AFL Townsville

Last updated

Australian Football League Townsville
General information
Founded1955
AFL Townsville Season 2022:
PremiersThuringowa Bulldogs
Minor PremiersThuringowa Bulldogs
Wooden SpoonNorthern Beaches Suns
Leading goal kickerDaniel Murtha (Thuringowa)
WJ Williams MedalJoel Newman (Thuringowa)
League Records
Highest ScoreWest Townsville 69.26.440 (v Hermit Park 1.1.7) – 1992
Most goals in a game27 – Steve Mazey – West Townsville vs Northern Beaches – 1999

AFL Townsville is an amateur competition formed as the Townsville Australian Football League in 1955, the first contemporary AFL competition to be formed outside of the South East Queensland. It is based in the city of Townsville. For a short period in the 1980s, the competition was played during the summer months. The representative team is known as the Eagles and they wear similar guernseys to the Zillmere Eagles' old white and blue guernseys.

Contents

History

A Townsville representative team travelled to Cairns in 1884 to play one of the earliest recorded matches in Far North Queensland. [1] It is not known how long the Townsville team began playing prior to this.

Australian Football is recorded to have been played regularly in Townsville in 1886. [2]

The game was short-lived in Far North Queensland as shortly following the folding of the governing body, the Queensland Football Association Rugby Union grew rapidly in popularity across the north of the state with new clubs being formed in areas where the QFA clubs has been and players switching codes.

The current league was launched with three teams, RAAF, Hermit Park and South Townsville in 1954, after a series of exhibition matches were played at RAAF Oval and Gill Park and an exhibition game at the Townsville Showgrounds. All clubs were founded with juniors.

The Garbutt club was formed in 1956. In 1961, Currajong replaced the RAAF who withdrew due to a struggle for numbers. Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War led to the Army entering the scene in 1968 when 6 RAR and a revived RAAF side expanded the league to 6 teams.

The Wulguru club was established in 1968, entered senior sides and this made the league up to 7 sides. As Australia's involvement in Vietnam wound down the Army withdrew. The competition was to remain with 6 sides from 1976 – 1982 until in 1983 a side from Burdekin increased the numbers once again to 7. Burdekin was made up from converted Rugby players and the team had almost no support apart from the management of the Delta Hotel. The demise of Wulguru followed in early 1984 when the league made a decision which would have significant consequences. Four seasons of summer football followed and while the “Darwin” seasons attracted some top players junior development was stifled.

Currajong in 1990 swallowed up a penniless Townsville Swans, who had switched from South Townsville in June 1982 to become the Curra Swans. The nomination of the Hawks club in 1989 caused a stir due to the number of current players recruited from Hermit Park, Currajong and South Townsville using suspect overtures [ dubious – discuss ], although be that as it may the club were premiers by a point in their first season.

The league lost three teams in 1989 and the following year only Hermit Park, West Townsville, Curra Swans, and the University Hawks remained.

In 1999, the Northern Beaches Lions entered the TAFL in an attempt to expand the shattered league. Unfortunately, they endured season after season of enormous defeats. In one match that year, Steve Mazey of West Townsville kicked 27 goals against them. The Northern Beaches Lions were renamed to the Twin City Lions in 2002 and continued to struggle until the end of 2008 when they went into recess with only one win to their credit in August 2004 over Curra Swans. The Lions regrouped and returned with much more solid foundations in 2012 under the banner of "Townsville City Lions". Despite losing every match that year, often at record margins, the determined Lions upgraded their Garbutt facility and won their second Senior match in June 2013 by a goal against University.

Despite the lack of growth in the Seniors, AFL Townsville enjoyed a massive surge in the Junior ranks in more recent years, numbers had increased, and now hundreds of children and teenagers turn out to give their all for their respective clubs.

In 2010, the Thuringowa Bulldogs (former West Townsville) won their first Senior premiership since 2001 in their 40th year and went on to go back to back in 2011.

Premiers

[3]

Clubs

Current

ClubColoursNicknameHome Ground(s)JoinedFlagsPremierships
Curra
Club Website
[ permanent dead link ]*
Curra Football Club colours.png
Swans

"Mud Ducks"

Muldoon Oval "The Pond"199041996, 1997, 1998, 2020
Hermit Park
Club Website
AFL Richmond Icon.jpg
TigersNeil French Oval1955141955, 1967, 1970, 1984/85, 1986/87, 2002, 2006,
2008, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
Northern Beaches
Club Website*
Northern Beaches Suns Football Club colours.jpg
SunsNorth Shore Cyclone Shelter20160
Thuringowa
Club Website*
South Croydon Football Club colours.jpg
Bulldogs Tony Ireland Stadium 1970161971, 1980, 1987/88, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000,
2001, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2023
University
Club Website
University Hawks Football Club Colours.jpg
HawksBelgian Gardens PCYC Oval198991989, 1993, 1994. 1995, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009

W.J.Williams Medal (League Best & Fairest)

2009 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
University Hawks 140101469815180.25%561st SemiHermit Park1521111Curra Swans9963
Thuringowa 707114171126125.84%302nd SemiUniversity Hawks111480Thuringowa12779
Hermit Park 60901199133689.75%24PreliminaryThuringowa2116142Hermit Park11672
Curra Swans 20121928173653.46%10GrandUniversity Hawks1712114Thuringowa15696

2010 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Thuringowa 120301645942174.63%481st SemiHermit Park2213145Curra Swans13785
University Hawks 906013771122122.73%362nd SemiUniversity Hawks1516106Thuringowa101070
Hermit Park 906013951182118.02%36PreliminaryThuringowa1711113Hermit Park10868
Curra Swans 00150807197840.80%0GrandThuringowa71153University Hawks61248

2011 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Thuringowa 130201435888161.60%521st SemiCurra Swans1613109University Hawks10969
Hermit Park 100501306968134.92%402nd SemiThuringowa11773Hermit Park9963
Curra Swans 60901090119391.37%24PreliminaryHermit Park141397Curra Swans131391
University Hawks 10140771155349.65%4GrandThuringowa131492Hermit Park41135

2012 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Thuringowa 164002154932231.12%641st SemiUniversity Hawks1512102Curra Swans7446
Hermit Park 947019991066187.52%362nd SemiThuringowa176108Hermit Park91165
University Hawks 947016481125146.49%36PreliminaryHermit Park12981University Hawks9963
Curra Swans 641001320138295.51%24GrandHermit Park121082Thuringowa9963
Townsville City Lions04160421303713.86%0

2013 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Thuringowa 134212041794257.05%541st SemiCurra Swans101171University Hawks71456
Hermit Park 134211638941174.07%542nd SemiThuringowa1514104Hermit Park2719
Curra Swans 641001064158567.13%24PreliminaryHermit Park91165Curra Swans8856
University Hawks 541101069127383.97%20GrandThuringowa131492Hermit Park12577
Townsville City Lions24140783200239.11%8

2014 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Thuringowa 164002205654337.16%641st SemiHermit Park111076University Hawks5333
Curra Swans 1046016561053157.26%402nd SemiThuringowa189117Curra Swans71254
Hermit Park 1046016261086149.72%40PreliminaryHermit Park101575Curra Swans91064
University Hawks 441201024141072.62%16GrandThuringowa2611167Hermit Park9357
Townsville City Lions04160530283818.68%0

2015 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Thuringowa 144202069656315.40%561st SemiUniversity Hawks1718120Curra Swans8856
Hermit Park 144201728809213.60%562nd SemiThuringowa1713115Hermit Park61450
University Hawks 541101020134975.61%20PreliminaryHermit Park1711113Curra Swans4731
Curra Swans 541101056142873.95%20GrandHermit Park13886Thuringowa81765
Townsville City Lions24140638226928.12%8

2016 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Thuringowa 164001780586303.75%641st SemiUniversity Hawks15797Northern Beaches Suns4428
Hermit Park 94701342841159.57%362nd SemiThuringowa1710112Hermit Park61046
University Hawks 947012771027124.34%36PreliminaryHermit Park9963University Hawks2820
Northern Beaches Suns 641001039119287.16%24GrandThuringowa121486Hermit Park5434
Curra Swans04160563235523.91%0

2017 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Hermit Park 144202040562362.99%561st SemiThuringowa101676Northern Beaches9660
University Hawks 144201600759210.80%562nd SemiHermit Park1711113University Hawks4428
Thuringowa 749014171004141.14%28PreliminaryUniversity Hawks91569Thuringowa4428
Northern Beaches Suns 44120813160850.56%16GrandHermit Park1714116University Hawks8957
Curra Swans14150347228415.19%4

2018 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Hermit Park 154102035693293.65%601st SemiUniversity Hawks121789Northern Beaches Suns7648
Thuringowa 1046015231032147.58%402nd SemiHermit Park13987Thuringowa81058
University Hawks 1046013261211109.50%40PreliminaryUniversity Hawks1818126Thuringowa12779
Northern Beaches Suns 44120990146967.39%16GrandHermit Park121183University Hawks101272
Curra Swans14150676214531.52%4

2019 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Hermit Park 124201317714184.45%481st SemiCurra Swans81361University Hawks71052
Thuringowa 104401276684186.55%402nd SemiHermit Park81361Thuringowa71052
Curra Swans 74701044114591.18%28PreliminaryThuringowa189117Curra Swans14993
University Hawks 5490890106283.80%20GrandHermit Park131088Thuringowa11773
Northern Beaches Suns14130639156140.94%4

2020 Ladder

AFL TownsvilleWinsByesLossesDrawsForAgainst%PtsFinalTeamGBPtsTeamGBPts
Curra Swans 82001060197538.07%321st Semi Hermit Park Tigers11571University Hawks8654
Thuringowa Bulldogs 6220844295286.10%242nd Semi Curra Swans121284Thuringowa Bulldogs2315
Hermit Park Tigers 4240493486101.44%16Preliminary Thuringowa Bulldogs91569Hermit Park Tigers8553
University Hawks 226033168348.46%8Grand Curra Swans8856Thuringowa Bulldogs7749
Northern Beaches Suns0280203127015.98%0

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "FOOTBALL MATCH". Cairns Post . Vol. III, no. 121. Queensland, Australia. 3 September 1885. p. 3. Retrieved 18 August 2022– via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ Queensland Figaro and Punch 19 Jun 1886 Page 23 Football.
  3. ↑ "none". Townsville Bulletin. Townsville, Queensland.
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