- North Coast Australian Football League
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The North Coast Australian Football League (also known as AFL North Coast) is an Australian rules football competition in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales.
Contents
History
The very beginning
A meeting to form an Australian Football club in Coffs Harbour was held in the Coffs Hotel on December 6, 1976. The meeting to form the Coffs Harbour club was attended by 12 enthusiastic people - all of whom were elected to the committee. Fred Miller, who had led the charge to establish the code in the district, was elected as President. The first Secretary-Treasurer was Brian Saville. The club did not have enough players for a team, or a coach, nor a ground to play on yet they commenced training at 5pm on Tuesdays in December at the St Augustine’s school oval such was their enthusiasm for the game. The new club chose to adopt the colours of North Melbourne Football Club, at that time enjoying great success in the then VFL, while the Dehnert brothers, Noel and Phil volunteered to provide timber saplings for the goal posts.
Early Days
The first-ever Australian football match played in Coffs Harbour was in 1977 between a University of New England team and Coffs Harbour March 12 at the Coffs Harbour Racecourse – the university side won the match 13.12 (80) to 4.13 (37). The Coffs Coast Advocate reported that the match attracted about 50 spectators and “despite the heavy conditions was enjoyed by everyone there”. Some club scratch matches were played that year but the match at Coffs Harbour racecourse was the only official match played in Coffs in 1977. A North Coast team made of players from Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie played in the Northern NSW Country Championships at Gunnedah in May of 1977 but lost both matches to New England and a North-West team. It was decided at these championships to play the 1978 series at Coffs Harbour to promote the game on the North Coast.
Playing in New England
The Coffs Harbour club joined the New England AFL for the 1978 season. The competition had four teams based around the New England university and Uralla who had also entered the New England competition that year. There were two major challenges for the Coffs Harbour club now that it had a competition to play in. The first hurdle to overcome was to secure a ground to train and play on. The second issue was to travel for away games across to Armidale almost 180 kilometres away via Dorrigo Mountain with a large unsealed section of road at Ebor. The club was very fortunate to have as a Mike Cain as a committee member as he was working at the time as a town planner with the Coffs Harbour Shire Council. It was largely through his efforts that the club secured England’s Park as a home ground. Coffs Harbour enjoyed almost immediate success in this league finishing third in its initial season in the New England league then taking out the premiership in 1979.
Two teams in Coffs Harbour
Even in its infancy the Coffs club administrators knew that the future for Australian Rules on the Coffs Coast was on the coast. Therefore, it entered two teams in the New England AFL in 1980 – Souths and Norths, but under the one administration with a view to eventually forming a North Coast league. Brian Saville said in the Coffs Coast Advocate on October 5, 1979: “Having a strong side for a long time will not benefit the sport in this area”. He added that the aim of the Coffs Harbour club was to have its own North Coast League. As the original Coffs club had worn blue and white vertical stripes the same as VFL club North Melbourne (Kangaroos) it was agreed to call one team “Norths” and the other “Souths” based on the-then VFL club South Melbourne (now the Sydney Swans) and have it wear white with a red V. The first ever local derby between the North Coffs and South Coffs was played in 1980 on May 18 “in fine spirit before a large, enthusiastic crowd at England’s Park”. The final score saw North Coffs 10.5 (65) defeat South Coffs 9.10 (64). North Coffs defeated Armidale City 13.8 (86) to 4.5 (29) for the 1980 New England AFL premiership after the Armidale team defeated South Coffs in the preliminary final. The next year North Coffs and South Coffs met in the 1981 grand final which South Coffs won.
1982 - North Coast league begins
The New England AFL had provided a competition for the Coffs Harbour teams but it was time to move on and develop a coastal league. With the formation of the North Coast AFL in 1982 the two Coffs Harbour teams became clubs in their own right. The other clubs to form the North Coast Australian Football League were Grafton, Urunga, Woolgoolga and Port Macquarie. The Port club had been formed in 1981 and played its first season in the New England AFL. The inaugural President was Brian Saville, who had been instrumental in the establishment of the game in Coffs Harbour. Woolgoolga won the first of its nine premierships in the North Coast AFL when it beat Port Macquarie in the first-ever grand final.
Clubs
Current
Club Moniker Jumper Years competed Website Coffs Harbour Swans 
1982-1991, 1993- Official Site Grafton Tigers 
1982-1995, 2002- Official Site Nambucca Valley Lions 
1986-1989, 2005- Official Site North Coffs Kangaroos 
1982- Official Site Port Macquarie Magpies 
1982-1984, 1993- Official Site Sawtell-Toormina Saints 
1987, 1991-2001, 2003- Official Site Previous
Club Colours Years competed Armidale City 1988 Kempsey 1993 Taree Hornets Black & Gold 1998-2002 Urunga 1982-1985 (relocated to become Nambucca Valley) Woolgoolga Blues Blue & White 1982-2005 Umpires Association
- North Coast Australian Football League Umpires Association Official Site
Premierships
Club 1st Grade Reserve Grade Under 18s Coffs Swans 6 8 8 North Coffs Kangaroos 6 0 3 Sawtell-Toormina Saints 6 1 1 Port Macquarie Magpies 2 7 0 Woolgoolga Blues 9 3 2 Nambucca Valley Lions 0 0 1 Taree Hornets 0 0 1 Grafton Tigers 1 0 0 List of AFL North Coast grand finals
Year Premiers Runners Up 1982 Woolgoolga 14.16 (100) Port Macquarie 6.17 (53) 1983 Woolgoolga 18.18 (126) South Coffs 6.10 (46) 1984 South Coffs 14.14 (98) Woolgoolga 13.4 (82) 1985 Woolgoolga 11.8 (74) North Coffs 7.7 (49) 1986 South Coffs 12.12 (84) Woolgoolga 11.12 (78) 1987 Woolgoolga 18.8 (116) South Coffs 10.18 (78) 1988 Woolgoolga 16.15 (111) South Coffs 16.9 (105) 1989 South Coffs 13.8 (86) Woolgoolga 8.6 (54) 1990 North Coffs 13.10 (88) Woolgoolga 6.13 (49) 1991 South Coffs 12.10 (82) Woolgoolga 10.10 (70) 1992 Woolgoolga 10.16 (76) Sawtell-Toormina 8.9 (57) 1993 Woolgoolga 15.2 (92) Sawtell-Toormina 7.9 (51) 1994 North Coffs 12.17 (89) Woolgoolga 7.8 (50) 1995 South Coffs 14.12 (96) Port Macquarie 9.5 (59) 1996 Woolgoolga 14.9 (93) Port Macquarie 8.6 (54) 1997 Sawtell-Toormina 11.11 (77) Woolgoolga 10.7 (67) 1998 Woolgoolga 15.11 (101) Sawtell-Toormina 4.9 (33) 1999 Coffs Swans 11.14 (80) North Coffs 11.6 (72) 2000 Port Macquarie 18.4 (112) North Coffs 9.6 (60) 2001 North Coffs 13.11 (89) Coffs Swans 9.10 (64) 2002 North Coffs 11.10 (76) Port Macquarie 7.6 (48) 2003 North Coffs 12.11 (83) Port Macquarie 10.9 (69) 2004 North Coffs 4.6 (30) Port Macquarie 3.5 (23) 2005 Sawtell-Toormina 7.11 (53) North Coffs 6.4 (40) 2006 Sawtell-Toormina 11.14 (80) Coffs Swans 11.2 (68) 2007 Port Macquarie 11.11 (77) Sawtell-Toormina 10.9 (69) 2008 Sawtell-Toormina 22.14 (146) North Coffs 7.6 (48) 2009 Sawtell-Toormina 18.14 (122) North Coffs 8.4 (52) 2010 Sawtell-Toormina 19.16 (130) Port Macquarie 5.9 (39) 2011 Grafton 10.10 (70) Port Macquarie 8.7 (55) Jim Woodlock Medal
In 2004 a medal was struck to honour the many years of service Jim Woodlock gave to the league as an administrator. The Jim Woodlock Medal was to be awarded to the player judged as the best player on the ground in a senior grand final. The first year was medal weas awarded, North Coffs midfielder Greg Jarman edged out teammate Brad Giri for the award. Teenager Jack Gillingham became the first player to be awarded two Jim Woodlock Medals when he won the coveted award in 2009 and 2010 when Sawtell-Toormina comfortably won the grand final. At the end of the 2011 season, no player from a losing grand final team had won the award.
Year Jim Woodlock medallist Club 2004 Greg Jarman North Coffs 2005 Alex Pearson Sawtell-Toormina 2006 Luke Matthews Sawtell-Toormina 2007 Dean Nankervill Port Macquarie 2008 Mark Couzens Sawtell-Toormina 2009 Jack Gillingham Sawtell-Toormina 2010 Jack Gillingham Sawtell-Toormina 2011 Evan Duryea Grafton League Best & Fairest
The League Best & Fairest is given for the best and fairest player in the AFL North Coast during the home and away season, similar to the AFL's Brownlow Medal. The weekend after the grand final the grand final, a vote count is held to decide the recipient of the award. The player who has won the most League Best & Fairest awards is former Sawtell-Toormina ruckman Brian Rava whose strong marking helped him to win the three times in 1991, 1992 and 1998. Jeff Reed, Troy Mirkin, Brad Giri and Mark Couzens have all won the award twice. Mirkin is the only player to win the award at two different clubs. The list of League Best & Fairest winners follows:
Year League Best & Fairest winner 1982 Doug Musgrave (Urunga) and Ian Johnstone (North Coffs) 1983 John Timmons (South Coffs) 1984 Steve Smith (Grafton) 1985 A Cummings (Woolgoolga) 1986 Mark O’Malley (South Coffs) 1987 D Isaacs (Grafton) 1988 Not awarded 1989 Troy Mirkin (Grafton) 1990 Barry Smith (Woolgoolga) 1991 Brian Rava (Sawtell-Toormina) 1992 Brian Rava (Sawtell-Toormina) 1993 Chris Mills (Sawtell-Toormina) 1994 Jeff Reed (Coffs Swans) 1995 Jeff Reed (Coffs Swans) 1996 Darren White (Woolgoolga) 1997 Brad Payne (Port Macquarie) 1998 Brian Rava (Sawtell-Toormina) 1999 Sean Beasley (Coffs Swans) 2000 Neville Stephens (Port Macquarie) 2001 Troy Mirkin (North Coffs) and Matt Lane (Coffs Swans) 2002 Brad Giri (North Coffs) 2003 Greg Jarman (North Coffs) 2004 Mark Blundell (Grafton) 2005 Chris Martens (Port Macquarie) 2006 Matthew Newton (Port Macquarie) 2007 Brad Giri (North Coffs) and Mark Couzens (Sawtell-Toormina) 2008 Sam Dawes (North Coffs) 2009 Mark Couzens (Sawtell-Toormina) 2010 Luke Matthews (Sawtell-Toormina) 2011 Daniel Zacek (Grafton) See also
External links
Australian rules football in New South Wales Governing Body AFL clubs Greater Western Sydney • Sydney SwansNEAFL clubs Greater Western Sydney • Sydney Swans reservesMetropolitan leagues Regional leagues Black Diamond · Broken Hill · Canberra · Central Murray · Central West · Coreen & District · Farrer · Golden Rivers · Hume · Millewa · Murray · Newcastle · North Coast · Northern Riverina · Ovens & Murray · Picola & District · Riverina · Sapphire Coast · South Coast · Summerland · Sunraysia · Tamworth · Upper MurrayWomen's leagues Principal venues Categories:- Australian rules football stubs
- Australian rules football competitions in New South Wales
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