South Launceston Football Club


The South Launceston Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Northern Tasmanian Football Association. They were formed through a merger between City-South and East Launceston in 1986, clubs in the former Northern Tasmanian Football Association. South Launceston was in the TFL Statewide League from 1986 to 1997, then the Northern Tasmanian Football League until 2008, then in the Tasmanian Football League until 2013.
The club is nicknamed The Bulldogs, a name which was adopted upon the merger. City-South were the Redlegs and East Launceston had been known as the Demons. For their club colours they took City-South's red and white as well as the blue from East Launceston's guernsey to give them their current royal blue, red and white club colours.
WWW southlaunceston.com

Club history

The Statewide League Era

South Launceston's first taste of statewide football could be described as a failure. In 12 seasons in the Statewide Competition the Bulldogs never contested the finals with a highest finish of 6th in 1992. During these 12 years South Launceston managed to collect 3 wooden spoons, this feat has only been matched by New Norfolk who have spent a longer period in the statewide league.

Northern Tasmanian Football League

In 1998 South Launceston pre-empted the collapse of the statewide league in 2000 when they decided to join the NTFL. This move greeted them with success with them winning the 1998 and 1999 NTFL Premierships. South Launceston remained competitive while they were in this competition.

Tasmanian State League

In 2008 the South Launceston Football Club accepted an invitation to leave the Northern Tasmanian Football League and join the new Tasmanian Football League in 2009. After three seasons of very poor on-field performance, which included two wooden spoons and a win–loss record of 8–46 across the three years, the club appointed Mitch Thorp as playing coach for 2012. Under Thorp, the club rose to the minor premiership in 2013, with a record of 17–3, and went on to defeat Burnie in the Grand Final to win its first statewide premiership.
However, while its premiership season was ongoing, on 3 July 2013, a meeting of club members determined in a split vote to not pursue a further license in the Tasmanian State League beyond the season. The club rejected an opportunity to have a joint venture with the Prospect Senior Football Club for a 10-year license in the TSL.
The Prospect Senior Football Club and the Prospect Junior Football Club subsequently took up a 100% share of the TSL license and formed the Prospect State Football Club t/a Western Storm.

Northern Tasmanian Football Association

In late 2013 the South Launceston Football Club was successful in being accepted into the Northern Tasmanian Football Association and will play the first division against pre-merger rivals Longford and Scottsdale as well as previously amateur and country teams that make up the competition. The South Launceston team that first contested the NTFA in 2014 was successful in winning the senior premiership with a victory over Deloraine in the Grand Final.

Honours

History of Chairperson

  • 2020–Present: Wayne Mitchell.
  • 2019: John Hosken.
  • 2016–2019: Felicity Viney, Legal Officer of .
  • Unknown - 2016: Rod Patterson, Owner of .

Club

Tasmanian Football League : 2013Tasmanian State Premierships : 1928, 1930, 1932, 1954, 1960, 1966, 1972Northern Tasmanian Football Association : 1886, 1887, 1890, 1891, 1895, 1902, 1903, 1907, 1908,1910, 1914, 1921, 1922, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1939, 1941, 1952, 1953, 1954,1956, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1972, 1974

Individual

Tasman Shields Trophy winners
Hec Smith Memorial Medalists
All Australians
  • Geoff Long – 1956
NTFA Leading Goalkickers
  • R.Ellis - 1886
  • J.Riva – 1887
  • C.Allison – 1890
  • A.Norman – 1894
  • A.Norman – 1895
  • F.Angus – 1896
  • A.Norman – 1902
  • L.Firth – 1904
  • Scott & Waller – 1906
  • L.Firth – 1907
  • Ward – 1908
  • Bob Nash jnr – 1932
  • J.Martin – 1946
  • Murray Bramich – 1959
  • Stan Morcom – 1960
  • Graeme Wilkinson – 1968
  • Craig McIntyre – 1985

East Launceston

NTFA Premierships
  • 1967
Tasman Shields Trophy winners
  • Eddie Thomas 1961
  • Darrell Pitcher 1962
Hec Smith Memorial Medalists
NTFA Leading Goalkickers
  • Roy Ringrose – 1957
  • Roy Ringrose – 1958
  • Paul Wharton – 1980

South Launceston

Northern Tasmanian Football League Premierships
  • 1998, 1999
Darrel Baldock Medalists
  • Scott Harris – 2000
  • Matthew Westfield – 2006
Tasmanian State League Premierships
  • 2013
Tassie Medalists
  • Mitch Thorp - 2013
Northern Tasmanian Football Association Premierships
  • 2014, 2015

Records

Highest score - Regional Football
  • City/City-South – 38.15 vs East Launceston in 1974
  • Cornwall/East Launceston 22.14 vs City-South in 1958
  • South Launceston – 34.19 vs Penguin in 1998
Highest score - State Football
  • South Launceston – 29.16 vs Devonport in 2013
Most games
  • City/City-South – 224 by Geoff Long
  • Cornwall/East Launceston – 206 by David Thomson
  • South Launceston – 199 by Nathan Richardson

Team of the Century

An official 'Team of the Century' for City-South was announced in 2002, which took into account the period from 1886 until 1986, when they merged with East Launceston