The Clunes Football Netball Club is an Australian rules football and Netball club that are based in the former goldrush town of Clunes, Victoria. The footballers play in the Central Highlands Football League and the netballers play in the Central Highlands Netball League, while both leagues are separate entities they are synchronise with each other for the fixtures and finals.
History
The first published Australian Rules football match of "the newly formed" Clunes Football Club took place in Clunes against the Albion Football Club of Ballarat, on Saturday, 24th June 1876. Mr. Finn captained Clunes and the match resulted in a win to Albion.[1]
In September 1879, Carlton's Second Twenty played a match against the Clunes FC in Clunes.[2]
In 1882, Mr. Thomas Anketell was elected President at the Annual Meeting which was held in the Free Library.[3]
In May 1884, Essendon's Second Twenty played a match in against Clunes, which resulted in a win to Essendon.[4]
"After lying dormant for a number of years" (two), Clunes Football Club was reformed in 1913 with Mr. D. McLean as President.[5]
At the club's 1915 meeting, Mr. W J Champion was elected as president.[6]
The club played in various friendly local games from 1876 to 1909. Clunes played in the Creswick & Allendale FA in 1910.[7]
Games were often played midweek in the early days with many players being employed in the mines. Football in the town were often formed from the labour of mining companies and commercial merchants. Teams were formed and a local identity would donate a cup or trophy for competition.[citation needed]
Surprisingly for a club of its age it never was in a structured association until 1910. In 1919, Clunes joined the Creswick District Football Association when it was reformed after World War One. Clunes was unsettled as it twice left the local competition to play in the Maryborough District Football Association.
In 1931 the Clunes Football Association was formed and Clunes was a founding club. The three other clubs were Smeaton, Newstead and Campbelltown. Runners up in the inaugural year it took a few more years before Clunes won its first Premiership in 1934.[8]
Just after the war, a local lad by the name of Bob Davis caught a train and attended preseason training with South Melbourne, but was told he wasn't wanted. As the lad was boarding and attended at Ballarat College. He played locally with Golden Point where he was spotted by Geelong recruiters and he was invited to try out with Geelong.[9]
Clunes was a dominating force during the fifties and sixties, as they played in thirteen CDFL grand finals, for five premiership wins. Clunes won the 1963 CDFL premiership, but then lost four CDFL grand finals in a row to Springbank from 1964 to 1967.
Clunes remained in the Clunes Football League until it merged with the Ballarat and Bacchus Marsh Football League to form the Central Highlands Football League in 1979, with Clunes among the new competition's fifteen founder members.
In the last season of the Clunes Football District League in 1978, it was one of the most climatic in its history as Clunes and Newlyn played out the competition's only ever grand final draw with the scores - Clunes 9.15.69 to Newlyn 10.9.69. A week later, Clunes won the grand final replay, 20.5.125 to Newlyn 7.11.53.
Success again the following year in the new competition with Clunes defeating Ballan 11.13.79 to 11.10.76.
Their two other premierships were in 1993 when they again defeated Ballan 14.14.98 to 12.12.84 and in 1997 when they defeated Dunnstown 13.17.95 to 12.16.88.
Current Essendon player Nick Hind grew up in Clunes and played 49 Senior games for the Clunes Football Netball Club and won the 2014 club Best and Fairest. Nick is currently with the Essendon where he was drafted to in 2021, after playing 21 games for the St. Kilda in 2019–2020.
Football Club Timeline
1876 - 1899: Club formed & active playing friendly matches against other local teams.
1900 - 1909: Club appears active, but very little published content in newspapers.
1910 - Creswick & Allendale District Association[10]
1911 - 1912: Club in recess
1913 - 1915: Club active, playing some games against other local teams
