Port Melbourne Football Club

Port Melbourne

Names
Full name	Port Melbourne Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Borough
Club details
Founded	1874
Colours	Blue Red
Competition	Victorian Football League
President	Peter Bromley
Coach	Gary Ayres
Captain(s)	Toby Pinwill
Premierships	16 (1897, 1901, 1922, 1940, 1941, 1947, 1953, 1964, 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 2011)
Ground(s)	North Port Oval (capacity: 10,000)
Other information
Official website	http://www.portmelbournefc.com.au/
Guernsey:

The Port Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Borough, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne and is currently playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

The club currently has no reserves alignment with an Australian Football League (AFL) club.

Port Melbourne is traditionally considered one of the strongest, most successful and most supported Victorian clubs outside of the AFL due to its long and illustrious history in the competition formerly known as the Victorian Football Association (VFA).

History

The Borough joined the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1886 and has played in every season since then. In 1897, Port Melbourne was left out of the group of eight clubs which formed the breakaway VFL competition, despite having regularly been about the sixth- or seventh- best performing team onfield. Historian Terry Keenan theorised that the likeliest reason for Port Melbourne's exclusion was the reputation for the poor behaviour that its players and spectators had developed over the previous decade; its rivalry with and proximity to the influential South Melbourne Football Club and the fact that the club had supported the gate equalisation measures which the breakaway clubs were trying to escape were also speculated to have contributed to the decision.^[1]

The club, and the suburb of Port Melbourne in general, were heavily associated with wharf labourers and the union movement. During a 1928 waterfront strike in Melbourne, a wharf labourer protesting the use of scab labour was shot by police; as a result, the club banned any police from playing with them. The policy remained in place until the late 1950s.^[2]

For most, the nickname of the Borough (or Boroughs) may seem strange, but its origins lie when the team was based in what was known as the Borough of Port Melbourne. The name stuck, even after the area was upgraded to the status of town and eventually city. ^[3]^[4]

Port Melbourne went on to become one of the strongest clubs in the VFA, and today still attracts some of the biggest crowds to its games. The club had very strong links with the Port Melbourne community, arguably the strongest community relationship within the VFA; local juniors often held stronger aspirations to play for Port Melbourne than for the VFL's South Melbourne – which by the 1950s was perennially struggling and to which the Port Melbourne area was zoned – and even players as highly decorated as Brownlow Medallists Peter Bedford and Bob Skilton regularly returned to Port Melbourne after their VFL careers.^[5]

Traditionally the Borough's greatest rivals are the Williamstown Seagulls and the Sandringham Zebras. All three teams continue to play in the VFL to this day. Prior to the original breakaway of the VFL from the VFA in 1897, Port Melbourne's greatest rival was South Melbourne.^[1]

Since the AFL reserves competition merged with the Victorian Football League in 2000, Port Melbourne has been involved in two affiliations: with the Sydney Swans (2001–2002), and with the North Melbourne Kangaroos (2003–2005); since 2006, Port Melbourne has existed as a stand-alone VFL club.

Port Melbourne has been affiliated with the Oakleigh Chargers TAC Cup team since the 1999 season.^[6] It had previously been affiliated with the Geelong Falcons (1996–1998),^[7] and in 1995 was part of a three-way affiliation which saw it share the Calder Cannons and Western Jets with Williamstown and Coburg.^[8]

Club Jumper

The Port Melbourne Football Club's Guernsey is royal blue with red vertical stripes.

Club Song

The club song is sung to the tune of "You're a Grand Old Flag".

2011 season

In 2011, Port Melbourne completed a perfect season, winning all eighteen home-and-away games, then three finals matches, culminating in a 56-point win against Williamstown in the Grand Final.^[9] It was the first perfect season in the VFA/VFL first division since 1918.^[10]

Team of the Century

The Port Melbourne Football Club team of the century was chosen in 2003, combining all the clubs greats from across its long history.

Team of the Century: Line Up
Back Line	Stan Plumridge	Joe Garbutt	Vic Aanensen
Half Back Line	David King	Bob Kelsey	Bob Withers
Centre Line	Bill Swan	Peter Bedford	Billy McGee
Half Forward Line	Rob Freyer	Ted Freyer	Brian Walsh
Forward Line	Bob Bonnett	Fred Cook	Tommy Lahiff
Rucks	Frank Johnson, Sr. (c)	Graeme Anderson	Bill Findlay
Interchange	David Holt	Reg Murray	Norm Goss, Jr.
	Bill Bedford	Carl Bowen	Gary Brice
Coach	Gary Brice

Premierships

1897 – runners-up North Melbourne
1901 – runners-up Richmond
1922 – Port Melbourne 9.6 (60) d Footscray 8.10 (58) (Crowd: 22,000)
1940 – Port Melbourne 23.22 (160) d Prahran 17.11 (113) (Crowd: 30,882)
1941 – Port Melbourne 15.18 (108) d Coburg 11.23 (89) (Crowd: 36,289)
1947 – Port Melbourne 15.15 (105) d Sandringham 11.8 (74) (Crowd: 24,000)
1953 – Port Melbourne 21.15 (141) d Yarraville 12.9 (81) (Crowd: 40,000)
1964 – Port Melbourne 14.17 (101) d Williamstown 10.5 (65) (Crowd: 20,000)
1966 – Port Melbourne 13.12 (90) d Waverley 6.11 (47) (Crowd: 20,000)
1974 – Port Melbourne 22.20 (152) d Oakleigh 11.17 (83) (Crowd: 23,936)
1976 – Port Melbourne 19.18 (132) d Dandenong 10.15 (75) (Crowd: 32,317)
1977 – Port Melbourne 23.19 (157) d Sandringham 7.15 (57) (Crowd: 29,664)
1977 Centenary Cup – Port Melbourne 26.16 (172) d. Caulfield 15.11 (101) (Crowd: 3,000)
1980 – Port Melbourne 11.15 (81) d Coburg 10.10 (70) (Crowd: 22,010)
1981 – Port Melbourne 32.19 (211) d Preston 15.8 (98) (Crowd: 20,186)
1982 – Port Melbourne 21.15 (141) d Preston 20.14 (134) (Crowd: 20,732)
2011 – Port Melbourne 22.12 (144) d Williamstown 13.10 (88) (Crowd: 11,896)
Total Premierships – 16
Total Grand Finals – 32

The Centenary Cup was a once-off knock-out competition held during 1977, and is not counted amongst Port Melbourne's total premiership statistics.

Other Awards

Runners-ups (21): 1902, 1923, 1925, 1928, 1929, 1945, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1987, 1993, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012

Minor Premierships (20): 1941, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2014

Wooden Spoons (3): 1909, 1936, 2006

Post War Placings

Placings (1945–64)
Year	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964
Placement	2	4	1	11	7	2	2	2	1	2	2	2	2	3	8	8	6	7	5	1
Placings (1965–84)
Year	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
Placement	2	1	2	5	3	4	6	5	4	1	3	1	1	3	3	1	1	1	3	6
Placings (1985-04)
Year	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Placement	5	5	2	4	8	10	5	6	2	7	3	5	4	8	6	13	10	2	3	2
Placings (2005–present)
Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Placement	5	13	7	2	3	6	1	2	6	3	10	8

Records

League History: VFA/VFL 1886-15, 1918–41, 1945–
Record Attendance: 36,289 v the Coburg Lions in 1941
Most Games: 253 by Fred Cook
Most Goals: 1238 by Fred Cook
Liston Medallists: E. Hyde (1930), W. Findlay (1946), F. Johnson (1952), V. Aanensen (1979, 1981), S. Allender (1980), W. Swan (1982, 1983), S. Harkins (1990), S. Valenti (2010, 2011)
Highest Score: 43.29 (287) v the Sandringham Zebras in 1941
Lowest Score: 0.2 (2) v Prahran F.C in 1902
Longest Winning Run: 28 (2011–2012)
Longest Losing Run: 14 (1909)

Coaches

Percy Wilson (1927–1929)
Charlie Stanbridge (1930–31)
Percy Wilson (1932)
B Lovett (1933)
Gus Dobrigh (1934)
Tommy Lahiff, Ron Shapter (1935)
B Rudd (1936)
Jack Bissett (1937)
H Crompton (1937)
Tommy Lahiff (1937–38)
Frank Kelly (1940–41)
Tommy Lahiff (1941, 1945–46)
Bill Findlay (1947–48)
Jim Cleary (1949–1952)
Don Fraser (1953–55)
Frank Johnson (1956–57)
T Brooker (1958–59)
Don Furness (1960–61)
Tommy Lahiff (1962)
Laurie Mithen (1963–65)
Brian Buckley (1966–68)
Bob Bonnett (1969–71)
Ian Collins (1972–73)
Norm Brown (1974–78)
Peter McKenna (1979)
Gary Brice (1980–1983)
Warwick Irwin (1984)
Gary Brice (1985)
Peter Chisnall (1986)
G Allen (1987–88)
Brett Yorgey (1989–90)
Doug Searl (1991–92)
Damian Drum (1993)
David Cloke (1994)
Shane Molloy (1995)
N Ross (1996–1998)
Darren Crocker (1999)
D Dunbar (2000–2003)
Gerard FitzGerald (2004)
S Ghazi (2005–2007)
Gary Ayres (2008–)

References

1 2 Keenan, Terry (2001), "Keeping out the riff-raff – Port Melbourne's exclusion from the Victorian Football League in 1896", Sporting Traditions, 17 (2): 1–16
↑ Marc Fiddian (19 September 1981). "Another proud day for Port". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. p. 43.
↑ Ciem (22 July 1922). "Association topics". Record. Emerald Hill, VIC. p. 2.
↑ "Ports wilted at the finish". Record. Emerald Hill, VIC. 19 June 1937. p. 5.
↑ Amy, Paul (2014), Fabulous Fred: the Strife and Times of Fred Cook, Melbourne Books, pp. 53–54
↑ "Borough Continue To Build On Oakleigh Chargers Relationship". Port Melbourne Football Club. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
↑ Adrian Dunn (5 October 1995). "Willy and the Bees merge order". Herald Sun (Afternoon ed.). Melbourne, VIC. p. 86.
↑ Adrian Dunn (17 September 1994). "Prahran calls time out". Herald Sun (Morning ed.). Melbourne, VIC. p. 86.
↑ Amy, Paul (25 Sep 2011). "Port Melbourne crushes Williamstown to claim VFL flag". Leader. Retrieved 25 Sep 2011.
↑ "This weekend in the VFL". The Marngrook Footy Show. 26 Aug 2011. Retrieved 9 Sep 2011.

Sources

Atkinson, G. (1982) Everything you ever wanted to know about Australian rules football but couldn't be bothered asking, The Five Mile Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0 86788 009 0.
Terry Keenan. 2006. Unduly Rough Play – A History of the Port Melbourne Football Club, Volume 2 1918 – 1944. Albert Park: Eucalyptus Press
Terry Keenan. 2004. Kicking Into the Wind – A History of the Formative Years of the Port Melbourne Football Club 1874–1917. Petersham: Walla Walla Press
Terry Keenan. 1999. A Taste of Port. Albert Park: Eucalyptus Press
Terry Keenan. A Family Feud. Port Melbourne: Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society.
Terry Keenan. Keeping Out the Riff-Raff. Port Melbourne: Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society.
Marc Fiddian. The VFA – A History of the Victorian Football Association 1877–1995.

External links

Victorian Football League clubs

Current clubs	Box Hill Casey Scorpions Coburg Collingwood reserves Essendon reserves Footscray reserves Geelong reserves North Ballarat Northern Blues Port Melbourne Richmond reserves Sandringham Werribee Williamstown

Former clubs	Albert Park Ballarat Ballarat Imperial Berwick Bendigo Brighton/Caulfield Brunswick Camberwell Carlton Carlton reserves Collingwood Dandenong East Melbourne Essendon Essendon 'A' Fitzroy Footscray Frankston Geelong Geelong 'A' Geelong West Gold Coast Hawthorn Hotham/North Melbourne Kilsyth Melbourne Melbourne City Moorabbin Mordialloc Murray Kangaroos Northcote Oakleigh Prahran Richmond St Kilda St Kilda reserves South Ballarat South Melbourne South Williamstown Sunshine Tasmanian Devils Traralgon University Waverley West Melbourne Yarraville

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