Australian Football

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KEY FACTS

Official name
Greta Football Club

Known as
Greta

Formed
c 1919

Colours
Navy blue and white

Emblem
Blues

Affiliation (Current)
Ovens & King Football Netball League (OKFNL) 1945–2024

Affiliations (Historical)
King Valley Football Association (KVFA) 1920–1923, 1927–1934; Glenrowan and Thoona Football Association (GTFA) 1924–1926; Benalla & District Football Netball League (BDFNL) 1935–1940

Senior Premierships
Ovens and King Football League - 1946, 1954, 1965-6-7, 1980, 1993, 1995, 1999 (9 total)

Website
gretafc.vcfl.com.au/

Greta

Prior to the second world war Greta participated in a number of different competitions, including the King Valley Football Association, where it won a premiership in 1920, the Glenrowan Thoona Football League, and the Fifteen Mile Creek Football Association. In the years leading up to the outbreak of war, the club was a member of the Benalla and District Football League, but when football resumed in 1945 it had joined the Ovens and King competition, in which it has competed ever since.

Greta quickly made its mark in the OKFL, winning a premiership in only its second season. Coached by Fred O’Brien, it overcame Myrtleford by 9 points in the second semi final, and again in the grand final when straight kicking was the key to its success. Greta won that grand final by 27 points, 8.5 (53) to 2.14 (26), with O’Brien receiving coaching assistance from the great Laurie Nash, who was employed as coach of Ovens and Murray Football League club Wangaratta at the time.

Greta regularly contested the finals over the ensuing decade, but only once, in 1954, under the coaching of Ken Bodger, was it successful in claiming a premiership.

The mid-1960s saw the Blues embark on their most sustained period of success to date, contesting five consecutive grand finals between 1964 and 1968, for flags in the middle three years. All three of these premiership sides were coached by former Moyhu player Maurie Farrell.

The early 1970s saw Greta continuing as a regular premiership threat without managing to break through, and then in 1976 the side failed to qualify for the finals for the first time in eighteen seasons.

The 1980s started in the best way imaginable with the club’s sixth OKFL premiership which came thanks to a solid 16.15 (111) to 13.6 (84) grand final defeat of a Whorouly side that had won the second semi final encounter between the teams by a point. Geoff Lacey, who would go on to win a Baker Medal in 1984, was in the first of an eventual three season stint as captain-coach, but he proved unable to build on the 1980 success. Indeed, although the Blues fielded some talented teams over the course of the remainder of the decade, it was to be 1993 before they again went top. Opposed in the grand final by arch rival Chiltern, Greta was really only supposed to be there to make up the numbers, but ended up winning at a canter by 66 points, 19.13 (127) to 9.7 (61). Further grand final appearances followed in 1995 (beat Beechworth by 20 points), 1997 (lost by 84 points to North Wangaratta), and 1999 (won by five points against Moyhu).

In addition to its nine senior grade OKFL flags, Greta has won reserves premierships on four occasions. In both 1965 and 1999 the club achieved the ‘double’ of senior and reserves premierships in the same year.

Performances in recent years have been largely unmemorable although the side did play finals football for three seasons straight from 2010 to 2012. There were then no finals appearances between 2013 and 2018, however, although they missed only on percentage in 2018. Finally, in 2019 the Blues returned to the finals fray, although their involvement was fleeting as they lost the elimination final to King Valley by 59 points.

Arguably the club’s most famous playing product was Ian Montgomery, who played for Greta between 1960 and 1962, spent a season with Wangaratta in the OMFL, and went on to play 48 VFL games for Collingwood, including the losing grand final of 1966 against St Kilda.

Source

John Devaney - Full Points Publications

 

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.