Moorabbin Football Club#1980s Revival

The club initially played in the Federal Football League (FFL), making their debut in 1909 and competing until 1950. The club wore a black and white striped jumper in the style of {{AFL Col}}. During this time the club won 12 premierships, including winning all six premierships staged over the nine years between 1940 and 1948 (the FFL was in recess from 1942 until 1944).

File:Moorabbin1954.png]]

The club entered the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1951. A clash of jumpers with Brunswick meant the team had to change its colours, and so chose blue and white. The club's Federal League home ground, Dane Road Reserve, was not up to VFA standards; so, in 1951 the club played at Cheltenham, and in 1952 moved into Moorabbin Oval, which the Moorabbin Council had developed during 1951.{{citation|author1=Santo Caruso|author2=Marc Fiddian|author3=Jim Main|title=Football Grounds of Melbourne|publisher=Pennon Publishing|year=2002|publication-place=Essendon North, VIC|page=96}}

The Kangaroos made the 1954 and 1955 finals series without success, but in 1957 they helped eliminate premiership favourite Williamstown after defeating them by two points in the semi-final. Moorabbin, who were coached by Bill Faul, took on Port Melbourne in the grand final, whom they had not once beaten since joining the league. In another upset, Moorabbin won comfortably to claim their maiden VFA premiership.

In 1958, Moorabbin reached the grand final once more, but were forced to return the following weekend after drawing with Williamstown. The replay was won by Williamstown, the first and only instance of a grand final replay in the VFA.

By the 1960s, the club was one of the strongest both on and off the field in the VFA. Its 1962 match payments to players of £12 for a win and £6 for a loss were the highest in Association history.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sun News-Pictorial|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|page=41|author=Scot Palmer|date=16 April 1962|title=Moorabbin plans record pay-out}} The club was minor premier in three consecutive years from 1961 until 1963, and reached the 1962 and 1963 grand finals. It lost in remarkable fashion to Sandringham in 1962 – despite trailing by 44 points at three-quarter-time, Sandringham put on an eight-goal final quarter to win by a single point. Moorabbin exacted its revenge the following year, beating Sandringham twice in the finals in 1963, including a 64-point win in the grand final under coach Graham Dunscombe, who was appointed mid-season.

In the early 1960s, the Moorabbin Council was very keen to bring a Victorian Football League (VFL) team to Moorabbin Oval.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sun News-Pictorial|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|page=52|author=Jack Dunn|date=25 March 1964|title=Saints will move to Moorabbin in '65}} The council was the main driving force, but the extent to which the club supported the council in its ambitions put the club in dispute with the VFA over its loyalty. In November 1963, Moorabbin survived by a single vote a motion to have it expelled from the Association over its role in the council's approaches that year to VFL clubs {{AFL Ric}} and {{AFL Fit}}.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sun News-Pictorial|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|page=52|date=2 November 1963|title=Moorabbin stays in}} Then, in March 1964, the council secured a deal with {{AFL Stk}}, who moved to Moorabbin Oval starting in 1965; although the club had not been involved in negotiations, it publicly pledged its support for the council, and was suspended from the Association for its disloyalty by a 30–12 vote on 3 April, less than three weeks from the start of the season.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|page=20|author=Peter Stone|date=4 April 1964|title=V.F.A. suspends Moorabbin for season}} The club originally intended to seek readmission for the 1965 season,{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|page=22|author=Graeme Kelly|date=6 April 1964|title=Moorabbin has no right of appeal}} but in July the club committee decided to withdraw permanently from the Association,{{cite news|newspaper=The Sun News-Pictorial|publication-place=Melbourne, VIC|page=43|date=7 July 1964|title=They'll leave the VFA}} and disbanded.

VFA premierships (2)

• 1957, 1963

J. J. Liston Trophy winners (1)

• Les Moroney (1955)

Federal Football League premierships (12)

• 1914, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948.

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{{Commons category}}

{{VFL}}

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Moorabbin Football Club

Category:Australian rules football clubs in Melbourne

Category:1909 establishments in Australia

Category:Australian rules football clubs established in 1909

Category:1964 disestablishments in Australia

Category:Australian rules football clubs disestablished in 1964