St Bernard's Football Club History

In 1961 St Bernard's was a very small school of less than 300 students, but against the odds managed to win the ACC 1st XVIII football competition, and from that fledgling beginning the seeds of a great club were sewn. Today, St Bernard's has grown to become one of the biggest football clubs in the state with several hundred registered players from our Auskick program through to Seniors. St Bernard's is a major force in VAFA ranks and widely respected throughout the broader football community.

1963 saw the birth of a vibrant club. Co-founded by Peter Nathan and Jim Overman, under the presidency of the late Kevin Tobin, the coaching of the late Jack Kent, and comprising most of the 1961 school premiership team, the club enjoyed immediate success winning Senior and Reserve flags in E Section. In doing so, St Bernard's became the first ever club in VAFA history to win Senior and Reserve premierships in its inaugural year. Another important milestone in 1963 was the opening of a new college campus at the current West Essendon site. The College remains a strong supporter of the club and the source of many recruits.

St Bernard's made it two Senior flags in succession, winning the 1964 D Section Grand Final against Old Brighton Grammarians. C Section proved a tougher nut to crack, but after consecutive Preliminary Final defeats in 1966 and 1967, the side made it through to the premiership decider in 1968. While disappointed to lose the Grand Final against Footscray Technical College Old Boys, the club continued its rise, gaining promotion to B Grade for the 1969 season. That year also saw the club enter a team into the Under 19 Division 2 competition under first-time coach, Gus Mitchell, and like the Seniors and Reserves before them, they had immediate success, winning a hard fought Grand Final against St Kilda CBC Old Boys by 6 points.

Following his success with the Under 19s, Gus was appointed coach of the Seniors in 1970 and took the team into the 1970 Grand Final and promotion into A Grade for the very first time. While the Seniors were disappointed to lose the B Grade Grand Final to Old Scotch, they had their revenge when they were drawn to play Old Scotch again in their first ever game in A Grade in 1971. The game was played at Old Scotch's Camberwell Oval, and after the premiership flag was unfurled, St Bernard's proved to be the dominant team and went on to record a resounding win. Coincidentally, St Bernard's and Old Scotch are the only two clubs in the history of the VAFA to have reached A Grade and then never dropped back below B Grade. 1971 also saw the Reserves win the A Grade flag, which was followed by the Under 19 Division 1 premiership in 1972.

St Bernard's enjoyed great success in the 1970's, contesting three A Grade Grand Finals, losing the first of these in 1973 to then-VAFA powerhouse, Ormond Amateurs, before winning the 1975 flag against great rivals, North Old Boys. The Reserves also secured a premiership in 1975 to cap off an historic year. After just thirteen seasons in the VAFA, the club had reached the very pinnacle of the amateur game, an achievement which ranks with the most noteworthy in the competition's history. The 1976 season saw the same two sides contesting the Grand Final, this time with North Old Boys turning the tables. Adding to the trophy cabinet, St Bernard's won the Under 19 Division 1 flag again in 1977 and Peter Aughton won the coveted Woodrow Medal that same year.

The 1980's opened with Bernie Angel winning the club's second Woodrow Medal in 1980, and in 1983 both the Reserves (B Grade) and Under 19s (Division 1) won premierships. The remainder of the decade saw St Bernard's alternating between A and B Grade, with the Seniors winning B Grade premierships in 1984 and 1987. During this period, the club established Juniors who competed in the Essendon District Football League before moving to the Western Region Football League. In 1991 St Bernard's prevailed in the B Grade Grand Final clash with Old Xaverians and returned to A Grade, embarking upon a truly golden era.

Luke Gollant took out our third Woodrow Medal in 1998, and after appearing in several finals series, the Seniors reached the 2000 A Grade Grand Final, losing to rival Old Xaverians. In another significant development, Junior President Mick Overman established St Bernard's Auskick program in 2000, which has grown to become one of the largest in the region. Another finals appearance followed in 2001, before winning our second A Grade flag in 2002. The side, coached by Peter Nicholson, produced a scintillating all-round performance to defeat Old Xaverians by 31 points, with youngster Danny Byrne became the club's first Jock Nelson Medallist for best afield in an A Grade Grand Final. More premiership silverware was added in 2002 by the Under 19 (Red) team. St Bernard's played off in all three Grand Finals in 2003 with our Under 19 Division 1 side becoming Premiers and undefeated Champions, and the Reserves making it two flags that year. Unfortunately, the Seniors just missed a clean sweep, finishing runners up to Old Xaverians. The club made its third consecutive A Grade Grand Final in 2004, finishing runners up again to University Blues.

2005 proved a difficult year for St Bernard's at Senior level with twelve of its 2004 A Grade Grand Final players moving on, many to higher levels. The Seniors relied heavily on our Junior program to remain competitive before moving back to B Grade in 2008. However, during this period the club experienced huge growth via the development of our Junior program, a flourishing Auskick program, and the re-introduction of Club XVIII football. The "Clubbies" won the flag in 2008, adding to the collection from 1991, 1992 and 1996. In 2010 the club also introduced a Thirds team, and achieved a record number of player registrations with 635 players (from Auskick through to Seniors), more than doubling our numbers in less than a decade. In that period the club had seven players drafted to AFL ranks. After several seasons in B Grade, the club, under senior coach Chris Tankard, was promoted back into A Grade following the 2011 B Grade Grand Final defeat to Caulfield Grammarians. The Under 19s also experienced more success, winning the Division 2 premiership.

In 2013 the club celebrated it's 50th year anniversary, highlighted by the award-nominated book 'Forever Strong', overseen by Matt Mulkearns and Sophie Arnold. The 50th Anniversary Celebration Ball was truly a night of nights, attended by 720 people, as the Team of the Half Century was revealed. 2013 also saw the expansion of the club's business coterie group, the 'Diamond Dogs', under the passionate stewardship of chairman Vinnie McGuire. The 'Diamond Dogs' play a vital role providing financial support to the club and driving our jobs network, helping young players secure career pathways. In addition, the 'Ladies Network' was launched under industrious chairperson Angela McGuire, and immediately grew to 250-plus ladies participating in a wide range of events and functions. The ladies of St Bernard's have been the unsung heroes at the club, giving over 60 years of tireless volunteer and family support.

Season 2014 saw the appointment of Anthony Rock as senior coach. With extensive AFL playing and coaching experience, and multiple EDFL Premierships, he brought a high level of professionalism and a strong focus to the club. The Seniors finished on top of the ladder, however, exited the finals after two hard fought losses. The football academy was delivering rewards, with the U19's winning the 2014 Division 1 flag. 2015 proved to be a hallmark year. Spurred on by the pain of a straight sets final campaign in 2014, the Seniors made amends under the leadership of captain Tom Caven and Woodrow Medallist, Adam Bentick. In a Grand Final considered one of the best in VAFA history, the club secured its third A Grade flag in a stirring 7 point win over Old Trinity Grammarians at Princess Park.

Mark Riley was appointed senior coach in 2016, replacing Anthony Rock who moved up to an AFL coaching role with Fremantle. It proved an extremely difficult year, with multiple players leaving the club, numerous injuries to key players, and ended in relegation to B Grade. 2017 saw an influx of talented Under 19 players maturing into strong contributors. An overtime loss to Old Scotch in the Preliminary Final was a heart breaker, however, the club was beginning to rebound. This resulted in a dominant year in 2018. With Chad Jones kicking over 100 goals and taking home the GT Moore Medal as the league Best & Fairest winner, the Seniors powered to top spot on the ladder. The season culminated in a 90 point Grand Final victory over Old Carey, and a return to A Grade football. The Thirds also enjoyed premiership success with a Division 3 flag.

With significant player turnover and retirements in 2019, senior coach Mark Riley ended his successful tenure at the club by leading the Seniors to a very competitive season and staying up in A Grade. 2019 also saw the Juniors embark on a rebuild, and with the Auskick program surging to a record 220 players, it represented a very promising future for the club.  With new senior coach Paul Groves at the helm, the 2020 season was lost to Covid, as was much of the 2021 campaign, which ended with just 11 rounds played and St Bernard's sitting in seventh position. As many older players began to move on from their football careers during these covid-plagued years, 2022 saw a very young Senior team compete bravely but ultimately struggle in A Grade, with the club relegated to B Grade once again.

Despite the disappointment, the club moved on quickly, securing former Essendon premiership ruckman Steven Alessio as senior coach. His coaching career at St Bernard's could not have started any better, with an 11 goal to nil first quarter in Round 1 setting the tone for a remarkable season. With all three sides making the Grand Final in 2023, the Senior team end up as undefeated Premiers, defeating Fitzroy in the B Grade decider, while the Reserves also clinched a premiership and the Thirds finished as runner up.

The club returned to A Grade in 2024, and despite an opening round win, the Seniors would eventually become part of a fierce relegation battle against the other promoted club, Fitzroy. Going into the final round, St Bernard's just needed a home win against bottom-placed Old Melburnians to survive. Despite leading all day, the home side stumbled in the last quarter to lose by a single point. Meanwhile, 9th-placed Fitzroy were 40 points up against finals-contender Collegians, and eyeing off a miraculous survival that would condemn St Bernard's to B Grade once again. With the final siren already blown at the Snakepit, players, coaches and supporters had to wait an excruciating 10 minutes to see if Collegians had reeled in this big margin. Fortunately, the football Gods were smiling down at Harry Trott Oval, as the boys in purple recorded a narrow win, keeping St Bernard's in A Grade on percentage.

It has been a remarkable history since 1963, and from humble beginnings St Bernard's is now one of the most respected clubs in Victoria, providing superb facilities, first class coaching and a wonderful family environment to its players and supporters.