Australian Football

Yarraville

Originally known as the Villains, Yarraville entered the Victorian Football Association in 1928 and went on to play over 1,000 matches in the competition before disaffiliating prior to the start of the 1984 season. Senior premiership success was attained twice: in 1935, with a 9 point grand final defeat of Camberwell, and in 1961 - the first season in which a two division system operated - when Williamstown was outscored in the Division One grand final by 63 points. Yarraville appeared in three other grand finals, losing to Port Melbourne in 1953, to Mordialloc in 1977 (Division Two), and to Brunswick in 1980 (also in Division Two).

In retrospect, the decline of the Eagles (as they became known in 1949) from contenders to also-rans can be seen as dating from 1970 when, after having performed strongly in first division for most of the 1960s, they plummeted to last place and were duly relegated. This decline to some extent mirrored that of the VFA itself: prior to the 1970s the Association had always been perceived as being of inferior status to its ‘big cousin’ the VFL, but from the 1970s onwards, as economic factors began increasingly to control and mould the game, that variation in status became even more pronounced. In Yarraville’s case, the fact that it shared the same stamping ground as league club Footscray made it harder and harder to capture the attention of the local public. 

By contrast, a club like Coburg, with no rival attractions in the shape of VFL clubs in the immediate vicinity, could claim to represent an entire district, and reap all the kudos and attention such status generated. Small wonder that, as Yarraville’s fortunes nose-dived, those of the Lions steadily improved; by 1983 it was clear that the municipality of Footscray was no longer big enough for both the Bulldogs and the Eagles, and quite inevitably it was the smaller ‘brother’ which made way.

Noteworthy players for Yarraville during its forty-three year stint in the VFA included Leo Dwyer, Allan Hopkins, Fred Cook, John Clegg and Kevin Sait.