Australian Football

Having commenced in the competition in 2004 the Gulls are the East Gippsland Football League’s newest additions. The club was actually a founder member of the league back in 1974, but left after the 1985 season.

Paynesville’s first senior grade EGFL flag was won in 1984 in the Division Two competition that ran only that year and the next. In 1986 this competition was replaced by the Riviera Football League which continued, and in which the Gulls participated, until 2003.

The Gulls' first and only top tier EGFL premiership finally arrived in 2013 when Paynesville overcame Lucknow in the grand final by 20 points, 15.7 (97) to 11.11 (77). A second grand final appearance followed in 2016 but on this occasion the Gulls found opponents Lindenow too strong and went down by 37 points. A year later they succumbed to the indignity of a wooden spoon after winning just 1 of their 18 home and away matches. This was followed by marginal improvement in 2018 when managed 3 wins, good enough for seventh place on the eight team premiership ladder.