Paringa

Paringa competed initially in the Upper Murray Football League’s B Grade competition. In 1971, this competition metamorphosed into the Riverland Independent Football League, and the following year the Swans reached their first grand final, which they lost to Brown’s Well by 26 points. Seven years later came a second grand final appearance, this time against Gerard, with the Swans emerged victorious to the tune of 38 points.\n\nThe 1980s proved to be a nightmare decade for Paringa whose senior grade side contested grand finals in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987 and 1988, and lost them all. The Swans had to wait until 1995 to procure their second flag, which they did at the expense of Brown’s Well by 22 points, 11.14 (80) to 7.16 (58). This was the first of three successive grand final appearances for Paringa, the second of which brought defeat at the hands of Lyrup and the third a slashing 103 point triumph over Brown’s Well.\n\nSince the turn of the century the Swans have contested another four grand finals and gone some way toward balancing the ledger with victories over Lyrup in 2002, Cobdogla in 2005, and Wunkar in 2009, and just one reversal, against Cobdogla in 2006.