Caulfield Grammarians Football Club

Caulfield Grammar "Old Boys"

From time to time various teams of “Old Boys” were selected to play against the school's team. The first of these matches took place on 15 August 1889, and matches such as these took place on a regular basis from 1907 to 1914 (when the matches ceased due to World War I).

Caulfield Grammarians Football Club

The Caulfield Grammarians Football Club was founded in early 1920. Caulfield Grammar School's headmaster, Walter Murray Buntine, was elected as its inaugural president. Buntine gave the team access to all of the schools sporting facilities for its training, and he allowed the team to use the school's oval as its home ground.

Metropolitan Amateur Football Association

On Monday, 22 March 1920, a meeting of the (then) Metropolitan Amateur Football Association decided to resume the inter-club competition that it had suspended for the duration of World War I at the end of the 1915 season. The MAFA announced that the re-formed competition would be between four of the "pre-war" clubs, Collegians Football Club, South Yarra Amateur Football Club, Elsternwick Football Club, and Melbourne University Football Club (later University Blacks), and four "new clubs": Old Melburnians, Old Caulfield Grammarians, Melbourne Swimming Club Football Club and the Teachers’ College Football Club.

In their first competition match, on Saturday 15 May 1920, Old Caulfield Grammarians were narrowly beaten 7.11 (53) to 6.16 (50) by Collegians.

Their second competition match was against Teachers’ College on Saturday, 22 May 1920, at the Caulfield Grammar School Oval. Old Caulfield Grammarians won convincingly, 12.17 (89) to 3.7 (25).

A 1921 press report of the team's Metropolitan Amateur Football Association match against Hampton refers to the team as Old Caulfield Collegians; it is unclear whether this was an inadvertent typographical error — such as the South Australian newspaper references to Hans Ebeling (C.G.S. 1919-1922), as "the old Caulfield Collegian" — or a case of the reporter confusing the Old Caulfield Grammarians Football Club with an earlier team known as "Caulfield Collegians" that seems to have, from time to time, contained a large percentage of Caulfield Grammar "Old Boys".

In 1904, the Victorian press reported that Caulfield Collegians Football Club, centred on Caulfield Grammar School, that played its matches on the school grounds, was competing in a competition conducted by The Colleges' Football Association:

Great things are expected of … this association … formed at the beginning of the [1904] season … [and] composed of teams from various well-known schools, and one from the University … as it fills a long-felt want in providing games on Saturdays for those who, although they have left school, do not wish to surrender its healthy amusements.

In the competition's first season (1904), Caulfield Collegians Football Club was the premier team; and, in the second season (1905), Sherwood Collegians were premiers. There is no trace of any further competition conducted by the Colleges' Football Association.

1925

On Saturday, 12 September 1925, coached by former VFL senior umpire, Brighton coach, and Brunswick, Prahran, Brighton, and St Kilda footballer, Fred Turnbull, Old Caulfield Grammarians beat Teachers' College by 37 points, 13.14 (92) to 8.7 (55) to win the B Section premiership; the team's full forward, Eric Dakin, kicked four goals in the Grand Final to bring his season's total to 125 goals.

Under the rules prevailing at the time (see amended Argus system), because Old Caulfield Grammarians were the "minor premiers" at the end of the home-and-away season (they had only lost two matches in the entire season), the team's defeat of Teachers' College in this match meant that there was no need for a "Grand Final" to decide the premiership.

1949

On Saturday, 3 September 1949, coached by Wally Crabtree, Caulfield Grammarians beat Murrumbeena Football Club by 29 points, 9.10 (64) to 5.5 (35) to win the D Section Grand Final.

1953

On Saturday, 5 September 1953, coached by I. Hibbins, Caulfield Grammarians beat Powerhouse Football Club by two points, 10.9 (69) to 9.13 (67) to win the C Section Grand Final.

1961

On Saturday, 9 September 1961, coached by John Wilson, Caulfield Grammarians beat West Brunswick Football Club by 15 points, 10.7 (67) to 8.4 (52) to win the D Section Grand Final.

1970

After having lost the 1967 and 1986 A Grade Grand Finals to Old Paradians by 18 points and 75 points respectively, on Saturday, 12 September 1970, coached by John Wilson (it was his 200th match as coach), Caulfield Grammarians held off a strongly finishing Coburg Amateurs Football Club team to win the 1970 A Section Premiership by two points, 14.18 (102) to 15.10 (100). Coburg had been the strong favourite going into the match, and the victory was the result of an exceptional team effort, made all the more worthwhile in the context of the Fields' inaccurate kicking.

1983

On Saturday, 3 September 1983, coached by A.C.Poore and G. Stone, Caulfield Grammarians beat Parkside Football Club by 66 points, 20.16 (136) to 8.22 (70) to win the C Section Grand Final, with full-forward Dave Matthews kicking 10 goals in the Grand Final, for a total of 114 in the entire premiership season (viz., including the finals).

1998

Caulfield Grammarians, coached by Geoff Reilly, beat Old Camberwell Grammarians by 32 points, 11.14 (80) to 7.6 (48) to win the 2000 E Blue Section Grand Final.

2000

Caulfield Grammarians, coached by Dean Anderson, beat Old Essendon Grammarians by 125 points, 26.13 (169) to 6.8 (44) to win the 2000 D Section Grand Final. Stephen Amiet was voted best on ground.

2011

On Saturday, 17 September 2011, coached by Steve Lawrence, Caulfield Grammarians defeated St Bernards Old Collegians 17.12 (114) to 12.9 (81) to win the 2011 B Section Premiership by 33 points. Mark Liddell was voted best on ground.

Best and fairest in Section

A number of footballers from Caulfield Grammarians have been voted the best and fairest player in their Section.

1928: G.B. Cassidy — A Section

1959: Robin Harrison — C Section

1965: Geoff Ward — B Section

1976: Tony Lester — B Section

Leading goalkicker in Section

A number of footballers from Caulfield Grammarians have been the leading goalkicker in their Section.

1925: Eric Dakin — B Section (125 goals), the first VAFA footballer to score 100 goals or more in a single season.

1963: Nigel Kendall — C Section (48 goals)

1972: John Butcher — A Section (80 goals)

1977: John Butcher — A Section (60 goals)

1983: David Matthews — C Section (101 goals)

1984: David Matthews — B Section (66 goals)

2000: Stephen Amiet — D1 Section (91 goals)

2006: Brett Sinclair — B Section (68 goals)

2007: Brett Sinclair — B Section (78 goals)

2009: Andrew Slevinson — C Section (91 goals)

Notable events

1925: I.H. Howell (the Old Caulfield Grammarians' captain), was attacked by a supporter of the Caulfield Football Club (formerly known as Caulfield City) who ran onto the field and struck him immediately after the 8 August 1925 match. The Metropolitan Amateur Football Association investigated the matter, and the Caulfield Football Club was expelled from the competition (viz., the club was expelled for its supporters' behaviour, but the players were held "blameless").

1934: In March, C Section team, Dandenong K.S.P. Football Club, admitted to the competition in 1930, announced that it was unable to compete in 1934 for "financial reasons". Its place in C Section was taken by Old Caulfield Grammarians, who would otherwise have been relegated to D Section.

1934: Just before three quarter time in the C Section match between Old Caulfield Grammarians and Glenhuntly Amateur Football Club, at the Caulfield Grammar School Oval, on Saturday, 16 June 1934, the field umpire sent C. Robinson of Glenhuntly off the field for the rest of the game. On the following Thursday, the Independent Tribunal of the Association met, and found that the charges laid by the field umpire against Robinson (kicking at J. Dowding, and striking Bruce Wemyss) were sustained, and Robinson was disqualified for twelve months.

1968: Greg Tootell selected as part of the Touring Party of the 1968 Australian Football World Tour.

2003: Former player and coach John Wilson awarded a Life Membership of the VAFA.