The origins of the Rutherglen FC appears to of been established in 1877,[1] with Mr. Thomas Reeve Junior acting as club secretary. When Rutherglen played Border United FC in August 1877, they wore a navy blue jumper, with Thomas Reeve elected as captain.[2] In 1885, Rutherglen played Murray FC (Yarrawonga) for the Richards / Mitchell Cup, with both teams winning one game each.[3][4]
In 1888, Rutherglen President, Mr. G Graham JP [5] donated a gold locket and six bangles to the best player for the season.[6]
Rutherglen was one of the six founding clubs of the Ovens And Murray Football Association (O&MFL) in 1893.[7] Rutherglen uniform consisted of a navy blue with a white monogrammed "RFC" jersey along with white shorts and red socks for the majority of their history. The club was based at Rutherglen's "Barkley Park" located just off Reid Street & just north-west of the town's center.[citation needed]
It was a powerhouse in the league during its early days competing in many finals, winning seven premierships between 1893 and 1906.[8] Such was the strength of the Rutherglen Football Club during the Gold Rush era, many VFL teams challenged this successful country club and were defeated.[9] During this era, six of the famous King brothers played for the club.[citation needed]
In 1907 Lake Moodemere and Rutherglen FC merged just prior to the start of the 1907 O&MFA season[10] and were then known as Rutherglen FC.[citation needed]
In 1910, the O&MFA had only three teams – Albury, Excelsior and Rutherglen with Rutherglen winning the premiership.[11]
Then in 1911, both Excelsior and Rutherglen applied to enter the Rutherglen and District Football Association. As a result, the O&MFL folded, with local teams attempting to apply to play in the Rutherglen & DFA. A ballot took place at a Rutherglen & DFA meeting on 29 April at Mackay's Hotel, Rutherglen which resulted in Balldale, North Albury, Rutherglen, South Albury and Wodonga being refused admission to join the association. Corowa, Excelsior and Lake Rovers were club's that were admitted.[12] In 1911, the Albury Football Club was planning to divide the club into South Albury and North Albury teams, but as they were not admitted into the Rutherglen & DFA, the club went into recess in 1911. Rutherglen FC also went into recess in 1911.[13]
Albury FC and Rutherglen FC were admitted into the Rutherglen & DFA in 1912.[14]
In 1913, the Rutherglen & DFA consisting of the following teams – Albury, Balldale, Border United, Howlong, Lake Rovers and Rutherglen,[15] with Albury defeating Rutherglen in the grand final at the Albury Sportground.[16]
The competition reformed under the Ovens & Murray Football Association banner again in 1914, involving the following five teams: Albury, Border United, Howlong, Lake Rovers and Rutherglen. Balldale FC entered the Coreen & District Football League in 1914.[17]
Rutherglen competed in the O&MFA in 1915, alongside six other local teams,[18] prior to the O&MFA going into recess from 1916 to 1918, due to World War One.
In 1919, Rutherglen entered a "junior" team in the Chiltern & District Football Association, wore the green and gold colours and played their home games on the Christmastown ground.[19] Rutherglen also competed in the O&MFA in 1919 too.[20] Rutherglen lost their 1919 Chiltern & DFA semi final to eventual premiers, Wahgunyah.[21]
In 1924, Lake Rovers FC merged with Rutherglen FC and remained in the O&MFL as Rutherglen [22] and Harry C Kerley from Port Melbourne was appointed as coach.[23][24]
As a result of the merger with Lake Rovers in 1924, Rutherglen Rovers Football Club was established and entered a team in the Chiltern & District Football Association between 1924[25] and 1933. Rutherglen Rovers were runners up in 1929[26] and 1932.[27]
Many Rutherglen players went on to play VFL football including Fred Hiskins (Essendon), Rupert Hiskins (Carlton), Arthur & Stan Hiskins (South Melbourne), Bill Francis (Fitzroy) and Hassa Mann (Melbourne). Greg Tate, came from (Essendon) also played football for Rutherglen with Tate coaching the 1954 premiership team.[29]
When Australian Rules Football really took off in the 1890s in the North East of Victoria and Rutherglen was still a booming gold mining town,[30] a number of local clubs were formed. Some of these former clubs played in local football competitions and either merged with the Rutherglen FC or later folded and are all listed below and formed a valuable part of the local grass roots football history of the Rutherglen district. Remarkably in 1905, four of the five teams in the O&MFA were based in and around Rutherglen - Excelsior, Lake Rovers, Great Southern and Rutherglen and the fifth club was a Corowa and Wahgunyah based team, Border United.[31]
Lilliput Football Club - 1889 to 1895
Lilliput FC appears to of commenced in 1889.[32] Lilliput FC played in the Ovens & Murray Football Association in 1894 (finished 4th)[33] and 1895.[34] Although they forfeited their first game to Rutherglen in 1895, then disbanded.[35]
In May 1893, a meeting was held at Hick's Hotel and the Great Northern FC was formed with B Hicks elected as president and J Hicks, Treasurer.[37] They proposed to enter a team in the Ovens & Murray Football Association, but for what ever reason, never did.
United Miners Football Club - 1894 to 1895 & 1913 to 1914.
In March 1894, a meeting was held at Hick's Hotel for the purpose of forming a football club at the Great Northern Mine near Rutherglen.[38] United Miners played in the Ovens & Murray Football League (O&MFA) in 1894[39] and 1895.[40] At the 1896 O&MFA Annual General Meeting, Excelsior FC replaced United Miners FC in the competition.[41]
Excelsior Football Club - 1896 to 1906 & 1908 to 1912
The Excelsior FC was formed in 1896[45] and was basically a miner's team that was based at The Prentice Freehold Mine near Rutherglen.[46] Excelsior FC defeated Border United FC in the play off for the 1900 O&MFA premiership.[47] In 1907 at an O&MFA Delegates meeting, Excelsior was voted out of the competition, which seemed strange, as it left an odd number of teams (seven) in the competition.[48] Excelsior returned to the O&MFA competition in 1908[49] when they replaced the Great Southern FC and played there until 1912, when they ultimately folded prior to the 1913 season. In 1911 the United Miners FC reformed and entered a team in the Chiltern & District Football Association from 1913 to 1915.
Great Southern Football Club - 1899 to 1902, 1905 to 1907 and 1912 to 1913
Lake Moodemere Football Club - 1903 to 1906 & 1909 to 1910
Lake Moodemere FC was established in 1903[53] and joined the Ovens & Murray Football League (O&MFA) and initially played on the property of A and L Chandler.[54] The club initially wore a blue guernsey with a cardinal (vivid red) sash. Lake Moodemere won O&MFA premierships in 1905[55] and 1906. In 1907, Lake Moodemere merged with Rutherglen FC and entered the O&MFA as Rutherglen FC[56] and won the premiership.[57] After the merger in 1907, Rutherglen went onto play in every grand final between 1907 and 1915. The only year they did not play in the grand final was in 1911, when they were refused entry into the Rutherglen & District FA.[58]
In 1909 and 1910, Lake Moodemere FC entered a junior team in the Ovens & Murray Junior Football Association.[59] Lake Moodemere defeated Howlong in the 1910 grand final to win the premiership.[60]
Lake Rovers Football Club - 1911 to 1915, 1919 to 1923.
The Lake Rovers FC was established in 1911 and initially competed in the Rutherglen & District Football Association from 1911[61] to 1913, then joined the O&MFA in 1914 and 1915. After a three-year break due to the World War One, they re-joined the O&MFA in 1919. When the O&MFA went into recess in 1920, Lake Rovers joined the Chiltern & District Football Association and were runners up to Springhurst in the grand final. Lake Rovers then returned to the O&MFA from 1921 to 1923. Lake Rovers FC then merged with Rutherglen FC in 1924. Lake Rovers won the 1919 O&MFA premiership and were runners up in 1915.[62]
Mount Ophir Football Club - 1914
In April, 1914, a meeting was held at Hick's Advance Australia Hotel with the Mount Ophir Football Club being formed and having use of the Prentice Freehold ground.[63] Mt. Ophir finished the 1914[64]Chiltern & District Football Association season as runners up to Chiltern[65] in their one and only year in existence.
Rutherglen Rovers Football Club - 1924 to 1933.
This "seconds" club was established after the merger of Lake Rovers FC and Rutherglen FC in early 1924 and they played in the Chiltern & District Football Association between 1924 and 1933, playing in four consecutive grand finals between 1929 and 1932, winning premierships in 1930 and 1931.
Football competition timeline
1877 - 1884: No formal competition, but did play friendly matches against other local towns.
1885: Richards / Mitchell Cup
1886 - 1892: No formal competition, but did play friendly matches against other local towns.
Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, water supply and conservation. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Hume, formerly the Hume Reservoir. It is a gated concrete gravity dam with four earth embankments and twenty-nine vertical undershot gated concrete overflow spillways.
Chiltern is a town in Victoria, Australia, in the northeast of the state between Wangaratta and Wodonga, in the Shire of Indigo. At the 2021 census, Chiltern had a population of 1,580. It is the birthplace of Prime Minister John McEwan. The town is close to the Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park. Chiltern was once on the main road between Melbourne and Sydney but is now bypassed by the Hume Freeway running one kilometre to the south.
The Coreen & District Football League was an Australian rules football competition in the Coreen district of the Riverina in New South Wales, initially formed in 1909. The netball competition commenced in 1972 in line with the football fixture. The league was disbanded at the end of the 2007 season after 99 years of competition.
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray area. The name comes from the Ovens River, the river in the part of north-eastern Victoria covered by the league, and the Murray River, which separates Victoria and New South Wales.
Barnawartha is a small town located on the Hume Highway in regional north-east Victoria, Australia, approximately 299 kilometres (186 mi) from Melbourne on the banks of Indigo Creek which runs into the Murray River to the north. Barnawartha’s commercial centre is located around High Street, the indigo creek park accessed via High Street fronts the creek of the same name and includes a public toilet, BBQ facilities and a walking track.
Balldale is a village in the mid-southern part of the Riverina in New South Wales, Australia. It is about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north-east of Corowa and about 18 kilometres (11 mi) west of Brocklesby.
The Wangaratta Magpies Football Club, officially known as the Wangaratta Magpies Football & Netball Club, is an Australian rules football club, which first played in the Ovens and Murray Football League in 1893 and is based in Wangaratta, Victoria at the Wangaratta Showgrounds and play on the Norm Minns Oval.
Percival Henry Rowe was a player and coach in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Victorian Football Association (VFA).
Beechworth Football & Netball Club, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Beechworth, Victoria. Its teams currently play in the Tallangatta & District Football League.
John Frederick Hiskins was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1900s.
The Albury Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Albury, a major regional city in New South Wales. Albury football and netball squads compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League.
The Wodonga Football Netball Club, nicknamed the Bulldogs, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the city of Wodonga, Victoria.
The Corowa Football Club, nicknamed the Spiders, was an Australian rules football club based in Corowa, New South Wales, that competed in the Ovens & Murray Football League.
Jack Hiskins was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Gerry "Podge" O'Neill was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
The Wodonga Saints Football Netball Club is an Australian rules football and netball club playing their home games at Martin Park in Wodonga, Victoria, Australia.
The Chiltern & District Football Association was first established in 1912 from the following Australian Rules Football clubs - Barnawartha, Chiltern, Chiltern Valley, Christmastown, Southern and Wodonga, in North Eastern Victoria, Australia and was an active competition until 1956 when it was wound up.
Wahgunyah Football / Netball Club is an Australian Rules Football club based in North Eastern Victoria that currently competes in the Tallangatta & District Football League.
The Riverina Football Association was an Australian rules football competition formed in 1924 from the following clubs - Balldale, Brocklesby Culcairn, Henty Town, Henty Rovers, Holbrook and Walla Walla.
References
↑ "1877 - Corowa & Wahgunyah". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 16 June 1877. p.11. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
