Waverley Football Club

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Waverley Football Club, nicknamed The Panthers, was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1961 until 1987. Waverley wore red and black as their club colours and was based in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Waverley.

History

Waverley started out in the Caulfield-Oakleigh District League as the Glen Waverley FC, and in 1961 joined the newly formed VFA 2nd division. They changed their name to Waverley to better reflect their representation of the region, and adopted the nickname Panthers in 1963.^[1] They started strongly, winning half of their 18 matches that year, and then in 1963 finished runners up to Preston at Toorak Park. The club was promoted at short notice to the 1st Division in 1964 to fill the spot left after Moorabbin was suspended from the Association.^[2] In its first season in Division 1, the club survived relegation back to Division 2 by winning the last game of the season against their nemesis from the previous season, Preston.^[3]

The Melbourne club's breakthrough year came in 1965 under the coaching of Ian Thorogood when, despite competing in just their second season in the top division, they claimed the premiership with a 12 point victory over Port Melbourne in the Grand Final at Port Melbourn'e home ground. The following season they met again in the decider, but this time Port Melbourne was too strong. In 1970 they finished third but the Panthers soon found themselves back in the 2nd Division, where they were runners up in 1981 and their final season in 1987.

Honours

VFA Premierships (1)

1st Division – 1965

Waverley 14.13 (97) d. Port Melbourne 10.25 (85)

J. J. Liston Trophies (2)

Alan Poore – 1965, 1966

Notable players

Russell Blew, Essendon dual premiership player
Greg Brown, 1965 Essendon premiership team
Alan Poore, had a stint at Collingwood
Don R. Scott, inaugural VFA captain-coach
Ray Shaw, Collingwood player and Copeland Trophy winner
Kevin Morris, mercurial half forward flanker who went on to a successful career with Richmond and Collingwood Football Clubs

References

↑ Scot Palmer (10 May 1963). "Panthers are snarling". The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, VIC). p. 45.
↑ Peter Stone (4 April 1964). "V.F.A. suspends Moorabbin for season". The Age (Melbourne, VIC). p. 20.
↑ Scot Palmer (31 August 1964). "Port puts in its bid". The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, VIC). p. 45.

Full Points Footy page on the Waverley Football Club

v t e Victorian Football League clubs

Current clubs	Bendigo Gold Box Hill Casey Scorpions Coburg Collingwood reserves Essendon reserves Footscray reserves Frankston Geelong reserves North Ballarat Northern Blues Port Melbourne Richmond reserves Sandringham Werribee Williamstown

Former clubs	Albert Park Ballarat Ballarat Imperial Berwick Brighton/Caulfield Brunswick Camberwell Carlton Collingwood Dandenong East Melbourne Essendon Essendon 'A' Fitzroy Footscray Geelong Geelong 'A' Geelong West Gold Coast Hawthorn Hotham/North Melbourne Kilsyth Melbourne Melbourne City Moorabbin Mordialloc Murray Kangaroos Northcote Oakleigh Prahran Richmond St Kilda South Ballarat South Melbourne South Williamstown Sunshine Tasmanian Devils Traralgon University Waverley West Melbourne Yarraville

Other clubs	Barwon Beechworth Castlemaine Heidelberg Inglewood Rochester Standard Victorian Railways Victoria United

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