Longford Football Club
# Longford Football Club

The Longford Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Longford, Tasmania which currently compete in the modern Northern Tasmanian Football Association. From 1926 until 1986 they had played in the original Northern Tasmanian Football Association. Formed in 1878, Longford are nicknamed the Tigers and wear black and gold as their club colours.

## History

As a founding club of the South Esk FA in 1890 the club won the first 10 premierships (i.e. 1890 through to 1899). Further premiership followed in 1901, 1904 and 1906.

From 1926 until 1986 they had played in the original Northern Tasmanian Football Association. Longford has their strongest decade in the 1950s when they claimed three NTFA premierships, including their breakthrough triumph in 1955. They had previously never won the competition but had been runners-up in 1931, 1940 and 1953. In 1959 the club attempted to win their third premiership in a row but lost the Grand Final to City-South.

The Tigers were Tasmanian State Premiers in 1957. After accounting for Ulverstone, premiers of the North West Football Union, in the preliminary match, Longford defeated North Hobart by 21 points in the decider at York Park.

The club spent one unsuccessful year in the NTFL (1987) before realising that the football standard was too high for them so they transferred to the Tasmanian Amateurs where they remain to this day.

## Honours

### Premierships

NTFA premierships

Original (3)

* 1955
* 1957–58

Current (1)

* 1989
* 2022

Tasmanian State Premierships (1)

* 1957

### Medalists

Tasman Shields Trophy winners

* Len Gaffney 1926, 1927
* Leo Wescott 1930
* Lloyd Bennett 1940
* Terry Cashion 1948, 1950, 1951
* Charlie Dennis 1955
* John Fitzallen 1957
* Nigel Wilson 1965

Hec Smith Memorial Medalists

* Barry Lawrence 1966
* John Davis 1970
* David Berne 1974
* Malcolm Upston 1986

### Team of the Century

In September 2001, the Longford named an official 'Team of the Century'.

Longford 'Team of the Century' :

| B: | David Berne | Don Brooks | Paul Vinar |
| - | - | - | - |
| HB: | Roly Chugg | Ike Hayes (vc) | Peter Jago |
| C: | Gus O'Brien | Terry Cashion | John Fitzallen |
| HF: | Stephen Theodore | Barry Lawrence | Jack Barnes |
| F: | Len Pitt | Michael Roach | John Smith |
| Foll: | Fred Davies (c) | Casey Lawrence | Lyndon Dakin |
| Int: | Colin Eyles, Alan Chugg | Jeff Heathcote, Garry Mahar | Colin Johnstone, Bob Cheek, Neil Kearney |
| | Aub Jones, Mike Smart | Roger Hoggett, Geoff Frier | Bob Pitt, Tom Barwick, Damien Lavelle |
| Coach: | Fred Davies | Fred Davies | Fred Davies |
