Celebrating 150 years of footy on Yorkes

By Peter Argent

A significant match in the history of South Australian country footy was played at Moonta Oval last weekend when the Moonta Demons and arch rivals Wallaroo Bulldogs celebrated 150 years since the first game between these combatants back in 1874.

To commemorate the occasion, both teams donned heritage guernseys in the A grade match, played on Saturday, August 3.

The 150th anniversary contest albeit proved to be a one-sided affair, with Moonta kicking 24.13 (157) to Wallaroo’s 8.7 (55) to win by 102 points.

Post game, League Director for SANFL Community Football Brad Busch presented the 150-year cup to triumphant Moonta coach Gavin Adams and captain Ryley Maitland, who was also awarded the medal as the Demons’ best player for the day.

Other Demons that took the eye in this landmark game included Tyler Andrews, the SANFL experienced pair of Aidan Turner and Matthew Appleton, along with Tom Hancocks.

Both Andrews and Troy Colliver kicked five goals each for the winners.

Wallaroo’s best player award went to Jacob Tidswell, while Jack Mumford, Thomas Grillett and Dylan Niotis were all gallant for the vanquished.  Steve “Toastie” Clay kicked for the Bulldogs eight goals.

More than a quarter of a century before the Federation of Australia, these Yorke Peninsula football clubs – Wallaroo and Moonta – played this inagaural match against each other.

The clubs commemorated the 150th anniversary of that match, first played on Wednesday, September 12 in 1874.

That original game went for 90 minutes with the team changing ends at half time. Wallaroo won the game with only one goal being scored! They continued to play games against themselves until 1888 when competition games were then organised. Moonta were known as the “Natives”. (Moonta FC website)

“For a club to be able to survive 150 years is massive,” said current Moonta Football Club president Mark Durdin in a pre-game interview.

“Football brings the community together and a lot of people live for the weekends, here’s to another 150.”

Durdin says the initial match was played in a paddock between Wallaroo and Moonta; players wore hessian sugar bags with different colourings to distinguish teams.

As well as being the first footy match recorded on Yorke Peninsula, it is among the oldest recorded in South Australia.

The Wallaroo Football Club was founded in 1867 and Moonta in 1876, followed by Yorke Peninsula Football Association in 1888 to create an “organised” competition.

Wallaroo Football Club president Tom Nolan explained:

“They just wore hessian bags dipped in blue (for Wallaroo) and pink (for Moonta) dye with a ‘W’ for Wallaroo and an ‘M’ for Moonta.

“It was a great day, we had brilliant weather and there was over 500 people were at the venue to celebrate the milestone.

“The players from both clubs were stoked to be a part of the special 150^th anniversary game.

“The medals presented the players were named after the captains of that first game back in 1874.”

Since their inceptions in the YP competitions, Wallaroo has won 27 A grade premierships and Moonta 14 A grade flags.

Excerpt from – The Wallaroo Times and Mining Journal (Port Wallaroo, SA: 1865 – 1881) Sat 12 Sep 1874,  Page 3 under the heading “ FOOTBALL”.

WALLAROO VERSUS MOONTA.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, 9th Sept., was played the first actual match ever played on the Peninsula. The contest was on the ground of the Wallaroo Football Club, near the residence of Mr. J.B. Shepherdson, by the Wallaroo Football Club against

that of Moonta. The weather was anything but propitious, there being a steady drizzling

rain from before the hour fixed for the contest and all through the afternoon.

Notwithstanding this, such was the interest taken by the public in the game, that a large

number of spectators; including many ladies.

At two o’clock the Moonta Club arrived by a special bus, and proceeded, headed by

the Moonta Brass Band, to the football ground. Play was immediately commenced;

Mr Howie acting as captain for the Moonta side; and Mr Geo. Ireland for the Wallaroo

side. For the Moonta Club twenty-two played, and the distinguishing colour was pink. For the Wallaroo Club twenty-one played, and the colour blue

The Moonta Football Club was established on May 30, 1876, over the bar of the Prince of Wales hotel.

The Yorke Peninsula Football Association (YPFA) was formed in 1888, with its first meeting held on March 20, 1888, in Moonta.

At the formation of the YPFA, there was a team from Wallaroo, Wallaroo Mines, Young Turks (Kadina) and four football teams in Moonta competing in this competition, the Moonta (Est. 1876 – wearing black & orange), East Moonta (Est. 1885 – red & white), Moonta Mines Turks (Est. 1886 – navy & red) and Cross Roads (Est. 1888 – double blue).

Of the four teams from Moonta, the Moonta Football Club is the only club that survived. The Moonta Turks merged with the Moonta Football Club in 1937, in 1942 East Moonta also merged with Moonta, while Cross Roads folded in 1946.

Moonta has played in four different competitions through the years. The Yorke Peninsula Football Association, the Moonta Junior Football Association, the Yorke Valley Football League and the Yorke Peninsula Football League.

The Wallaroo club was founded in June 1867, during a meeting at the Globe Inn (now the Weeroona Hotel).

About a dozen members joined and paid their subs, then had a few preliminary kicks in the park with a “first-rate” ball obtained from Adelaide.