| Southern Mallee Thunder | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Names | ||
| Full name | Southern Mallee Thunder Football Netball Club | |
| Nickname(s) | Thunder | |
| Club details | ||
| Founded | 27 October 2023 | |
| Competition | Wimmera Football League | |
| Uniforms | ||
| ||
The Southern Mallee Thunder is an Australian rules football club that currently competes in the Wimmera Football Netball League (WFNL) in Victoria. The club was formed in 2023 as a merger of the Southern Mallee Giants and Jeparit-Rainbow.
The Southern Mallee Giants Football Club was formed in 2014 and was based in the towns of Hopetoun and Beulah.
The club was the result of a merger of the Hopetoun and the Beulah football clubs in 2014, and competed in the last year of the Mallee Football League (MFL) in 2015. The league was reduced to five clubs and was deemed uneconomical to continue, and the Giants were accepted into the Horsham District Football Netball League (HDFNL) for the 2016 season.
Southern Mallee won the 2016 and 2017 premierships, with a winning streak of 36 games over two years. However, the club was deemed too strong for the HDFNL and joined the Wimmera Football League in 2018.
The Giants made the 2023 seniors grand final, but were defeated by Ararat by 21 points. [1]
The Jeparit-Rainbow Football Club, nicknamed JR Storm and formerly Lakers, was formed in November 1995 from a merger of the Jeparit and Rainbow football clubs.
Jeparit-Rainbow joined the MFL in 1997, and the club won its first senior premiership the same year.
Following the 2014 season, Jeparit-Rainbow left the MFL and joined the Horsham & District Football League (HDFL). The club's nickname of "Lakers" was changed to "JR Storm", and the club's jumpers changed from blue, red and white to lime green, black and white. [2]
On 27 October 2023, the Giants and Jeparit-Rainbow formally merged to form Southern Mallee Thunder, with the new club to compete in the WFNL. [3] The clubs decided to merge because due to struggles fielding junior teams, and low player numbers for senior teams. [4]
The decision was finalised by members, with the options of "Thunder" or "Power" as the new club's nickname. [5]
Jeparit is a town on the Wimmera River in Western Victoria, Australia, 370 kilometres (230 mi) north west of Melbourne. At the 2016 census Jeparit had a population of 342, down from 394 five years earlier.
Rainbow is a town in the Shire of Hindmarsh in northwest Victoria, Australia, 400 kilometres (250 mi) from Melbourne. The nearest large towns are Warracknabeal, Dimboola and Nhill, all to the south. At the 2021 census, Rainbow had a population of 672.
The Ballarat Football League (BFL) is an Australian rules football competition that operates in the Ballarat region of Victoria.
Hopetoun is a town which serves as the major service centre for the Southern Mallee area of Victoria, Australia. Hopetoun is situated 400 km (249 mi) north-west of Melbourne on the Henty Highway in the Shire of Yarriambiack. In the 2016 census, Hopetoun had a population of 739.
Horsham is a regional city in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. Located on a bend in the Wimmera River, Horsham is approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) northwest of the state capital Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, Horsham had a population of 20,429. It is the most populous city in Wimmera, and the main administrative centre for the Rural City of Horsham local government area. It is the eleventh largest city in Victoria after Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Wodonga, Mildura, Shepparton, Warrnambool, Traralgon, and Wangaratta.
The Mallee Football League (MFL) was an Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The league comprised teams located in south eastern South Australia and one team (Murrayville) located in western Victoria.
Woomelang is a town in the Mallee region of Victoria, Australia. The town is in the Shire of Yarriambiack local government area and on the Sunraysia Highway, 359 kilometres (223 mi) north-west of the state capital, Melbourne, 183 kilometres (114 mi) south-east of Mildura and 154 kilometres (96 mi) north of Horsham. At the 2011 census, Woomelang and the surrounding area had a population of 191.
John James Bisset was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club and played for and coached the South Melbourne Football Club in the VFL.
The Mallee Football Netball League (MFNL) was an Australian rules football and netball competition finishing in 2015 with just five clubs based in the Mallee region of northwestern Victoria, Australia. The league featured three grades in the Australian rules football competition, being First-Grade, Reserve-Grade and Under 16s. It is not to be confused with the identically named Mallee Football League.
The Wimmera Football League is a major Australian rules country league based in Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns in the Wimmera region: the regional centres along the Western Highway from Ararat to Nhill as well as Minyip-Murtoa and Warracknabeal.
The Horsham District Football League is an amateur Australian rules football league based in the Wimmera area of Western Victoria.
The Horsham Football & Netball Club, nicknamed the Demons, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the city of Horsham, Victoria. The football team competes in the Wimmera Football League (WFL).
The North Warrnambool Eagles Football Netball Club, nicknamed the Eagles, is an Australian rules football and netball club based near the regional city of Warrnambool, Victoria. The club teams currently compete in the Hampden Football Netball League, where the football squad has played since 1997.
The Dimboola Football Club, nicknamed the Roos, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the town of Dimboola, Victoria. The football team competes in the Wimmera Football League (WFL).
The Nhill and District Sporting Club Inc was formed in 2001 with the amalgamation of the Nhill and District Football Club, Nhill Netball Club, Nhill Red and Nhill Blue Cricket Clubs. In 2007 The Nhill Hockey Club joined the Nhill and District Sporting Club and in 2010 a soccer division was developed, which lasted for 12 months.
The Horsham Saints Football Netball Club is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the city of Horsham, Victoria. The football team competes in the Wimmera Football League (WFL).
The Southern Mallee Football League (SMFL) was an Australian rules football competition that finished in 1996 based in the Mallee region of Victoria, Australia. The league featured three grades in the Australian rules football competition, being First-Grade, Reserve-Grade and Under 16s.
The Harrow Balmoral Football Netball Club is a sports club based in the towns of Harrow and Balmoral in Western Victoria, Australia. The club has netball and Australian Rules Football teams competing in the Horsham District Football League.
The West Wimmera Football League was the final name of an Australian rules football league based in the Wimmera area of Western Victoria.
