Football Netball Club

This plaque is located at 45 Parrott Street. (Back of Recreation Reserve scoreboard)

While the Cobden Bombers’ six senior Hampden footy premierships came in three bursts of two since 1930, they have certainly churned out some quality AFL/VFL players over their history.

• In recent years, Ben Cunnington, Gary Rohan, Jackson Merrett, Zach Merrett, Sean Darcy and Sam Walsh have all flown the flag at AFL level but records show other very handy players did similar in VFL first grade matches – footballers like Thorold Merrett, John Rantall, Brownlow Medallist Alistair Lord, Stewart Lord, Anthony Darcy, David Rhodes, Brian Coleman, Ron Henriksen, Max Reed, Bernie and Gavin Moran, Hugh Worrall, Tim Godfrey, Glenn Ward, Ken Cameron, Arthur Rayson and Frank Keppel.
• The club’s best and fairest honour roll at Hampden league level is impressive. Maskell Medal winners include John Couttie (1952), Hugh Worrall (1970- 72), Peter Anson (1985), Stephen Hammond (1996), Wayne Robertson (1998), Levi Dare (2010), Joe Dare and Levi Dare shared with Tim Hunt and Sam Chapman (2012) and Levi Dare again in 2016. Since netball’s inclusion in the HFNL in 1987, Emma Beks (2008), Nadine McNamara, Sophie Barr (2018), Amy Hammond (2019) and Remeny McCann (2022) have won senior league best and fairests.
• Coach Jack Murphy etched his name in the club’s history by leading the Bombers to two successive premierships in 1948 and 1949 and Sean Lever broke the 48 year drought by coaching Cobden premiership teams in 1997 and repeating the dose in 1998. Our first premiership coach was Frank Northeast (1930) while Jim Mathieson followed up in 1933 – six in all. The reserves have also won six flags while the under 18s have won seven.
• Up to the end of 2023, no Open netball flags are in the trophy cabinet but the club’s no 1 teams were runners-up in 1999, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023, and the COVID pandemic cost them dearly as well. Several times they have headed the ladder at the end of the season but fallen at the last hurdle or not been able to play finals due to the pandemic.

• Cobden played its first matches in 1879 – against Terang and Camperdown – and contested several competitions over the next 50 years against different teams. Mortlake, Naroghid, Scotts Creek, South Purrumbete, Timboon, Pomborneit, Tandarook, Port Campbell, Elingamite, Nirranda, Nullawarre, Boggy Creek, Cowley’s Creek, Bostock’s Creek and Red Hill feature at various stages.
• The Hampden League was formed in 1930 with Cobden a foundation team with Camperdown, Terang and Mortlake. The club wore its ‘beetle’ jumpers until 1975.
• The club, which has always enjoyed a strong member, sponsor and supporter base, has successfully run fund-raising events like the traditional silver circle, theme nights (eg Dancing with the Stars, Around the World Flight Nights), Thursday night teas, calf drives, premiership reunions and player calcuttas.
• Longer-serving presidents include inaugural president W J Silvester (22 years), Les Monk (21 years less five war years), G J Vagg (ten years), Jim Howarth (seven years) and current president James Green (nine years).
• A four-time Andrews Cup football best and fairest winner is Freddie Moore while triple winners are Hugh Worrall, Stephen Hammond, Anthony Reed, Corey Baulch and Levi Dare.
• Since 1987, Angela Kelly and Jacquie Walsh have won the club’s Open netball best and fairest three times, Elise Darcy, Lisa Gardner, Maddie Smedts, Amy Hammond and Remeny McCann twice.
• Acknowledgements: Cobden Football Netball Club Memories of the Past’ by Marie Oborne and Jan Foster, ‘The Infiltrators (1840-1920)’ and ‘And We Who Followed (1921-1987)’ by Jack S Fletcher.