Longford Football Club
| Longford | |
|---|---|
| Names | |
| Full name | Longford Football Club |
| Nickname | Tigers |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 1878 |
| Colours | Black Yellow |
| Competition | Northern Tasmanian Football Association. |
| Premierships | 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1904, 1906, 1921, 1924, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1989, 2022 |
| Ground | Longford Recreation Reserve, Smith St, Longford. |
The Longford Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Longford, Tasmania which currently compete in the modern Northern Tasmanian Football Association. From 1926 until 1986 they had played in the original Northern Tasmanian Football Association. Formed in 1887, Longford are nicknamed the Tigers and wear black and gold as their club colours.
History
Longford Football Club was originally founded in 1887 as the South Esk Football Club by members of the South Esk Rowing Club, as reported by Launceston Examiner 9 April 1887 and Saturday Evening Express (Launceston) 31 July 1937.[1]
The earlier Longford FC founded in 1878 had disbanded in 1884 after the Launceston FC and others demanded football be played strictly per the Victorian rules.[2] The similarly named "Longford Juniors FC" in this period was an entirely separate entity. Over the 1903-04 period the South Esk FC name disappeared in favour of the Longford FC.[3]
From 1926 until 1986 they had played in the original Northern Tasmanian Football Association. Longford has their strongest decade in the 1950s when they claimed three NTFA premierships, including their breakthrough triumph in 1955. They had previously never won the competition but had been runners-up in 1931, 1940 and 1953. In 1959 the club attempted to win their third premiership in a row but lost the Grand Final to City-South.
The Tigers were Tasmanian State Premiers in 1957. After accounting for Ulverstone, premiers of the North West Football Union, in the preliminary match, Longford defeated North Hobart by 21 points in the decider at York Park.
The club spent one unsuccessful year in the NTFL (1987) before realising that the football standard was too high for them so they transferred to the Tasmanian Amateurs where they remain to this day.
Honours
Premierships
NTFA premierships
Original (3)
- 1955
- 1957–58
Current (1)
- 1989
- 2022
Tasmanian State Premierships (1)
- 1957
Medalists
Tasman Shields Trophy winners
- Len Gaffney 1926, 1927
- Leo Wescott 1930
- Lloyd Bennett 1940
- Terry Cashion 1948, 1950, 1951
- Charlie Dennis 1955
- John Fitzallen 1957
- Nigel Wilson 1965
Hec Smith Memorial Medalists
- Barry Lawrence 1966
- John Davis 1970
- David Berne 1974
- Malcolm Upston 1986
Team of the Century
In September 2001, the Longford named an official 'Team of the Century'.
| B: | David Berne | Don Brooks | Paul Vinar |
| HB: | Roly Chugg | Ike Hayes (vc) | Peter Jago |
| C: | Gus O'Brien | Terry Cashion | John Fitzallen |
| HF: | Stephen Theodore | Barry Lawrence | Jack Barnes |
| F: | Len Pitt | Michael Roach | John Smith |
| Foll: | Fred Davies (c) | Casey Lawrence | Lyndon Dakin |
| Int: | Colin Eyles, Alan Chugg | Jeff Heathcote, Garry Mahar | Colin Johnstone, Bob Cheek, Neil Kearney |
| Aub Jones, Mike Smart | Roger Hoggett, Geoff Frier | Bob Pitt, Tom Barwick, Damien Lavelle | |
| Coach: | Fred Davies | ||
References
- ↑ Fagan, Sean (15 October 2013). "TO THE DEVIL WITH IT! AFL KILLED TASSIE'S "GAME OF OUR OWN"". — saintsandheathens.com —. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ Fagan, Sean (15 October 2013). "TO THE DEVIL WITH IT! AFL KILLED TASSIE'S "GAME OF OUR OWN"". — saintsandheathens.com —. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ Fagan, Sean (15 October 2013). "TO THE DEVIL WITH IT! AFL KILLED TASSIE'S "GAME OF OUR OWN"". — saintsandheathens.com —. Retrieved 19 June 2026.