Burnie Hawks Football Club
Encyclopedia
The Burnie Hawks Football Club was an Australian rules football
club based in Burnie
, Tasmania
, Australia
from 1987 to 1994.
The club was founded in 1987 after former NWFU
club Cooee Bulldogs (1894-1986) closed down its operation in order to wipe out its large debts and rebrand itself with a more metropolitan-based name for its inclusion in the Tasmanian Football League
in that year.
Cooee had been locked in a battle with its West Park co-tenant (Burnie Tigers) to desperately gain a licence to join the Tasmanian competition from midway through 1986, and it was the rebranding of the club which was seen to have tipped the scales in favour of Cooee/Burnie Hawks.
The move did however cause much controversy with a bitter and at times spiteful rivalry forming with fellow former NWFU and later Northern Tasmanian Football League
club Burnie Tigers, so much so that after a period of good onfield success for the new Hawks venture, Burnie Hawks junior development coach and ABC Radio commentator Geoff White stated in an interview on ABC Radio Football on 18 April 1992 that "sponsorship was becoming difficult to obtain, with businesses in the Burnie area refusing to support one club over the other for fear of a backlash by supporters of each club, it's just so divided at the moment, it's a real crying shame because this town (Burnie) could field a great team in State League football."
After making the finals in their inaugural season in 1987 the Hawks, on the back of solid crowd support powered to a preliminary final showdown with Glenorchy
the following year but suffered a disastrous 110-point loss to the Magpies at North Hobart Oval
. In 1989 and 1990 the Hawks narrowly missed out on finals appearances (their reserves team broke through for a premiership in 1990 however) but despite a finals appearance in 1991, the club was struggling for support and by the following season the club itself was in serious jeopardy with large debts and a rapidly sinking supporter base, so much so that the club had sought a merger with its much-hated rival, Burnie Tigers, as both clubs were struggling under the harsh economic recession hitting the state at the time.
The Burnie Hawks eventually absorbed the Burnie Tigers after the 1993 season had finished and from 1994, whilst still struggling with poor attendances, would play on as the Burnie Hawks despite the merger.
The Hawks' final season saw them once again play in the finals, their final match saw them defeated by Devonport
by 46-points in front of a crowd of 4,210 at Devonport Oval
in the 1994 Elimination Final on 4 September.
At the end of 1994 the club signed former North Melbourne player Peter German as captain-coach and one of his first tasks was to attempt to reunify the supporters of both clubs, as a result he adopted a full change of uniforms, colours and a new emblem as the Burnie Dockers.
Established – 1987
Playing Colours – Brown & Gold stripes
Emblem – Hawks
Club Theme Song – "We're a happy team at Burnie" (Tune: "Yankee Doodle
")
Affiliations – TFL Statewide League
(1987-1994)
Matches Played – 158 (77-79-2) including finals.
Premierships
Tasmanian State Premiership
s
George Watt Medal winners
V.A Geard Medal winners
Leading Goalkickers
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club based in Burnie
Burnie, Tasmania
- Sport :Australian rules football is popular in Burnie. The city's team is the Burnie Dockers Football Club in the Tasmanian State League.Rugby union is also played in Burnie. The local club is the Burnie Rugby Union Club. They are the current Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide Division Two Premiers...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 1987 to 1994.
The club was founded in 1987 after former NWFU
North West Football Union
The North West Football Union was an Australian rules football competition which ran from 1910 to 1986. In its time it was one of the three main leagues in Tasmania, with the Tasmanian Football League and Northern Tasmanian Football Association representing the rest of the state...
club Cooee Bulldogs (1894-1986) closed down its operation in order to wipe out its large debts and rebrand itself with a more metropolitan-based name for its inclusion in the Tasmanian Football League
Tasmanian Football League
Tasmanian State League is the highest ranked Australian rules football league in Tasmania, Australia.The league has a long and convoluted history which dates back to its founding on 12 June 1879 Tasmanian State League (TSL) (formerly known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), Tasmanian...
in that year.
Cooee had been locked in a battle with its West Park co-tenant (Burnie Tigers) to desperately gain a licence to join the Tasmanian competition from midway through 1986, and it was the rebranding of the club which was seen to have tipped the scales in favour of Cooee/Burnie Hawks.
The move did however cause much controversy with a bitter and at times spiteful rivalry forming with fellow former NWFU and later Northern Tasmanian Football League
Northern Tasmanian Football League
The Northern Tasmanian Football League is an Australian rules football competition in northern Tasmania.-History:The Northern Tasmanian Football League was founded in 1987 to replace the former Northern Tasmanian Football Association - no relation to the current NTFA - and the North Western...
club Burnie Tigers, so much so that after a period of good onfield success for the new Hawks venture, Burnie Hawks junior development coach and ABC Radio commentator Geoff White stated in an interview on ABC Radio Football on 18 April 1992 that "sponsorship was becoming difficult to obtain, with businesses in the Burnie area refusing to support one club over the other for fear of a backlash by supporters of each club, it's just so divided at the moment, it's a real crying shame because this town (Burnie) could field a great team in State League football."
After making the finals in their inaugural season in 1987 the Hawks, on the back of solid crowd support powered to a preliminary final showdown with Glenorchy
Glenorchy Football Club
The Glenorchy District Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently playing in the Tasmanian State League and the Southern Football League in Tasmania, Australia.-Origins:...
the following year but suffered a disastrous 110-point loss to the Magpies at North Hobart Oval
North Hobart Oval
North Hobart Oval is a sports venue in North Hobart, Tasmania, used for Australian rules football.-History:North Hobart Oval started its existence as Hobart Town's brickfields in 1844 before becoming a convict women's housing site, an immigration depot and an invalid persons' depot before closing...
. In 1989 and 1990 the Hawks narrowly missed out on finals appearances (their reserves team broke through for a premiership in 1990 however) but despite a finals appearance in 1991, the club was struggling for support and by the following season the club itself was in serious jeopardy with large debts and a rapidly sinking supporter base, so much so that the club had sought a merger with its much-hated rival, Burnie Tigers, as both clubs were struggling under the harsh economic recession hitting the state at the time.
The Burnie Hawks eventually absorbed the Burnie Tigers after the 1993 season had finished and from 1994, whilst still struggling with poor attendances, would play on as the Burnie Hawks despite the merger.
The Hawks' final season saw them once again play in the finals, their final match saw them defeated by Devonport
Devonport Football Club
Devonport Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Devonport, Tasmania. The club previously competed in the Northern Tasmanian Football League but from 2009 it joined the newly reformed Tasmanian State League....
by 46-points in front of a crowd of 4,210 at Devonport Oval
Devonport Oval
Devonport Oval is an Australian rules football, cricket and athletics stadium in Devonport, Tasmania.It is the home stadium for the Devonport Football Club in the Tasmanian State League and for the Devonport Cricket Club in the NWTCA competition....
in the 1994 Elimination Final on 4 September.
At the end of 1994 the club signed former North Melbourne player Peter German as captain-coach and one of his first tasks was to attempt to reunify the supporters of both clubs, as a result he adopted a full change of uniforms, colours and a new emblem as the Burnie Dockers.
History
Home Ground – West Park OvalWest Park (Burnie)
West Park Oval is an Australian Rules football, cycling and athletics venue located on the shores of Bass Strait in Burnie, Tasmania.It is the current home of the Burnie Dockers in the Tasmanian State League and previously in the NTFL and in the original TFL Statewide League.-History:West Park...
Established – 1987
Playing Colours – Brown & Gold stripes
Emblem – Hawks
Club Theme Song – "We're a happy team at Burnie" (Tune: "Yankee Doodle
Yankee Doodle
"Yankee Doodle" is a well-known Anglo-American song, the origin of which dates back to the Seven Years' War. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today and is the state anthem of Connecticut...
")
Affiliations – TFL Statewide League
Tasmanian Football League
Tasmanian State League is the highest ranked Australian rules football league in Tasmania, Australia.The league has a long and convoluted history which dates back to its founding on 12 June 1879 Tasmanian State League (TSL) (formerly known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), Tasmanian...
(1987-1994)
Matches Played – 158 (77-79-2) including finals.
Premiership titles
TFL Statewide LeagueTasmanian Football League
Tasmanian State League is the highest ranked Australian rules football league in Tasmania, Australia.The league has a long and convoluted history which dates back to its founding on 12 June 1879 Tasmanian State League (TSL) (formerly known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), Tasmanian...
Premierships
- Nil.
Tasmanian State Premiership
Tasmanian State Premiership
The Tasmanian State Premiership was an Australian rules football tournament which was competed originally between the reigning TFL/TANFL and NTFA premiers, with the NWFU joining in from 1954....
s
- Nil.
Individual Medal Winners
William Leitch Medal winners- Nil.
George Watt Medal winners
- 1987 – Mark Radford (Tied)
- 1994 – Stephen Jackson
V.A Geard Medal winners
- Nil
Competition Leading Goalkickers
TFL Statewide LeagueTasmanian Football League
Tasmanian State League is the highest ranked Australian rules football league in Tasmania, Australia.The league has a long and convoluted history which dates back to its founding on 12 June 1879 Tasmanian State League (TSL) (formerly known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), Tasmanian...
Leading Goalkickers
- Nil.
Senior Best and Fairest winners
- 1987 – Dale Whish-Wilson
- 1988 – Wayne Keegan
- 1989 – Steven Cole
- 1990 – Paul Atkins
- 1991 – Paul Atkins
- 1992 – Leigh Heath
- 1993 – Paul Atkins
- 1994 – Brett Jones
Senior coaches
- 1987 – Warren "Putt" McCarthy
- 1988 – Warren "Putt" McCarthy
- 1989 – Colin Robertson
- 1990 – Richard Lakeland
- 1991 – Richard Lakeland
- 1992 – Richard Lakeland
- 1993 – Michael Schulze
- 1994 – Mark Lee
Club record match attendance
- 6,631 – Burnie Hawks v GlenorchyGlenorchy Football ClubThe Glenorchy District Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently playing in the Tasmanian State League and the Southern Football League in Tasmania, Australia.-Origins:...
at North Hobart OvalNorth Hobart OvalNorth Hobart Oval is a sports venue in North Hobart, Tasmania, used for Australian rules football.-History:North Hobart Oval started its existence as Hobart Town's brickfields in 1844 before becoming a convict women's housing site, an immigration depot and an invalid persons' depot before closing...
for the 1988 TFL Preliminary Final.
Club record home attendance
- 5,423 – Burnie Hawks v DevonportDevonport Football ClubDevonport Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Devonport, Tasmania. The club previously competed in the Northern Tasmanian Football League but from 2009 it joined the newly reformed Tasmanian State League....
at West Park OvalWest Park (Burnie)West Park Oval is an Australian Rules football, cycling and athletics venue located on the shores of Bass Strait in Burnie, Tasmania.It is the current home of the Burnie Dockers in the Tasmanian State League and previously in the NTFL and in the original TFL Statewide League.-History:West Park...
on 24 April 1988.
Club record score
- 30.18 (198) – Burnie Hawks v DevonportDevonport Football ClubDevonport Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Devonport, Tasmania. The club previously competed in the Northern Tasmanian Football League but from 2009 it joined the newly reformed Tasmanian State League....
18.15 (123) at West Park OvalWest Park (Burnie)West Park Oval is an Australian Rules football, cycling and athletics venue located on the shores of Bass Strait in Burnie, Tasmania.It is the current home of the Burnie Dockers in the Tasmanian State League and previously in the NTFL and in the original TFL Statewide League.-History:West Park...
on 30 July 1989.