Tongala's thirds remembered their 1996 victory over Tatura this week, the side's only win in four seasons.
It wasn’t just a milestone footy reunion.
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But it was well attended as any club or team celebrating a drought breaking premiership.
The Tongala thirds football side went through a period in the early 1990s when it won only one game in four years.
And that win, against Tatura on June 29, 1996, was celebrated recently when Tongala hosted Numurkah in their Murray Football League clash.
The idea for the unusual reunion came from a player in that historic team and a stalwart of the Tongala club, Alistar (AJ) Smith.
AJ not only organised the reunion but also produced a copy of The Weekender for the occasion, with a Tongala theme, that would make the current GVL hierarchy blush with embarrassment.
There has been no Weekender in the GVL for the last two years.
AJ Smith said the reunion was open to all players, coaches and officials during the four-year period without a win, and about three quarters of the drought breaking team had returned to Tongala for the reunion.
‘‘It was a great day,’’ said AJ.
The drought breaking win came in round 13 of 1996 when the Blues beat Tatura 8.9 (57) to 3.4 (22).
The Tongala thirds side broke through 8.9 (57) to 3.4 (22) in round 13, 1996.
Tongala thirds’ record in the 79 games it played in the GVL from 1993 to 1996 read:
1993: No wins, 19 losses
1994: No wins, 21 losses
1995: No wins, 20 losses
1996: One win, 19 losses
The Blues’ biggest loss in this period was to Lemnos (now Shepparton Swans) who kicked 42.19 (271) to Tongala’s 1.0 (6).
Tongala’s sole goal was kicked by Simon Shay and came from a free kick and two consecutive 50 metres penalties.
Willis Mackrell was the only Tongala player from 1993 to 1996 to get three votes in a game in the league’s Pattison Medal in those winless seasons.
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