HUONVILLE (Picnic)
Affiliated: Various junior competitions from late 19th century to 1997; Southern Tasmanian Football League (SthFL) 1998-present
Club Address: P.O. Box 14, Huonville, TAS 7109
Home Ground: Huonville Oval
Formed: 1888 as Picnic Football Club; merged with Franklin in 1998
Colours: Red, white, blue and gold
Emblem: Lions
Senior Premierships: Huon Football Association (HFA) - 1904, 1933, 1953, 1973, 1989, 1992 (6 total) [Franklin won HFA premierships in 1895, 1903, 1906-7, 1917-18, 1921, 1932, 1958-9, 1963, 1982, 1987, 1997 - 14 total); SthFL Regional Division - 2008 (1 total)
Peter Hodgman Medallists: J.Philp 1999; N.Doyle 2006 (2 total)
William Leitch Medallist: Jason Lange 2010 (1 total)
Most Games: 400 by Lee Paul
Regional league action from a match between Huonville and Sorrell. (Image courtesy of Dan Garlick of OzVox Media.)
Currently a member of AFL Tasmania's Southern League, Huonville has enjoyed a long history in various competitions which has so far yielded a total of seven senior grade premierships.
In 2005, the Lions qualified for the SthFL's regional league finals in fifth place, before overcoming Sorell and Dodges Ferry in successive weeks. However, eventual premier Kermandie proved too strong in the preliminary final, winning 14.13 (97) to 12.6 (78).
The 2006 season again brought finals qualification in fifth position, but elimination final opponents Lindisfarne on this occasion proved too marginally strong, winning a hard fought game by 9 points.
The Lions qualified for their first Regional League grand final in 2007, but lost a hard fought game against Kermandie by 10 points.
Twelve months later they broke through for their first Regional League flag following an unexpected but highly meritorious grand final defeat of Lindisfarne. The Two Blues went into the grand final in seemingly unstoppable form having won their previous 19 matches but when it mattered most they could not cope with the Lions' ferocity in close, nor their indomitable team spirit. At three quarter time in the grand final scores were level but Huonville then made light of an arduous, four match finals campaign to run all over their much vaunted opponents, adding 7 last term goals to 1 to win by 37 points, 16.9 (105) to 9.14 (68). The match attracted a respectable attendance of 4,397.
Much of Huonville's history was spent in the Huon Football Association where it was successful in claiming a total of 6 senior, 5 reserves and 10 junior premierships.
Since 2009 the SthFL has consisted of a single division following the departure of most of the premier league clubs to a fresh incarnation of a Tasmanian statewide competition.
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