Australian Football

North Albury

The North Albury Football Club came into being in 1937 when it catered for various age groups up to under twenty-one level. After the war the club embraced senior status and, competing in the Chiltern and District Football League, captured a premiership in 1946, which proved to be its only season in the competition. Since 1947 the Hoppers have been members of the powerful Ovens and Murray Football League, basin themselves initially at Albury’s home ground but from 1962 at Bunton Park.

Expected to struggle at first the Hoppers surprised by reaching a grand final in only their second season. Opposed by co-tenants Albury, North gave as good as they got for four tempestuous, gut-wrenching quarters and ultimately emerged victorious by a single straight kick, 9.16 (70) to 8.16 (64).

The 1950s brought three grand final appearances with a triumph over Wangaratta in 1955 being sandwiched between losses to the same club in 1950 and to Albury in 1956. The ensuing couple of decades were bleak times for the Hoppers with losing grand finals in 1973 against Benalla and 1975 against Wangaratta Rovers the closest they came to adding to their flag haul. 

The 1980s brought a dramatic change in fortune as the club’s senior grade side contested every finals series bar one for the decade. Nevertheless, behind the scenes the club was enduring a hard time financially, and in 1984 was forced to cut players’ wages, a move which was not universally accepted. One of the players who objected was club skipper John Smith who packed his bags and joined Wodonga. Ironically, North Albury ended up meeting Wodonga in that season’s grand final, and impoverished as they were off the field the Hoppers proved themselves masters on it in recording a tense but thoroughly deserved 3 point win. The seniors had previously also won the 1980 premiership at the expense of Wangaratta Rovers. A third grand final appearance of the decade came in 1986, but Lavington proved to have the Hoppers’ measure on that occasion.

North Albury contested just one senior grade grand final during the 1990s, but it was a victorious one. Opposed by close rivals Albury, the Hoppers claimed the 1999 premiership in fine style with a 17.12 (114) to 14.3 (87) triumph.

Since the turn of the century North have affirmed their status as one of the OMFL’s leading clubs with further grand final appearances in 2002 (defeated Wangaratta Rovers), 2004 (lost to Wodonga) and 2007 (went down to Wangaratta).

Over the past few seasons the Hoppers have tended to struggle although they did manage to qualify for the finals in 2010, when they finished third, and both 2013 and 2015 when they came fifth. By contrast they endured disappointing times in 2014 (seventh of ten), 2016 (ninth), 2017 (eighth) and 2018 (seventh)..