Port Melbourne Football Club

Port Melbourne

Names
Full name	Port Melbourne Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Borough
Club details
Founded	1874
Colours	Blue and      Red
Competition	Victorian Football League
Coach	Gary Ayres
Captain(s)	John Baird
Ground(s)	TEAC Oval (capacity: 12,000)
Other information
Official website	www.pmfc.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).

For most the nickname of the Borough may seem strange, but its origins lie way back 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.

The club is currently unlike most VFL clubs in that it is not aligned with any Australian Football League (AFL) club; Frankston is the only other club which lacks an AFL-affiliation.

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 (now known as the VFL) in 1886 and has played in every season since then. In the late 1890s, the Port Melbourne Football Club was touted to join the breakaway VFL competition, but was denied membership. In their place, the St Kilda Football Club joined the VFL, an event still talked about to this day. The reason given was the Borough's reputation for poor behaviour by both its players and supporters.^{[citation needed]} 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. 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.

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 Kangaroos (2003–2005); however, since 2006, Port Melbourne has existed as a stand-alone VFL club.

Club Jumper

The Port Melbourne Football Club's guernsey is one of the most iconic images in the Melbourne football scene, due mostly to the fact that it hasn't changed since its inception into the VFA.^{[citation needed]}

The club's jumper remains its traditional red and blue vertical stripes.

2011 season

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

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 Snr	Graeme Anderson	Bill Findlay
Interchange	Bill Bedford	Carl Bowen	Gary Brice
Coach	Gary Brice
Captain	Frank Johnson Snr

Premierships

• 1897 – against North Melbourne F.C

• 1901 – against Richmond F.C

• 1922 – against Footscray F.C:

Port Melbourne 9.6.60 d Footscray 8.10.58
Crowd: 22,000

• 1940 – against Prahran F.C:

Port Melbourne 23.22.160 d Prahran 17.11.113
Crowd: 30,882

• 1941 – against Coburg Lions:

Port Melbourne 15.18.108 d Coburg 11.23.89
Crowd: 36,289

• 1947 – against Sandringham Zebras:

Port Melbourne 15.15.105 d Sandringham 11.8.74
Crowd: 24,000

• 1953 – against Yarraville Eagles:

Port Melbourne 21.15.141 d Yarraville 12.9.81
Crowd: 40,000

• 1964 – against Williamstown Seagulls:

Port Melbourne 14.17.101 d Williamstown 10.5.65
Crowd: 20,000

• 1966 – against Waverley Panthers:

Port Melbourne 13.12.90 d Waverley 6.11.47
Crowd: 20,000

• 1974 – against Oakleigh Devils

Port Melbourne 22.20.152 d Oakleigh 11.17.83
Crowd: 23,936

• 1976 – against Dandenong F.C:

Port Melbourne 19.18.132 d Dandenong 10.15.75
Crowd: 32,317

• 1977 – against Sandringham Zebras:

Port Melbourne 23.19.157 d Sandringham 7.15.57
Crowd: 29,664

• 1980 – against Coburg Lions:

Port Melbourne 11.15.81 d Coburg 10.10.70
Crowd: 22,010

• 1981 – against Preston Bullants:

Port Melbourne 32.19.211 d Preston 15.8.98
Crowd: 20,186

• 1982 – against Preston Bullants:

Port Melbourne 21.15.141 d Preston 20.14.134
Crowd: 20,732

• 2011 – against Williamstown Football Club:

Port Melbourne 22.12.144 d Williamstown 13.10.88
Crowd: 11,896

• Total Premierships – 16
• Total Grand Finals – 32

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	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

Records

• League History: VFA/VFL 1886-15, 1918–41, 1945–

• Record Attendance: 36,289 v the Coburg Lions in 1941

• VFA Centenary Premiership: 1977

• 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: 21* (2011)

• 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)
• R Bonnett (1969–71)
• Ian Collins (1972–73)
• Norm Brown (1974–78)
• Peter McKenna (1979)
• Gary Brice (1980–1983)
• Warwick Irwin (1984)
• Gary Brice (1985)
• P 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–

Further reading

• 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

• Port Melbourne Football Club Official Site
• Full Points Footy Profile for Port Melbourne
• Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society