Darwin Football Association

**Darwin Football Association**
Founded	1951
Current Clubs	Cuprona; Queenstown; Ridgley; Somerset; South Burnie; Yeoman; Yolla; Natone
Highest Score	391 – South Burnie 62.19.391 v Yolla 2.2.14 – 2017
Most Goals in a game	23 – Alan Newman – Natone v Sprent – 1987 & Zane Murphy – South Burnie v Yolla – 2017
Most Goals in a season	241 – Rohan Baldock – South Burnie – 2016
Most wins in a row	33 – Natone 2002–2003
Most losses in a row	57 – Myalla 1993–1995

The Darwin Football Association is an Australian rules football league in Tasmania. The clubs belonging to the association are from localities close to Burnie and on the West Coast of Tasmania. This includes Queenstown, making this competition the only competition in Australia to play some of its games on a gravel surface.

History

The current form of the Darwin Football Association (DFA) was created in 1951. A previous version existed from 1938 to 1944 but appears unrelated despite two of the DFA's foundation clubs being in the competition. The first season featured just four clubs: Yeoman, Tewkesbury, APPM and Montello.^[1] Yeoman and APPM were previously members of the North West Football Union^[2] and Tewkesbury a member of the Ridgley Football Association.^[3] But in 1952 the numbers increased by three with the inclusion of Somerset, Mooreville and Ridgley.^[4] The arrival of Myalla and Yolla in 1953 increased the number again to eight clubs combined with the departure of Tewkesbury.^[5]

In 1955 the number of clubs dropped back to six with Montello and Somerset departing,^[6] and then following season APPM changed their name to South Burnie.^[7] In 1959 Mooreville had merged with Somerset to form the Cam FC^[8] as the competition remained more or less stable.

In 1965 the folding of the Riana Football Association brought Natone and Cuprona to the competition.^[9] This brought the competition up to eight clubs, and has never dropped below that number since. Another period of stability followed with only Cam reverting to Somerset FC in 1973^[10] to create any ripples.

In 1982 the competition expanded to ten clubs with the inclusion of Sprent and West Ulverstone from the Leven Football Association.^[11] The DFA introduced a final five in 1986.^[12] In 1994, Queenstown "Crows"—a merger of the Queenstown-based clubs from the Western Tasmanian Football Association—joined the competition.^[13]

Numbers started to fall in 1996 when Sprent departed for the North Western Football Association,^[14] and then the following season South Burnie decided to try their luck in the Northern Tasmanian Football League,^[15] but they returned in 1999.^[16] In 2002 West Ulverstone followed Sprent to the North West Football Association, and in 2006 after many years in existence Myalla folded^[17] bringing the number of clubs back to eight for the first time since 1981.

Due to a shortage of players Natone went into recess for the 2019 season.^[18] Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic during 2020, the complete 2020 DFA Season was cancelled. Natone have re-joined the league for the 2021 season.

Natone re-entered recess prior to the 2024 season.^[19]

Premiers

1951 Yeoman
1952 Yeoman
1953 Montello
1954 APPM
1955 Ridgley
1956 Ridgley
1957 Myalla
1958 Myalla
1959 South Burnie
1960 Cam
1961 Cam
1962 South Burnie
1963 Cam
1964 Ridgley
1965 Ridgley
1966 Ridgley
1967 South Burnie
1968 South Burnie
1969 Ridgley
1970 Ridgley
1971 Ridgley

1972 Cam
1973 Natone
1974 Myalla
1975 Myalla
1976 Myalla
1977 Cuprona
1978 Yeoman
1979 Yolla
1980 Yolla
1981 Yolla
1982 Somerset
1983 Yolla
1984 Yolla
1985 West Ulverstone
1986 Yolla
1987 Yolla
1988 Yolla
1989 Ridgley
1990 Natone
1991 Yolla
1992 Yolla

1993 Yeoman
1994 South Burnie
1995 South Burnie
1996 Natone
1997 Queenstown
1998 Yeoman
1999 Natone
2000 Cuprona
2001 Natone
2002 Natone
2003 Myalla
2004 South Burnie
2005 Yolla
2006 Yolla
2007 Ridgley
2008 Ridgley
2009 Ridgley
2010 Somerset
2011 Natone
2012 South Burnie
2013 South Burnie

2014 Queenstown
2015 South Burnie
2016 South Burnie
2017 South Burnie
2018 South Burnie
2019 Somerset
2020 Season cancelled (Covid-19)
2021 Queenstown
2022 Yolla
2023 South Burnie
2024 Queenstown

Clubs

Club	Nickname	Years in DFA	Premierships
Cuprona	Bulldogs	1965–	1977, 2000
Queenstown	Crows	1994–	1997, 2014, 2021, 2024
Ridgley	Saints	1952–	1955, 1956, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1989, 2007, 2008, 2009
Somerset formerly Cam	Kangaroos	1952–1954, 1959–	1960, 1961, 1963, 1972, 1982, 2010, 2019
South Burnie originally APPM	Hawks	1951–1996, 1999–	1954, 1959, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1994, 1995, 2004, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023
Yeoman	Robins	1951–	1951, 1952, 1978, 1993, 1998
Yolla Originally Tewkesbury	Demons	1951–	1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 2005, 2006, 2022

In recess for 2024

Colours	Club	Nickname	Years in DFA	Premierships
	Natone	Magpies	1965–2018, 2021-	1973, 1990, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2011

Former Clubs


Colours	Club	Nickname	Years in DFA	Premierships
	Myalla	Tigers	1953–2006	1957, 1958, 1974, 1975, 1976, 2003

2009 Ladder

DarwinFA	Wins	Losses	For	Against	%	Pts	Final	Team	G	B	Pts	Team	G	B	Pts
Ridgley	13	1	1857	942	197.13	52	Elimination	Natone	13	20	98	Somerset	5	7	37
South Burnie	9	5	1593	1162	137.09	36	Qualifying	South Burnie	10	13	73	Yolla	9	15	69
Yolla	9	5	1358	1111	122.23	36	1st Semi	Natone	11	15	81	Yolla	5	12	42
Natone	8	6	1388	1130	122.83	32	2nd Semi	Ridgley	11	9	75	South Burnie	6	10	46
Somerset	8	6	1588	1315	120.76	32	Preliminary	Natone	13	15	93	South Burnie	12	10	82
Yeoman	4	10	1151	1460	78.84	16	Grand	Ridgley	8	9	57	Natone	6	12	48
Queenstown Crows	4	10	1024	1742	58.78	16
Cuprona	1	13	1092	2189	49.89	4

2010 Ladder

DarwinFA	Wins	Losses	For	Against	%	Pts	Final	Team	G	B	Pts	Team	G	B	Pts
South Burnie	16	2	2503	1216	205.84	64	Elimination	Somerset	22	15	147	Ridgley	17	12	114
Natone	15	3	2308	1282	180.03	60	Qualifying	Natone	16	11	107	Yolla	12	14	86
Yolla	11	7	2064	1201	171.86	44	1st Semi	Somerset	14	10	94	Yolla	6	9	45
Somerset	11	7	2181	1373	158.85	44	2nd Semi	Natone	9	9	63	South Burnie	4	8	32
Ridgley	9	9	1586	1658	95.66	36	Preliminary	Somerset	10	8	68	South Burnie	9	7	61
Queenstown Crows	5	13	1358	1977	68.69	20	Grand	Somerset	16	7	103	Natone	10	13	73
Yeoman	3	15	1112	2116	52.55	12
Cuprona	2	16	1086	3375	32.18	8

2011 Ladder

DarwinFA	Wins	Losses	Draws	For	Against	%	Pts	Final	Team	G	B	Pts	Team	G	B	Pts
Yolla	14	4	0	2252	1271	177.18	56	Elimination	Natone	14	10	94	South Burnie	11	20	86
Queenstown Crows	14	4	0	2188	1383	158.21	56	Qualifying	Queenstown Crows	14	10	94	Ridgley	13	11	89
Ridgley	12	5	1	2179	1355	160.81	50	1st Semi	Natone	17	14	116	Ridgley	11	12	78
Natone	10	7	1	1992	1626	122.51	42	2nd Semi	Queenstown Crows	12	16	88	Yolla	7	22	64
South Burnie	10	8	0	2230	1602	139.20	40	Preliminary	Natone	14	14	98	Yolla	14	11	95
Somerset	9	9	0	2174	1547	140.53	36	Grand	Natone	12	17	89	Queenstown Crows	11	10	76
Yeoman	1	17	0	927	2723	34.04	4
Cuprona	1	17	0	919	3354	27.40	4

2012 Ladder

DarwinFA	Wins	Losses	For	Against	%	Pts	Final	Team	G	B	Pts	Team	G	B	Pts
Ridgley	16	2	2687	1077	249.49	64	Elimination	Queenstown Crows	19	13	127	Somerset	6	13	49
South Burnie	14	4	2241	1228	182.49	56	Qualifying	South Burnie	9	10	64	Natone	5	14	44
Natone	13	5	2529	1231	205.44	52	1st Semi	Natone	25	7	157	Queenstown Crows	12	15	87
Queenstown Crows	9	9	2120	1451	146.11	36	2nd Semi	Ridgley	20	9	129	South Burnie	11	16	82
Somerset	8	10	2048	1760	116.36	32	Preliminary	South Burnie	10	14	74	Natone	6	11	47
Yolla	8	10	1841	1597	115.28	32	Grand	South Burnie	15	17	107	Ridgley	10	15	75
Yeoman	4	14	1341	2495	53.75	16
Cuprona	0	18	422	4390	9.61	0

2013 Ladder

DarwinFA	Wins	Losses	For	Against	%	Pts	Final	Team	G	B	Pts	Team	G	B	Pts
South Burnie	16	2	2781	1082	257.02	64	Elimination	Yeoman	11	12	78	Somerset	10	6	66
Ridgley	15	3	2534	1189	213.12	60	Qualifying	Ridgley	14	13	97	Queenstown Crows	7	15	57
Queenstown Crows	13	5	2139	1609	132.94	52	1st Semi	Queenstown Crows	13	17	95	Yeoman	7	14	56
Somerset	11	7	2168	1587	136.61	44	2nd Semi	Ridgley	16	13	109	South Burnie	16	9	105
Yeoman	9	9	1922	1789	107.43	36	Preliminary	South Burnie	21	19	145	Queenstown Crows	9	10	64
Yolla	5	13	1437	2084	68.95	20	Grand	South Burnie	18	11	119	Ridgley	10	9	69
Cuprona	2	16	983	3067	32.05	8
Natone	1	17	1147	2704	42.42	4

2014 Ladder

DarwinFA	Wins	Losses	Draws	For	Against	%	Pts	Final	Team	G	B	Pts	Team	G	B	Pts
South Burnie	16	2	0	3261	861	378.75	64	Elimination	Ridgley	19	18	132	Natone	4	6	30
Queenstown Crows	15	2	1	2864	943	303.71	62	Qualifying	Queenstown Crows	16	14	110	Somerset	14	10	94
Somerset	14	4	0	2656	1185	224.14	56	1st Semi	Somerset	23	19	157	Ridgley	11	12	78
Ridgley	10	7	1	2275	1599	142.28	42	2nd Semi	Queenstown Crows	14	21	105	South Burnie	16	7	103
Natone	7	11	0	1577	2297	68.65	28	Preliminary	Somerset	23	9	147	South Burnie	12	13	85
Yeoman	6	12	0	1247	2492	50.04	24	Grand	Queenstown Crows	12	13	85	Somerset	11	9	75
Yolla	2	16	0	851	3486	24.41	8
Cuprona	1	17	0	995	2863	34.75	4

Footnotes

^ Burnie Advocate 1951
^ Burnie Advocate 1950
^ Burnie Advocate 1950
^ Burnie Advocate 1952
^ Burnie Advocate 1953
^ Burnie Advocate 1955
^ Burnie Advocate 1956
^ Burnie Advocate 1959
^ Burnie Advocate 1965
^ Burnie Advocate 1973
^ Burnie Advocate 1982
^ Burnie Advocate 1986
^ Burnie Advocate 1994
^ Burnie Advocate 1996
^ Burnie Advocate 1997
^ Burnie Advocate 1999
^ Burnie Advocate 2006
^ "Natone enter recess for 2019 season". 28 February 2019.
^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 April 2024.

External links

Darwin Football Association official website Archived 1 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
DFA scores repository
Football Tasmania list of associations

[1] Burnie Advocate 1951

[2] Burnie Advocate 1950

[3] Burnie Advocate 1950

[4] Burnie Advocate 1952

[5] Burnie Advocate 1953

[6] Burnie Advocate 1955

[7] Burnie Advocate 1956

[8] Burnie Advocate 1959

[9] Burnie Advocate 1965

[10] Burnie Advocate 1973

[11] Burnie Advocate 1982

[12] Burnie Advocate 1986

[13] Burnie Advocate 1994

[14] Burnie Advocate 1996

[15] Burnie Advocate 1997

[16] Burnie Advocate 1999

[17] Burnie Advocate 2006

[18] "Natone enter recess for 2019 season". 28 February 2019.

[19] "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 April 2024.

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Founded	1951
Current Clubs	Cuprona Queenstown Ridgley Somerset South Burnie Yeoman Yolla Natone
Highest Score	391 – South Burnie 62.19.391 v Yolla 2.2.14 – 2017
Most Goals in a game	23 – Alan Newman – Natone v Sprent – 1987 & Zane Murphy – South Burnie v Yolla – 2017
Most Goals in a season	241 – Rohan Baldock – South Burnie – 2016
Most wins in a row	33 – Natone 2002–2003
Most losses in a row	57 – Myalla 1993–1995

v t e Australian rules football in Tasmania
Governing body	AFL Tasmania
Professional clubs (AFL)	Tasmania Football Club
State-wide leagues	Tasmanian State League
Teams	Tasmanian Devils (VFL; 2001–2008) Tasmania Devils (Talent League; 2019–present)
Former state-wide leagues	TFL Statewide League Tasmanian State Premiership Winfield Statewide Cup
Current leagues	Circular Head FA Darwin FA King Island FA NTFA NWFA NWFL ODFA Old Scholars FA SFL
Former leagues	Fingal District Football Association GNFL Leven FA NEFU NWFU NTFA (original) Peninsula FA Tasman FA WTFA List of former Australian rules football competitions in Tasmania
Junior leagues	Northern Tasmanian Junior Football Association Southern Tasmania Junior Football League
Masters leagues	Masters Australian Football Tasmania
Women's leagues	Tasmanian Women's Football League
Major events	Tasmania vs Victoria (1960)
Principal venues	York Park, Bellerive Oval, Macquarie Point Stadium*