Australian Football

Doveton

Commencing in 1959, the Doves had a three decade stint in the South West Gippsland Football League, claiming a total of half a dozen senior grade flags. The side was particularly strong during the late 1970s and early 1980s when it won four premierships in six years, including a competition record (shared with Cranbourne and Tooradin Dalmore) three in a row between 1982 and 1984.

When the SWGFL was absorbed by the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League in 1995 Doveton rapidly established itself as a force in the new competition and managed to qualify for three grand finals in its first five seasons, only to lose them all. The club’s inaugural senior grade premiership in the MPNFL came in 2005 in the Casey Cardinia League courtesy of a 6.8 (44) to 5.7 (37) grand final defeat of Narre Warren. The Doves also reached the 2006 grand final, but lost by 45 points to their previous year’s victims.

In 2015 Doveton was one of nine former MPNFL clubs to band together to form a new competition, the South East Football League. The Doves qualified for the finals in their first three seasons, finishing fifth every time before enduring a disastrous 2018 campaign which saw them lose all 16 games contested to plunge to last place. 

In 2019 the Doves were among the founder members of the Outer East Football League where, competing in the second tier Division One competition, they performed strongly to qualify for the finals in third place before cruising to the premiership with wins over Monbulk in a qualifying final, and Pakenham in both the second semi final, and grand final. The season's decisive match was closely fought but Doveton led narrowly at every change en route to a 9.7 (61) to 8.7 (55) triumph.