Australian Football

After the first world war Great Western competed for a time in the Ararat and District Football Association before crossing to the Stawell and District Football Association in 1926. The club spent the next seven seasons in this competition and claimed a premiership in 1927 thanks to a 7.9 (51) to 3.15 (33) grand final defeat of Stawell Imperials. In 1933 Great Western resumed in the ADFA, reaching a grand final five years later, but losing to Methodists. The 1941 season brought a first ever ADFA flag, and after the war the club would add three more. However, its involvement in the competition was broken by a two season stint in the South Wimmera Football League during which it won the 1951 grand final, downing Swifts by 8 points, 9.12 (66) to 8.10 (58).

Between the late 1950s and the early 1980s the Demons, as they were known prior to becoming the Lions in 2000, were consistently among the pacesetters in the ADFA. Over the course of the twenty-six seasons from 1958 to 1983 they contested a total of ten senior grade grand finals, with the three triumphs alluded to earlier coming in 1962 at the expense of Landsborough, 1972 against Methodists, and 1983 against Warriors.

Prior to transferring to the Horsham and District Football League in 2000 Great Western qualified for another two ADFA grand finals, losing to Caledonians in 1985, and to St Mary’s in 1998. 

Great Western spent eleven seasons in the Horsham and District Football League and it would probably be fair to suggest that it failed really to impose itself on the competition. After the 2010 season the club spent a year in recess before reforming and departing to pastures new in the shape of the Mininera and District Football League. To date, the Lions have finished12th and last in 2012, ninth in 2013, 10th in both 2014 and 2015, 11th in 2016, bottom of the ladder in 2017, ninth in 2018 and premiers in 2019, courtesy of a 13.11 (89) to 12.12 (84) grand final defeat of Penshurst.