Woodville-West Torrens Football Club

Woodville-West Torrens Football Club is an Australian rules football club playing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). It was formed in 1990 from an amalgamation of the neighbouring Woodville and West Torrens football clubs and played its inaugural game in 1991. Since 1993, the Eagles have played most of their home games at Woodville's home ground of Woodville Oval, having previously used Football Park. They also play two or three games per season at their pre-season base of Thebarton Oval, a ground which has six light towers that the club wish to upgrade to allow night games at the ground for the first time since the 1980s.

History

West Torrens had competed in the SANFL since 1897, while Woodville entered the competition in 1964. Both sides had struggled throughout their respective existences, West Torrens having won four premierships in ninety seasons and Woodville none in thirty seven; whispers grew throughout SA football circles that perhaps a merger would save these clubs.

Calls for merger grew throughout the 1980s, culminating in 1990 when the imminent entry of the South Australian based Adelaide Crows into the national Australian Football League led officials of Woodville and West Torrens to realise that their clubs would struggle to exist as separate entities.

It was decided to merge the two sides as the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles, to play their home games at Woodville's home ground, Woodville Oval, and use the West Torrens Eagle emblem. The new club proved immediately competitive and won their first premiership in 1993.

Although officially formed in 1991, it was after the 1993 Premiership that many finally accepted the 'new' Eagles. In accepting the Thomas Seymour Hill Trophy for the first time for the Eagles (the first time for Woodville, and the first time since 1953 for West Torrens), captain Peter Schwarz jubilantly proclaimed:

"This is a very sweet moment – the end result of two clubs that made a lot of tough decisions three years ago. This is for Woodville and for West Torrens. Now we are one club."

The club colours of blue, gold and green incorporate the club colours of West Torrens (blue and gold) and Woodville (green and gold). The Eagle logo of the West Torrens Football Club was adopted as the official emblem of Woodville West Torrens. It was also agreed that blue would be the primary colour of the merged club.

Premierships

After having merged only 3 years prior, Woodville-West Torrens managed to claim the Holy Grail of SANFL footy, The Thomas Seymour Hill Trophy, after a convincing 73 point victory over Norwood. It would, however, prove to be the Eagles only premiership success during 1994–2005 in which they lost 5 Grand Finals – 1994 to Port Adelaide and 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005 all to Central District. The 2004 Grand Final loss was the largest ever in SANFL football with the Eagles losing by 125 points and only managing to kick 28 points for the entire game (4–4). After losing yet another Grand Final to their arch rivals in 2005, the Eagles bounced back and got their first premiership in 13 years, and after 6 attempts, with a thumping 76 point victory over the Bulldogs. Prior to the game, the Eagles Cheersquad printed the words "Patience + Perserverence = Reward" onto the teams pregame banner, acknowledging the team's misfortunes in the past (especially to the Bulldogs) and how they would once again lift the trophy.

In 2011, The Eagles became the only club in the millennia to defeat Central District in two grand finals, with a thrilling 3 point win - 81 to 78 on October 9, 2011. The Eagles went in as the underdogs but coach Michael Godden (in only his second year with the team and in a senior coaching position) believed his Eagles could over come the Dogs.

All state ruckman Craig Parry was named the Jack Oatey Medalist for Best on Ground for 2011.

Godden became the third coach to win a Premiership for Woodville-West Torrens, following Bruce Winter (1993) & Ron Fuller (2006) and the second on his first attempt (Winter 1993)

Player Development

In 2011, a study commissioned by the AFL identified Woodville-West Torrens as the most effective developer of AFL talent in the country.^[1] From 1998-2010, the Eagles had 19 selected at the AFL Draft including Matthew Pavlich, Brett Burton, Trent Hentschel & Rhett Biglands.

Club details

Coaches

• 1991–1992 – Neil Balme
• 1993–1997 – Bruce Winter+
• 1998–1999 – Mark Mickan
• 2000 – Paul Hamilton
• 2001–2009 – Ron Fuller+
• 2010 – Michael Godden+

italics current coach
+ premiership coach

Captains

• 1991–1994 – Peter Schwarz*
• 1995–2000 – Andrew Rogers
• 2001–2006 – Gavin Colville
• 2007 – Justin Cicolella*
• 2008- – Mark McKenzie*

italics current captain
* premiership captain (Justin Cicolella was acting captain for the 2006 Premiership)

Woodville-West Torrens 2011 playing list