GARFIELD
Current Affiliation: West Gippsland Latrobe Football League (WGLFL) since 2002
Club Address: Beswick Street, Garfield, Victoria 3814
Formed: 1935
Colours: Green and gold
Emblem: Stars
Senior Premierships: West Gippsland Football Association/League (WGFA/L) - 1936, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1983, 1993, 1994 (7 total); WGLFL Western Division - 2004 (1 total)
Senior Competition Best and Fairest Player Awards: Clancy Medal - B.Cash 1957 & 1959; A.McMahon 1961; J.Miller 1963 (3 Medallists/4 Medals); Mike Breheny Medal - P.Rice 1971; S.Bassed 1975; J.Lenders 1977 & 1978; K.Oswald 1982; T.Cleary 1983 & 1984; L.Withers 1997 (6 Medallists/8 Medals); WGLFL Western Division Best and Fairest - Andrew Soumilas 2004 (1 total); WGLFL Best and Fairest - Andrew Soumilas 2005 (1 total)
Most Games: 380 by Jim Fawkner
Football had certainly been played in Garfield well before the Garfield Stars Football Club was formed, and joined the West Gippsland Football Association, in 1935. As early as 1895 a team representing the town engaged in a match against Berwick, and during the early part of the twentieth century a Garfield Football Club competed for a time in an earlier incarnation of the West Gippsland Football Association. The club was eventually barred from the competition for fielding unregistered players.
As far as the Stars are concerned, success was quick in arriving as they defeated Nar Nar Goon in the grand final in their second season. Three years later, they again contested the grand final, but lost to Bunyip. Over the next couple of decades the Stars developed an unfortunate habit of fighting their way through to the ultimate match of the season, only to lose. They did this in 1944, 1952, 1960 and 1962 before breaking through for their second flag in 1963. They actually contested five grand finals in a row between 1962 and 1966, winning in 1963 against Pakenham, 1964 against Nar Nar Goon, and 1966 versus Drouin. The Garfield teams of this era were renowned for their toughness, passion for the club, and tremendous team spirit, and were strongly instrumental in forging the club's unique and proud character.
After struggling for most of the 1970s the Stars re-emerged as a force at the beginning of the next decade, contesting consecutive preliminary finals in 1980 and 1981 before claiming a long overdue premiership in 1983, at the expense of Drouin.
Garfield's sides of the early 1990s were among the best to have represented the club and reached three consecutive grand finals from 1992 to 1994, winning the last two. The Stars again contested a grand final in 2001, the WGFL's last season, but lost to Beaconsfield by 58 points.
In 2002 the WGFL merged with the Gippsland-Latrobe Football League, and the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League was born. Between 2002 and 2004 the competition was split into Premier and Western Divisions, with the Stars competing in the latter. In 2004, they won the premiership of this division.
In 2005 the WGFL was restructured as a single division league with Garfield finishing 6th out of 9 clubs that year, 7th of 9 in 2006, and 3rd of 9 in 2007.
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