Australian Football

Neither Kiewa nor Sandy Creek had enjoyed senior grade premiership success in the Tallangatta and District Football League prior to their merger in 1969. Some marriages are clearly made in heaven, however, because the newly merged club promptly succeeded where its constituent partners had failed by promptly procuring the 1969 flag. Obviously relishing the achievement, the Hawks duly repeated it the following year, lighting the touch paper on a decade that would see them establish themselves as the TDFL’s pre-eminent force, with further senior grade premierships coming their way in 1972, 1976 and 1977.

The club’s pre-eminence waned only slightly over the course of the ensuing decade, which spawned a trio of grand final triumphs. However, after the last of these, in 1984, there followed an eleven season premiership drought, albeit that it was finally broken in quite emphatic fashion with a crushing 17.11 (113) to 8.8 (56) defeat of Mitta United in the 1995 grand final. There then followed an even longer premiership drought which perhaps ought to have come to an end in 2007, but ultimately lasted another twelve months. After several seasons of mid-table finishes the Hawks fought their way through to the 2007 grand final, in which they started as narrow favourites against Mitta United. However, the Blues’ greater accuracy in front of goal saw them prevail by the narrowest of margins, 8.7 (55) to 7.12 (54).

A year later the Hawks again entered the senior grade grand final as favourites, and on this occasion their performance justified their status as they scored a comfortable 34 point victory over Dederang Mount Beauty. Indeed, their superiority was probably greater than the margin suggests, given that they managed almost twice as many scoring shots as the Bombers in winning 14.28 (112) to 11.12 (78).

Kiewa Sandy Creek's next senior grade premiership was attained in 2011 by means of a 15.6 (96) to 11.6 (72) grand final defeat of Thurgoona. Their most recent flag came in 2014 when Mitta United were downed by 17 points, 16.12 (108) to 14.7 (91). The Hawks also reached the 2015 grand final but lost a thriller to Tallangatta Valley. With scores tied at the conclusion of the match extra time was called for and ended with Tallangatta a single point to the good. The Hawks again featured on grand final day in 2017 only to suffer a somewhat humiliating 85 point reversal at the hands of Thurgoona. Fortunes were restored in emphatic fashion twelve months later as the Hawks comfortably topped the ladder and eventually carried off the premiership, their thirteenth, with a 14.16 (100) to 9.8 (62) grand final defeat of Thurgoona.