The South West Gippsland Football League (SWGFL) was an Australian rules football league containing clubs based in West Gippsland and Melbourne's outer south-east.
History The South West Gippsland Football League was formed in late 1953, when 5 clubs of the Dandenong Districts Football Association - Beaconsfield, Cranbourne, Officer, Rythdale-Cardinia and Tooradin-Dalmore resigned from it to form a new league. They would later joined by Berwick and the newly-formed Narre Hallam to form a 7-team competition in 1954.
The league became more suburban as new clubs joined from newly-developed suburbs past Dandenong in Melbourne's south east. Lyndhurst-Hampton Park joined in 1958, Doveton in 1959, Chelsea Heights in 1973 and Devon Meadows in 1977. Dingley also joined from the South East Suburban FL in 1977. Country-based clubs began to depart the league during the 1970s. Tooradin-Dalmore left for the West Gippsland FL in 1976, while Officer merged with Rythdale-Cardinia after a year in recess in 1976. The merged club also moved to the WGFL after two more seasons, 1979. South Belgrave joined the SWGFL in 1978 after being denied promotion to the Yarra Valley Mountain District FL's first division despite winning two premierships in a row. They would return to the YVMDFL after a winless 1982 season.
The 1980s were dominated by Cranbourne and Doveton, who won 10 premierships between them between 1982 and 1991. Cranbourne scored 32.18 (210) against Doveton in the 1986 grand final, which remains one of the highest grand final scores ever recorded.
Beaconsfield and Chelsea Heights both departed the SWGFL after the 1992 season, leaving the league with 8 clubs. Following a VCFL review in 1994, the SWGFL was merged into the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League, with Devon Meadows joining the Southern division and the rest of the SWGFL clubs forming the new Northern division of that competition.
Clubs Final ClubJumperNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in SWGFLSWGFL Senior PremiershipsFateTotalYearsBerwickWickersEdwin Flack Oval, BerwickDDFA, VFA19031954-1982, 1988-199431954, 1977, 1978Played in VFA between 1983-87. Moved to Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL after 1994 seasonCranbourneEaglesLivingston Recreation Reserve, Cranbourne EastDDFA18891954-199481966, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993Moved to Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL after 1994 seasonDevon MeadowsPanthersGlover Reserve, Devon Meadows–19771977-19940 -Moved to Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL after 1994 seasonDingleyDingoesSouter Oval, Dingley VillageSESFL19581977-199411994Moved to Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL after 1994 seasonDovetonDovesRobinson Reserve, DovetonCODFL, FFL19591959-1971, 1977-199461969, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988Played in Federal FL between 1972-76. Moved to Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL after 1994 seasonHampton Park RedbacksRobert Booth Reserve, Hampton Park–19581958-199451959, 1960, 1963, 1967, 1967Moved to Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL after 1994 seasonKeysboroughBurrasRowley Allan Reserve, KeysboroughCFGFL19461958-199441962, 1964, 1965, 1976Moved to Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL after 1994 seasonNarre Warren MagpiesKalora Park, Narre Warren North–19531954-199431957, 1973, 1992Moved to Mornington Peninsula Nepean FL after 1994 season
Former ClubJumperNicknameHome GroundFormer LeagueEst.Years in SWGFLSWGFL Senior PremiershipsFateTotalYearsBeaconsfield(1954-64)(1965-92)TigersPerc Allison Oval, BeaconsfieldDDFA18901954-199231974, 1980, 1981Moved to West Gippsland FL after 1992 seasonChelsea HeightsDemonsBeazley Reserve, Chelsea Heights–19691973-19920 -Moved to Southern FL after 1992 seasonKoo Wee RupDemonsKoo Wee Rup Recreation Reserve, Koo Wee RupWGFLc.19001958-19620 -Returned to West Gippsland FL in 1963OfficerLionsOfficer Recreation Reserve, OfficerDDFA19321954-197511961Recess in 1976. Merged with Rythdale-Cardinia to form Rythdale-Officer-Cardinia before 1977 seasonRythdale-CardiniaSaintsCardinia Recreation Reserve, CardiniaDDFA19281954-197611955Merged with Officer to form Rythdale-Officer-Cardinia before1977 seasonRythdale-Officer-CardiniaRoosOfficer Recreation Reserve, Officer–19771977-19780 -Moved to West Gippsland FL after 1978 seasonSouth BelgraveSaintsBelgrave South Recreation Reserve, Belgrave SouthYVMDFL19461978-19820 -Returned to Yarra Valley Mountain District FL after 1982 seasonTooradin-DalmoreSeagullsTooradin Recreation Reserve, TooradinDDFA19221954-197561956, 1958, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975Moved to West Gippsland FL after 1975 season
Grand finals YearPremiersScoreRunners-upRef.1954Berwick 14.11 (95) to 12.6 (78)Cranbourne1955Rythdale-Cardinia 10.6 (66) to 7.8 (50) Cranbourne1956Tooradin-Dalmore 11.8 (74) to 5.4 (34) Narre-Hallam1957Narre-Hallam 10.11 (71) to 7.10 (52) Cranbourne1958Tooradin-Dalmore 12.11 (83) to 10.8 (68) Lyndhurst-Hampton Park1959Lyndhurst-Hampton Park 10.10 (70) to 7.14 (56) Tooradin-Dalmore1960Lyndhurst-Hampton Park 7.9 (51) to 4.12 (36) Kooweerup1961Officer 6.14 (50) to 7.6 (48) Kooweerup1962Keysborough 10.8 (68) to 4.12 (36) Tooradin-Dalmore1963Lyndhurst-Hampton Park 8.12 (60) to 7.11 (53) Keysborough1964Keysborough13.13 (91) to 4.11 (35)Lyndhurst-Hampton Park1965Keysborough10.11 (71) to 9.10 (64)Lyndhurst-Hampton Park1966Cranbourne 8.4 (52) to 5.17 (47) Lyndhurst-Hampton Park1967Hampton Park 8.11 (59) to 6.14 (50) Tooradin-Dalmore1968Hampton Park 14.11 (95) to 9.23 (77) Cranboroune1969Doveton 14.24 (118) to 9.9 (63)Narre-Hallam1970Tooradin-Dalmore19.12 (126) to 7.11 (53)Narre-Hallam1971Tooradin-Dalmore 15.19 (109) to 9.6 (60)Narre-Hallam1972Tooradin-Dalmore 12.19 (91) to 7.13 (55)Beaconsfield1973Narre-Hallam19.4 (118) to 11.16 (82) Beaconsfield1974Beaconsfield 4.9 (33) to 3.8 (26) Keysborough1975Tooradin-Dalmore14.14 (98) - 13.15 (93)Keysborough1976Keysborough 13.11 (89) to 7.13 (55) Berwick1977Berwick 19.19 (133) to 18.12 (120)Chelsea Heights1978Berwick 16.19 (115) to 8.14 (62) Chelsea Heights1979Doveton 18.9 (117) to 10.12 (72) Berwick1980Beaconsfield 22.16 (148) to 14.14 (98) Berwick1981Beaconsfield 13.12 (90) to 10.13 (73) Narre-Hallam1982Doveton 25.15 (165) to 22.20 (152) Beaconsfield1983Doveton 21.14 (140) to 7.10 (52) Dingley1984Doveton 15.26 (116) to 12.11 (83) Keysborough1985Cranbourne 17.7 (109) to 12.13 (85) Doveton1986Cranbourne32.18 (210) to 11.13 (79)Doveton1987Cranbourne25.22 (172) to 18.9 (117)Doveton1988Doveton23.21 (159) to 12.15 (87)Cranbourne1989Cranbourne22.14 (147) to 15.9 (99)Keysborough1990Cranbourne18.17 (125) to 14.19 (103)Doveton1991Cranbourne18.11 (119) to 10.7 (67)Doveton1992Narre Warren 17.14 (116) to 9.20 (74) Keysborough1993Cranbourne12.15 (87) - 12.13 (85)Narre Warren1994Dingley 19.14 (128) to 15.14 (104) Cranbourne
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