Southport

Premierships: 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989-90, 1992, 1997-8-9-00, 2005-6, 2008 (13 total)

Grogan Medallists: Peter Guy 1983, Zane Taylor 1985, Jason Cotter 1990 & 1993; David Crutchfield 1992; Chris O'Sullivan 1992; David Bain 1995 & 1999; Jeff Brennan 1997; David Round 2002 (8 Medallists/10 Medals)

QAFL Top Goalkickers: R.McKay (85) 1998, (66) 1999 & (79) 2000; B.McEntee (119) 2004, (84) 2005 & (100) 2007 (6 total)

ABOVE: Warwick Capper marks (or is he playing piggy back?) for Southport against Morningside in the 1992 QAFL grand final.

Southport enjoyed immediate success upon admission to the QAFL in 1983, winning that year's grand final against Morningside by 11 points. They failed to make the following year's grand final but there then followed a sequence of nine successive premiership play offs for five wins and four defeats.

A comparative slump followed during the middle years of the 1990s but the Sharks finished the decade, in what was often a turbulent time for Queensland football, as an irrepressible force, winning four consecutive flags.

As the following table clearly demonstrates, Southport have, since entering the state level competition, been far and away the most consistently successful club:

QAFL/QSFL/AFL Queensland Grand Final Appearances 1983 to 2008
Club	Premiers	Runners-Up

Southport	13	8
Morningside	5	7
Mt Gravatt	2	3
Coorparoo	1	2
North Brisbane/Northern Eagles/Zillmere Eagles	1	3
Windsor-Zillmere	1	2
Brisbane Lions	1	0
West Brisbane	1	0
Kedron-Grange	0	1
Mayne	0	1

The Sharks' most recent premierships came in 2005 and 2006, the former courtesy of a 16.15 (111) to 6.14 (50) grand final defeat of Morningside. Former Western Bulldogs player Paul Dimattina booted 6 goals in a best afield performance that earned him the Joe Grant Medal. Southport led at every change, but it needed a 6.4 to 0.4 last quarter to put the result beyond doubt. In the following year's grand final, the Sharks found themselves somewhat harder pressed by Zillmere Eagles, who led by 12 points at half time, and trailed by just 10 points at the last change and would be coming home with the aid of a substantial breeze. Southport, however, rose to the occasion superbly, and although the Eagles manages to move within 6 points late on, a superb snapshot by Glenn Screech with four minutes left pushed the final margin out to two straight kicks. Final scores were Southport 17.14 (116) defeated Zillmere Eagles 16.8 (104), with the Joe Grant Medal going to Sharks rover Dane Carmody who produced a typically vibrant and industrious four quarter performance. First year coach Craig Crowley emphasised the club's enviable, burgeoning tradition by providing a direct link with the historic 1983 premiership side, in which he played alongside fellow previous premiership coaches Gavin McGuane and Jason Cotter.

In 2007, the Sharks came close to claiming a memorable hat-trick of premierships when they battled through to yet another grand final, only to fall short by 38 points against an impressive Mt Gravatt side.

They made amends a year later when they overcame the stern grand final challenge of Morningside to a narrow victory. At three quarter time the Panthers enjoyed an 8 point advantage with the Sharks having made the most of substantially fewer opportunities to stay in touch. Then, in the last term Southport took control, adding 5 goals to 2 to get over the line by 8 points, 18.7 (115) to 15.17 (107).

Providing Queensland football maintains its current stability then the future of the Southport Football Club looks likely to be a long and fruitful one.

SOUTHPORT