Australian Football

In 1945, Mildura was one of eight founder members of the Sunraysia Football League, which technically was a continuation of the Mildura District Football League. The side reached the grand final on debut, losing by 40 points to an RAAF team that would disband at the end of the season. The Demons claimed their first SunFL premiership the following year when they accounted for Merbein in the grand final by 55 points, 15.10 (100) to 5.15 (45).

The 1950s proved to be the Demons’ halcyon decade as they contested eight out of ten grand finals for four wins. They then commenced the 1960s in exemplary fashion by securing their sixth SFL flag, but then had to wait until 1982 before adding another. That 1982 success was achieved by the narrowest of margins against a Red Cliffs side which had won the previous two grand finals at Mildura’s expense.

Organised football had originally come to Mildura in 1903 with the formation of the Mildura Football League. Mildura was a foundation member of this competition, and won its first flag in 1908. The club was especially strong during the 1920s, regularly contesting the finals, and claiming four premierships. After that, the 1930s were somewhat disappointing, with a losing grand final appearance against South Merbein in 1933 the closest the side came to a flag.

After going almost a quarter of a century without tasting premiership glory the Demons began to give signs in 2006 that their long wait might soon be over. They eventually got as far as the preliminary final before losing to eventual premiers Irymple by 46 points.\n\nIn 2007, the Demons comfortably made the finals in second place, behind Imperials only on percentage. They then twice overcame the Imps, by 75 points in the second semi final and 12 points a fortnight later in the grand final, to earn a long overdue eighth SFL flag.

The ensuing couple of seasons brought a steady decline in fortunes as the Demons finished fourth in 2008 and sixth, and well out of contention, in 2009. Subsequent seasons provided intermittent cause for optimism which almost came to fruition in a 2016 season that saw the Demons claim the minor premiership before acquiring flag favouritism on the strength of a comfortable second semi final defeat of Irymple. The grand final, however, proved a bridge too far, and opponents Ouyen United comfortably held sway, winning by 29 points, 16.10 (106) to 11.11 (77).

Mildura again performed strongly during the 2017 home and away rounds, after which they topped the ladder with a 14-2 record. However, once the finals arrived they somehow contrived to lose the plot and bowed out of the flag race with "straight sets" losses to Ouyen United and Irymple. This was followed in 2018 by an extremely disappointing showing which brought just 3 wins from 16 matches and saw the side slump to second from last place on the ladder.