In footy’s 150th
year, we pay tribute
to the clubs that
are the heartbeat
of country Victoria
and southern NSW
CENTRAL MURRAY Football league
TYNTYNDER
Founded: 1899
Nickname: Bulldogs
Premierships: 1947, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1973,
1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987 (Mid-Murray FL);
1997, 1998, 1999 (CMFL).
Short history
Tyntynder played in the Northern Districts league until moving
to
Tyntynder
the Mid-Murray league. The Bulldogs have since shared a heated
rivalry with Swan Hill, originally because of their proximity, but
now based on a series of sensational and ongoing on-field battles.
The club fields six sides and has 200 members off the field.
Great eras
When the Central Murray league was reborn in 1997, Tyntynder
wasted no time in proving it was the competition’s benchmark.
In the first three years of the new competition, the Trevor Ryancoached Bulldogs cantered to three straight premierships, two of
which came at the expense of arch rival Swan Hill. Shane Palmer
and Wes Lewis were champions at the club in this period, as was
Tony Keane who was the league leading goalkicker in 1998 and ’99.
Records to be broken
Since World War 2, Tyntynder has won 37 premierships across
all grades – at a strike rate of better than one every two years
– including 13 senior pennants. The Bulldogs’ three titles remains
a CMFL record. During the seniors’ hot streak in the late 1990s,
the side won 35 games in a row.
Club legends
Russell Coburn and Licky Worner were both champion players
who went on to be president of the club. Both still serve as
committeemen. Peter Baird is a life member of the CMFL. He was
the league best-and-fairest in 1988 and a multiple premiership
player for Tyntynder. Steve Matthews combined premierships with
three league-leading goalkicker awards in 1982, 1988 and 1989.
WOORINEN
Founded: 1915
Nickname: Tigers
Premierships: 1949, 1971, 1974, 1977, 1979,
1981, 1993 (Mid-Murray FL); 2002.
Short history
Many country clubs went into recess during World War 1, but for
Woorinen it marked the beginning of a wonderful tradition. The
Woorinen
club played in several different leagues before, in 1948, joining
the Mid-Murray league where it has since stayed in its different
guises. The club’s greatest rival is Lake Boga, with whom it has
traditionally had close and hard-fought battles.
Great eras
The 1970s was the Tigers’ heyday. The club had spent most of
the ’50s and ’60s near the bottom of the ladder. It recruited John
Hosking as coach and he set out a plan to recruit and pay players
that eventually resulted in four premierships.
Club legends
Aside from Hosking, another legendary Tiger is Ian ‘Scrapper’
McKerrow who played more than 400 games for the club from
the 1980s. The fullback hung his boots about five years ago, but
is still involved at the club as a supporter and groundsman.
Footy’s next frontier
Forget South Africa and Ireland. If Woorinen is anything to go
by, India could be an untapped footy goldmine. Woorinen has
a partnership with Swan Hill International College which has
produced a couple of players in the past two years. Indian
Harpreet Singh Brar has also been a boundary umpire for the
club for 1½ years, but suffered a knee injury this year which has
limited the number of games he has served in.
All details are provided by the clubs. Contact Amelia Harris:
[email protected] or phone (03) 9292 1269