Australian Football

Olinda Ferny Creek

Olinda and Ferny Creek amalgamated in 1946 and the resultant club - known, naturally enough, as Olinda Ferny Creek - commenced in the Mountain Districts Football League the same year. In 1965 it crossed to the third division of the Eastern Districts Football League in which it was successful in claiming a hat trick of senior grade flags between 1966 and 1968. A fourth such flag came the Bloods’ way in 1978.

The 1986 season saw Olinda Ferny Creek affiliating with the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League (known nowadays as the Yarra Ranges Football Netball League) in which it has continued to compete ever since. To date, the Bloods have added three more senior grade premierships to their haul. In 2005 they accounted for South Belgrave by 54 points in the Division Two grand final and four years later they withstood a determined Division Two grand final challenge from Kinglake, winning in the end by a single straight kick, 12.12 (84) to 11.12 (78).

The last eight seasons have seen the Bloods competing with mixed success in the YRFNL's top division. They enjoyed their best campaign during that period in 2017 when they overcame the setback of a second semi final reversal at the hands of Woori Yallock to turn the tables emphatically a fortnight later on grand final day. After a closely fought first quarter the Bloods comprehensively blew their opponents out of the water adding 17 goals to 2 to emerge triumphant by 101 points, 18.17 (125) to 3.6 (24).

The Bloods again made the finals in 2018 when they got as far as a losing first semi final clash with Healesville.