Balranald

After the second world war the Kangaroos competed initially in the North West Murray Football League, gaining a premiership in 1954 with a 9.10 (64) to 7.6 (48) grand final defeat of Bannerton. The following season saw them transferring to the Mid Murray Football League, in which they tended to struggle for the better part of three decades before showing signs of improvement in the early 1980s.

Balranald’s first senior grand final appearance in the MMFL finally arrived in 1989. Opposed to a powerful Tyntynder side which had contested every grand final bar one since 1980 the ‘Roos players produced the performance of their lives in winning a high scoring ‘shoot-out’ by 29 points. A year later they went back to back with a 20.11 (131) to 15.10 (100) grand final triumph over Tooleybuc.

Balranald’s third senior garde MMFL flag was claimed in 1994 when Swan Hill was outscored in the grand final by 17 points, 19.11 (125) to 15.18 (108). Expected to challenge strongly again in 1995 the side succumbed to a classic grand final hangover, alternating wins over strong opposition with losses to lower ranked teams, and ultimately missed the four entirely.

The 1997 season saw a new competition, the Central Murray Football League, established through the merger of the MMFL and the Northern and Echuca Football League. The Kangaroos took a while to settle in these fresh surroundings, but recent seasons have seen them stamp themselves as one of the competition’s leading lights. They reached their first senior grade CMFL grand final in 2005, but produced a disappointing performance to lose to Swan Hill by more than 10 goals. The following season saw them make amends, however, with a stirring 4 point grand final defeat of Kerang. The 2007 season brought a third straight grand final appearance, but Tooleybuc Manangatang proved too good, while in 2008 the ‘Roos had to be satisfied with a fourth place finish after losing to eventual premier Swan Hill in the first semi final.