Ellinbank & District Football League

Ellinbank & District Football League
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 EDFNL season
SportAustralian rules football
Founded137
Divisions1
No. of teams11
CountryAustralia
Most recent
champion(s)		Buln Buln
(12th premiership)
Official websiteEDFL (archived)

The Ellinbank and District Football Netball League (EDFNL), formerly known as the Ellinbank & District Football League (EDFL), is an Australian rules football and netball league, based in the West Gippsland region of Victoria for smaller towns and villages in the regions of Baw Baw, South Gippsland and Cardinia.

There are eleven teams in the league, fielding two senior football sides and two football junior sides (U/16 and U/18) and three senior netball sides and three junior netball sides.

History

The EDFL was founded in 1937.

In 2014, the league partitioned into two geographic divisions which operated as separate competitions with separate premiers.[1] In this season, the seven-team western division comprised Nar Nar Goon, Garfield, Cora Lynn, Koo Wee Rup, Bunyip, Catani and Lang Lang; and the eastern division, with eight clubs, comprised Nyora, Poowong, Ellinbank, Nilma-Darnum, Warragul Industrials, Buln Buln, Neerim-Neerim South and Longwarry. This partition lasted only one year, and the league rejoined as a single division again from 2015.[2]

In 2016 C31 broadcast a live match of the EDFL game between Koo Wee Rup and Cora Lynn.

In 2017 five clubs were redirected to found the West Gippsland Football Netball League. This left the league with ten clubs. The 2019 senior premiership was won by Longwarry Football Club over Ellinbank by 39 points. The grand final was played at Dowton Park Yarragon.

In the 2018 AFL Gippsland League Review, Yarragon joined from the neighbouring Mid Gippsland League.[3] Warragul Industrials moved to the West Gippsland League,[4] keeping the competition at ten clubs.

Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, all EDFL competitions were abandoned for season 2020. Season 2021 saw games resume but due to COVID-19 restrictions a finals series was not played and there were no premiers.

In 2021 the Trafalgar Football and Netball Club joined the EDFL taking the total teams to 11. 2021 will also see the junior age structure change to Under 16.5 and Under 18.5

In 2022 the Ellinbank & District Football League and Ellinbank & District Netball Association merged to form the Ellinbank & District Football Netball League (EDFNL).[5] The junior age groups will revert to Under 16 and Under 18 in football.

The 2023 senior premiership was won by Buln Buln over Neerim-Neerim South by 30 points. It is Buln Buln's first premiership since the 2014 EDFL East Grand Final, and their 11th total. The grand final was played at Dowton Park Yarragon and the game was broadcast locally on SEN Track 91.9FM

Clubs

Current clubs

Club Colours Moniker Home venue Former League Formed Years in EDFL EDFL Senior Premierships
Total Years
Buln Buln
Lyrebirds Buln Buln Recreation Reserve, Buln Buln NDFL 1919 1949- 12 1956, 1965, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2014 (East), 2023, 2024
Bunyip
Bulldogs Bunyip Recreation Reserve, Bunyip WGFNC 1879 1982-2016, 2025- 3 1990, 2000, 2012
Catani
Blues Catani Recreation Reserve, Catani WGFL 1976- 4 1992, 2004, 2005, 2017
Ellinbank
Eagles Ellinbank Recreation Reserve, Warragul South WDJFA 1937- 15 1939, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1961, 1963, 1974, 1975, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1995
Lang Lang
Tigers Lang Lang Community Recreation Precinct, Caldermeade WGFL 1895 2000- 0 –
Longwarry
Crows Longwarry Recreation Reserve, Longwarry WGFL 1900s 1993- 1 2019
Neerim-Neerim South
Cats Neerim South Recreation Reserve, Neerim South – 1954 1954- 8 1962, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1998, 1999, 2022
Nilma Darnum
Bombers Darnum Recreation Reserve, Darnum – 1947 1947- 5 1947 (Darnum FC), 1949, 1951, 1959 (Nilma Lillico FC), 2009 (Nilma Darnum FC)
Nyora
Saints Nyora Recreation Reserve, Nyora BVWDFL 1880s 1967- 4 1993, 2006, 2007, 2018
Poowong
Magpies Poowong Recreation Reserve, Poowong SGFL 1900s 1967- 9 1967, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1991, 2003
Trafalgar
Bloods Trafalgar Recreation Reserve, Trafalgar MGFNL 1888 2021- 0 –
Yarragon
Panthers Dowton Park Reserve, Yarragon MGFNL 1895 2019- 0 –

Former clubs

Club Colours Moniker Home Ground Former League Formed Years in EDFL EDFL Senior Premierships Fate
Total Years
Arrawatta – c. 1930s 1938-1939 0 - Folded
Cora Lynn
Cobras Cora Lynn Recreation Reserve, Cora Lynn GL 1913 2005-2016 4 2008, 2014 (West), 2015, 2016 Formed West Gippsland FNC following 2016 season
Darnum Darnum Recreation Reserve, Darnum – c. 1920s 1920s-1947 1 1947 Merged with Nilma following 1947 season to form Nilma Darnum
Drouin Imperials – c. 1920s 1938-1939[6][7] 0 - Competed in nearby reserves competitions post-war, folded in c. 1950s
Garfield
Stars Garfield Recreation Reserve, Garfield GL 1935 2010-2016 0 - Formed West Gippsland FNC following 2016 season
Hallora – c. 1930s 1937-1952 1 1950 Merged with Strzelecki following 1952 season to form Hallora Strzelecki
Hallora Strzelecki    Hallora Recreation Reserve, Hallora – 1953 1953-1987 4 1958, 1968, 1969, 1971 Folded
Koo Wee Rup
Demons Koo Wee Rup Recreation Reserve, Koo Wee Rup WGFL c. 1900 2000-2016 0 - Formed West Gippsland FNC following 2016 season
Nar Nar Goon
Goons Nar Nar Goon Recreation Reserve, Nar Nar Goon GL c. 1900 2005-2016 1 2010 Formed West Gippsland FNC following 2016 season
Neerim NDFL c. 1900s 1952-1953 0 - Merged with Neerim South following 1952 season
Neerim Junction – 1924 1952-1953 0 - Merged with Noojee following 1952 season to form Noojee Neerim Junction
Neerim South Neerim South Recreation Reserve, Neerim South NDFL c. 1920s 1952-1953 0 - Merged with Neerim following 1952 season to form Neerim-Neerim South
Noojee – c. 1920s 1952-1953 0 - Merged with Neerim Junction following 1952 season to form Noojee Neerim Junction
Noojee Neerim Junction – 1954 1954-1961 1 1957 Folded
Ripplebrook – ? 1938-1950 0 - Folded
Strzelecki – c. 1920s c. 1920s-1952 0 - Merged with Hallora following 1952 season to form Hallora-Strzelecki
Triholm – ? 1946-1952 0 - Folded
Warragul Industrials
Dusties Western Park, Warragul – 1948 1948-2018 4 1948, 1976, 1986, 1996 Moved to West Gippsland FNC following 2018 season
Warragul Rovers – ? 1938-1961 0 - Folded
Warragul seconds
– ? ? 2 1938, 1940 Joined firsts in Latrobe Valley FL
Wooreen – 1937 1937-1940 1 1937 Folded

Premiers

VFL/AFL players

References

  1. ^ "573148_country footy.html | The Weekly Times".
  2. ^ "EDFL TO REVERT BACK TO A ONE TIER COMPETITION IN 2015". 20 October 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  3. ^ "Yarragon accepts move to Ellinbank league | Latrobe Valley Express". Archived from the original on 28 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Dusties launch into pre season". 20 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Ellinbank and District Netball and Football Amalgamation Committee Meet - Ellinbank District Football League - GameDay".
  6. ^ "COUNTRY FOOTBALL MATCHES". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 28, 698. Victoria, Australia. 15 August 1938. p. 17. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "COUNTRY FOOTBALL PREMIERS UNFURL PENNANTS". The Sun News-pictorial. No. 5186. Victoria, Australia. 8 May 1939. p. 36. Retrieved 22 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.