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Official name
Minyip Murtoa Football Club
Known as
Minyip Murtoa
Formed
1995: merger of Minyip and Murtoa
Colours
Blue, black and white
Emblem
Kokaburras
Associated clubs
Minyip; Murtoa
Affiliation (Current)
Wimmera Football Netball League (WFNL) 1995–2024
Senior Premierships
Wimmera Football League - 1996-7-8 (3 total)
Both Minyip and Murtoa had enjoyed fair amounts of success prior to their merger, which was finalised in 1995 after both clubs had struggled to recruit sufficient players for several years. Much of Murtoa’s success - eight out of a total of nine premierships won - had come prior to the first world war, but Minyip had defied its recruitment problems to be a competition force until the time of the merger, with the club’s hat trick of flags between 1991 and 1993 giving it a total of seven since world war two.
Following the merger, the Kookaburras struggled in their debut season, but the appointment of former Port Adelaide player John Harvey as coach in 1996 sparked a spectacular improvement, with the seniors going top three times in succession, and the reserves claiming flags in 1996 and 1998.
The ensuing decade was less noteworthy, but in 2012, when they finished fifth, there were signs that the club had turned the corner. Further losing elimination finals followed in 2013 and 2014 before the 'Burras topped the ladder in 2015 only to lose both finals. In 2016 they made it as far as a hard, slogging grand final clash with Horsham Saints which the Saints won by 2 points, 6.9 (45) to 6.7 (43). They reached the grand final yet again in 2017 only to succumb on this occasion to Horsham by a 24 point margin. This was followed in 2018 by a drop to sixth place on the premiership ladder.
John Devaney - Full Points Publications