DARLEY
Current Affiliation: Ballarat Football League (BFL) since 1997
Formed: 1919
Colours: Black and white
Emblem: Devils
Senior Premierships: Bacchus Marsh and Melton Football League (BMMFL) - 1923, 1926, 1934, 1938, 1939, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1955, 1957 (11 total); Bacchus Marsh Football League (BMFL) - 1959, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 (5 total); Central Highlands Football League - 1984 (1 total); Riddell District Football League (RDFL) Division One - 1989, 1995 (2 total)
Senior Competition Best and Fairest Player Awards: Bowen Medal - Mick Hewat 1988; Lex Miller 1989 (2 total); Henderson Medal - Shayne Ward 1999 (1 total)
| MINI-BIOGRAPHIES: | Wayne Closter Marcus Whelan |
Situated a couple of kilometres north of Bacchus Marsh, the town of Darley has been a football hotbed for decades. The club which nowadays bears the town's name was formed in 1919, and over the years has enjoyed considerable success in a number of different competitions (see above). If it has yet to add a Ballarat Football League premiership to its already impressive haul it has certainly not been for want of trying, and overall its performances belie the comparatively small size of its catchment area (see footnote 1).
In recent seasons the Devils have, on the whole, performed well, reaching the preliminary final in 2004, the 1st semi final in 2005, and the preliminary final again in 2006. In 2007, however, they had a season to forget, and finished well down the list. Then, in 2008, Darley topped the ladder prior to the finals with a 15-1 record before overcoming Ballarat in the second semi final by 17 points to progress straight to the grand final. Expected to repeat that success when the same two teams met on grand final day the Devils succumbed to big match nerves, kicked poorly, and, despite managing 10 more scoring shots than their opponents, went down by 5 points.
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Footnotes
1. The population of the town of Darley itself is little over 5,000. Return to Main Text