MARCELLIN OLD COLLEGIANS
Current Affiliation: Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) since 1971
Club Address: P.O. Box 591, North Balwyn 3104, Victoria
Home Ground: Oval 1, Marcellin College
Formed: 1971
Colours: Maroon, gold and sky blue
Emblem: Eagles
Senior VAFA Premierships: A Section - 2001 (1 total); B Section - 1976, 1985, 1998 (3 total); C Section - 1974, 1997 (2 total); F Section - 1971 (1 total)
Senior Competition Best and Fairest Awards: J.N. Woodrow Medal (A Section) - C.Price 1978; D.Waters 1999; G.Cox 2000; B.Dinneen 2001-2; J.Rice 2005 (5 Medallists/6 Medals); G.T. Moore Medal (B Section) - B.Dinneen 1998 (1 total); L.S. Pepper Medal (D Section) - P.Toohey 1973 (1 total); O.J. Meehan Medal (F Section) - P.Gartner 1971 (1 total)
Admitted to the VAFA's newly reconstituted F Section in 1971, Marcellin Old Collegians made its intentions clear right from the outset by marching straight to the premiership. Moreover, in scoring a comfortable 13.17 (95) to 9.12 (66) grand final win over Old Ivanhoe Grammarians it not only waved farewell forever to the Association's bottom grade, it also launched itself on a spectacular upward surge that within half a dozen seasons saw it rubbing shoulders with the likes of De La Salle Old Collegians, North Old Boys and Ormond in A Section. This helter-skelter passage through the grades involved losing grand finals against State Savings Bank in E Section in 1972 and Alphington in D Section in 1973, followed by a win over Old Haileyburians in the 1974 C Section grand final, a brief hiccup in 1975 in B Section when it failed to reach the finals, and a 10.15 (75) to 7.5 (47) grand final defeat of Caulfield Grammarians the next year. The VAFA had seen quite a few meteoric rises over the years, such as Ormond's in the 1930s, and De La Salle's between 1955 and 1960, but this ranked with the very best of them.
Those familiar with the Marcellin College motto, “Virtute ad Altissima” ("through virtue and courage to strive for the highest") would not have been at all surprised by the team's auspicious showing. The College itself had only been established in 1950, but within two decades had already acquired a reputation for sporting excellence, notably in cricket, football, athletics, tennis and swimming. Pride in the school gave rise to a vibrant old boys society, out of which Marcellin Old Collegians Amateur Football Club emerged.
The undoubted highlight of the club's existence to date was its victory over St Kevin's Old Boys in the A Grade grand final of 2001. It was Marcellin's first appearance in a grand final at that level, and came at the conclusion of a dominant season of football that had seen the side win 12 of its last 13 home and away matches to top the ladder, and then comfortably account for St Bernard's Old Collegians - the last team to have beaten it - by 38 points in the 2nd semi final. The grand final clash with St Kevin's was evenly fought for the most part, but Marcellin displayed the better big match temperament as well as a much superior conversion rate to win by 30 points, 16.7 (103) to 9.19 (73).
Marcellin endured an unusually disappointing season in 2006, culminating in relegation to B Section. In 2007, the side's campaign to bounce back was masterminded by former Collingwood and Fitzroy footballer, Murray Browne, who was returning for his second stint as senior coach. In addition to his playing experience, Browne has worked on the coaching staff of AFL clubs Collingwood and Port Adelaide, and spent the 2006 season with Whitefriars Old Collegians. Under Browne, Marcellin won 7 out of 18 matches in 2007 to finish a distant 5th, 4 wins adrift of 4th placed St Kevin's.
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