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Coorparoo Football Club was an Australian rules football club based in the Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo from 1937 until the club folded in 1995. The club left the Q.A.F.L. following the 1993 season due to the financial strain experienced since the recent introduction of a minimum salary cap, and joined the B.A.F.L. for the 1994 and 1995 seasons. The Coorparoo Junior Australian Football Club has continued as a stand-alone club since 1993 to the present. The Coorparoo Kings Football Club also operates out of the same oval in Birubi Street. Both teams club colours are navy blue with a white monogram.
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Originals
Formed in 1935, Coorparoo played in the QANFL from 1941 to 1963 and the QAFL from 1964 to 1993. They were nicknamed the Roos. For the 1953 and 1954 seasons they merged with Yeronga.
Footballers to have played or coached at the club include Carl Ditterich, Jason Dunstall, Kevin O'Keeffe, Terry O'Neill, Michael Gibson, David Wearne, Stephen Wearne, John Pitura, Bill Ryan and Mark Maclure.
When Carl Ditterich left Coorparoo he returned with a notice to sue (for breach of contract) following his sacking by the club's board. The awarded $36 000 placed the club in financial hardship which the Q.A.F.L. premierships in 1984 and 1986 momentarily covered, but in the long term, without an improving local demographic made the club difficult to keep afloat. The insistence of the Q.A.F.L. to introduce a minimum salary cap by the end of the decade would prove catastrophic.
After the 1995 season, the original Coorparoo club sold the facilities to the Brisbane Bears, and although the last senior team to play was in 1995, the name continues in the form of the Coorparoo Junior Australian football club. Twenty years after the original Q.A.F.L. club folded, the Junior football club is now very strong with multiple teams in each age group as well as a popular Auskick venue on weekends.
Honours
Premierships (6)
Grogan Medalists (5)
Joe Grant Medalists (2)
Ray Hughson Medalists (4)
Most Games (Top 12)
QAFL Hall Of Fame (15)
AFLQ Team Of The Century (6)
QAFL Legends (2)
Coorparoo Kings
The Coorparoo Kings Australian Football Club was founded in 1996 by Craig Dixon and was originally named The Treasury Kings.
Craig Dixon worked at Brisbane’s Treasury Casino and was responsible for organising an annual ‘grudge’ match of Australian Rules Football between the Brisbane Treasury Casino and Gold Coast’s Jupiters Hotel and Casino.
In 1996, a number of players expressed interest in playing on a more regular basis, and with Craig’s organising, the Kings were born.
During the first couple of seasons the Kings competed in AFLSQ’s Division 3 and played under the name Treasury Kings at Yeronga’s home ground. In 1999, a move to the oval that was once the home of the historic and successful Coorparoo Roos and a promotion to Division 2, bought about the name change to the Coorparoo Kings .
The Coorparoo Kings since have gone on to win senior premierships in the AFLQ State Association in 2000 and 2001 and are now in the AFLQ’s State Association Division 1.
In 2010, the Coorparoo Kings, under the guidance of Brownlow medal vote getter Michael Gibson, moved themselves into the upper echelons of the competition. Player recruitment was at an all-time high, highlighted by the move of ex-AFL player Shane Morrison to the club. This plus the recruitment of Ben Gibson, who had decided to play under his father the previous season, and Byron Spurling, Sandy Hampson and numerous other outstanding players. Even the reserves looked strong with veteran players Joel Henderson, Michael Hewitt and Paul Hoskings coming together to form an experienced midfield group which allowed the Reserves coach James House to mould a team around.
The regular season saw both teams finish inside the top two and again both teams found themselves in the grand final, with both teams playing Caloundra. The reserves led by captain Joel Henderson, won a hard fought game, with Michael Hewitt somewhat controversially awarded the best on ground medal. It was later decided that the medal should be handed back to its rightful owner, James Gimblett. Others to play well were Dan Brown, his brother Taylor Browne (who was later awarded the best and fairest medal for the Kings reserves) Chris Frangos and Paul Hoskings.
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Since the 2010 Season, Coorparoo have had significant success across both the Seniors & Reserves.
The Seniors have featured in the Division 1 Grand Final in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 as well as Grand Finals in the restructured QFA competition in 2015 & 2016, with 2011, 12, 13 & 2016 all bringing the silverware back to Giffin Park.
The Reserves have also carved out success over the past few years with Grand Final appearances in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2016. The 2010, 2013 & 2016 teams managed to add to an already impressive trophy cabinet.