# AFL Townsville

AFL Townsville is an amateur competition formed as the Townsville Australian Football League in 1955, the first contemporary AFL competition to be formed outside of the South East Queensland. It is based in the city of Townsville. For a short period in the 1980s, the competition was played during the summer months. The representative team is known as the Eagles and they wear similar guernseys to the Zillmere Eagles' old white and blue guernseys. AFL Townsville runs a men's competition with seniors and reserves divisions, as well as a women's and junior competitions.

## History
### Early matches in Townsville

A Townsville representative team travelled to Cairns in 1884 to play one of the earliest recorded matches in Far North Queensland. It is not known how long the Townsville team began playing prior to this.
Australian Football is recorded to have been played regularly in Townsville in 1886.
The game was short-lived in Far North Queensland as shortly following the folding of the governing body, the Queensland Football Association Rugby Union grew rapidly in popularity across the north of the state with new clubs being formed in areas where the QFA clubs has been and players switching codes.
During World War I in 1942 and 1943, several matches were played among service teams. A league briefly existed including teams RAAF, Cavalry, Army and Essential Services. However support soon petered out.

### Townsville Australian Football League

The current league was launched with three teams, RAAF, Hermit Park and South Townsville in 1954, after a series of exhibition matches were played at RAAF Oval and Gill Park and an exhibition game at the Townsville Showgrounds. All clubs were founded with juniors.
The Garbutt club was formed in 1956. In 1961, Currajong replaced the RAAF who withdrew due to a struggle for numbers. Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War led to the Army entering the scene in 1968 when 6 RAR and a revived RAAF side expanded the league to 6 teams.
The Wulguru club was established in 1968 and entered senior sides, bringing the league up to seven teams. As Australia's involvement in Vietnam wound down, the Army withdrew. The competition remained with six sides from 1976 to 1982 until a team from Burdekin increased the numbers to seven in 1983. Burdekin, made up of converted rugby players, had almost no support apart from the management of the Delta Hotel. The demise of Wulguru followed in early 1984 when the league made a decision with significant consequences. Four seasons of summer football followed, and while the “Darwin” seasons attracted some top players, junior development was stifled.
Currajong in 1990 swallowed up a penniless Townsville Swans, who had switched from South Townsville in June 1982 to become the Curra Swans. The nomination of the Hawks club in 1989 caused a stir due to the number of current players recruited from Hermit Park, Currajong and South Townsville using suspect overtures, although be that as it may the club were premiers by a point in their first season.
The league lost three teams in 1989 and the following year only Hermit Park, West Townsville, Curra Swans, and the University Hawks remained.
In 1999, the Northern Beaches Lions entered the TAFL in an attempt to expand the shattered league. Unfortunately, they endured season after season of enormous defeats. In one match that year, Steve Mazey of West Townsville kicked 27 goals against them. The Northern Beaches Lions were renamed to the Twin City Lions in 2002 and continued to struggle until the end of 2008 when they went into recess with only one win to their credit in August 2004 over Curra Swans. The Lions regrouped and returned with much more solid foundations in 2012 under the banner of "Townsville City Lions". Despite losing every match that year, often at record margins, the determined Lions upgraded their Garbutt facility and won their second Senior match in June 2013 by a goal against University.
Despite the lack of growth in the Seniors, AFL Townsville enjoyed a massive surge in the Junior ranks in more recent years, numbers had increased, and now hundreds of children and teenagers turn out to give their all for their respective clubs.
In 2010, the Thuringowa Bulldogs (former West Townsville) won their first Senior premiership since 2001 in their 40th year and went on to go back to back in 2011.

## Clubs
### Current

| Club | Nickname | Home Ground(s) | Established | Years in comp | Flags | Premierships |
| Curra | Swans "Mud Ducks" | Muldoon Oval ("The Pond"), Annandale | 1990 | 1990- | 4 | 1996, 1997, 1998, 2020 |
| Hermit Park | Tigers | Neil French Oval, Annandale | 1955 | 1955- | 14 | 1955, 1967, 1970, 1984/85, 1986/87, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Northern Beaches | Suns | North Shore Oval, Burdell | 2016 | 2016- | 0 | - |
| Thuringowa | Bulldogs | Riverway Stadium, Kirwan | 1970 | 1970- | 14 | 1971, 1980, 1987/88, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| University | Hawks | Riverway Stadium, Kirwan | 1989 | 1989- | 9 | 1989, 1993, 1994. 1995, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 |

#### Notes

* ↑ Formed by merger of South Townsville and Currajong
* ↑ Formed from merger of Townsville City Lions & Northern Beaches Barras
* ↑ Known as West Townsville 1970–2001

### Junior Only

| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground(s) | Established | Notes |
| Garbutt | | Bombers | Hugh Street, Garbutt | 1955 | |
| Magnetic Island | | Magpies | Gifford Street, Horseshoe Bay Magnetic Island | | |

### Previous

| Club | Nickname | Established | Years in comp | Flags | Notes |
| 2RAR | | | | | Folded |
| Burdekin | | 1983 | 1983 | | Folded |
| Currajong | | 1961 | 1961-1990 | | Merged with Townsville Swans in 1990 |
| Garbutt | Magpies | 1956 | 1956-1988, 2021-2022 (reserves) | 7 | Disbanded |
| RAAF | | 1954 | 1954-196? | 7 | Folded |
| South Townsville / Townsville | Swans | 1954 | 1961-1990 | | Merged with Currajong in 1990 |
| Northern Beaches / Townsville City | Lions | 1999 | 1999-2015 | | Known as Northern Beaches 1999-2002, Known as Twin Cities 2003-2008, Known as Townsville City Lions 2012-2015. Merged with Northern Beaches Barras in 2016 to form Northern Beaches Suns |
| Wulgaru | | 1968 | 1968-1984 | 2 | Folded |

## 2009 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| University Hawks | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1469 | 815 | 180.25% | 56 | 1st Semi | Hermit Park | 15 | 21 | 111 | Curra Swans | 9 | 9 | 63 |
| Thuringowa | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1417 | 1126 | 125.84% | 30 | 2nd Semi | University Hawks | 11 | 14 | 80 | Thuringowa | 12 | 7 | 79 |
| Hermit Park | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1199 | 1336 | 89.75% | 24 | Preliminary | Thuringowa | 21 | 16 | 142 | Hermit Park | 11 | 6 | 72 |
| Curra Swans | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 928 | 1736 | 53.46% | 10 | Grand | University Hawks | 17 | 12 | 114 | Thuringowa | 15 | 6 | 96 |

## 2010 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Thuringowa | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1645 | 942 | 174.63% | 48 | 1st Semi | Hermit Park | 22 | 13 | 145 | Curra Swans | 13 | 7 | 85 |
| University Hawks | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1377 | 1122 | 122.73% | 36 | 2nd Semi | University Hawks | 15 | 16 | 106 | Thuringowa | 10 | 10 | 70 |
| Hermit Park | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1395 | 1182 | 118.02% | 36 | Preliminary | Thuringowa | 17 | 11 | 113 | Hermit Park | 10 | 8 | 68 |
| Curra Swans | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 807 | 1978 | 40.80% | 0 | Grand | Thuringowa | 7 | 11 | 53 | University Hawks | 6 | 12 | 48 |

## 2011 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Thuringowa | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1435 | 888 | 161.60% | 52 | 1st Semi | Curra Swans | 16 | 13 | 109 | University Hawks | 10 | 9 | 69 |
| Hermit Park | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1306 | 968 | 134.92% | 40 | 2nd Semi | Thuringowa | 11 | 7 | 73 | Hermit Park | 9 | 9 | 63 |
| Curra Swans | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1090 | 1193 | 91.37% | 24 | Preliminary | Hermit Park | 14 | 13 | 97 | Curra Swans | 13 | 13 | 91 |
| University Hawks | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 771 | 1553 | 49.65% | 4 | Grand | Thuringowa | 13 | 14 | 92 | Hermit Park | 4 | 11 | 35 |

## 2012 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Thuringowa | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2154 | 932 | 231.12% | 64 | 1st Semi | University Hawks | 15 | 12 | 102 | Curra Swans | 7 | 4 | 46 |
| Hermit Park | 9 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1999 | 1066 | 187.52% | 36 | 2nd Semi | Thuringowa | 17 | 6 | 108 | Hermit Park | 9 | 11 | 65 |
| University Hawks | 9 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1648 | 1125 | 146.49% | 36 | Preliminary | Hermit Park | 12 | 9 | 81 | University Hawks | 9 | 9 | 63 |
| Curra Swans | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 1320 | 1382 | 95.51% | 24 | Grand | Hermit Park | 12 | 10 | 82 | Thuringowa | 9 | 9 | 63 |
| Townsville City Lions | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 421 | 3037 | 13.86% | 0 |

## 2013 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Thuringowa | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2041 | 794 | 257.05% | 54 | 1st Semi | Curra Swans | 10 | 11 | 71 | University Hawks | 7 | 14 | 56 |
| Hermit Park | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1638 | 941 | 174.07% | 54 | 2nd Semi | Thuringowa | 15 | 14 | 104 | Hermit Park | 2 | 7 | 19 |
| Curra Swans | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 1064 | 1585 | 67.13% | 24 | Preliminary | Hermit Park | 9 | 11 | 65 | Curra Swans | 8 | 8 | 56 |
| University Hawks | 5 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 1069 | 1273 | 83.97% | 20 | Grand | Thuringowa | 13 | 14 | 92 | Hermit Park | 12 | 5 | 77 |
| Townsville City Lions | 2 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 783 | 2002 | 39.11% | 8 |

## 2014 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Thuringowa | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2205 | 654 | 337.16% | 64 | 1st Semi | Hermit Park | 11 | 10 | 76 | University Hawks | 5 | 3 | 33 |
| Curra Swans | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1656 | 1053 | 157.26% | 40 | 2nd Semi | Thuringowa | 18 | 9 | 117 | Curra Swans | 7 | 12 | 54 |
| Hermit Park | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1626 | 1086 | 149.72% | 40 | Preliminary | Hermit Park | 10 | 15 | 75 | Curra Swans | 9 | 10 | 64 |
| University Hawks | 4 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 1024 | 1410 | 72.62% | 16 | Grand | Thuringowa | 26 | 11 | 167 | Hermit Park | 9 | 3 | 57 |
| Townsville City Lions | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 530 | 2838 | 18.68% | 0 |

## 2015 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Thuringowa | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2069 | 656 | 315.40% | 56 | 1st Semi | University Hawks | 17 | 18 | 120 | Curra Swans | 8 | 8 | 56 |
| Hermit Park | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1728 | 809 | 213.60% | 56 | 2nd Semi | Thuringowa | 17 | 13 | 115 | Hermit Park | 6 | 14 | 50 |
| University Hawks | 5 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 1020 | 1349 | 75.61% | 20 | Preliminary | Hermit Park | 17 | 11 | 113 | Curra Swans | 4 | 7 | 31 |
| Curra Swans | 5 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 1056 | 1428 | 73.95% | 20 | Grand | Hermit Park | 13 | 8 | 86 | Thuringowa | 8 | 17 | 65 |
| Townsville City Lions | 2 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 638 | 2269 | 28.12% | 8 |

## 2016 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Thuringowa | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1780 | 586 | 303.75% | 64 | 1st Semi | University Hawks | 15 | 7 | 97 | Northern Beaches Suns | 4 | 4 | 28 |
| Hermit Park | 9 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1342 | 841 | 159.57% | 36 | 2nd Semi | Thuringowa | 17 | 10 | 112 | Hermit Park | 6 | 10 | 46 |
| University Hawks | 9 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1277 | 1027 | 124.34% | 36 | Preliminary | Hermit Park | 9 | 9 | 63 | University Hawks | 2 | 8 | 20 |
| Northern Beaches Suns | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 1039 | 1192 | 87.16% | 24 | Grand | Thuringowa | 12 | 14 | 86 | Hermit Park | 5 | 4 | 34 |
| Curra Swans | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 563 | 2355 | 23.91% | 0 |

## 2017 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Hermit Park | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2040 | 562 | 362.99% | 56 | 1st Semi | Thuringowa | 10 | 16 | 76 | Northern Beaches | 9 | 6 | 60 |
| University Hawks | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1600 | 759 | 210.80% | 56 | 2nd Semi | Hermit Park | 17 | 11 | 113 | University Hawks | 4 | 4 | 28 |
| Thuringowa | 7 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 1417 | 1004 | 141.14% | 28 | Preliminary | University Hawks | 9 | 15 | 69 | Thuringowa | 4 | 4 | 28 |
| Northern Beaches Suns | 4 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 813 | 1608 | 50.56% | 16 | Grand | Hermit Park | 17 | 14 | 116 | University Hawks | 8 | 9 | 57 |
| Curra Swans | 1 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 347 | 2284 | 15.19% | 4 |

## 2018 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Hermit Park | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2035 | 693 | 293.65% | 60 | 1st Semi | University Hawks | 12 | 17 | 89 | Northern Beaches Suns | 7 | 6 | 48 |
| Thuringowa | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1523 | 1032 | 147.58% | 40 | 2nd Semi | Hermit Park | 13 | 9 | 87 | Thuringowa | 8 | 10 | 58 |
| University Hawks | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1326 | 1211 | 109.50% | 40 | Preliminary | University Hawks | 18 | 18 | 126 | Thuringowa | 12 | 7 | 79 |
| Northern Beaches Suns | 4 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 990 | 1469 | 67.39% | 16 | Grand | Hermit Park | 12 | 11 | 83 | University Hawks | 10 | 12 | 72 |
| Curra Swans | 1 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 676 | 2145 | 31.52% | 4 |

## 2019 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Hermit Park | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1317 | 714 | 184.45% | 48 | 1st Semi | Curra Swans | 8 | 13 | 61 | University Hawks | 7 | 10 | 52 |
| Thuringowa | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1276 | 684 | 186.55% | 40 | 2nd Semi | Hermit Park | 8 | 13 | 61 | Thuringowa | 7 | 10 | 52 |
| Curra Swans | 7 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1044 | 1145 | 91.18% | 28 | Preliminary | Thuringowa | 18 | 9 | 117 | Curra Swans | 14 | 9 | 93 |
| University Hawks | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 890 | 1062 | 83.80% | 20 | Grand | Hermit Park | 13 | 10 | 88 | Thuringowa | 11 | 7 | 73 |
| Northern Beaches Suns | 1 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 639 | 1561 | 40.94% | 4 |

## 2020 Ladder

| AFL Townsville | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts |
| Curra Swans | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1060 | 197 | 538.07% | 32 | 1st Semi | Hermit Park Tigers | 11 | 5 | 71 | University Hawks | 8 | 6 | 54 |
| Thuringowa Bulldogs | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 844 | 295 | 286.10% | 24 | 2nd Semi | Curra Swans | 12 | 12 | 84 | Thuringowa Bulldogs | 2 | 3 | 15 |
| Hermit Park Tigers | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 493 | 486 | 101.44% | 16 | Preliminary | Thuringowa Bulldogs | 9 | 15 | 69 | Hermit Park Tigers | 8 | 5 | 53 |
| University Hawks | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 331 | 683 | 48.46% | 8 | Grand | Curra Swans | 8 | 8 | 56 | Thuringowa Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 49 |
| Northern Beaches Suns | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 203 | 1270 | 15.98% | 0 |