Australian Football

AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game

 

KEY FACTS

Official name
Tungamah Football Club

Known as
Tungamah

Formed
1882

Colours
Maroon, gold and white

Emblem
Bears

Affiliation (Current)
Picola & District Football Netball League (PDFNL) 1995–2024

Affiliations (Historical)
Yarrawonga District Football Association (YDFA) 1913–1919; Benalla Mulwala Football League (BMFL) 1920–1939; Murray Valley North-East Football League (MVNEFL) 1946–1947; Tungarmah Football League (TFL) 1948–1994

Senior Premierships
Murray Valley and North Eastern District Football League (MVNEDFL) - 1946-7 (2 total); Benalla Tungamah Football League (BTFL) - 1976, 1986 (2 total); Picola and District Football League - 1999, 2008 (2 total); South East Division - 2009, 2013-14-15 (4 total)

Tungamah

Details of Tungamah’s history prior to world war two are sketchy but the club is known to have enjoyed a halcyon phase during the 1930s, contesting six straight grand finals at one point. Since the war premiership success has, until recently, been only sporadically achieved, although the club does boast the distinction of having won the only two Murray Valley and North Eastern District Football League grand finals ever contested, in 1946 and 1947. The 1948 season saw the formation of the Benalla Tungamah Football League in which Tungamah would compete until 1995. The club, known during this period in its history as the Grasshoppers, collected a brace of BTFL flags, in 1976 and 1986.

The transfer to the Picola and District Football League in 1995 meant that the club had to abandon its green and gold playing uniforms and the Grasshopper emblem. Tungamah became the Bears, in colours of maroon, gold and white. They won their first senior grade PDFL premiership in 1999, defeating Blighty by 6 goals in a replayed grand final after the sides had drawn 9.11 (65) apiece. Tungamah again went top in 2008, following which, because of a burgeoning club membership, the PDFL split into North West and South East Divisions. The Bears lined up in the South East Division and duly captured their second consecutive flag with an 11.15 (81) to 5.12 (42) grand final defeat of Shepparton East. Another grand final appearance followed in 2010 but Shepparton East proved too strong, and won by 48 points. After finishing third in 2011 and fourth in 2012 Tungamah again qualified for the grand final in 2013 and this time made no mistake, accounting for opponents Waaia by 26 points, 17.20 (122) to 15.6 (6). The ensuing couple of seasons saw the Bears continuing to dominate the competition, winning all 20 matches contested in 2014 culminating in a 24.14 (158) to 8.4 (52) grand final defeat of Katamatite, and mirroring this achievement in a 2015 season which ended with an easy grand final win over Waaia. The Bears again reached the grand final in both the next two seasons but lost to Shepparton East in 2016 and Rennie in 2017. The 2018 season brought a sharp decline in fortunes as the side only managed 5 wins from 18 matches to plummet down the list to twelfth of fifteen teams.

Source

John Devaney - Full Points Publications

 

Footnotes

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