The Sherwood Magpies Australian Football Club is the senior Australian rules football club of the western suburbs of Brisbane which competes in Division One of the AFLQ State League. The club is based at McCarthy Homes Oval, 41 Chelmer st, Chelmer, at the same grounds as the Sherwood Junior Australian Football Club and fields a team in the AFLQ senior, reserve, under 18 and women's grade competitions.
The club formed through a merger between the Western Districts AFC and the Sherwood AFC in 1991 but has roots back to 1920. A number of senior clubs have represented Brisbane's western suburbs for decades including the Taringa, Western Districts, Sherwood, and West Brisbane) and competed in the highest division of local football. These clubs were all forced out of existence over time though the Sherwood Magpies AFC draws much of its culture, identity, heritage and following from them. The current club has been playing in Division Two of the AFL Queensland State League since 2004, but is being promoted into Division One from the commencement of the 2009 season under the guidance of President Brian Knight, Senior Coach Paul Grentell and Club Development Manager Anthony McDonald.http://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?c=1-109-34766-0-0&sID=56344&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=6786642 Anthony McDonald Joins Magpies
The club aims to provide a pathway into the AFL for players from local junior clubs, develop the network of surrounding senior and junior Australian rules football clubs, and provide a fun, friendly, family oriented hub for local football in the western suburbs.http://www.sherwoodafc.com/inside.htm A Brief History of the Black & White The Sherwood Magpies Australian Football Club and Sherwood Junior Australian Football Club are sponsored by Tradelink (major sponsor), Hog's Breath Cafe and Cleanway (secondary sponsors).http://www.sherwoodafc.com/sponsors.htm Magpie Sponsors Junior clubs that lie within its traditional area include Collingwood Park, Ferny Grove, Forest Lake, Kenmore, Jindalee, Moorooka, Sherwood, Southern Redbacks, Springfield Lakes, Wests Juniors and Yeronga.
History The Sherwood Magpies Australian Football Club was formed as the State League representative of Brisbane's western suburbs, incorporating the history of the previous clubs to compete in the AFL Queensland State League.
Taringa AFC A Taringa Football Club competed in the QFL (an early form of the AFL Queensland State League) in the 1920 season. The club only appeared in the State competition for that single season, but resurfaced by entering the newly titled QANFL in 1931. The club's emblem was the bulldog, and the club colours were maroon and white. Despite making it to five grand finals Taringa was unable to secure a premiership, but it produced three De Little Medalists in Bill Nunn (1936), C.K. 'Pat' Vidgen (1939) and Doug Pittard (1940). Taringa changed its name to the Western Districts Australian Football Club in 1946. Western Districts
Western Districts AFC The Western Districts Australian Football Club came into existence in 1946 when the Taringa Football Club changed its name to incorporate the whole of Brisbane's western suburbs. Western Districts kept the emblem (the bulldog) and colours (maroon and white) of Taringa and were originally based at Oakman Park, Toowong but moved to Chelmer Oval, Queenscroft st, Chelmer in 1971. The club continued to grow steadily, finishing in third place in 1951, and losing to Mayne by merely one point in the 1952 grand final. The club learned from their narrow loss, defeating Windsor and Sandgate respectively in the 1953 and 1954 grand finals to secure their first and second premierships. Western Districts were unable to qualify for the finals between the years of 1956 and 1962, before suffering consecutive grand final losses at the hands of Mayne in 1966 and 1967. The club's next, and last ever, grand final appearances came consecutively in 1977, 1978 and 1979. The Bulldogs narrowly won premierships by 5 points against Wilston Grange in 1977, and by 4 points against Windsor/Zillmere in 1978, before losing what would be their last grand final appearance to Sandgate in 1979. Western Districts eventually merged with Sherwood in 1991 to form the West Brisbane Australian Football Club. The Western Districts Australian Football Club had a number of very successful players in their midst throughout their existence. Doug Pittard won two Grogan Medals during his time at the club to go with his De Little Medal he won with Taringa, and played a handful of games for the Footscray reserves. Owen Backwell was also a dual Grogan Medalist for the Bulldogs, who topped the league goal kicking in 1977, played over 300 games for the club, including the 1977 and 1978 premierships, and had a short stint with the Fitzroy Football Club. Ray Hughson topped the league goal kicking while playing for Western Districts a remarkable six times (1958, 1959, 1962–65), while Gavin Crosisca (over 250 AFL games for Collingwood), Ray Smith (over 100 VFL games for Essendon and Melbourne), and Gary Shaw (Collingwood and the Brisbane Bears, and still coaches at the Western Magpies) all went on to play in the VFL/AFL.http://www.footypedia.com/00000517.htmWestern Districts Football Club
Sherwood AFC The Sherwood Australian Football Club developed out of the Sherwood Junior Australian Football Club, which was formed in 1956. As the junior club grew in size, there was a desire to have a direct senior team for the Sherwood JAFC, which saw the Sherwood AFC formed to compete in the Metropolitan Division of the QAFL. The club was based at Chelmer Oval, 41 Chelmer st, Chelmer, directly next to the Queenscroft st ground of the Western Districts, which is the current home of the Western Magpies. The club took on the black and white stripes of their junior club as well as the emblem of the magpie, both of which are still thoroughly attached to the club to the current day thanks to the winning of a coin toss with Southport (who had previously had the same colours and emblem) upon the entry of both clubs to the QAFL in 1983. This occurred after Sherwood managed to work their way up through the divisions, after winning eight first division flags in a row they earned their 1983 promotion into the QAFL. In 1991 Sherwood AFC merged with the Western Districts to form the West Brisbane Australian Football Club, which could be a single footballing force in Brisbane's western suburbs. Players of particular note for the Sherwood AFC include John Rantall, the 336 game South Melbourne, North Melbourne and Fitzroy VFL veteran who coached Sherwood in their debut season in the QAFL, and 1983 Grogan Medal winner, Bill Pierce, whom the Western Magpies best and fairest is named after.http://www.sherwoodafc.com/inside.htm A Brief History Of The Black & White
West Brisbane AFC A merger between the Western Districts AFC and the Sherwood AFC in 1991 saw a single senior force in the western suburbs formed in the form of the West Brisbane Australian Football Club. The merged club adopted the maroon and white colours of [Western Districts Australian Football Club] with the jersey design of the Port Adelaide Magpies football club, played out of Chelmer Oval, Chelmer and were nicknamed The Warriors. The club was successful in winning a premiership in the 1996 season, comfortably defeating Mt Gravatt 17.10 (112) to 8.10 (58), with Corey Lambert claiming that year's Grogan Medal. Unfortunately, due to financial reasons West Brisbane were unable to compete in the following year's competition and had a few seasons out of the State competition before returning as the re-branded Western Magpies Australian Football Club in 2001.http://www.footypedia.com/00000512.htmWest Brisbane Football Club
The Current Club
The West Brisbane Australian Football Club that disbanded at the end of 1997 reformed in 1999 under the name of the Western Magpies Australian Football Club and in 2001 re-entered the QAFL which had merged with its Gold Coast equivalent to become the AFL Queensland State League. After four years of mediocre on-field performances and financial struggles, when the AFLQ decided to undertake a major re-shuffling of the leagues in 2004 to create a two tier State League competition the Western Magpies were relegated to the newly created Division Two. Paul Grentell was appointed the club's senior coach, and the Magpies set about strengthening every aspect of the football club in the hopes of returning to Division One. The senior team narrowly missed out on a place in the 2005 Division Two grand final, but were successful in reaching the grand final in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The Western Magpies defeated the Noosa Tigers in the 2006 decider, before losing to the Palm Beach Currumbin Lions in the final game of 2007. Despite losing the 2007 grand final, it was announced at the end of that year that the Western Magpies would be returning to Division One of the State League in 2009. The Magpies rebounded from their 2007 loss to Palm Beach to end the Lions 38-game winning streak at their Chelmer home ground during the 2008 home and away season, and followed this up by defeating the Lions again in a thrilling grand final.http://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?client=1-109-34766-0-0&sID=56344&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=6798374§ionID=56344 Western Magpies Win 2008 Div 2 Premiership This capped the club's time in Division Two off nicely, leaving them with two premierships (2006 & 2008) and three grand final appearances (2006–2008) from their four years in lower division. During this four-year period, the reserves team played in the Division Two grand final (each year 2005–2008), winning premierships in 2005, 2006 and 2007, while the under 18 and women's teams both continued to participate in Division One of their competitions.
As of the beginning of Season 2020 in the Queensland Australian Football League
Links To Other Local Clubs The Western Magpies enjoy close relationships with all of the junior and senior clubs within Brisbane's western suburbs in their role as the focal point for football ball in the area. All junior clubs within the area are encouraged to promote the Western Magpies as the pathway into the AFL for young players in the western suburbs. In a similar way, the club also relates closely with the surrounding senior clubs, as they also provide a pathway for players to play at a standard of football that best suits their ability. In particular, the Western Magpies work closely with the Sherwood Junior Australian Football Club and the Kenmore Australian Football Club. The junior clubs within the western suburbs that the Western Magpies work with include; Collingwood Park Ferny Grove Forest Lake The Gap Kenmore Jindalee Moggill Moorooka Park Ridge Sherwood Southern Redbacks Springfield Lakes Wests Juniors Yeronga
Sherwood Junior AFC The senior Western Magpies club is based out of the same grounds and facilities as the Sherwood Junior AFC. The Sherwood Junior AFC was founded in 1956. It is also now known as the Magpies. Both are affiliated with the Sherwood Football social club, and Sherwood Junior AFC acts as one of the many local feeder clubs to the Western Magpies, with many juniors moving up from the Sherwood juniors into the senior club. The Sherwood Junior AFC's aim is to produce quality players to graduate into football with the Western Magpies, and eventually to the AFL. The official website of the Sherwood Junior AFC is located at www.sherwoodafc.com.
Kenmore AFC