TDFNC “The First 100 Years” by Vin Cowell

Download: TDFNC The First 100 Years by Vin Cowell (9.2mb .pdf)

1930 KDFL Premiership Team

• Back Row – Bill Donnan, Tom McCashney, Oscar Shilton, Claude Neally, Jack Kirwood, Lefty Edwards, Bert Cann, Norm Elliott, Tom O’Brien, Sid Giles, Bill Smith, Em Wall
• Middle Row – Jack Higgins, Tom Hickey, Vic Justice, Wally Justice, Gordon Davie, Arthur Plant, Bill Morris, Bill Manley, Jim McKenzie
• Front Row – George Colvin, Joe Hart, Ron Justice, Bill Bremner, Les Donnan

1961 RDFL Premiership Team

• Back Row – Bill Donnelly, Ted Cole, Des Kelly, Doug McKenzie, Harold Loughnane, Ivan Sartori, Brian Smith, Bruce Peucker, Ken Dunn, Rex McCashney, Fred Hyslop, Ian Sartori, Bruce Holmes, Kevin Muir, Reg Scott, Wally Flenley

• Middle Row – Phillip Dawson, Stiffy Dona Doni, John Dehne, Bill O’Connell, Bob Holmes, Jim McNamara, Gerald McCashney, Kevin Law, Jack Hiscock, Chris O’Connell, Bill McCashney

• Front Row – Gavin Smith, Eli Brown, Vin Flenley, Eric Bremner

Since 1892 we have been achieved success winning 11 senior football premierships, two senior netball premiership, several reserves and junior premierships in both football and netball.

In the late 70’s and early 80’s the club went into recess twice which left a void for the community of Trentham. In 1987 several families got together to have a BBQ and they decided it was time for Trentham to have a footy club back.  A social committee was formed which included Graeme Jennings, Marty Bloom, Ken Byrne, Karl Robson, Sharon Keogh, Marty & Georgie Patterson, Lindsay Parsons, Norm Topp, Clem Mooney & Doug Speedie.  They organised many fundraisers and social events such as Bingo Tickets, Car Rally, Meat & wood raffles, trivia nights, bush dance and much more to ensure that they could get the club and running again. The club reformed in 1988 and joined the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League with football and netball. Marty Patterson (President), Wal Parsons (Secretary) & Bill Patterson (Secretary) and Clem Mooney (Treasurer) the committee Graeme Jennings, Georgie Patterson, Norm Topp, Glen Robson, Debra Jennings, Marty Bloom, Sharon Keogh, Lindsay Parsons and Rob Evans.  Keith Ennis was appointed Senior coach with Vin Cowell Reserves with Georgie Patterson taking on the reins on the netball court.

• 1999 saw our first female President – Livia Bourke nee Matricardi  step up to lead the Club.
• In 2010 the U17 footballers rejoined the Trentham Saints after spending 2009 with the Daylesford Demons.
• In 2013 the junior footballers ( U15 & U12’s) joined  the Seniors transitioning from the Kyneton District Junior Football League/Midlands Junior Football League.
• In 1992 we were victorious with both our senior & reserves teams winning the premiership for the first time in the Maryborough & Castlemaine District Football Netball League.

1994 MCDFNL Senior Premiers Squad

• Back -T.Sperring Committee), B.OConnell(Committee), M.Reeves, D Crewther, T Barker, R. Evans, V.Cowell (President), M.James, J Bennett,  J.Beaumont( runner),  P Barker, J Manning(Committee),  C.Simmonds (runner)

• Middle – K.Reeves, B.White, A.Flenley, T.Adams,S Nabbs, S Hawkins, C.Dovaston, S Christensen & L.Greening

• Front -P Stevens, K Ennis, S Hammond, M.Bourke (Capt), M.Hewat(Coach),P.Hayward ( Asst.Coach), J Luscott, ,D.O’Connell,                        C Plowman

• Premiership Players Absent – S.Beattie,I Stringer,A.Howe,C.McKenzie,M.Boyer

2017 was an historic year for the Saints when we won a record 4 flags in U14.5 & U17.5 football & U17 & A Grade netball. A wonderful achievement for a small town. This year we also won the MCDFNL Carlton Champion Club Award with 500 points.

2017 MCDFNL A Grade Premiership Team

Alex Shellard, S.Parks(Capt), S.Ford, T.Dicker, J.O.Donohue, K.Parks, H.Bourke, P.DeSpirt, E.Richardson (Coach)

Our most recent on field success was in 2022 with Reserves winning the Premiership against Talbot.

Excerpt From Midland Express 2020

Trentham’s glory years

Trentham Football Club’s glory years in the Riddell League were surely from 1956 to 1961, with three premierships to celebrate — one when the team became the first to go through a season winning all matches.
Trentham first joined the RDFL in 1953 and departed to join the Clunes League in 1966, having fluctuating fortunes in different leagues since that time.
When the photo on this page of the victorious 1956 side was taken they were known as The Grasshoppers, wearing green and white guernseys. This name was not entirely popular with supporters and by 1959, Trentham was in St Kilda colours – The Saints, the name they have maintained to the present time.
Legendary Trentham sportsman Bill O’Connell reflected on some of Trentham’s exploits during the ‘Glory Years’ when I spoke to him last week, and produced premiership photos from 1956, 1959 and 1961.
O’Connell was too young to be in the 1956 side when Trentham demolished Sunbury 15.10 to 6.14 in the grand final, after a 22.14 to 9.17 second semi-final victory against Lancefield.
But he made his mark as a centreman in Trentham’s 1959 and 1961 premiership sides.
Back in that era, football sides largely comprised local players, and O’Connell felt privileged to play with and against some of the finest in the league.
He went on to play more than 200 games and then became a goal umpire for Trentham, as well as being an ongoing avid Footscray (Western Bulldogs) supporter for many years.
In 1959, Trentham 6.12 defeated Romsey 5.13 in a low-scoring grand final played at Lancefield.

KAYS THE BEST

O’Connell rates Gisborne’s versatile Graham Kays as possibly the best player he saw in the Riddell League, and one who should have gone on try out in the VFL. Kays won the Bowen Medal with 38 votes, including 12 best-on-ground performances, in 1970.

At Trentham, Jack Hiscock was a peerless player, being captain-coach in two of the club’s premiership sides and winning the Bowen Medal in 1954 and 1960, and being runner-up to Kilmore’s Geoff Barber in 1957.

A fine mark and kick, Hiscock could play in key positions or on the ball and came to Trentham after playing four games in the VFL with Melbourne and kicking 196 goals in 107 games for VFA club Sandringham.

And Bob Holmes, tough as nails with an intimidation factor, was a good man to have in your side to lead by example. Holmes kicked seven goals from the forward flank in the 1956 grand final, and coached the 1961 side that beat Lancefield 8.9 to 7.7 after being held scoreless in the first quarter and trailing by three goals going into the last term.

Trentham’s 20th man Kevin Law kicked vital goals in the last quarter, and Holmes, Fred Hyslop and O’Connell were listed as the sides best players. O’Connell represented Victorian Railways in the interstate carnival in Perth that year.

Trentham did not lose a match in 1961, being premiers and champions. In 1951, premiers Romsey went through the season undefeated but drew one match.

For some years Trentham was quite often referred to as “McNamara’s Band”, as a result of Jim McNamara being a very enthusiastic and supportive club president.

McNamara owned butcher shops in Daylesford, Trentham and Gisborne, and was a prominent racehorse owner as well as a football follower.

Snowfalls at Trentham are not uncommon in winter months, and sometimes a goal umpire would light a fire between the goals and boundary fence to avoid the chill.

Call it country football or community football, there was loyalty and support aplenty back in the ’50s and ’60s.
It was also not unknown for ‘ring-ins’ to play under assumed names.
In one match that had no bearing on the final four, Trentham utilised a talented player whose real name was Cole by listing him on the team sheet under another name. When the opposition queried why players were saying “kick it to Coley” the response was that “he’s a coal miner”.

Trentham’s stint in the Riddell League ended after the 1965 season, when its strong thirds side was disqualified for fielding an over-age player in the second semi-final.

O’Connell said the club was divided over whether the club should stay or go – a vote in favour of remaining in 1966 was carried, but influential figures who favoured going to the Clunes League were elected to the committee, and the Saints departed.