Rutherglen Football Club

Rutherglen Cats
Names
Full name Rutherglen Football Netball Club
Nickname(s) The Cats
Heritage: The Redlegs
Club details
Founded 1893 as Rutherglen FC
1978 as Rutherglen-Corowa FC
Colours     Navy &     White
Heritage:      Navy &      Red Socks
Competition Ovens & Murray Football League: 1893-1978
Coreen & District Football League: 1979-1991
Ovens & King Football League: 1992-2003
Tallangatta & District Football League: 2004-Present
Premierships OMFL:15
1895, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1903, 1904, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1935, 1954.
CDFL: 3
1984, 1986, 1990.
Ground(s) Barkly Park,
Rutherglen, Victoria
Other information
Official website Football & Netball

The Rutherglen Football Club is an Australian rules football club playing their home games in Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia. The current Rutherglen was created after the merger of Ovens & Murray Football League sides Rutherglen and Corowa in 1979. Surplus players formed the Rutherglen-Corowa FC and played in the Coreen & District Football League for 13 years. A stint in the Ovens & King Football League followed before moving to the Tallangatta & District Football League. The club dropped the Corowa part in their name in 2002.

History

Rutherglen F.C. "Redlegs" (1893-1978)

The Rutherglen Football Club wore a navy blue with a white monogramed "RFC" jersey along with white shorts and red socks for the majority of their history.

The Original Rutherglen FC established in the 1893 and one of the four founding clubs of the Ovens And Murray Football Association, wearing a navy blue with a white monogramed "RFC" jersey along with white shorts and red socks for the majority of their history. The club was based at Rutherglen's "Barkley Park" located just off Reid Street & just north-west of the town's center. It was a powerhouse in the league during its early days competing in many finals. Such was the strength of the Rutherglen Football Club during the Gold Rush era, many VFL teams challenged this successful country club and were defeated.[1] During this era, 6 of the famous King brothers played for the club. Many Rutherglen players went on to play VFL football including Fred Hiskins (Essendon), Rupert Hiskins (Carlton), Arthur & Stan Hiskins (South Melbourne) and Bill Francis (Fitzroy). Hassa Mann (Melbourne) and Grag Tate (Essendon) also played football for Rutherglen with Tate coaching the 1954 premiership team.[2]

The Rutherglen's Seconds side was established in 1950, initially playing 3 season in the Coreen & District Football League before joining the newly established Ovens & Murray Football League Seconds competition in 1953. Ever since all lower sides of the Rutherglen Football Club have competed in the same league as the Senior side.

The club went on to win a record 15th Premiership in 1954, which has only been equaled by Wangaratta Rovers (in 1994) & Albury (in 1997). Folling the 1978 season both the Rutherglen Reglegs & Corowa Spiders merged and since 1979 have competed as Corrowa-Rutherglen Roos in the Ovens & Murray Football League. In 2009 Albury won its 16th Premiership (20th in 2015), beating Rutherglen's 55-year-old record. Rutherglen's 15 Premierships is still the second most Premierships won in the league, equal with Wangaratta Rovers.

Rutherglen-Corowa F.C. "Cats" (1979-2001) / Rutherglen F.C. "Cats" (2002-present)

The jersey design of the Cats during their time in the Coreen & District Football League; Ovens & King Football League; & early seasons in Tallangatta & District Football League.
The jersey design of the Cats during current seasons in Tallangatta & District Football League.

Following the establishment of the Corowa-Rutherglen Roos in 1979, after the merger of the Corowa Spiders and Rutherglen Redlegs, a number of surplus players decided to form the Rutherglen-Corowa Cats (Known in some record books as the "Corowa-Rutherglen" Cats). Wearing a navy blue and white hooped jersey along with navy blue shorts and navy blue and white hooped socks for the majority of their history, The club would be based at Rutherglen's "Barkley Park". They joined the Coreen & District Football League, which was based around the farming districts north of Corowa, New South Wales. The club enjoyed thirteen short but successful seasons in the Coreen & District Football League winning a total on 16 Premierships across the 3 respective grades, including three senior premierships from eight grand final appearances.

After the 1991 season the club left the New South Wales based Coreen & District football League for the Victorian Ovens & King Football League, which was based around the greater Wangaratta area encompassing many former gold rush community's. They spent eleven seasons in the Ovens & King Football League, where neither the senior side nor the reserve side contested a grand final, however the Under 16's contested 4 grand finals from 1999 to 2002, calming the clubs sole premiership in 2001 over Bright by 29 points at the Tarrawingee Rec Reserve. The club officially changed its name to the "Rutherglen Football Club" in 2002, droping the "Corowa" name 23 years after the merger. At the end of the 2003 season, the Beechworth Football Club & the Rutherglen Football Club applied for an application to join the Tallangatta & District Football League, but were refused by the Ovens and King board, so the clubs took their appeal to the Victoria Country Football League and won the appeal to join the Tallangatta & District Football League for the 2004 season.

In 2004 the club joined the Victorian Tallangatta & District Football League which is based around the small towns & farming districts near Tallangatta and every finals match being held at the Sandy Creek Oval, locally referred to as "The MCG of the Bush". Since joining the clubs jersey has slightly varied to re-introduced the white monogramed "RFC" of the Redlegs along with keeping the navy blue & white hoops of the Cats. While the club still hasn't tasted premiership success at senior or reserve levels after playing a number of final series, the club has won its first Tallangatta & District Football League Premiership when in 2007 the Under 14's defeated Yackandanda by three points. Traditionally the club does not play on the Queen's Birthday Weekend as the town hosts the annual Winery Walkabout, however, in 2016 the Corowa-Rutherglen Roos moved their OMFL Round 11 match against the Wodonga Buldogs to Rutherglen's Barkly Park.

The clubs numbers have continued to grow with each passing season including club staff, supporters, & sponsors. Robbie Campbell from the Rutherglen Football Club played AFL football with Hawthorn.

Corowa F.C. "Spiders" (1898-1978)

Corowa-Rutherglen F.C. "Roos" (1979-present)

Honours

Premierships and achievements

Individual honours

Team of the Century (1903-2003)

Team of the Century
Corowa Football Club (1903-1978) - Rutherglen Football Club (1903-1978) - Corowa-Rutherglen Football Club (1979-2003)
B: F.King D.Sandral L.Jackson
HB: W.Francis J.Sandral J.Kingston
C: A.Dunn W.Gayfer W.O'Donoghue
HF: D.Carroll N.Hawking G.Tobias (a)
F: A.Francis R.Baker A.McCauley
Foll: M.Mills J.King J.Clancy
Int: J.Lane A.Way C.Dickins
Coach: P.Tossol

Hall of Famers

References

  1. ↑ Page 5
  2. ↑ A FOOTBALL DYNASTY
  3. ↑ Ovens & Murray Football League seniors premierships
  4. ↑ Coreen & District Football League
  5. ↑ Ovens & King Football League
  6. ↑ Tallangatta & District Football League
  7. ↑ Ovens & Murray Hall Of Fame
  8. ↑ Ovens & King Hall Of Fame
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