Australian Football

Strathmerton first competed in the Picola and District Football League in 1936 and 1937, winning the premiership in both seasons with triumphs against Barmah in the former season and Moira in the latter. The tussle with Moira was exceptionally tight and tortuous, with Strathmerton ultimately edging home by the narrowest of margins.

Between 1938 and 1993 Strathmerton competed in the Murray Football League, the same competition with which it had previously been affiliated between 1931 and 1935, and in which it had been a losing grand finalist in 1931. The MuFL was somewhat stronger than the PDFL and for a long time the club struggled to compete successfully. It did not manage to qualify for a grand final until 1956 when it enjoyed a 6 point triumph over Tocumwal. The Bulldogs went on to contest just three more MuFL grand finals, downing Numurkah in 1964, but losing to Cobram in 1960 and Deniliquin in 1975.

The club returned to the PDFL in 1994 and, after a shaky start, developed into a force in the competition. The seniors reached the finals in their second season, and the grand final in their third, going down to Katamatite by 23 points. The 1997 grand final saw Strathmerton again opposed by Katamatite, and for two quarters it appeared that the result of the match was going to be the same as in 1996. However, after trailing by 22 points at the main break the Bulldogs kept their opponents goalless for the remainder of the match, which they ended up winning comfortably, 12.12 (84) to 7.13 (55), thus annexing the club’s third senior grade PDFL flag.

Over the past decade or so Strathmerton have been a major force in the PDFL, consistently qualifying for the finals, and reaching grand finals in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2010 against Yarroweyah they won a low scoring encounter by 14 points, and five years later they accounted for Jerilderie by 16 points. The other four grand finals were all lost. In 2018 the PDFL reverted to a single division format comprising thirteen teams, and Strathmerton did well to qualify for the finals and ultimately finish sixth.