Australian Football

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KEY FACTS

Official name
Nyora Football Club

Known as
Nyora

Formed
1880s

Colours
Black, red and white

Emblem
Saints

Affiliation (Current)
Ellinbank & District Football Netball League (EDFNL) 1967–2024

Affiliations (Historical)
Bass Valley Football Association (BVFA) 1947–1954; Bass Valley Wonthaggi District Football League (BVWDFL) 1955–1956

Senior Premierships
Bass Valley Football Association/League (BVFA/L) - 1911, 1913, 1920, 1925, 1930, 1938, 1946, 1953 (8 total); Ellinbank and District Football League - 1993, 2006-7, 2018 (4 total)

Nyora

The small railway town of Nyora first boasted a football club in the 1880s, but it was not until the first decade of the twentieth century, when the club joined the Bass Valley Football Association, that regular, competitive fixtures were engaged in. Nyora’s first premiership was won in 1911, with a second following two years later. The 1920s and ‘30s then yielded two flags apiece as the club consolidated its position as one of the stalwarts of the competition.

When football resumed after world war two Nyora was quick to add another BVFL premiership in 1946 before embarking, two years later, on a brief, unsuccessful stint in the somewhat stronger West Gippsland Football League. The 1950 season found the club back in the BVFL where it added an eighth and final flag in 1953.

In 1955 the BVFL merged with the Wonthaggi and District Football League to form the Bass Valley Wonthaggi and District Football League, and Nyora was one of thirteen founder member clubs. After just two seasons in the competition, however, the club was forced to disband because it was unable to field a reserves team, and as of 1957 this had become a condition of membership. Nyora remained in mothballs until 1964, and most of the club’s time since has been spent in the Ellinbank and District Football League, where it has three times succeeded in claiming the ultimate prize of the senior grade premiership. 

The second of these, in 2006, was won in truly emphatic fashion: after topping the ladder with a 17-1 record the Saints trounced Longwarry in the second semi final by 91 points, before proving too strong for Bunyip in a hard fought grand final. Nyora’s 16.18 (114) to 15.13 (103) win went some way towards erasing the memories of a 2005 season that would have to go down in the ledger as the quintessential ‘one that got away’. After comfortably heading the ladder going into the finals the side duly made it through to the decisive match of the year, only to slump to a 21 point loss at the hands of Catani.

The Saints’ third EDFL flag in 2007 could scarcely have been achieved in more convincing fashion as they overwhelmed Catani in the grand final by the amazing margin of 138 points. Final scores were Nyora 39.21 (255) defeated Catani 18.9 (117).

For much of the past decade the Saints have struggled, even succumbing to a wooden spoon in 2015. There was marginal improvement over the next two seasons which brought ninth of fifteen (2016) and eighth of ten (2017) place finishes but few could have predicted how superbly the Saints would perform in 2018. After topping the ladder with 16 wins from 18 home and away matches they progressed straight to the grand final with a come from behind 15 point defeat of Longwarry in the second semi final. When the same two sides confronted one another on grand final day the scores were closer, but the result was the same, Nyora winning by 4 points, 3.4 (22) to 2.6 (18).

Source

John Devaney - Full Points Publications

 

Footnotes

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