MURRABIT
Current Affiliation: Golden Rivers Football League (GRFL) since 1945
Club Address: P.O. Box 34, Murrabit, Victoria 3579
Formed: 1919
Colours: Blue and white
Emblem: Blues
Senior GRFL Premierships: 1949, 1958, 1963, 1965-6-7-8-9, 1999, 2005, 2007 (11 total)
Since re-entering the Kerang District Football League, precursor of today's Golden Rivers Football League, in 1945 the Blues have enjoyed more senior premiership success than any other club.
Originally formed in 1919, Murrabit joined the Kerang District Football Association as it was known at the time two years later. The club's original colours were black, red and yellow; in 1927 this was changed to a predominantly green playing uniform, and in 1945 to the present day colours of blue and white.
In 1930 Murrabit transferred to the short-lived Barham Football League where it was successful in 1932 in claiming its first ever senior flag. It was after the war, however, that the club would really come into its own.
The 1949 season saw the Blues winning their first KDFL premiership, courtesy of a 20.11 (131) to 11.5 (71) grand final trouncing of Macorna. Murrabit's team was a fine blend of power and finesse, and might reasonably have been expected to add several more premierships before it was done. However, it was to be almost a decade before the Blues again went top, which they did thanks to a hard fought 35 point grand final win over Wandella. The match was played before a league record crowd of 2,165 supporters who were treated to a dour, tense spectacle in which the outcome remained in the balance until early in the last term. The Blues were coached by Keith Dickson, with veteran Geoff Cox, a club best and fairest award winner on a record seven occasions, forging a link with the 1949 premiership team, of which he had also been a member.
The 1960s were the club's halcyon decade, yielding six flags in seven years, all bar the last of which were won with a considerable amount to spare (see footnote 1). There then followed an unprecedented premiership drought which was finally broken in 1999 when Robbie Styles captain-coached the Blues to victory over Nullawil in front of a record crowd. Murrabit's reserves also won the flag on what was an extremely emotional day for everyone connected with the club, but especially for senior premiership player Matt Hope, whose younger brother Brendan had tragically drowned before the season commenced. Every member of the victorious Blues team wore black armbands and had the initials "BH" written in black on one hand, while Matt produced the perfect personal tribute by earning the umpires' vote as best afield.
Since the turn of the century Murrabit has continued to exhibit strong form, with the club's tenth and eleventh KDFL flags in 2005 and 2007 the highlights. The two flags were won in similar fashion. In 2005, the Blues recovered from the setback of a narrow 2nd semi final loss to Wandella to overcome Ultima by 21 points in the following week's preliminary final. Then, in the the grand final re-match, they jumped the Bombers with a 5 goals to 1 opening quarter burst that ultimately made all the difference. The Ultima players did everything they could to mount a last term fight back, but the Blues were too assured and too professional. "We knew if we got off to a good start, we could hold out. We had a few muscular injuries coming into the game but we were quietly confident," said Murrabit coach Tim Triplett. "The players had the will to finish the job. We all had a go. We didn't have any weak links today."
Two years later, the Blues were again beaten in the 2nd semi final, this time by Wandella, but their form over the ensuing fortnight left no-one in any doubt as to their right to be crowned premiers. In the preliminary final, they dismissed the challenge of a Nullawil side that had seemed in excellent form in the 1st semi final with contemptuous ease, winning in the end by the incredible margin for a finals match of 115 points. Wandella in the grand final provided sterner opposition, at least over the first three quarters, but a devastating last quarter burst of 11 goals gave Murrabit victory by 76 points, 27.7 (169) to 14.9 (93).
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Footnotes
1. The grand final results in full were: 1963 Murrabit 18.21 (129) d. Wandella 8.4 (52); 1965 Murrabit 15.13 (103) d. Appin 7.4 (46); 1966 Murrabit 12.15 (87) d. Wandella 7.5 (47); 1967 Murrabit 13.10 (88) d. Moulamein 3.9 (27); 1968 Murrabit 15.12 (102) d. Macorna 9.10 (64); 1969 Murrabit 13.15 (93) d. Rovers 13.3 (81). Return to Main Text