North East - Tasmania

Essendon visited Tasmania

Visiting VFA club Essendon, played four matches in Tasmania.

Match No. 1, Wednesday 23rd August 1882 Essendon played a Northern Tasmanian team, selected from Launceston clubs plus Ross and Longford clubs. The game was played on what was known as the 'Western Swamp'. Essendon scored 8 goals to Northern Tas. 2 goals.

Match No. 2, Saturday 26th August, Essendon played a combined STFA team in Hobart. Essendon won 6.15  (51) to STFA 2.18  (30).

Match No. 3, played 3rd September in Hobart (first ever Tasmanian team)  the team was chosen from the North, North West and South of the State Tasmania  v  Essendon. Scores Essendon 6.27  (63) to Tasmania 1.8  (14).

North v South Games

North v South games commenced on an official basis, and the first of these combined games was won by the South: 6.18 (54) defeated North: 1.10 (16).

Waving of White Flags

Both the Southern Tasmanian Football Association and Northern Tasmanian Football Association introduced the waving of white flags to signal either a goal or point by goal umpires.

Tasmanian Football League

Probably the most significant decision to emerge from the Australian Football Council (AFC) conference was that it recognised the TFL as being the controlling body for football in Tasmania, which in turn gave the TFL a right to have two delegates to the AFC conferences. There was however, a stipulation that one of the two Tasmanian Delegates be appointed from the NTFA.

Mr. W. H. Gill was elected as the TFL’s representative to its Executive Committee.

When the TFL was formed there would be only three clubs competing, Lefroy, North Hobart and Derwent Football Clubs. The Derwent Club had replaced Wellington Football Club that disbanded at the end of the 1905 season. 

Intra-State matches

There were two games played between the TFL and NTFA, the first in Launceston on 3rd June, where the League 10.14 (74) defeated the Northerners 7.9 (51).

The return match was also won by the TFL 8.13 (61) defeated NTFA 6.11 (47).

TFL State Premiership

The official State Premiership commenced in 1909 between premiers of the TFL and NTFA, and the State final was played between the two. 

It wasn’t until 1950 when Premiers of the NWFU joined, thus created a rotational format, ie one League would host and automatically qualify for the final, and the other two Leagues would play-off in a preliminary final, with the winner progressing to the final.

During the course of the competition there were several interruptions, mainly caused through disputes. Falling patronage became a serious concern and eventually, the State Premiership series came to an end in 1978. 

TFL Triangular Series

Matches once again were played between the NTFA, TFL and the NWFU, in what became known as the TFL Triangular Series.

State premiership abandoned

This years State premiership was abandoned when NTFA premiers Launceston, caused a sensation by refusing to take the field against TFL premiers Cananore, following a dispute with the League over the appointment of the central umpire for the match. The League endeavoured to replace the original umpire engaged, but no avail. This did not suit Launceston and the match was cancelled. The action of Launceston was reported to the NTFA, which took up the position of supporting the offending players in their action.

Finally, the League, as controlling body of football in the State, took action and disqualified the Launceston players, until such time as the League thought that such disqualification should be lifted.

Shortage of players due to World War 1

Before the 1914 season was over, the effects of World War 1 made it difficult for clubs to assemble full teams for competition each week, as many players had enlisted for service. But despite the loss of so many fine players, the League was able to complete the season in a satisfactory manner.

World War 1 caused mayhem for Tasmanian Football

The three TFL clubs found it very difficult to field reasonable teams on a weekly basis. Mainland clubs were unable to visit Tasmania. The TFL and NTFA officials decided not to play a State premiership in 1915.

At the end of the season the following players had enlisted for the Armed Service:

Lefroy: Bailey, I. Margetts, N. Allison, C. Abey, T. W. Simpson. W. Abel, F. Burton, B. Kilmartin, R. Totham, D. Nichols, F. Green, L. Barnett, Newman, E. Smith, Townley

Cananore: Randall, Clennett, Hope (killed in action), Lipscombe, Turner, Freeman, Brownell, C. Hannigan (killed in action), Westwood, Shaw, Pennyquick, Bowen.

North Hobart: A. Aulsebrook (killed in action), L. Chambers, E. Russell, A. Bucirde, K. Moore, W. Jack, K. Mackey, Ward (killed in action), V. Shirley, A. Stanton, H. Brain, Mahoney, W. D. Leitch.

1916 - 1918 World War 1 – intervenes

The three major football bodies in Tasmania attended a meeting to discuss the future of the game. The result was a resolution that football be discontinued until the end of the War.

Football resumed after the war under difficult conditions

The resumption of football in Hobart and most other centres after the War, followed a three year lapse of the game. But if that wasn’t enough, the population had to contend with an epidemic of Influenza that swept Australia and rage throughout Tasmania later in the season, football had to be cancelled according to health authorities advice, which applied to all forms of sport that attracted crowds.

1920 War and epidemic recovery

The recovery process was a prosperous one for the game as most clubs around the State had survived well under the circumstance. A ‘remarkable resilience’ is probably the most apt description to describe the rebound by the peoples of Tasmania to the incredible impost of War and an epidemic.

Re-introduction of the Triangular Series

Saw the re-introduction of the Triangular Series between the three major bodies : TFL. NTFA and NWFU.

Cananore TFL & State Premiers

Cananore won the TFL premiership and then defeated NTFA premiers Launceston for State honours.

TFL State Wide League (TSWL)

In1986 the TANFL had created a State wide competition. Member clubs were the existing six Southern, Clarence, Glenorchy, Hobart, New Norfolk, North Hobart and Sandy Bay. Two clubs from the NTFA namely, North Launceston and South Launceston joined to form an 8 team competition