Australian Football

Peninsula OB

Admitted to the VAFA’s F Section competition in 1980, Peninsula Old Boys reached the preliminary final that year, and two years later achieved promotion to E Section after losing a closely contested grand final to Bulleen United. The next dozen seasons saw the side frequently contesting the finals, but it was not until 1995 that promotion was attained. Somewhat disappointingly, it again came via the ‘back door’ route of a losing grand final, as indeed it has done on five subsequent occasions. One such occurrence came in 2006, in D2 Section, and it was particularly galling in that the side had comfortably topped the ladder heading into the finals, but was then twice beaten by Oakleigh to the tune of 58 and 67 points.

In 2007 the Pirates, coached for the second successive year by Mark Glenn, faced up well to the challenge of D1 Section football, winning 8 of their 18 matches to finish seventh (of ten), but the 2008 season brought a slump in fortune and relegation back to Division Two, the name by which D2 Section was now known. The Pirates performed well in 2009, reaching the grand final in which they started as favourites against Williamstown CYMS, but then kicking themselves out of contention in losing by 27 points despite managing 3 more scoring shots than their opponents. A small measure of consolation was afforded by Stefan Barbour’s runaway win in the Division best and fairest award, the J Fullerton Medal.

Despite the loss, the Pirates had earned promotion to Division One, which was where they remained until a 2012 season which brought another promotion as losing grand finalists, this time to Premier C (formerly known as C Section). Opposed in the flag decider by NOBS St Pats the Pirates were outplayed during the first half and although they battled well after half time they had left themselves with a little too much to do, and they ultimately went down by 3 straight kicks.

Over the next few seasons Peninsula Old Boys gradually firmed up their position in Premier C before reaching the grand final in 2016. Once again, the Pirates came up short, losing out to Mazenod Old Collegians by 34 points. Amazingly, the Pirates had made it all the way from the VAFA's basement to the dizzy heights of Premier B without capturing a single senior grade flag, but in 2017 their upward progress not only stalled but was comprehensively derailed as they managed just 3 wins for the year to slump to last place, and with it immediate relegation back to Premier C. A year later they suffered another calamitous campaign, winning just 5 games to finish second from last on the Premier C premiership table. Accordingly, the Pirates will be playing Division One football in 2019.