Australian Football

Doveton Eagles

St John’s Old Collegians, Doveton was formed in 1980, and competed in the Victorian Amateur Football Association between 1981 and 1994. The club altered its name to Doveton Eagles in 1990. The seniors contested the F Section finals four seasons in succession between 1985 and 1988, culminating in a losing grand final against La Trobe University which nevertheless entailed promotion to E Section. The side displayed consistently good form in E Section but consecutive third place finishes in 1992 and 1993 were its best efforts.

The 1995 season saw the Eagles embarking on a new phase in their history by affiliating with the Southern Football League and capturing a Division Four premiership on debut. In 2001 the seniors reached a Division Three grand final, but lost to Tooronga Malvern by a goal. Their second SFL flag was obtained in 2013 in Division Three. Opposed in the grand final by Carrum Patterson Lakes they won with some degree of comfort, 14.11 (95) to 7.14 (56). It was the culmination of a season which had seen them win all 20 matches contested. Promoted to Division Two as a consequence of this achievement the Eagles did not last long at this level and the 2016 season saw them back in Division Three and finishing a creditable third before a 2017 season which saw them again achieve premiership honours. Opposed in the grand final by Endeavour Hills the Eagles trailed by 14 points at the final change and by 20 points midway through the last quarter before surging home to snatch victory by just four points, 13.10 (88) to 13.6 (84). A year later the Eagles topped the Division Two premiership table ahead of the finals but had ultimately to be satisfied with second place after unexpectedly losing the grand final to Highett. The 2019 season saw the Eagles making amends by clinching a flag from fourth.