Reunion to celebrate Blues’ first win in Gippsland Latrobe

IT MAY have taken ten games in the Gippsland Latrobe Football League for the Wonthaggi Blues to finally break through with a win but on July 8, 1995, Wonthaggi 14-12-96 downed hapless Maffra by nine points 12-15-87.

‘Blues break big dry’ shouted out the Sentinel Times.

Wonthaggi’s memorable nine-point first victory in the Gippsland Latrobe Football League was made all the more pleasing by being scored without Blues’ big guns Chris Day and Anthony Panozzo who were playing an interleague game in Swan Hill.

Boosted by their win against Maffra, the Blues went on to score an astonishing five-point back-to-back win against Moe the following week but still not enough though to lift them from the bottom of the ladder.

Recalling those halcyon days Wonthaggi Football Club life member and former Wonthaggi Blues Captain, best and fairest and premiership player Peter ‘Dick’ Williams remembered souveniring the football after the Maffra match.

“I asked if we could have it,” said Dick.

The football was later mounted on a stand as a trophy and that’s where the football remains today complete with the inscription ‘Gippsland Latrobe Valley Football League Ball used in historic first win Round 12 at Maffra 8th July 1995’.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Wonthaggi’s first victory in the Gippsland big league Mr Williams has organised a reunion of past players from the Wonthaggi Blues and Maffra on Saturday, June 28 at the Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve.

Coached by former Carlton tagger and best on-ground Mark Athorn, Wonthaggi’s best on the day included former Melbourne player Jamie Duursma, Ian Harvey, and 1994 State Cricketer of the Year Warren Ayres (on debut), Rob Williams, Brett Beaumont and Ian Glasscock.

Paul Brosnan, Stuart Gilmour, Darren Brown, Robert Williams, Mark Tiziani, Anthony Williams, Frank Andrighetto and Aaron Yann added to the match winning team with Matthew Williams, John Withall and Tim McCaughan playing from the bench.

Wearing the distinctive navy blue guernseys with white monogram the Blues played their last season in the Bass Valley-Wonthaggi and District Football League in 1994 a year after defeating Inverloch-Kongwak in the 1993 Grand Final.

Maffra regained its honour against Wonthaggi in the 2002 Gippsland-Latrobe Premier Division final series defeating the Blues in the second semi-final, and then after Wonthaggi defeated Moe in the Preliminary Final defeating Wonthaggi again in the grand final.

Maffra defeated Wonthaggi in the 2004 West Gippsland-Latrobe FL Premier Division Grand Final before Wonthaggi and Wonthaggi Rovers merged in 2005 to form the Wonthaggi F.C. in the Alberton Football League.

Dominating the Alberton League Wonthaggi defeated Fish Creek in the 2005 Grand Final in a low scoring match before moving back to the Gippsland Latrobe Valley Football League in 2006.

Dick Williams is looking forward to welcoming past players from both Maffra and Wonthaggi to the Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve for the first win reunion at midday on Saturday, June 28.

To join the reunion contact Dick Williams email joananddickwilliams@gmail.com.