Australian Football

Waverley

Glen Waverley Football Club, which was a member of the Caulfield Oakleigh District League, was admitted to the Victorian Football Association’s second division[1] in 1961. On entry to the higher level competition the club took on the name of the newly constituted city of Waverley, and right from the outset it proved itself a competitive combination, winning 9 out of 18 matches in its inaugural season.

Three years later Waverley gained promotion to first division ‘through the back door’. Reigning first division premier Moorabbin had left the competition after a dispute with the VFA, and the Panthers, having finished the previous season as second division runners up, were the logical choice to replace them.

After narrowly avoiding relegation in 1964 the side caused a major surprise the following year when it broke through for its first and only VFA flag, downing Port Melbourne in the grand final by 12 points after being outplayed early. Final scores were Waverley 14.13 (97) to Port Melbourne 10.25 (85).

The same two sides made it through to the following year’s grand final, but on this occasion, after an even first quarter, the Borough proved to have Waverley’s measure. A small degree of consolation was afforded by former Collingwood player Allan Poore’s achievement in becoming the first ever ‘back to back’ winner of the Liston Trophy.[2]

All told, Waverley appeared in a total of four losing grand finals in a VFA career which ended after the last of them, a 19 point loss to Prahran in second division in 1987. Among the Panthers’ more prominent players over the years were the aforementioned Allan Poore, Ian Thorogood, Ron Alan and Geoff Gosper.

The club ended its affiliation with the VFA at the close of the 1987 season and subsequently joined the Victorian Amateur Football Association and finally the Eastern Football League. It absorbed Clayton Amateurs in 1989 and was renamed Waverely Amateurs, although it dropped the 'amateur' title two years later. After financial difficulties through the late 1980s and 1990s, the club merged with Mount Waverley Burwood to form Waverley Blues in 1999.