Australian Football

Neerim Neerim South

Former Neerim District Football Association clubs Neerim and Neerim South had competed in the Ellinbank and District Football League for just a couple of seasons when they decided that their future would be more viable if they merged. It took a while for the chemistry to develop, but within a decade the Cats had emerged as a genuine force. They contested their first grand final in 1959, but lost by 16 points to Nilma Lillico. Another grand final loss, this time at the hands of Warragul Industrials, followed in 1960, but when the Cats next reached the grand final in 1962 it was a case of third time lucky as they triumphed over their conquerors of two seasons earlier.

Following their breakthrough success the Cats quickly added further flags in 1964, at the expense of Warragul Industrials once again, and 1966, when they restricted grand final opponents Hallora Strzelecki to a paltry 2.7 (19) in winning easily by 50 points.

The next two decades both yielded a single premiership, while the 1990s saw the only back to back successes in the club’s history.

More recently, the Cats have experienced mixed fortunes, with the highlight being a losing grand final appearance against Garfield in 2011. The last four seasons have brought fourth of fifteen (2015), fifth of fifteen (2016), third of ten (2017) and ninth of ten (2018) place finishes.