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BULLEEN-TEMPLESTOWE

Current Affiliation:  Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) since 1975

Home Ground:  Ted Ajani Reserve, Lower Templestowe

Colours:  Royal blue and gold

Emblem:  Bullants

Senior VAFA Premierships:  B Section - 1983 (1 total); D Section - 1979 (1 total); D2 Section - 2004 (1 total); E Section - 1978 (1 total)

Senior Competition Best and Fairest Awards:  J.N. Woodrow Medal (A Section) -R.Demarte 1984 (1 total); L.S. Pepper Medal (D Section) - G.Miles 1979 (1 total)

Bulleen-Templestowe commenced in F Section of the VAFA in 1975.  Within a decade, after one of the most meteoric ascents in the competition's history, the senior side was playing off in an A Grade preliminary final.  That ascent involved participation in five grand finals in the space of seven seasons, three of which were won.  It is worth summarising:

Year How The Season Ended

Final Position

1977 Lost the F Section grand final to St Bede's Old Collegians by 2 points. 2nd in F Grade - promoted to E Grade
1978 Defeated St Bede's Old Collegians in the E Section grand final, 23.11 (149) to 15.17 (107). Premiers of E Grade - promoted to D Grade
1979 Won the D Section grand final against Melbourne High School Old Boys, 13.10 (88) to 9.10 (64). Premiers of D Grade - promoted to C Grade
1980 Reached the C Section preliminary final. 3rd in C Grade
1981 Beaten by Alphington, 16.21 (117) to 11.16 (82), in the C Section grand final. 2nd in C Grade - promoted to B Grade
1982 Reached the 1st semi final in B Section. 4th in B Grade
1983 Beat Kew 17.13 (115) to 14.14 (98) in the B Section grand final. Premiers of B Grade - promoted to A Grade

The 1984 season was far and away the most noteworthy in the club's history to date, but it ended disappointingly with a 50 point loss to Ormond in the A Grade preliminary final.  Rover Rick Demarte's Woodrow Medal win afforded a measure of consolation, however.  Demarte polled 16 votes, to win by 2 from Nick Wilton of Old Xaverians.  Rick Van Den Driest, Andrew Smythe, Mal Palmer and Andrew Keenan were some of the other key players for Bulleen-Templestowe at this time.

At the 1985 AAFC Carnival in Melbourne, Smythe, who was a member of the Victorian team, found himself at the centre of controversy, and ultimately in very hot water indeed, when it was discovered that he had played VFL reserves football with Melbourne just before the carnival commenced.  As a result, his amateur status had been compromised, and Victoria, which had won the opening match of the carnival against Western Australia with Smythe in the team, was stripped of the points won.

After 1984, Bulleen-Templestowe's fortunes declined, although nothing like as swiftly as they had blossomed.  During the 1990s there were grand final appearances against Fawkner in C Grade in 1992 and against A.J.A.X. in D Grade in 1999, but both games were lost.  Since the turn of the century there have been hints of a renaissance, most notably in 2004 when the side overcame Old Carey Grammarians by 39 points to win the D2 Grade premiership.  In 2006, the Bullants as they are known could be considered somewhat unfortunate in that, despite winning 12 of their 18 matches, they missed the D1 Section finals on percentage.  In all bar one of the other seven senior grades,12 wins would have comfortably secured finals participation.  A year later, they were only marginally less competitive, finishing 5th once more with a 10-8 record.

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