburn 1900 R Coburn 1899 Tom O'Loughlin 1898 Tom O'Loughlin 1897 Tom O'Loughlin [13]

Notable players

VFL football

• Frank Anderson - Carlton
• Ron Baggott - Melbourne
• Hedley Blackmore - Carlton
• Lou Bols - Fitzroy
• Newton Chandler - Carlton
• Neil Clarke - Essendon
• Tom Clarke – Essendon
• Ron Clegg - South Melbourne
• Charles Clements – South Melbourne
• Ron De Iulio - Carlton
• Colin Dell - Footscray
• Frank Dimattina - Richmond & North Melbourne
• John Dowling - Melbourne
• Jack Edwards - North Melbourne
• Glenn Gingell - Footscray
• Keith Greig - North Melbourne
• Frank Gumbleton - North Melbourne
• Wayne Harmes played one season in 1989 after leaving Carlton
• Mark "Jacko" Jackson – Melbourne/St Kilda/Geelong/South Fremantle & entertainer
• Graeme Jenkin - Collingwood & Essendon
• Joe Kinnear – Melbourne
• Wally Lovett - Collingwood & Richmond
• Leo Maynes - Essendon/Fitzroy
• Robbie McGhie - Footscray, Richmond & South Melbourne
• Ivor McIvor - Essendon
• Jack McKenzie - Carlton
• Roy McKay – Footscray
• Stewart McLatchie – Carlton
• Alby Murdoch - Essendon
• Daryl O'Brien - North Melbourne
• Daryl Schimmelbusch - North Melbourne
• Wayne Schimmelbusch - North Melbourne
• Noel Smith – Essendon 1939 Gardiner Medal winner
• John Williams - Essendon & Collingwood
• Rodney Wright - North Melbourne & Melbourne

Other notable players

• Barry Nolan – 1978 J. J. Liston Trophy winner
• Tony West – 1986 J. J. Liston Trophy winner
• John Curtin – Australian Prime Minister
• Ernest George – 1913 Stawell Gift winner
• Paul Young – 1985 Stawell Gift winner
• Bill Jacobs - 1960s Australian Cricket Team Manager and Football Radio Broadcaster #3AW - 1957 to 1991 incl 25 Grand Finals#
• Alex Gillon – the longest serving VFA president #27 years from 1954 until 1981#

References

1. Daffy, Paul (19 May 2010). "Local Footy: Brunswick changes give grounds for thought". footyalmanac.com.au. The Footy Almanac. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
2. "Brunswick". Australian Football. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
3. "Football". Independent. Footscray, VIC. 29 August 1903. p. 3.
4. Old Boy (1 September 1908). "Football – Association premiership". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. p. 9.
5. "Brunswick players suspended". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 19 August 1926. p. 12.
6. "Football sensation – club leaves Association". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 21 August 1926. p. 32.
7. "Brunswick's position". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 18 January 1927. p. 7.
8. Marc Fiddian (18 March 1980). "VFA on-side with soccer?". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. p. 44.
9. Amanda Buivids (3 October 1989). "'Wicks settle on merger option". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. p. 59.
10. Amanda Buivids (2 August 1990). "report". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. p. 75.
11. Damian Barrett (6 April 1991). "Grand final action replay". Herald-Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. p. 67.
12. Adrian Dunn (7 May 1991). "Death of VFA Magpies". Herald-Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. pp. 72, 69.
13. "Reference_Brunswick Captains" . Retrieved 21 February 2018.

External links

• Fullpointsfooty