The Old Yarra Cobras Football Club is an Australian rules football club that currently competes in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). The club was formed in 2022 following a merger of Manningham Cobras and Yarra Old Grammarians.
| Old Yarra Cobras | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Names | |
| Full name | Old Yarra Cobras Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Cobras |
| 2024 season | |
| Home-and-away season | VAFA: 10th VAFAW: 8th |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 19 September 2022 |
| Competition | VAFA: Division 1 VAFAW: Premier |
| Coach | VAFA: Nathan Monaco VAFAW: Michael Wines |
| Captain(s) | VAFA: Nick Zappala VAFAW: Hilary Donelan |
| Ground(s) | Swan St, Southbank |
The club's men's team currently competes in Division 1 of the VAFA, while the women's team is in the Premier Division of the VAFA Women's (VAFAW) competition.
History
editManningham Cobras
editThe Manningham Cobras Amateur Football Club was formed in 1996 as the Bulleen Cobras following a merger of Canterbury North Balwyn United and Bulleen United.[1]
Canterbury North Balwyn United was formed in 1977 following a merger of Canterbury Presbyterian and North Balwyn. The new club joined the Eastern Suburbs Churches Football Association (ESCFA) the same year before later entering the VAFA in 1993.[1]
Bulleen United was formed in 1961 as Bulleen Presbyterian Methodist Football Club, nicknamed the Bulls, and entered the ESCFA. In 1975, the club was renamed to Bulleen United and joined the VAFA. Its first premiership came in 1978, with a victory in the F Section reserves grand final.[1]
In 1996, the two clubs merged and formed the Bulleen Cobras for the 1997 season.[2] The club changed its name to Manningham Cobras in 2009.[1]
Yarra Old Grammarians
editThe Yarra Old Grammarians Football Club, nicknamed the Bushrangers, was founded as the Yarra Valley Old Boys by former students of Yarra Valley Grammar in 1993. The club was admitted to the VAFA the same year, with Wayne Reddaway as senior coach and Jarrod Dickson as captain, joining the newly-formed F2 Grade.[3]
The club was renamed to Yarra Old Grammarians (also known as Old Yarra Grammarians) ahead of the 2017 VAFA season.[4][5]
Merger and new club
editFollowing the conclusion of the 2022 VAFA season, Manningham merged with Yarra Old Grammarians in order to keep both clubs viable on and off-field.[6][7] On 19 September 2022, the formation of Old Yarra Cobras was announced.[8][9]
In the club's first season in 2023, it made the Division 2 grand final but was defeated by Parkside by three points. However, the club was still promoted to Division 1 for the 2024 season.[10]
Seasons
edit| Premiers | Grand Finalist | Minor premiers | Finals appearance | Wooden spoon |
Men's
editSeniors
edit| Year | Division | Finish | W | L | D | Coach | Captain | Best and fairest | Leading goalkicker | Goals | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Division 2 | 3rd | 12 | 5 | 1 | Nathan Monaco | Nick Zappala; Tom Bell |
Jack Hall | 38 | ||
| 2024 | Division 1 | 10th | 2 | 16 | 0 | Nathan Monaco | Nick Zappala | [11] |
Women's
editSeniors
edit| Year | Division | Finish | W | L | D | Coach | Captain | Best and fairest | Leading goalkicker | Goals | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Premier B | 2nd | 15 | 2 | 1 | Michael Wines | Hilary Donelan | Iliana Zafiriou | 36 | ||
| 2024 | Premier | 8th | 4 | 14 | 0 | Michael Wines | Hilary Donelan | [12] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Club history". Old Yarra Cobras. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024.
- ^ "A BRIEF HISTORY" (PDF). Victorian Amateur Football Association. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Official Website of the Bushrangers". Yarra Old Boys Football Club. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017.
- ^ "YARRA OLD GRAMMARIANS". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Old Yarra Cobras". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "How the formation of the Old Yarra Cobras happened." Victorian Amateur Football Association. 4 November 2024. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024.
- ^ "Yarra Old Grammarians and Manningham Cobras set for merger". Herald Sun. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "OLD YARRA COBRAS FOOTBALL CLUB" (PDF). AFL Victoria. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2024.
- ^ "Old Yarra Cobras get 'reward for effort' in debut match after merger off-season". Herald Sun. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "2023 Division 2 Men's". GameDay.
- ^ "Division 1 Men's 2024". PlayHQ. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "William Buck Premier Women's 2024". PlayHQ. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.