North West Football Union

The North West Football Union (NWFU) was an Australian rules football competition which ran from 1910 to 1986 on the north-western coast of Tasmania. In its time it was one of the three main leagues in Tasmania, with the Tasmanian Football League in Hobart and Northern Tasmanian Football Association in Launceston representing the rest of the state. Burnie, Latrobe and Ulverstone were the most successful clubs with 12 premierships each. Prior to 1922 the Union was restricted to the Devonport, Latrobe and Ulverstone municipalities. From 1922 Burnie, Penguin and Yeoman were admitted. Wynyard replaced Yeoman in 1925.

In 1929 Devonport and Latrobe decided to break away from the NWFU . They formed with the addition of Kentish and Deloraine the Central Combine. The NWFU was reduced to four teams. Inter-league matches against Circular Head had the Circular Head winning so it was decided to have invite them compete in the Union's finals series. Circular Head played 3 matches and won them all including the premiership. The following year the Central Combine became NWFU East and so the winners of each division played off for the premiership. In 1931 the grand finalist of both divisions played a knock out competition for the premiership.

The league disbanded after the 1986 season after major clubs such as Cooee and Devonport defected to the TFL Statewide League. In 1987, the NWFU effectively merged with the Northern Tasmanian Football Association (NTFA) to form the Northern Tasmanian Football League, which exists today as the North West Football League.

Clubs

Final ClubColoursNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in NWFUNWFU PremiershipsFateTotalYearsBurnie(1930s)(?-1986)TigersWest Park Oval, BurnieEWFA1885 1922-1931, 1933-1986141927, 1928, 1937, 1939, 1946W, 1947W, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1974Recess in 1932. Moved to Northern Tasmanian FL following 1986 seasonCooeeBulldogsWest Park Oval, BurnieDFA1894 1945-198671961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1982, 1984Moved to TFL Statewide League as Burnie Hawks following 1986 seasonDevonportMagpiesDevonport Oval, DevonportNWFA18811910-1930, 1934-198671914, 1915, 1925, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1981Recess between 1931-33. Moved to TFL Statewide League following 1986 seasonEast DevonportSwansGirdlestone Park, East DevonportNWFA19011945-198631945E, 1946E, 1948E, 1968Moved to Northern Tasmanian FL following 1986 seasonLatrobeDemonsDarrel Baldock Oval, LatrobeNWFA1881121913, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972Moved to Northern Tasmanian FL following 1986 seasonPenguinTwo BluesPenguin Recreation Ground, PenguinRFA, DFA1890 1922-1937, 1946-198631932, 1977, 1980Moved to Darwin FA in 1938. Moved to Northern Tasmanian FL following 1986 seasonSmithtonSaintsCircular Head Recreation Ground, SmithtonCHFA19071980-198611983Moved to Northern Tasmanian FL following 1986 seasonUlverstoneRobinsUlverstone Recreation Ground, UlverstoneNWFA18881910-1986121910, 1923, 1935, 1947E, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1976, 1986Moved to Northern Tasmanian FL following 1986 seasonWynyard CatsWynyard Football Ground, WynyardTCFA, DFA18851922-1932, 1945-198651948W, 1952, 1967, 1975, 1979Recess in 1933, re-formed in Table Cape FA in 1934. Moved to Northern Tasmanian FL following 1986 season

Former ClubColoursNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in NWFUNWFU PremiershipsFateTotalYearsAPPM(1945)(1948)Wivenhoe Recreation Ground, WivenhoeDFA1941 1945-195021945E , 1949Formed Darwin FA in 1951 Burnie Wanderers West Park Oval, BurnieBFL1905 1913-1914 0 - Returned to Burnie FL in 1915Circular HeadCircular Head Recreation Ground, Smithton–1929 192911929 Representative team that was invited to participate in 1929 final series, ended up winning the premiership. DeloraineDeloraine Recreation Ground, Deloraine CFA1894 1929-1931 0 - Returned to Central FA after 1931 seasonDiggers Devonport Oval, Devonport–1920 1920-192111921Folded after 1921 season KentishSheffield Recreation Ground, Sheffield and Railton Recreation Ground, Railton–1929 1929-1931 0 -Entered recess after 1931 seasonMerseyDevonport Oval, DevonportNWFA1894 1910-191521911, 1912Returned to NWFA in 1920RailwayWest Park Oval, BurnieDFA194419450 -Folded after 1945 season YeomanRobinsElliott Oval, Elliott DFA1895 1945-1950 0 -Moved to Table Cape FA in 1925. Formed Darwin FA in 1951

NWFU premierships Winners by year

Year Premiers Runner-up Year Premiers Runner-up 1910 Ulverstone 8.13 (61) def. Mersey 5.8 (38) 1952 Wynyard 9.12 (66) def. Ulverstone 7.14 (56) 1911 Mersey 7.8 (50) def. Latrobe 1.9 (15) 1953 Ulverstone 8.14 (62) def. Wynyard 7.14 (56) 1912 Mersey 2.8 (20) def. Ulverstone 1.7 (13) 1954 Burnie 9.13 (67) def. Wynyard 8.10 (58) 1913 Latrobe (No Final Played) 1955 Ulverstone 11.14 (80) def. Burnie 10.15 (75) 1914 Devonport 9.9 (63) def. Latrobe 5.1 (31) 1956 Ulverstone 13.15 (93) def. Cooee 7.14 (56) 1915 Devonport 3.2 (20) def. Ulverstone 2.6 (18) 1957 Ulverstone 29.17 (191) def. Latrobe 9.11 (65) 1916–19 No Competition due to WWI and Spanish Flu Epidemic 1958 Burnie 19.15 (129) def. East Devonport 13.13 (91) 1920 Latrobe 8.11 (59) def. Ulverstone 5.6 (36) 1959 Burnie 16.10 (106) def. East Devonport 11.10 (76) 1921 Diggers 7.11 (53) def. Latrobe 4.6 (30) 1960 Burnie 12.10 (82) def. Cooee 7.15 (57) 1922 Latrobe 5.12 (52) def. Burnie 4.12 (36) 1961 Cooee 8.10 (58) def. Burnie 8.5 (53) 1923 Ulverstone 9.6 (60) def. Latrobe 7.11 (53) 1962 Burnie 12.20 (92) def. Devonport 13.4 (82) 1924 Latrobe 10.11 (71) def. Devonport 8.9 (57) 1963 Burnie 15.15 (105) def. Ulverstone 13.11 (89) 1925 Devonport 11.11 (77) def. Ulverstone 6.13 (49) 1964 Cooee 17.12 (114) def. Ulverstone 5.14 (44) 1926 Latrobe 12.14 (86) def. Ulverstone 12.8 (80) 1965 Cooee 12.14 (86) def. Ulverstone 7.9 (51) 1927 Burnie 13.8 (86) def. Devonport 12.12 (84) 1966 Burnie 7.7 (49) def Latrobe 5.11 (41) 1928 Burnie 7.11 (53) def. Devonport 4.13 (37) 1967 Wynyard 13.7 (85) def. Cooee 7.7 (49) 1929 Circular Head 8.8 (56) def. Burnie 6.14 (50) 1968 East Devonport 15.16 (106) def. Ulverstone 10.18 (78) 1930 Latrobe 9.15 (69) def. Burnie 6.10 (46) 1969 Latrobe 9.10 (64) def. Ulverstone 4.5 (29) 1931 Latrobe 8.19 (67) def. Ulverstone 8.10 (58) 1970 Latrobe 14.19 (103) def. Wynyard 12.5 (77) 1932 Penguin 14.10 (94) def. Latrobe 10.13 (73) 1971 Latrobe 14.16 (100) def. East Devonport 5.9 (39) 1933 Latrobe 14.13 (97) def. Penguin 6.10 (46) 1972 Latrobe 11.16 (82) def. Burnie 8.12 (60) 1934 Devonport 17.14 (116) def. Burnie 8.13 (61) 1973 Cooee 14.12 (96) def. Latrobe 10.10 (70) 1935 Ulverstone 9.16 (70) def. Devonport 8.8 (56) 1974 Burnie 14.15 (99) def. Latrobe 9.12 (66) 1936 Devonport 14.11 (95) def. Burnie 9.19 (73) 1975 Wynyard 15.10 (100) def. Ulverstone 12.8 (80) 1937 Burnie 14.14 (98) def. Devonport 13.15 (93) 1976 Ulverstone 14.9 (93) def. Penguin 7.19 (61) 1938 Devonport 13.22 (100) def. Burnie 9.9 (63) 1977 Penguin 11.18 (84) def. Cooee 11.14 (80) 1939 Burnie 16.10 (106) def. Latrobe 8.13 (61) 1978 Cooee 20.11 (131) def. Wynyard 13.30 (108) 1940–44 No Competition Due To World War II 1979 Wynyard 21.24 (150) def. Cooee 15.7 (97) 1945 W APPM 10.20 (80) def. Wynyard 11.12 (78) 1980 Penguin 12.11 (83) def. Wynyard 11.5 (71) 1945 E East Devonport 8.15 (63) def Devonport 6.16 (52) 1946 W Burnie 13.11 (89) def. Wynyard 12.10 (82) 1981 Devonport 13.9 (87) def. Penguin 10.12 (72) 1946 E East Devonport 18.14 (122) def Ulverstone 12.4 (76) 1947 W Burnie 10.17 (77) def. Cooee 11.8 (74) 1982 Cooee 16.15 (111) def. Penguin 16.5 (101) 1947 E Ulverstone 15.17 (107) def Latrobe 8.17 (65) 1948 W Wynyard 8.13 (61) def. Cooee 8.9 (57) 1983 Smithton 20.17 (137) def. Cooee 21.10 (136) 1948 E East Devonport 10.7 (67) def Ulverstone 6.8 (44) 1949 APPM 14.12 (96) def. Ulverstone 9.15 (69) 1984 Cooee 18.16 (124) def. Smithton 17.13 (115) 1950 Ulverstone 7.8 (50) def. Devonport 7.7 (49) 1985 Penguin 21.9 (135) def. Smithton 13.9 (87) 1951 Ulverstone 17.22 (124) def. Cooee 8.11 (59) 1986 Ulverstone 9.10 (64) def. Smithton 7.7 (49)

Reforming after the war there were two divisions, East and West, Both Divisional premiers would play off.

Most premierships

Club Premierships Burnie 12 Latrobe 12 Ulverstone 12 Cooee 7 Devonport 7 Penguin 4 Wynyard 4 East Devonport 3 APPM 2 Mersey 2 Circular Head 1 Diggers 1 Smithton 1

Tasmanian State Premiership

This was contested regularly between the premiers of the Tasmanian Football League and the Northern Tasmanian Football Association and then the NWFU from 1954 until 1978.

The six winners from the NWFU were: 1955 – Ulverstone 1963 – Burnie 1964 – Cooee 1970 – Latrobe 1976 – Ulverstone 1978 – Cooee

Best and Fairests The Wander Medal was awarded annually to the best and fairest player in the NWFU, every year from 1948 to 1986. Prior to 1948, the league's best and fairest award was known under various names and given out semi regularly. From 1945 to 1947, an award was given to best and fairest player from the western region but the name of it is unknown. Len Hayes won it in the first two years and Alan Crawford the last.

Wander Medal

1948 – Dave Jeffrey 1949 – Len Hayes 1950 – Lou Redman 1951 – Jack Rough 1952 – Max Berryman, Peter Gillam 1953 – Darrel Eaton 1954 – Ray Stokes 1955 – Arthur Hodgson 1956 – Joe Murphy 1957 – Darrel Baldock 1958 – Colin Moore 1959 – Darrel Baldock 1960 – Terry Pierce

1961 – Lloyd Robson 1962 – Jock O'Brien 1963 – John Bingley 1964 – Wally Clark 1965 – Len Lawson 1966 – Bob Hickman 1967 – Bob Hickman 1968 – Brian Waters 1969 – Darrel Baldock 1970 – John Jillard 1971 – John Jillard 1972 – Ricky Smith 1973 – Graeme Shephard

1974 – Cec Rheinberger 1975 – Ricky Watt 1976 – Kerry Coates 1977 – Ricky Smith 1978 – Jim Prentice 1979 – Tom Lee 1980 – Lindsay Bell 1981 – John Murphy 1982 – Richard Lynch 1983 – Stephen Parsons 1984 – John Korporshoek 1985 – Neville Muir 1986 – Peter Borlini

Cheel Medal 1923 – Stan Trebilco 1924 – Fred Odgers 1925 – Bill Berryman 1926 – Rupert Stott 1927 – H. O. "Nip" Smith (Penguin) 1928 – Charlie Hallam 1929 – Tas Langmaid Royal Medal Awarded only to players from the eastern region of the NWFU 1930 – Bill Berryman Wright Medal Awarded only to players from the western region of the NWFU 1930 – Jimmy Brown (Ulverstone) 1931 – Gerry Plapp Alford Medal 1937 – Clem Riggs

References