Australian Football

The Centurions began life in the Western Suburban Football League where they contested losing grand finals in 1974 and 1980 before breaking through for the first of three successive flags in 1981. In 1984 the club crossed to the Geelong and District Football League’s second division and promptly added another premiership thanks to a 20.22 (142) to 15.11 (101) grand final thrashing of Bannockburn. The 1985 season saw the Centurions lining up in first division where they ended up making it through to their sixth straight grand final. Opponents Geelong Amateurs proved too strong, however, and won by 6 goals.

The club’s breakthrough first division G&DFL flag was nevertheless quick to arrive courtesy of a 17.20 (122) to 13.16 (94) grand final defeat of Lara in 1987. Two years later another premiership followed thanks to a 3 point grand final win over Anakie.

Arguably the strongest teams in the Centurions’ history emerged around the turn of the century, as evidenced by their feat in claiming three consecutive premierships at the expense of Bannockburn. The club’s sixth top tier G&DFL flag was won in 2004 in dramatic fashion. After topping the ladder with a 17-1 record the side cruised into the grand final on the strength of a 20 point second semi final win over Corio. The grand final clash with the same opponent was a vastly different affair, however, and although the Centurions had marginally more of the play, at the end it was they, and not the Devils, who were hanging on grimly and praying desperately for the siren. Final scores were Werribee Centrals 6.11 (47); Corio 7.5 (47) - the first drawn grand final in the competition’s history. A week later, the Centurions made emphatic amends with a 21.9 (135) to 8.9 (57) triumph.

Since their 2004 premiership the seniors have continued to perform solidly, reaching the preliminary final in 2005 and the elimination final a year later. The reserves meanwhile beat Thomson by 24 points in the 2006 grand final to claim their seventh G&DFL flag. The seniors have continued to qualify for the finals regularly. In 2009 they came fifth after the home and away rounds before going down by 28 points to Bannockburn in an elimination final. After contesting every finals series between 2009 and 2013 they missed out in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Their best recent season was 2010 when they reached the grand final but lost to Bell Post Hill.