Australian Football

Warburton Millgrove

Warburton Millgrove boasts an illustrious lineage in that both the Warburton and Millgrove Football Clubs enjoyed considerable success prior to their merger in 1967. Warburton Football Club was formed in 1906, and was particularly strong between the wars and during the 1940s and ‘50s. The club’s official colours were black and white, and its senior team claimed a total of at least eight senior grade premierships, all in the Yarra Valley Football Association, with the possibility of there having been additional premierships won during the club’s early years about which viable records have yet to be uncovered.

Millgrove Football Club, established two years after Warburton, also spent most of its existence competing in the YVFA. The club achieved an even greater amount of premiership success than Warburton, with no fewer than thirteen senior grade flags definitely known to have been won. Millgrove’s official colours were blue and white. 

During the 1960s many country football clubs were forced to merge because of dwindling player numbers coupled with increasing financial demands. Millgrove and Warburton were two such clubs, combining forces in 1967 as the Burras. With former Carlton reserves and Coburg rover Laurie Leyden as coach, the fledgling club’s senior combination reached the finals in its debut season, ultimately finishing fourth. Warburton Millgrove’s first flag was procured in 1969, by the seconds side, and indeed the seconds would go top twice more before the seniors, coached by Mark Tucker and under the captaincy of Rohan Hubbard, broke through for their first premiership in 1995. Second after the home and away rounds, the Burras played exceptional football during the finals to overcome minor premiers Healesville in the second semi final and Wandin on grand final day by 21 points. Ruck-rover Ross Watson’s Ramage Medal win was icing on the cake.

The Burras’ second senior grade flag arrived in 2000 when they were coached by Brendan Woods and skippered by Mick Walker. This triumph was followed by a gradual decline in fortunes, culminating in relegation to Division Two in 2005.

In claiming back its top division status at the first time of asking in 2006 Warburton Millgrove enjoyed one of the finest, and most dominant, seasons in its history. For a start, the seniors, captained by Terry Walker, won the premiership without dropping a game, with James Iacano landing the Wandin Medal, and coach Vincent Muccitelli amassed an incredible tally of 174 goals to top the Division Two goal kicking list. To cap things off, the reserves also claimed a premiership, leaving no-one in any doubt that Division One was where the Burras belonged.

The Burras spent more than a decade in Division One, regularly flirting with relegation, but invariably - until 2018, that is - managing to survive. The 2017 season was a case in point as their tally of 3 wins for the year saw them finish ahead only of wooden spooners Gembrook Cockatoo. As already intimated, in 2018 the team slumped to the wooden spoon and, with it, relegation back to Division Two.