THIS WEEKS GAMES

OUR GREAT GAME | From Tigers and Bulldogs the Hawks and Dockers grow.
The Burnie Football Club can boast a fascinating history of more than 125 years and
can anticipate an exciting future at one of the traditional homes of football in North-west
Tasmania – West Park.
Football in Burnie has its origins dating back to the mid
1880s when ‘Emu Bay’ was formed in 1885. From
this beginning the Burnie Tigers emerged and went
on to become a powerhouse club playing in the North-
West Football Association, Burnie Football League,
North-West Football Union and Northern Tasmania
Football League.
Along the way the Tigers notched 14 premierships
with an amazing run of six flags in nine years from
1958 to 1966 – including three consecutive titles
from 1958-60. The icing on the cake was a meritorious
State premiership in 1963. Just nine years after the
Tigers started, the Cooee Bulldogs sprang to life in
the western suburbs of Burnie. The club in the green
and gold went on to also claim 14 premierships in the
same competitions, however, the Bulldogs went one
better by winning two well-celebrated State titles in
1964 and 1978. The dominance of the Tigers and the
Bulldogs in the 1950s and 1960s ensured that Burnie
was a town fiercely divided along club loyalties.
Cooee became the Burnie Hawks in 1987 when
the club entered the expanded Tasmanian Football
League. In late 1993 and against a backdrop of a
dwindling population in the city the Tigers and Hawks
boards decided to merge with teams playing in the
Hawks’ colours in the TFL.
At the end of 1994 and with North Melbourne
champion Peter German as playing coach, a historic
move was initiated. With Fremantle Football Club
entering the AFL and Burnie a sea port, German was
the main driver for the Club to adopt the Dockers’
colours and jumper. The bid had two aims – to put
in the past the lingering divide between Tigers and
Bulldogs supporters but more importantly to create
a new history. The Burnie Dockers, with German at
the helm, went on to challenge southern powerhouse
Clarence for the 1996 and 1997 TFL flags but
ultimately fell short in each grand final.
In late 2000, the club withdrew from the then
Statewide League to join the NTFL. Success
immediately followed with Collingwood’s Mick
McGuane coaching the Club to the flag in 2001, the
first of five in succession. Two of Burnie’s favourite
sons – Nick Probert (3) and Errol Bourn (1) – led the
Dockers as they secured a record equally 5 successive
titles in the NTFL.
The current crop of State League players and
supporters will enjoy the redevelopment of the clubs
iconic home ground - West Park Oval. The Burnie City
Council has brought together all sports and events in
the city through the ‘Burnie Sports and Events’. The
Council is backing up this innovative approach with
the development of the multi-purpose social and
training centre, ‘The Point, which is the centrepiece of
this collaborative effort to keep sport in Burnie at the
forefront in Tasmania.
With such a rich background and the foresight of those
in successive eras who have looked to the future,
the Burnie Dockers Football Club has a magnificent
platform to continue to build an exciting football history
for many years to come.
4