# North West Football Union

The North West Football Union (NWFU) was an Australian rules football competition which ran from 1910 to 1986 on the north western coast of Tasmania. In its time it was one of the three main leagues in Tasmania, with the Tasmanian Football League in Hobart and Northern Tasmanian Football Association in Launceston representing the rest of the state. Burnie, Latrobe and Ulverstone were the most successful clubs with 12 premierships each.
The league disbanded after the 1986 season after major clubs such as Cooee and Devonport defected to the TFL Statewide League. In 1987 the NWFU effectively merged with the Northern Tasmanian Football Association (NTFA) to form the Northern Tasmanian Football League, which exists today as the North West Football League.

## Clubs
### Final

| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in NWFU | NWFU Premierships | NWFU Premierships | Fate |
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in NWFU | Total | Years | Fate |
| Burnie | | Tigers | West Park Oval, Burnie | | 1885 | | 14 | 1927, 1928, 1937, 1939, 1946W, 1947W, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1974 | |
| Cooee | | Bulldogs | West Park Oval, Burnie | | 1894 | | 7 | 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1982, 1984 | |
| Devonport | | Magpies | Devonport Oval, Devonport | | 1881 | 1910-1986 | 7 | 1914, 1915, 1925, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1981 | |
| East Devonport | | Swans | Girdlestone Park, East Devonport | | 1901 | | 3 | 1945E, 1946E, 1948E, 1968 | |
| Latrobe | | Demons | Darrel Baldock Oval, Latrobe | | 1881 | 1910-1986 | 12 | 1913, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 | |
| Penguin | | Two Blues | Dial Park, Penguin | | 1890 | | 3 | 1932, 1977, 1980 | |
| Smithton | | Saints | Circular Head Recreation Ground, Smithton | | 1907 | 1980- | 1 | 1983 | |
| Ulverstone | | Robins | Ulverstone Recreation Ground, Ulverstone | | 1888 | 1910-1986 | 12 | 1910, 1923, 1935, 1947E, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1976, 1986 | |
| Wynyard | | Cats | Wynyard Football Ground, Wynyard | | 1885 | | 5 | 1948W, 1952, 1967, 1975, 1979 | |

### Former

| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in NWFU | NWFU Premierships | NWFU Premierships | Fate |
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Former League | Est. | Years in NWFU | Total | Years | Fate |
| APPM | | | | | | | 2 | 1941, 1949 | |
| Circular Head | | | | | | | 1 | 1929 | |
| Diggers | | | | | | | 1 | 1921 | |
| Mersey | | | | | | | 2 | 1911, 1912 | |

## NWFU premierships
### Winners by year

| Year | Premiers | | Runner-up | Year | Premiers | | Runner-up |
| 1910 | Ulverstone 8.13 (61) | def. | Mersey 5.8 (38) | 1952 | Wynyard 9.12 (66) | def. | Ulverstone 7.14 (56) |
| 1911 | Mersey 7.8 (50) | def. | Latrobe 1.9 (15) | 1953 | Ulverstone 8.14 (62) | def. | Wynyard 7.14 (56) |
| 1912 | Mersey 2.8 (20) | def. | Ulverstone 1.7 (13) | 1954 | Burnie 9.13 (67) | def. | Wynyard 8.10 (58) |
| 1913 | Latrobe | | (No Final Played) | 1955 | Ulverstone 11.14 (80) | def. | Burnie 10.15 (75) |
| 1914 | Devonport 9.9 (63) | def. | Latrobe 5.1 (31) | 1956 | Ulverstone 13.15 (93) | def. | Cooee 7.14 (56) |
| 1915 | Devonport 3.2 (20) | def. | Ulverstone 2.6 (18) | 1957 | Ulverstone 29.17 (191) | def. | Latrobe 9.11 (65) |
| 1916–19 | No Competition due to | WWI | and Spanish Flu Epidemic | 1958 | Burnie 19.15 (129) | def. | East Devonport 13.13 (91) |
| 1920 | Latrobe 8.11 (59) | def. | Ulverstone 5.6 (36) | 1959 | Burnie 16.10 (106) | def. | East Devonport 11.10 (76) |
| 1921 | Diggers 7.11 (53) | def. | Latrobe 4.6 (30) | 1960 | Burnie 12.10 (82) | def. | Cooee 7.15 (57) |
| 1922 | Latrobe 5.12 (52) | def. | Burnie 4.12 (36) | 1961 | Cooee 8.10 (58) | def. | Burnie 8.5 (53) |
| 1923 | Ulverstone 9.6 (60) | def. | Latrobe 7.11 (53) | 1962 | Burnie 12.20 (92) | def. | Devonport 13.4 (82) |
| 1924 | Latrobe 10.11 (71) | def. | Devonport 8.9 (57) | 1963 | Burnie 15.15 (105) | def. | Ulverstone 13.11 (89) |
| 1925 | Devonport 11.11 (77) | def. | Ulverstone 6.13 (49) | 1964 | Cooee 17.12 (114) | def. | Ulverstone 5.14 (44) |
| 1926 | Latrobe 12.14 (86) | def. | Ulverstone 12.8 (80) | 1965 | Cooee 12.14 (86) | def. | Ulverstone 7.9 (51) |
| 1927 | Burnie 13.8 (86) | def. | Devonport 12.12 (84) | 1966 | Burnie 7.7 (49) | def | Latrobe 5.11 (41) |
| 1928 | Burnie 7.11 (53) | def. | Devonport 4.13 (37) | 1967 | Wynyard 13.7 (85) | def. | Cooee 7.7 (49) |
| 1929 | Circular Head 8.8 (56) | def. | Burnie 6.14 (50) | 1968 | East Devonport 15.16 (106) | def. | Ulverstone 10.18 (78) |
| 1930 | Latrobe 9.15 (69) | def. | Burnie 6.10 (46) | 1969 | Latrobe 9.10 (64) | def. | Ulverstone 4.5 (29) |
| 1931 | Latrobe 8.19 (67) | def. | Ulverstone 8.10 (58) | 1970 | Latrobe 14.19 (103) | def. | Wynyard 12.5 (77) |
| 1932 | Penguin 14.10 (94) | def. | Latrobe 10.13 (73) | 1971 | Latrobe 14.16 (100) | def. | East Devonport 5.9 (39) |
| 1933 | Latrobe 14.13 (97) | def. | Penguin 6.10 (46) | 1972 | Latrobe 11.16 (82) | def. | Burnie 8.12 (60) |
| 1934 | Devonport 17.14 (116) | def. | Burnie 8.13 (61) | 1973 | Cooee 14.12 (96) | def. | Latrobe 10.10 (70) |
| 1935 | Ulverstone 9.16 (70) | def. | Devonport 8.8 (56) | 1974 | Burnie 14.15 (99) | def. | Latrobe 9.12 (66) |
| 1936 | Devonport 14.11 (95) | def. | Burnie 9.19 (73) | 1975 | Wynyard 15.10 (100) | def. | Ulverstone 12.8 (80) |
| 1937 | Burnie 14.14 (98) | def. | Devonport 13.15 (93) | 1976 | Ulverstone 14.9 (93) | def. | Penguin 7.19 (61) |
| 1938 | Devonport 13.22 (100) | def. | Burnie 9.9 (63) | 1977 | Penguin 11.18 (84) | def. | Cooee 11.14 (80) |
| 1939 | Burnie 16.10 (106) | def. | Latrobe 8.13 (61) | 1978 | Cooee 20.11 (131) | def. | Wynyard 13.30 (108) |
| 1940–44 | No Competition | Due | To World War II | 1979 | Wynyard 21.24 (150) | def. | Cooee 15.7 (97) |
| 1945 W | APPM 10.20 (80) | def. | Wynyard 11.12 (78) | 1980 | Penguin 12.11 (83) | def. | Wynyard 11.5 (71) |
| 1945 E | East Devonport 8.15 (63) | def | Devonport 6.16 (52) | 1980 | Penguin 12.11 (83) | def. | Wynyard 11.5 (71) |
| 1946 W | Burnie 13.11 (89) | def. | Wynyard 12.10 (82) | 1981 | Devonport 13.9 (87) | def. | Penguin 10.12 (72) |
| 1946 E | East Devonport 18.14 (122) | def | Ulverstone 12.4 (76) | 1981 | Devonport 13.9 (87) | def. | Penguin 10.12 (72) |
| 1947 W | Burnie 10.17 (77) | def. | Cooee 11.8 (74) | 1982 | Cooee 16.15 (111) | def. | Penguin 16.5 (101) |
| 1947 E | Ulverstone 15.17 (107) | def | Latrobe 8.17 (65) | 1982 | Cooee 16.15 (111) | def. | Penguin 16.5 (101) |
| 1948 W | Wynyard 8.13 (61) | def. | Cooee 8.9 (57) | 1983 | Smithton 20.17 (137) | def. | Cooee 21.10 (136) |
| 1948 E | East Devonport 10.7 (67) | def | Ulverstone 6.8 (44) | 1983 | Smithton 20.17 (137) | def. | Cooee 21.10 (136) |
| 1949 | APPM 14.12 (96) | def. | Ulverstone 9.15 (69) | 1984 | Cooee 18.16 (124) | def. | Smithton 17.13 (115) |
| 1950 | Ulverstone 7.8 (50) | def. | Devonport 7.7 (49) | 1985 | Penguin 21.9 (135) | def. | Smithton 13.9 (87) |
| 1951 | Ulverstone 17.22 (124) | def. | Cooee 8.11 (59) | 1986 | Ulverstone 9.10 (64) | def. | Smithton 7.7 (49) |
Reforming after the war there were two divisions, East and West, Both Divisional premiers would play off.

### Most premierships

| Club | Premierships |
| Burnie | 12 |
| Latrobe | 12 |
| Ulverstone | 12 |
| Cooee | 7 |
| Devonport | 7 |
| Penguin | 4 |
| Wynyard | 4 |
| East Devonport | 3 |
| APPM | 2 |
| Mersey | 2 |
| Circular Head | 1 |
| Diggers | 1 |
| Smithton | 1 |

## Tasmanian State Premiership

This was contested regularly between the premiers of the Tasmanian Football League and the Northern Tasmanian Football Association and then the NWFU from 1954 until 1978.
The six winners from the NWFU were:
* 1955 – Ulverstone
* 1963 – Burnie
* 1964 – Cooee
* 1970 – Latrobe
* 1976 – Ulverstone
* 1978 – Cooee

## Best and Fairests

The Wander Medal was awarded annually to the best and fairest player in the NWFU, every year from 1948 to 1986. Prior to 1948, the league's best and fairest award was known under various names and given out semi regularly. From 1945 to 1947, an award was given to best and fairest player from the western region but the name of it is unknown. Len Hayes won it in the first two years and Alan Crawford the last.
Wander Medal
Cheel Medal
* 1923 – Stan Trebilco
* 1924 – Fred Odgers
* 1925 – Bill Berryman
* 1926 – Rupert Stott
* 1927 – H. O. "Nip" Smith (Penguin)
* 1928 – Charlie Hallam
* 1929 – Tas Langmaid
Royal Medal
Awarded only to players from the eastern region of the NWFU
* 1930 – Bill Berryman
Wright Medal
Awarded only to players from the western region of the NWFU
* 1930 – Jimmy Brown (Ulverstone)
* 1931 – Gerry Plapp
Alford Medal
* 1937 – Clem Riggs