Australian Football

Old Haileyburians

Sunday 24th September 2006 brought the culmination of almost half a century of striving when Old Haileyburians Amateur Football Club shook off a determined challenge from Old Xaverians to achieve the ultimate in Victorian amateur football, an A Section VAFA premiership. In what was the side’s first ever grand final appearance at this level, it trailed by 14 points at the first change before a 6 goals to 2 second quarter put it on course for a memorable and well earned triumph against the Association’s most successful club of the preceding decade. Old Haileyburians won in the end by 23 points, 13.8 (86) to 9.9 (63), with former Geelong and Carlton player Carl Steinfort winning the Jock Nelson Medal for his best afield performance, initially at centre half back, and later as a ‘floater’ in defence.

Since entering the VAFA’s E Section in 1961 the club’s progress has, on the whole, been steady and measured rather than meteoric. Formed by a group of ex-students of Haileybury School, most members of the initial team were school leavers, a state of affairs that has continued until the present day.

In 1962, Old Haileyburians waved goodbye for good to E Section, although the manner of their promotion - a 34 point grand final loss to Monash University in which the side only managed to kick 2 goals - was perhaps less than ideal. Nevertheless, the team acquitted itself superbly in the higher standard D Section and when it found itself once more pitted against Monash on grand final day it determinedly seized the opportunity to procure revenge, and won a hard fought match by 14 points, 12.6 (78) to 9.10 (64).

C Section proved a somewhat more difficult nut to crack, however, and at the end of four mediocre seasons the side found itself back in D Section. After taking a couple of years to readjust, the side again reached a D Section grand final, this time against Assumption Old Collegians, and once more emerged triumphant, 10.3 (63) to 5.7 (37). The side has not played in D Section since, but the elusive dream of A Section football would remain out of reach for some time yet, with the entire period between 1970 and 1989 involving a succession of return trips between B and C Sections. It was not until 1989, however, that promotion from C Section was achieved by means of a premiership rather than as a losing grand finalist, but in trouncing Banyule 23.20 (158) to 12.1 (73) Old Haileyburians served emphatic notice that it was a team whose time had arrived. It reinforced this message a year later when it won its first B Section premiership in similarly conclusive fashion, its grand final tally of 26.25 (181) establishing a new record high for that level. Opponents Old Melburnians could only manage 7.3 (45).

Coached by former St. Kilda and West Torrens player Simon Meehan, this was clearly, by some measure, the best Old Haileyburians team to date, a fact it reinforced by consolidating in A Section in 1991 and reaching the finals the following year. The time was still not quite right for that final step, however, and the Bloods would need to earn their spurs in two further B Section grand finals (one of which was won) before they were ready to make a legitimate assault on the amateur game’s ‘Holy Grail’.

In 2005 it appeared that Old Haileyburians might be on course for A Section glory when they headed the ladder after the home and away series. However, a spate of injuries picked up late in the season hampered their finals campaign to the extent that they bowed out of premiership contention in "straight sets’"

Twelve months later it was a completely different story as the Bloods capitalised on their top position going into the finals by downing Old Xaverians in the second semi final to earn themselves a week’s rest, and then made it ‘mission accomplished’ a fortnight later against the same opposition. In what was a supreme all round team effort they triumphed despite the early loss through injury of strong marking key forward Stewie Loewe, and a quieter than usual display from 2006 Woodrow Medallist Andrew Jenke.

Having scaled the heights in 2006, Old Haileybury scoured the depths a year later when the seniors could only manage a couple of wins all season, thereby inevitably succumbing to relegation to B Section, which was where the Bloods won their next flag, in 2015. The grand final pitted Old Haileybury against Monash Blues and the first half of the match was closely contested with the Bloods going into the main break just 4 points to the good. After half time, however, Old Haileybury assumed complete control adding 7 goals to 1 to win comfortably by 48 points, 13.18 (96) to 6.12 (48).

The Bloods were fairly competitive in Premier B in 2016, never losing a match by more than 49 points, but unfortunately only winning on 4 occasions which consigned them to relegation back to Premier C. Given that the side was by no means out of its depth in Premier B it seemed reasonable to expect a strong promotion challenge from the Bloods in 2017, and so it proved. Second after the home and away rounds the Bloods comfortably qualified for the grand final at the expense of Caulfield Grammarians and went on to procure the premiership at the expense of the same opposition. The 2018 season brought consolidation in Premier B with the Bloods winning 5 of their 18 minor round matches to finish seventh (of ten).