The Brunswick Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies, was an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick.

Brunswick played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1897 until 1991, when it withdrew midway early in the season and folded shortly after. In its final two seasons in the VFA, the club was known as Brunswick-Broadmeadows.

History Brunswick Football Club was formed in 1865 and joined the VFA in the 1897 season.

The club was colloquially known in its early days as the Pottery Workers or the Brickfielders, and its fans were known for sounding clayhole bells at matches; after changing their colours from light blue and red colors to black and white, they became informally, and then later formally, known as the Magpies. They struggled to be competitive in the league early on, finishing last in 1898, 1899 and 1902.

They won the first of their three 1st division premierships in 1909 which started a successful era for the club under former Essendon player Jack McKenzie. Up until 1915 they played in six finals series and four grand finals.

After consistently making the finals following the end of the war they won another premiership in 1925. In 1926, the club dropped out of the Association near the end of the season in protest against suspensions meted out to captain-coach Wally Raleigh and team-mate Hassett, but was re-admitted prior to the 1927 season under an entirely new committee.

They struggled during the early 1930s, both financially and on the field, forcing them to sell their finest players to Victorian Football League (VFL) clubs, but they went on to be one of the strongest teams of the late 1930s, winning three consecutive minor premierships from 1936–1938 and reaching three consecutive Grand Finals from 1937–1939. Their third and last first division premiership came during this period, defeating Brighton Football Club in the 1938 Grand Final by 33 points in what was the first premiership of the throw-pass era.

For the remaining fifty years of its time in the Association, Brunswick was consistently a middle-of-the-pack team. After the Association was partitioned into two divisions, Brunswick spent similar periods of time in both divisions; it was a regular finalist while in Division 2, winning three Division 2 premierships (1975, 1980 and 1985) from seven grand finals; but it seldom played finals in Division 1 and did not feature in a top division Grand Final after 1939.

Brunswick was one of several inner suburban VFA clubs whose off-field viability deteriorated through the late 1970s and early 1980s, in large part due to demographic shifts in the local area towards a higher migrant population which was largely uninterested in Australian rules football, and at different times the club was heavily in debt and appeared likely to fold. In October 1989, Brunswick entered into a merger with the Broadmeadows Football Club – which was a football club in an administrative capacity only, as it had a board of directors and enough local Broadmeadows support to have previously launched a bid to join the VFA, but it had no home ground nor a team active in any league – to form the Brunswick–Broadmeadows Football Club, which was still based in Brunswick. However, factional infighting between Brunswick and Broadmeadows members of the club's unwieldy 14-man board of directors distracted from any efforts to clear the club's debt (prompting the VFA to intervene and sack the board in August 1990), and the on-field position deteriorated dramatically after there was an exodus of 35 players in the 1990/91 offseason due to owing player payments; on 6 May 1991, after three enormous losses to start the 1991 season, the club withdrew from the VFA, and folded soon after.

Club records Highest Score46.31 (307) v Sunshine, Round 12, 1983, Gillon OvalLowest Score0.1 (1) v Williamstown, Round 10, 1897, Brunswick Park0.1 (1) v Footscray, Round 10, 1899, Western OvalGreatest Winning Margin275 points v Sunshine, Round 12, 1983, Gillon OvalGreatest Losing Margin187 points v Port Melbourne, Round 13, 1981, North Port OvalLowest Winning Score3.3 (21) v North Melbourne 1.10 (16), Round 3, 1897, Brunswick ParkHighest Losing Score24.15 (159) v Frankston 24.21 (165), Round 14, 1979, Frankston Park

Premierships 1st 18/Seniors 1909, 1925, 1938, 1975 (Div 2), 1980 (Div 2), 1985 (Div 2)

2nd 18/Reserves 1919 (Melbourne District FA), 1931 (VJFA), 1932, 1933, 1936, 1963(Div 1),1971(Div 2), 1972(Div 2), 1983(Div 2), 1984(Div 2), 1985(Div 2)

3rd 18/Under 19's 1956

Seasons Source: PremiersGrand FinalistMinor premiersFinals appearanceWooden spoonVFA/VFL leading goalkickerVFA/VFL best and fairest Seniors YearLeagueCoachCaptainBest and fairestLeading goalkickerGoals 1897 VFA Tom O'Loughlin 1898 VFA Tom O'Loughlin 1899 VFA Tom O'Loughlin 1900 VFA R. Coburn 1901 VFA R. Coburn 1902 VFA R. Coburn 1903 VFA R. Coburn 1904 VFA W. Stevenson 1905 VFA R. Casey 1906 VFA W. Temple 1907 VFA Henry Chase 1908 VFA Henry Chase 1909 VFA Jack McKenzie Jack McKenzie Henry Chase 39 1910 VFA Jack McKenzie Jack McKenzie 1911 VFA Jack McKenzie Jack McKenzie 1912 VFA Jack McKenzie Leo Leeds 1913 VFA Jack McKenzie Jack McKenzie 1914 VFA Jack McKenzie Henry Chase 1915 VFA Henry Chase 1916 VFA (No season) 1917 VFA (No season) 1918 VFA Henry Chase 1919 VFA Henry Chase 1920 VFA Leo Sullivan 1921 VFA Leo Sullivan 1922 VFA Charlie Fisher 1923 VFA Barney Herbert 1924 VFA Dick O'Connor 1925 VFA Wally Raleigh Wally Raleigh Leo McInerney 79 1926 VFA Wally Raleigh Wally Raleigh 1927 VFA Cyril Bright 1928 VFA Tom Hassett 1929 VFA Charlie Pannam Leo McInerney 84 1930 VFA Hedley Blackmore 1931 VFA Charlie Pannam 1932 VFA Hedley Blackmore; Wal Warden 1933 VFA Wally Raleigh 1934 VFA Jim Jenkins Jim Jenkins 1935 VFA Jim Jenkins Jim Jenkins 1936 VFA Roy McKay Roy McKay 1937 VFA Roy McKay Roy McKay Geoff McInnes 85 1938 VFA Roy McKay Roy McKay J. Dowling 1939 VFA Roy McKay Roy McKay H. Jones; R. Quinn 1940 VFA Roy McKay Roy McKay Col Crawford; J. Dowling 1941 VFA Col Crawford Col Crawford 1942 VFA (No season) 1943 VFA (No season) 1944 VFA (No season) 1945 VFA Elton Plummer Elton Plummer 1946 VFA Ron Baggott Ron Baggott 1947 VFA Ron Baggott Ron Baggott R. Shaw 1948 VFA Ron Baggott Ron Baggott 1949 VFA Ivor McIvor Ivor McIvor Ivor McIvor 1950 VFA Ivor McIvor Ivor McIvor 1951 VFA Bervin Woods Ray Priestley 1952 VFA Bervin Woods Frank Nielsen 1953 VFA Jim Cleary Frank Nielsen 1954 VFA Jim Cleary Maurice Rolfs 1955 VFA Jim Cleary Maurice Rolfs 1956 VFA Jim Cleary Les Stanley 1957 VFA Jim Cleary Leslie Pollard 1958 VFA Jim Cleary Jack Edwards 1959 VFA Leslie Stanley Bob McFarlane 1960 VFA Leslie Stanley Jim Whiley 1961 Ron Clegg Ron Clegg 1962 Ron Clegg Jack Edwards 1963 Wally Carter Jim Whiley 1964 Wally Carter Jim Whiley B. Wicks Alan Cook 65 1965 Keith Burns Keith Burns 1966 Keith Burns Keith Burns 1967 Keith Burns Keith Burns 1968 Keith Burns Keith Burns 1969 Jack Edwards Graham Leydin 1970 Jack Edwards Alan Cook 1971 Jack Edwards Daryl O'Brien 1972 Daryl O'Brien Daryl O'Brien 1973 Daryl O'Brien Daryl O'Brien Doug Baird 94 1974 Jack Cuffe Jack Wrout 1975 Jack Cuffe John Warden 1976 Jack Cuffe John Warden 1977 Jack Cuffe John Williams 1978 Jack Cuffe Barry Nolan Barry Nolan 1979 Ted Fitzell George Stone 1980 Barry Nolan Barry Nolan 1981 VFA (D1) Barry Nolan Barry Nolan 1982 VFA (D2) Barry Nolan Barry Nolan 1983 VFA (D2) Barry Nolan Barry Nolan 1984 VFA (D2) Barry Nolan Malcolm Toy 1985 VFA (D2) Barry Nolan Barry Nolan 1986 VFA (D1) Stephen Parsons David Whillas Tony West 1987 VFA (D1) Stephen Parsons Tony West 1988 VFA (D1) Stephen Parsons Tony West 1989 VFA Stephen Parsons David Callander 1990 VFA Graham Leydin David Callander 1991 VFA N/A 0 3 0 Graham Leydin David Callander

Notable players VFL

Frank Anderson - Carlton Ron Baggott - Melbourne Hedley Blackmore - Carlton Lou Bols - Fitzroy Newton Chandler - Carlton Neil Clarke - Essendon Tom Clarke – Essendon Ron Clegg - South Melbourne Charles Clements – South Melbourne Ron De Iulio - Carlton Colin Dell - Footscray Frank Dimattina - Richmond & North Melbourne John Dowling - Melbourne Jack Edwards - North Melbourne Glenn Gingell - Footscray Keith Greig - North Melbourne Frank Gumbleton - North Melbourne Wayne Harmes played one season in 1989 after leaving Carlton Mark "Jacko" Jackson – Melbourne/St Kilda/Geelong/South Fremantle & entertainer Graeme Jenkin - Collingwood & Essendon Joe Kinnear – Melbourne Wally Lovett - Collingwood & Richmond Leo Maynes - Essendon/Fitzroy Robbie McGhie - Footscray, Richmond & South Melbourne Ivor McIvor - Essendon Jack McKenzie - Carlton Roy McKay – Footscray Stewart McLatchie – Carlton Alby Murdoch - Essendon Daryl O'Brien - North Melbourne Daryl Schimmelbusch - North Melbourne Wayne Schimmelbusch - North Melbourne Noel Smith – Essendon 1939 Gardiner Medal winner John Williams - Essendon & Collingwood Rodney Wright - North Melbourne & Melbourne

Other Barry Nolan – 1978 J. J. Liston Trophy winner Tony West – 1986 J. J. Liston Trophy winner John Curtin – Australian Prime Minister Ernest George – 1913 Stawell Gift winner Paul Young – 1985 Stawell Gift winner Bill Jacobs - 1960s Australian Cricket Team Manager and Football Radio Broadcaster (3AW - 1957 to 1991 including 25 grand finals) Alex Gillon – the longest serving VFA president #27 years from 1954 until 1981

References

External links