Australian Football

In recent seasons Heyfield has been a dominant force in the North Gippsland Football League, but it was not always so. The club’s first competitive outings were in the Heyfield District Football Association in 1902. Between then and world war two it competed at various times in several different leagues and associations, but does not appear to have procured a senior grade premiership until 1947 in the Cowwarr Football League. The club’s second senior flag followed ten years later in the Gippsland Football League, but it was only after commencing in the North Gippsland Football League in 1975 that Heyfield would begin to emerge as a consistent force.

The Kangaroos’ first premiership in the NGFL arrived in only their second season in the competition. Opposed in the grand final by Stratford, they won with a fair degree of comfort by 38 points, 17.18 (120) to 11.16 (82). Making the win if anything even more meritorious was the fact that it came as the culmination of an unbeaten season. Heyfield’s next two grand final appearances, in 1985 and 1987, both resulted in defeat at the hands of Nambrok and Cowwarr respectively. The 1988 grand final saw the Kangaroos turning the tables on Cowwarr to the tune of six straight kicks, 11.12 (78) to 5.12 (42). Heyfield reached the premiership deciders of 1989 and 1990 as well, making it five grand final appearances in six seasons, including four in succession. Both these matches resulted in losses to Gormandale, however.

The last couple of decades or so or so of the current century have seen Heyfield enjoying the most frequent and sustained spell of success in its history. Between 1997 and 2016 the club’s senior grade team played off in no fewer than fourteen grand finals, winning  eight of them. The triumphs came at the expense of Traralgon Tyers United in 1997, Glengarry in 1998, Sale City in 1999, Glengarry once more in 2000, Cowwarr in 2005, Churchill in both 2007 and 2009, and Rosedale in 2012. In 2013 they were particularly unfortunate in that their grand final loss to Glengarry came after extra time.

The 2017 season saw the 'Roos get within one match of another grand final appearance when they lost the preliminary final to Sale City by 39 points. A year later they experienced a somewhat tougher time in dropping to seventh place after winning just 7 of their 18 matches.

In addition to their ten senior grade premierships the Kangaroos have won nine reserves and seven thirds grade flags.