The Cobden Football Netball Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the town of Cobden, Victoria. The club teams currently compete in the Hampden Football Netball League, which Cobden is a founding club, with its football squad having played there since 1930.
History The first Australian Rules Football match played in Cobden was in July 1879 between Cobden and Terang.
Cobden Football Club played in the Corangamite Football Association between 1911 and 1923.
Bewtween 1923 and 1929, Cobden played in the Western District Football League.
Cobden Football Club joined the newly formed Hampden Football League in 1930.
Premierships Senior Football Corangamite Football Association (2): 1891 - ? 1915 - Cobden: 7.5 - 47 d Terang: 5.12 - 42 Hampden Football Netball League (6): 1930 - Cobden: 13.9 - 87 d Terang: 6.30 - 66 1933 - Cobden: 6.13 - 49 d South Warrnambool: 6.6 - 42 1948 - Cobden:11.13 - 79 d South Warrnambool: 10.6 - 66 1949 - Cobden: 11.13 - 79 d Colac: 7.11 - 53 1997 - Cobden: 28.10 - 178 d Port Fairy: 13.12 - 90 1998 - Cobden: 15.6 - 96 d South Warrnambool: 11.10 - 76
Reserves 1955, 1956, 1963, 1980, 1981, 1991, 2013,
Thirds 1949, 1950, 1959, 1960, 1983, 2015, 2016
Hampden FNL Best & Fairest Winners Senior Football Hampden Football Netball League - Maskell Medallists
1952 - John Couttie 1970, 1972 & 1979 - Hugh Worrall 1985 - Peter Anson 1996 - Stephen Hammond 1998 - Wayne Robertson 2010, 2012 & 2016 - Levi Dare 2012 - Joseph Dare
Reserves Hampden Football Netball League - Lew Kelly Medallists
1960 - Mick Rantall 1973 - Des Darcy 1976 - Ken Holland 1980 - Ian Russell 1982 - Harry Uwland 1997 - Paul Marshall 1998 & 2001 - Trevor Clarke 2010 - Simon Morris
Thirds Hampden Football Netball League - Judd Cup
1958 - Dan Rohan 1959 - Max Reed 1961 - John Rantall 1980 - Barry Castle 1992 - Brett Taylor 2001 - Ashley Couch 2004 - Rohan Couch 2017 - Lachlan Davis
Hampden FNL - Leading Goalkickers Seniors Hampden Football Netball League
1930 - Kevin Scanlan: (102) 1939 - Keith Wade: (88) 1947 - Vic Jones: (41) 1948 - Vic Jones: (64) 1958 - Gavin Moran: (71) 1979 - Chris Nash: (83) 1993 - Chris Fleming: (127) 2003 - Sean Lever: (54)
Reserves
1976 - P Maskell: 35 1980 - Fred Twynstra:71 1988 - N Frusher: 32
Thirds 1979 - Fred Twynstra: 45
Notable players
The following VFL/AFL players were recruited from Cobden and or drafted, with the year indicating their VFL / AFL senior football debut include -
1898 - Pat Scanlan (Melbourne) 1920 - Jim Mathieson (Geelong) 1924 - Arthur Rayson (Geelong) 1927 - Frank Keppel (Geelong) 1931 - Kevin Scanlan (Footscray) 1950 - Thorold Merrett (Collingwood) 1952 - Brian Coleman (Essendon) 1954 - Michael Giblett (St Kilda) 1954 - Bernie Moran (Carlton) 1956 - Ron Henriksen (Footscray) 1959 - Alistair Lord (Geelong) 1959 - Gavan Moran (Geelong) 1960 - Stewart Lord (Geelong) 1963 - John Rantall (South Melbourne) 1963 - Max Reed (St Kilda) 1968 - David Rhodes - (Fitzroy) 1976 - Tim Godfrey (Fitzroy) 1977 - Glen Ward (Fitzroy) 1981 - Robert Semmens (Richmond) 1992 - Anthony Darcy (Richmond) 2010 - Ben Cunnington (North Melbourne) 2010 - Joe Dare (Carlton) 2010 - Gary Rohan (Geelong) 2012 - Jackson Merrett (Essendon) 2014 - Zach Merrett (Essendon) 2017 - Sean Darcy (Fremantle) 2019 - Sam Walsh (Carlton) 2025 - Rhys Unwin (Essendon)
Bibliography Evergreen Hampden: The Hampden Football League and its people, 1930-1976 by Fred Bond & Don Grossman, 1979 – History of Football in the Western District by John Stoward – Aussie Footy Books, 2008 –
References
External links
Official website SportsTG site 1929 - Cobden FC team photo 1931 - Cobden FC team photo 1933 - Hampden FL Premiers: Cobden FC team photo 1937 - Cobden FC team photo 1938 - Cobden FC team photo 1949 - Hampden FL Premiers: Cobden FC team photo 1951 - Cobden FC team photo