Hume Australian Football
Netball League
SportAustralian rules football
Netball
Founded1933; 91 years ago (1933)
PresidentMerv Wegener
No. of teams12
Most recent
champion(s)		 Osborne (16)
Most titles Osborne (16)
Official websitehumefl.com.au

The Hume Australian Football Netball League (HFNL), often shortened to Hume Football League, is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing twelve clubs based in the South West Slopes and southern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The league features four grades in the Australian rules football competition, with these being First-Grade, Reserve-Grade, Under 17s and Under 14s. In the netball competition, there are six grades, with these being A-Grade, B-Grade, C-Grade, C-Reserve Grade, Intermediates and Juniors.

Currently, a home and away season consisting of 18 rounds is played. The best six teams then play-off according to the McIntyre system, culminating in the HFL Grand Final, which is traditionally hosted by Walbundrie.

History

Prior to the formation of the Hume Football League, various football associations and leagues had been organised in the southern Riverina area since the late 19th century, including the Hume Football Association (1922 to 1926), the Central Hume Football Association (1928 to 1934),[1] the Albury & District Football League (1930 to 1957) and the Riverina Main Line Football Association. The latter was organised in 1922[2] amongst clubs in towns that lay on the railway spur from the main Sydney-Melbourne line at Culcairn as far west as Balldale, as in the years pre-World War II, cars were still a relatively uncommon form of transport, with horses still being prevalent in the area.

Hume Football Association – 1922 to 1926.

There was an original Hume Football Association that was formed in 1922 and ran from 1922 to 1926 during its short history.

Appropriately, it was over concerns about travel times that caused the formation of the Hume Football League. The league was formed in 1933 by Jindera, Lavington, Gerogery and Border United (from Albury),[20] who were disgruntled about the amount of travel required in the existing Central Hume Football Association. Gerogery won the inaugural season, winning the deciding Grand Final against Jindera.

In 1934, Border United withdrew after one season to be replaced by Bethanga, and Gerogery won their second premiership in a Grand Final against Lavington. In 1935, Walla Walla, Walbundrie and Burrumbuttock joined from the Central Hume Football Association, which was then dissolved.

The league's roster was relatively unstable in early years as clubs transferred from one local league to another, formed or disbanded.

1938 Bloodbath Grand Final

The Hume Football League Grand Final was held at Jindera on 3 September 1938. Bethanga's Captain Jack Mortlock and player Jim Stapleton were felled behind play in the first quarter and sent to hospital. Back then teams only had 19 players with just one interchange player so that left Bethanga with 17 fit players for the remainder of the match. The umpire was threatened and intimidated by the Lavington players so he made no reports during the grand final and they went on to record an easy win. Some of the Lavington players were disgusted with the way some of their teammates behaved and were disillusioned with their victory.

HUME LEAGUE. LAVINGTON PREMIERS. BETHANGA OVERWHELMED IN ROUGH GAME.
From start to finish there was only one team in it. Furthermore on various occasions blows were struck, and in one instance, the umpire, who rushed in to stop a melee, was violently thrown aside. Tripping and elbowing, which appeared deliberate, was an order of the day, and only on rare occasions was good and systematic play in evidence. By way of comparison, this match was miles behind the first semi final played on the same ground between Bethanga and Walbundrie the three weeks previously. Lavington won the toss, and with the help of a strong breeze blowing diagonally across the ground soon had Bethanga in difficulties. The side was on the defense throughout the quarter, and failed to score. Opening with several behinds L. O'Connell then kicked two goals, which were followed by a string of seven behinds. Only on one occasion did the ball cross the centerline in Bethanga's favor. Rough and congested play excluded good football, and the game was held up several times in order to quell disturbances caused by pugilistic encounters. At the change Lavington led by 21 points to nil. It was expected that with the wind in its favor, Bethanga would make up the leeway in the second quarter, but supporters were disappointed when Lavington quickly added three goals to their score (T Farley-1 goal, Rowley Gulson-2 goals). Play was again interrupted by fighting and when the goal umpire fell over a boy who got in his road, he was unable to signal the score, and play ceased for about 10 minutes to give way to arguments and explanations. Order being restored, play was resumed and Bethanga seemed to wake up. Wally Butler kicked two goals and several behinds gave them more points. Then the game swerved in Lavingtons favor again, and with the help of 4 behinds and a goal by Jack Livermore, they led by 35 points at half time. Although Bethanga opened the third quarter well, and early scored several points they were for the most part defending desperately and were unable to add further to their tally. Lavington was now definitely on top, and did as it liked. By adding 4 goals (Jack Livermore 2 goals, T Farley, Spud Prater 1 goal each) and eight behinds, they drew away from their opponents, who were beaten in the ruck, in the air, in fact anywhere. The issue was no more in doubt, and the players, realizing that the game was won and lost, managed to keep their ruffled tempers in check. As in the previous quarter Bethanga again scored first in the last term. Wally Butler raised the two flags. Rowley Gulson replied with a sixer, and Tom Barnett gave Bethanga another goal. W. Dawson, T. Farley and L. O'Connell in turn kicked correctly, and Tom Barnett once more gave Bethanga a goal. Three goals by Lavington (Jack Livermore, Spud Prater, Harold McIntosh) made the margin still wider, and large numbers had already left the ground when the final bell proclaimed Lavington premiers of the Hume League for 1938.

The scores: first quarter, Lavington 2-9 Bethanga nil. Second quarter, Lavington 6-13 Bethanga 2-2. third quarter, Lavington 10-21 Bethanga 2-4. Final scores. Lavington, 17 goals 23 behinds (125 points). Bethanga, 5-6 (36 points). Goal kickers-Lavington. L. O'Connell 4, T. Farley, Rowley Gulson, Jack Livermore and Spud Prater 3 each, W. Dawson and Harold McIntosh 1 each. Bethanga, Wally Butler 3, Tom Barnett 2. Best Players. Lavington, Rowley Gulson, E. Collins, L. O'Connell, T. Farley, W. Dawson, Charlie Lee, A. Lord. Bethanga. Jack Sommer, Tom Barnett, Jack Mortlock, Norm Martin, Joe Packer, Arthur Dower, Wally Butler

— The Border Morning Mail: Monday 5th September 1938[21]

Post-War

The league reconvened in 1945 towards the end of the war with the following clubs: Balldale, Brocklesby, Rand, Walbundrie and Walla Walla. As before, the league's membership continued to fluctuate in subsequent years.

After the admission of Howlong, the make-up of the league remained stable until 1970 when Boree Creek joined from the Coreen & District Football League and Osborne joined from the Central Riverina Football League (the precursor to the Riverina Football League). At this point the competition had ten teams.

Balldale disbanded in February, 1975, causing a bye. In 1975, Lavington fielded a team in the Hume Football League, in addition to the Tallangatta & District Football League, for two years. In 1976, a reserves competition was introduced and Boree Creek moved back to the Coreen & District Football League. After two seasons, the Lavington side moved to the Farrer Football League in 1977 (to later join the Ovens & Murray Football League in 1979), with a new club, East Lavington, taking their place.

Modern Era

Since the 1970s and 1980s, increased mobility has meant that the original motivations behind the league's formation have lessened, and the league has taken in more teams from beyond its original domain, to cover more of the rural area between the regional cities of Albury and Wagga Wagga. Henty joined the Hume Football League in 1980, and Lockhart joined in 1982, both from the Farrer Football League. Rand moved to the Coreen & District Football League in 1983. Culcairn and Holbrook joined the league from the Tallangatta & District Football League in 1992 and 1999 respectively. East Lavington disbanded at the end of 1997.

At the same time, economic concerns and the effect of migration from rural areas on the number of participants, leading to difficulties fielding teams, has meant that clubs from smaller neighbouring towns are electing to merge rather than disband completely, thus in 2006 two merged entities competed for the first time, the Brocklesby Burrumbuttock Football Club and the Rand Walbundrie Football Club.

In recent years on the playing arena, Osborne has tended to dominate the competition, though the league remains fairly competitive with most clubs providing a challenge.

Due to the disbanding of the neighbouring Coreen & District Football League, most of its teams were moved to the Hume Football League, bringing the number to fifteen for the 2008 season; these were Billabong Crows (a merger of the former Urana and Oaklands Football Clubs), Coleambally, Coreen-Daysdale-Hopefield-Buraja United (CDHBU), Murray Magpies and Rennie. Rennie retained the "Hoppers" nickname, sharing it with Walla Walla.

With the increasing size of the competition, an initial proposal to split the league into two pools for the 2009 season, organised geographically into western and eastern divisions and possibly including other nearby clubs was tabled in July 2007. This may be considered as part of an overall independent review of Australian football in the Riverina.[24]

Rennie moved to the Picola & District Football League in 2009.

Coleambally moved to the Farrer Football League in 2011.

During the 2015/16 off season both the Walla Hoppers and Rand-Walbundrie Tigers football clubs entered merger talks for 2016 Hume Football League season. Voting for the proposed merger took place on Monday 7 March (2016). Walla Walla Hoppers members voted 100 per cent in favour of the joint venture; while The Rand-Walbundrie Tigers voted 83 per cent in favour. The merged club commenced in 2016 playing home matches at Rand.[25]

Current finals system

The HFL & HNA currently uses the "McIntyre system". The final series is played over four weekends, with the grand final traditionally being played on the third Saturday of September. Traditionally since 1976 all finals for both football and netball have been played at the Walbundrie Showground. Since then the only finals to be played elsewhere were the 1989 Grand Final at East Lavington, 2019 Minor Semi-final at Urana Road Oval, 2022 Minor Semi-final at Howlong Sportsground and 2023 Minor Semi-final at Holbrook Sports Complex.

2023 Finals Series

Elimination finalsMajor/Minor semifinalsPreliminary finalGrand Final
1 Osborne14.9 (93) Osborne 15.16 (106)
2 Holbrook4.9 (33) Holbrook8.8 (56)
Holbrook 12.9 (81)
3 Howlong9.16 (70)
RWW Giants8.8 (56)
6 Brock-Burrum Saints13.5 (83)
Brock-Burrum Saints8.8 (56)
RWW Giants17.13 (115)
4 CDHBU10.9 (69)
5 RWW Giants16.15 (111)

Current clubs

Club Colours Moniker Home Ground(s) Established Joined [26] Premierships:
HFL Seniors 		Premiership Years:
HFL Seniors [27]
Total Most recent
Billabong Crows
(Urana-Oaklands)
Crows Oaklands Recreation Ground
Urana Recreation Ground 		2005
as Merged Club 		2008 0 — —
Brocklesby-Burrumbuttock
Saints Brocklesby Recreation Reserve
Burrumbuttock Recreation Reserve 		2006
as Merged Club 		2006 4 2018 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018
Coreen-Daysdale-Hopefield-Buraja United
Power Coreen Oval
Buraja Recreation Reserve 		2006
as Merged Club 		2008 0 — —
Culcairn
Lions Culcairn Sportsground 1895 1992 2 2007 1993, 2007
Henty
Swampies Henty Showground 1895 1980 5 2014 1984, 1986, 1990, 1996, 2014
Holbrook
Brookers Holbrook Sports Complex 1882 1999 2 2022 2004, 2022
Howlong
Spiders Howlong Oval 1898 1953 6 2010 1954, 1971, 1977, 1997, 2002, 2010
Jindera
Bulldogs Jindera Sports Ground 1900 1933 11 2011 1946, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1975, 2008, 2011
Lockhart
Demons Lockhart Recreation Ground 1898 1982 2 2003 1982, 2003
Murray Magpies
Magpies Urana Road Oval 1997 2007 0 — —
Osborne
Tigers Osborne Recreation Reserve 1901 1970 16 2023 1985, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2023
Rand-Walbundrie-Walla Walla
Giants [28][29] Rand Recreation Reserve
Walbundrie Showground
Walla Walla Sportsground 		2016
as Merged Club 		2016 0 — —

Former Clubs

Club Colours Moniker Formed First Year Last Year Premierships Premiership Years text1
Total Most recent
Balldale 1906 1945 1974 2 1972 1962, 1972 Contested 1945-1974 seasons (except 1946 [30]). Folded in 1975.
Bethanga
Saints 1934 1934 0 - - Joined the Tallangatta & District Football League (predecessor) in 1935.
Brocklesby
Kangaroos 1907 1945 2005 2 1958 1950, 1958 Merged with Burrumbuttock in 2006.
Boree Creek Magpies 1970 1975 0 - - Joined the Coreen & District Football League in 1976. Folded in 1979.
Burrumbuttock Swans 1911 1934 2005 2 1969 1951, 1969 Merged with Brocklesby in 2006.
Coleambally
Blues 2008 2010 0 - - Joined the Farrer Football League in 2011.
East Albury Rovers 1948[31] 1950 0 - - EAFC merge with Albury Rovers in 1947,[32] joined Hume FL in 1948. Folded in 1951.[33]
East Lavington 1977 1997 2 1988 1979, 1988 Folded in 1998.
Gerogery
1903 1933 1948 4 1936 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 Foundation member. Folded in 1949.
Lavington
Saints 1975 1976 1 1938 1938 Joined the Farrer Football League in 1977. Joined the Ovens & Murray Football League in 1979.
North Albury (Seconds)
Hoppers 1951 1952 0 - - Joined Ovens & Murray Football League Seconds in 1953.
Rand
Pigeons 1945 1983 1 - 1945 Joined the Coreen & District Football League in 1984. Merged with Walbundrie in 2006.
Rand-Walbundrie
Tigers 2006 2015 0 - - Merged with Walla Walla in 2016.
Rennie
Hoppers 2008 2008 0 - - Joined the Picola & District Football League in 2009.
St Paul's College 1950 1985 0 - - Junior football club (thirds and fourths only). Folded in 1986.
Walbundrie
Tigers 1934 2005 8 1989 1937, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1967, 1968, 1978, 1989 Merged with Rand in 2006.
Walla Walla
Hoppers 1935 2015 15 1987 1939, 1940, 1948, 1953, 1959, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987 Merged with Rand-Walbundrie in 2016.

Premierships: Football

Seniors

Reserves

Juniors: 1950–1975 / Thirds

Fourths

Players

Footballers from the HFL who currently play or have played in the AFL include:

See also

Sources

References

  1. ^ "1928 - Siftings". The Corowa Free Press (NSW). 17 April 1928. p. 1. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  2. ^ "1922 - RIVERINA MAIN LINE A.R. FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 12 May 1922. p. 31. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  3. ^ "1922 - Bulgandra Premiers". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 15 September 1922. p. 43. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  4. ^ "1923 - Walbundrie". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 24 August 1923. p. 46. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  5. ^ "1923 - Burrumbuttock". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 28 September 1928. p. 41. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  6. ^ "1924 - Walla Walla". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 20 March 1924. p. 41. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  7. ^ "1924 - Walbundrie". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 22 August 1924. p. 46. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  8. ^ "1924 - Walbundrie". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 20 June 1924. p. 4. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  9. ^ "1925 - Walla Subdivision". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 17 April 1925. p. 47. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  10. ^ "1925 - Burrumbuttock". The Corowa Free Press (NSW). 24 April 1925. p. 5. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  11. ^ "1925 - Walbundrie". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 27 March 1925. p. 7. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  12. ^ "1926 - The Hume Association". The Corowa Chronicle (NSW). 1 September 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  13. ^ "1926 - Rand Premiers". The Corowa Chronicle (NSW). 8 September 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  14. ^ "1926 - Rand". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 24 September 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  15. ^ "1926 - Walbundrie". The Corowa Chronicle. 29 May 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  16. ^ "1926 - RAND FOOTBALLERS CELEBRATE PREMIERSHIP". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 1 October 1926. p. 23. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  17. ^ "1927 - Football". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 17 June 1927. p. 3. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  18. ^ "1927 - Walbundrie". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW. 6 May 1927. p. 21. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  19. ^ "1927 - Football: Albury & Border FA". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 13 May 1927. p. 22. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  20. ^ "1933 - NEW LEAGUE FORMED". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW). 28 April 1933. p. 31. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Bethanga Saints Football & Netball Club - Wodonga Saints Football & Netball Club". Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  22. ^ "1946 - Chiltern & DFA Draw". Border Morning Mail. 25 April 1946. p. 6. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  23. ^ "1947 - Hume FL Azzi Medal". Corowa Free Press. The Corowa Free Press. 22 August 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  24. ^ Kohlhagen, Brett (23 July 2008). "Hume Split". The Border Mail. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 31 July 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  25. ^ "Hoppers, Tigers agree to merge". 7 March 2016.
  26. ^ Footypedia – Hume Football League
  27. ^ HFL History
  28. ^ Giant opportunity awaiting joint venture
  29. ^ Giant news out of Hume League
  30. ^ "1947 - Balldale FC - AGM". Corowa Free Press. The Corowa Free Press. 21 March 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  31. ^ "East Albury Rovers withdraw from Albury & DFL". Henty Observer and Culcairn Shire Register. The Henty Observer & Culcairn Shire Register (NSW). 16 April 1948. p. 8. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  32. ^ "Albury District Football Season To Start On May 3". Henty Observer and Culcairn Shire Register. The Henty Observer & Culcairn Shire Register (NSW). 4 April 1947. p. 8. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  33. ^ "1951 - Hume FL Draw". Corowa Free Press. The Corowa Free Press (NSW). 22 May 1951. p. 3. Retrieved 28 October 2020.

External links

Australian rules football in New South Wales
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