ANGLESEA
Current Affiliation: Bellarine Football League (BFL) since 1973
Colours: Blue and white
Emblem: Kangaroos
Senior BFL Premierships: 1983, 1991, 1999 (3 total)
BFL Club Championships: Nil
Senior BFL Best and Fairest Awards: Greg Young 1984; Brian O'Keefe 1987; Russell Whiteford 2005 (3 total)
In 1973, Anglesea crossed from the Geelong and District Football League to the Bellarine Football League, where it has remained ever since. The club's senior team struggled throughout the 1970s, finishing last with no wins in its debut season, and thereafter never managing to climb above fourth from bottom. The club's other grades fared, if anything, even worse.
The first signs that the corner had been turned came in 1980 when the seniors' 10-8 record only narrowly failed to procure finals participation. It was a similar story in 1981 and 1982 before the 1983 season brought long overdue finals participation. Fourth after the home and aways with 9 wins from 16 matches the Kangaroos stunned the rest of the league by going on to claim the premiership, despite entering all three of their finals matches as underdogs. Saving their best form of the season for when it mattered most they swept aside the challenges of Portarlington in the first semi final by 29 points and Drysdale in the preliminary final by 35 points before overcoming hot flag favourites Torquay by 14 points in the 'big one'.
Anglesea's success was not a prelude to a period of sustained dominance, or even of regular finals involvement, and it was not until the next decade that the side re-emerged as a force. The 1990 season brought a second senior grand final appearance, and on this occasion the Kangaroos entered the match as favourites, having comfortably defeated opponents Leopold in the second semi final. The grand final, however, witnessed a complete reversal of form and fortune, with the Lions easing to victory by 28 points.
It did not take the 'Roos long to make amends as they promptly produced the best and most consistent season of football in their history in 1991 to head the ladder going into a finals series that saw them cruise to their second senior flag with wins over Torquay by 13 points in a low scoring second semi final and Leopold in the grand final by more than 6 goals.
The mid-nineties were notable for a hat trick of losing grand finals before the Kangaroos brought the decade to an end in ideal fashion by claiming their third senior flag. Opposition in the both the 1999 second semi and the grand final came from Ocean Grove, the team that had been Anglesea's nemesis earlier in the decade, but this time 'round the boot was very firmly on the other foot. The 'Roos won the first encounter in emphatic fashion, 22.19 (151) to 9.7 (61). Things were a good deal closer - 10 points - a fortnight later, but there could still be no denying that Anglesea was the better side, and a worthy premier. Further evidence of the team's quality is that it sustained just 1 defeat (by a meagre 3 point margin against Torquay) all season.
Anglesea again made the grand final in 2000, only to lose by 55 points to Ocean Grove. Results since have been generally disappointing, with the nadir of a wooden spoon in 2002.
Where now?
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