HISTORY - 1970-2020
1970-1987
In the closing years of the PHFL, Mernda continued to be a force, winning five premierships in 15 years, including a three-peat from 1981 to 1983. The Demons were now in their familiar red and blue colours, having also imitated the Melbourne jumper of the era. However, with the disbanding of the PHFL in 1987, the Dees now needed to find a new home.
1988-1993 - THE EARLY DVFL YEARS
Early years in the DVFL saw reasonable results, but the club finally came together to deliver a premiership in 1991 under the tutelage of Vin Hanlon. The Demons finished the home and away season with a 17-1 record, and after surviving a massive scare from Watsonia in the second-semi final, the Dees recorded their 17th victory in succession with a 29-point victory over West Preston in the Grand Final at Epping, winning 16.14 (110) to 12.9 (81).
After just five years in the DVFL, the Demons were in Division One. A 105-point loss at home to Bundoora in the opening round was an indicator that the Dees were going to have to fight to stay afloat in the division, and a further four losses meant the Dees were sitting precariously at 0-5. However, the Dees got a boost with a Round 6 win against Montmorency, with encouraging competitive performances following. The second win would not come until Round 16 - a 55-point win against Eltham, which would confirm our survival for another year in Division One.
In 1993 the Demons had a tough start, with heavy losses to Epping, North Heidelberg and Greensborough, but a breakthrough win came in Round 4 against Diamond Creek away. Some more competitive performances followed, but without the results. The Dees pushed Bundoora to four goals, Montmorency to a kick, and Reservoir-Lakeside to three goals, and put in respectable performances against the likes of Heidelberg and North Heidelberg. But with Diamond Creek starting to get their own season back on track, the threat of relegation loomed.
Ultimately, it was a five-goal loss to Diamond Creek in Round 13 that practically consigned the Demons back to Division Two, and finished bottom with just one win.
1994-1999 - SO CLOSE TO A DIVISION ONE RETURN
Returning to the second division in 1994, the Demons didn’t have the same luck as their previous sojourn in Division Two, winning nine games and drawing one. However, in Round 13, Mernda chalked up what could be considered one of their finest wins - defeating a Northcote Park side which would not only dominate the rest of the Division Two season, but also Division One in the coming seasons with four premierships in a row. Fresh off defeating Macleod-Rosanna by 328 points the week before, Mernda consigned the Cougars to what is, to this day, their last defeat in Division Two football, winning 15.12 (102) to 14.17 (101).
Mernda would soon become a regular in the Division Two finals. In 1995, they finished second with 14 wins and two draws, before going out in straight sets with losses to Eltham and West Preston.
However, 1996 would see the Demons just miss out on premiership glory. The Demons went through the entirety of the home and away season unbeaten, three games clear on top. However, they would go down by 64 points in the second-semi final to West Preston. Bouncing back with an eight-point win over fierce rival Whittlesea, the Dees played the Roosters again, but went down by a solitary point. To this day, the Roosters have not left Division One since.
In 1997, the Demons were again atop an expanding DVFL Division Two competition, yet the same result happened for the club - they would lose their second-semi final to Eltham, rebound and beat Diamond Creek in the preliminary final, then lose to Eltham in the Grand Final. In both the 1996 and 1997 deciders, the Demons were left to rue inaccuracy, kicking 7.11 in the 1996 decider, and 7.13 in 1997.
In more positive news, Tony Maraschiello would win the League Best and Fairest in 1997 - the first for a Demon since joining the DVFL.
The Demons weren’t the same in 1998, winning 10 games and missing the finals. In 1999, the Demons finished third in an expanded final five, but after holding the double-chance, would suffer more finals heartbreak, losing to Eltham by one goal in the qualifying final, before going down to Whittlesea by three points in the first-semi.
2000-2006 - NEW MILLENNIUM, WHO DIS?
The new millennium saw a continually strong Demon side challenge for promotion to Division One. In 2000, the Dees finished second after the home and away season and opened the finals with a 12-point victory over Whittlesea in the qualifying final. However, two strong Watsonia and Eltham sides would consign the Dees to a preliminary-final exit with wins in the second-semi and preliminary final respectively.
2001 and 2002 would see two Grand Final defeats, with the Dees going down in 2001 to a strong Lalor side by 31 points, before losing to Eltham in 2002 by 22 points. As with 1996 and 1997, accuracy was a problem - the Dees kicked 8.14 in 2001, and 7.17 in 2002.
In 2003, the Demons would record their last Division Two finals victory until 2014, when they accounted for Macleod in the elimination final. However, they would be knocked out by Diamond Creek the next week - the Dees only kicking four goals for the day.
2004 was a tough year for the Dees, missing the finals for the first time since 1998 with eight wins on the board. Losses in the final four games of the season - including kicking just 1.3 in the final round in horrendous conditions for football, consigned the Demons to missing out on finals footy.
However, the Dees bounced back very well in 2005. Led by Tom Felle’s 104 goals for the season, winning the goalkicking, the Dees stormed into the finals, finishing second on the ladder, just half a game behind Greensborough. Unfortunately, the Demons went out in straight sets, losing by 10 points to Greensborough in the second-semi, before losing by 49 points to Diamond Creek in the preliminary final.
This would be the last time the Demons challenged in the then DVFL - the Dees finished with an 8-10 record in 2006 to miss the finals.
2007-2011 - RENAMING THE DVFL TO NFL
In 2007, the entirety of the DVFL board resigned. AFL Victoria representatives took over until replacements could be found, and the league was renamed the Northern Football League.
The Dees struggled again in 2007, winning seven games to miss out for the second season in succession.
After a sluggish start in 2008, winning three of their first eight games, the Demons started to get on a bit of a roll, winning seven of the last 10 games to return to the finals. They would play Macleod in the elimination final, but lost by just one point.
In 2009, the league would begin the process of splitting up Division Two, with 14 teams deemed way too many in the competition. This would not affect the Demons, who sat in third position by Round 13, with the bottom six teams relegated. However, despite winning 13 games and holding a percentage of 150.1, the Demons missed out via percentage to Epping, who won by 51 points against the Dees in the final round to get into the finals by 1.3%.
In 2009, the Northern Netball League was created, allowing teams to be represented on the netball courts on Friday nights. The Demons were one of the strong teams in the early days of the competition, winning premierships in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Hopes were high going into the 2010 season, but losing six of their first nine games, the Dees never really got into the season, and missed out by four games. However, one of the highlights of the season came in Round 10, when the Dees beat the previously unbeaten Whittlesea at Whittlesea in a major boilover.
With many personnel on the field leaving after that season, it was time for the Demons to rebuild in 2011. As a result, the Demons endured a tough season in 2011, winning just two games and getting relegated to Division Three in the process. However, there were a number of bright spots throughout the year, with the Demons giving younger players a chance to shine ahead of a big year in Division Three.
2012-2015 - PREMIERSHIP GLORY, DIVISION TWO HIGHS AND LOWS
The 2012 season saw a long-overdue change of fortune for those in red and blue, and after 21 years of so many near-misses, the Demons were able to taste premiership glory once again. A 41-point victory over Panton Hill in the second-semi final was just the start of a big couple of weeks for the Demons, who then repeated the dose by 93 points in the big one at Epping. Further celebrations were in order at the NFL Best and Fairest just a week later as Rohan Davies became the first League Best and Fairest winner since Maraschiello in 1997, while the club was also awarded Senior Club of the Year for their efforts.
In 2012, club legend Les Butterworth passed away, and given he was a stalwart for both the Mernda and Heidleberg West Football Club, a new trophy was struck for every occasion we would play each other in the Les Butterworth Cup.
2013 saw the Dees return to Division Two and immediately set to work on establishing themselves in the division. A 27-point win at Lalor first up - the club’s first win at Lalor’s home ground - set the tone for a good year, and was further validated when the Dees went to Shelley Street and knocked over 2012 Grand Finalists North Heidelberg by 32 points - also the first win against the Bulldogs. With a matter of weeks to go, the Dees were still a chance to make the finals - but close losses to Lalor, Hurstbridge and Diamond Creek put paid to any chance of finals football. Davies was a shining light - collecting his second consecutive Best and Fairest.
In 2014, another major step forward was taken, with the Dees winning seven of their first eight games en route to another finals appearance. This time, the Dees were able to beat Lalor in the first semi-final to record their first Division Two finals win in 11 years, with a gutsy 28-point triumph. The following week, the Dees found themselves 32 points in front of a dominant North Heidelberg side in the preliminary final, but with the Bulldogs chipping away at the margin, they turned an eight-point three-quarter-time deficit into a 55-point win with a 10 goals to zero last quarter.
That game marked something of a turning point for the Dees as they were unable to replicate that form in 2015, only winning one game. That win, against Thomastown, came with the Bears still undefeated, and a 15-point win was a great fillip for the group. Despite that, the Demons would still go down to Division Three for the second time.
During this period, we were saddened by the loss of club legend Sandy Brock. The Best and Fairest would be renamed in his honour - the Sandy Brock Medal.
2016-PRESENT - CHIPPING AWAY
The return of Mernda to Division Three introduced the league to a new ground and a new cup - Round 1 saw Mernda open the Waterview Recreational Reserve against Epping for the Patrick Chow Cup - recognising his contribution to both teams. The Demons started 2016 with a strong 25-point victory, and for much of 2016, looked like premiership contenders. With two games remaining, the Demons sat in the top two. They would miss out altogether, such was the closeness of the competition, with losses to St Mary’s and South Morang.
Late in 2016 we would see our first junior player drafted to AFL football, with Deanna Berry drafted to the Melbourne Football Club. Berry would taste premiership success in 2018 with the Western Bulldogs, and became the second player - after Frank Murphy in the 1920s - to play at the highest level after playing with Mernda. The Senior Women’s Best and Fairest is named in Berry’s honour.
2017 saw a down year for the Demons - although they had opened strongly with two wins and finished with two wins, they would lose the 12 games in-between to finish 7th. However, our netball team would take out another premiership in a positive for the club.
The 2017 season would also birth a new rivalry for the Northern Football League - with the Laurimar Power - a junior club at that stage, enter the senior men’s and netball competitions. Laurimar won the first game between the two rivals at Laurimar, before the Demons took a commanding 48-point victory in the final game of the 2017 season.
At the end of the year, the Demons decided to rebrand their image, much like the league had done by rebranding it the Northern Football Netball League - gone was the largely blue jumper which had served them for six seasons, a return to a predominantly red jumper and a revamped netball division saw the Demons take a new urgency into 2018.
Likewise, women’s football was starting to take a massive hold on the football landscape, and the Demons were able to introduce a women’s team to play under the junior banner for their first season.
On the men’s side of the draw, the Demons made a red-hot start, dismantling premiership fancies Panton Hill by 83 points in the opening round of the season, and eventually winning seven of their first nine games. However, in a repeat of 2016, the Demons, who had spent 17 weeks of the season in the top four, would be forced out at the 11th hour following a loss to Panton Hill, which saw the Power take their place in the final four. The season was not short on highlights, with the Demons taking a terrific victory at Kilmore, while also taking back the Les Butterworth Cup. The under-19s, returning after a hiatus in 2017, would make the finals.
The women’s team would win two games - the first a dominant victory over La Trobe University, before a gritty four-point win followed against Eltham.
Our netballers would back up the 2017 flag with another premiership in Section 11, while our Section 10 girls made the finals in a terrific result for the club.
In 2019 the Demons looked like taking a step back when they started the season 1-5. However, the club went on a memorable run which saw the club win eight of their last 10 games to look like a finals threat. Unfortunately, results during Round 18 did not go our way, and for the third time in four years, the Demons had to settle for a fifth place finish. Despite that, the club could still hold their heads high, as brilliant wins over Kilmore, Heidelberg West and South Morang against the odds typified our season.
The women’s team also saw major improvement in 2019 after joining the senior fold. They would win three games - a highlight being the first win from either a senior men’s or women’s team at Laurimar, while the Dees also took wins against Hurstbridge and Reservoir.
The Demons grew their netball division from two teams to five in 2019, and saw their Section 8 team play off in a Grand Final against Watsonia. Although unsuccessful, it was a brilliant season from the girls.
In 2020, sport took a back seat in perhaps one of the most unprecedented years in history, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced football and netball on the sidelines for the first time for non-war reasons.
In the closing years of the PHFL, Mernda continued to be a force, winning five premierships in 15 years, including a three-peat from 1981 to 1983. The Demons were now in their familiar red and blue colours, having also imitated the Melbourne jumper of the era. However, with the disbanding of the PHFL in 1987, the Dees now needed to find a new home.
1988-1993 - THE EARLY DVFL YEARS
Early years in the DVFL saw reasonable results, but the club finally came together to deliver a premiership in 1991 under the tutelage of Vin Hanlon. The Demons finished the home and away season with a 17-1 record, and after surviving a massive scare from Watsonia in the second-semi final, the Dees recorded their 17th victory in succession with a 29-point victory over West Preston in the Grand Final at Epping, winning 16.14 (110) to 12.9 (81).
After just five years in the DVFL, the Demons were in Division One. A 105-point loss at home to Bundoora in the opening round was an indicator that the Dees were going to have to fight to stay afloat in the division, and a further four losses meant the Dees were sitting precariously at 0-5. However, the Dees got a boost with a Round 6 win against Montmorency, with encouraging competitive performances following. The second win would not come until Round 16 - a 55-point win against Eltham, which would confirm our survival for another year in Division One.
In 1993 the Demons had a tough start, with heavy losses to Epping, North Heidelberg and Greensborough, but a breakthrough win came in Round 4 against Diamond Creek away. Some more competitive performances followed, but without the results. The Dees pushed Bundoora to four goals, Montmorency to a kick, and Reservoir-Lakeside to three goals, and put in respectable performances against the likes of Heidelberg and North Heidelberg. But with Diamond Creek starting to get their own season back on track, the threat of relegation loomed.
Ultimately, it was a five-goal loss to Diamond Creek in Round 13 that practically consigned the Demons back to Division Two, and finished bottom with just one win.
1994-1999 - SO CLOSE TO A DIVISION ONE RETURN
Returning to the second division in 1994, the Demons didn’t have the same luck as their previous sojourn in Division Two, winning nine games and drawing one. However, in Round 13, Mernda chalked up what could be considered one of their finest wins - defeating a Northcote Park side which would not only dominate the rest of the Division Two season, but also Division One in the coming seasons with four premierships in a row. Fresh off defeating Macleod-Rosanna by 328 points the week before, Mernda consigned the Cougars to what is, to this day, their last defeat in Division Two football, winning 15.12 (102) to 14.17 (101).
Mernda would soon become a regular in the Division Two finals. In 1995, they finished second with 14 wins and two draws, before going out in straight sets with losses to Eltham and West Preston.
However, 1996 would see the Demons just miss out on premiership glory. The Demons went through the entirety of the home and away season unbeaten, three games clear on top. However, they would go down by 64 points in the second-semi final to West Preston. Bouncing back with an eight-point win over fierce rival Whittlesea, the Dees played the Roosters again, but went down by a solitary point. To this day, the Roosters have not left Division One since.
In 1997, the Demons were again atop an expanding DVFL Division Two competition, yet the same result happened for the club - they would lose their second-semi final to Eltham, rebound and beat Diamond Creek in the preliminary final, then lose to Eltham in the Grand Final. In both the 1996 and 1997 deciders, the Demons were left to rue inaccuracy, kicking 7.11 in the 1996 decider, and 7.13 in 1997.
In more positive news, Tony Maraschiello would win the League Best and Fairest in 1997 - the first for a Demon since joining the DVFL.
The Demons weren’t the same in 1998, winning 10 games and missing the finals. In 1999, the Demons finished third in an expanded final five, but after holding the double-chance, would suffer more finals heartbreak, losing to Eltham by one goal in the qualifying final, before going down to Whittlesea by three points in the first-semi.
2000-2006 - NEW MILLENNIUM, WHO DIS?
The new millennium saw a continually strong Demon side challenge for promotion to Division One. In 2000, the Dees finished second after the home and away season and opened the finals with a 12-point victory over Whittlesea in the qualifying final. However, two strong Watsonia and Eltham sides would consign the Dees to a preliminary-final exit with wins in the second-semi and preliminary final respectively.
2001 and 2002 would see two Grand Final defeats, with the Dees going down in 2001 to a strong Lalor side by 31 points, before losing to Eltham in 2002 by 22 points. As with 1996 and 1997, accuracy was a problem - the Dees kicked 8.14 in 2001, and 7.17 in 2002.
In 2003, the Demons would record their last Division Two finals victory until 2014, when they accounted for Macleod in the elimination final. However, they would be knocked out by Diamond Creek the next week - the Dees only kicking four goals for the day.
2004 was a tough year for the Dees, missing the finals for the first time since 1998 with eight wins on the board. Losses in the final four games of the season - including kicking just 1.3 in the final round in horrendous conditions for football, consigned the Demons to missing out on finals footy.
However, the Dees bounced back very well in 2005. Led by Tom Felle’s 104 goals for the season, winning the goalkicking, the Dees stormed into the finals, finishing second on the ladder, just half a game behind Greensborough. Unfortunately, the Demons went out in straight sets, losing by 10 points to Greensborough in the second-semi, before losing by 49 points to Diamond Creek in the preliminary final.
This would be the last time the Demons challenged in the then DVFL - the Dees finished with an 8-10 record in 2006 to miss the finals.
2007-2011 - RENAMING THE DVFL TO NFL
In 2007, the entirety of the DVFL board resigned. AFL Victoria representatives took over until replacements could be found, and the league was renamed the Northern Football League.
The Dees struggled again in 2007, winning seven games to miss out for the second season in succession.
After a sluggish start in 2008, winning three of their first eight games, the Demons started to get on a bit of a roll, winning seven of the last 10 games to return to the finals. They would play Macleod in the elimination final, but lost by just one point.
In 2009, the league would begin the process of splitting up Division Two, with 14 teams deemed way too many in the competition. This would not affect the Demons, who sat in third position by Round 13, with the bottom six teams relegated. However, despite winning 13 games and holding a percentage of 150.1, the Demons missed out via percentage to Epping, who won by 51 points against the Dees in the final round to get into the finals by 1.3%.
In 2009, the Northern Netball League was created, allowing teams to be represented on the netball courts on Friday nights. The Demons were one of the strong teams in the early days of the competition, winning premierships in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Hopes were high going into the 2010 season, but losing six of their first nine games, the Dees never really got into the season, and missed out by four games. However, one of the highlights of the season came in Round 10, when the Dees beat the previously unbeaten Whittlesea at Whittlesea in a major boilover.
With many personnel on the field leaving after that season, it was time for the Demons to rebuild in 2011. As a result, the Demons endured a tough season in 2011, winning just two games and getting relegated to Division Three in the process. However, there were a number of bright spots throughout the year, with the Demons giving younger players a chance to shine ahead of a big year in Division Three.
2012-2015 - PREMIERSHIP GLORY, DIVISION TWO HIGHS AND LOWS
The 2012 season saw a long-overdue change of fortune for those in red and blue, and after 21 years of so many near-misses, the Demons were able to taste premiership glory once again. A 41-point victory over Panton Hill in the second-semi final was just the start of a big couple of weeks for the Demons, who then repeated the dose by 93 points in the big one at Epping. Further celebrations were in order at the NFL Best and Fairest just a week later as Rohan Davies became the first League Best and Fairest winner since Maraschiello in 1997, while the club was also awarded Senior Club of the Year for their efforts.
In 2012, club legend Les Butterworth passed away, and given he was a stalwart for both the Mernda and Heidleberg West Football Club, a new trophy was struck for every occasion we would play each other in the Les Butterworth Cup.
2013 saw the Dees return to Division Two and immediately set to work on establishing themselves in the division. A 27-point win at Lalor first up - the club’s first win at Lalor’s home ground - set the tone for a good year, and was further validated when the Dees went to Shelley Street and knocked over 2012 Grand Finalists North Heidelberg by 32 points - also the first win against the Bulldogs. With a matter of weeks to go, the Dees were still a chance to make the finals - but close losses to Lalor, Hurstbridge and Diamond Creek put paid to any chance of finals football. Davies was a shining light - collecting his second consecutive Best and Fairest.
In 2014, another major step forward was taken, with the Dees winning seven of their first eight games en route to another finals appearance. This time, the Dees were able to beat Lalor in the first semi-final to record their first Division Two finals win in 11 years, with a gutsy 28-point triumph. The following week, the Dees found themselves 32 points in front of a dominant North Heidelberg side in the preliminary final, but with the Bulldogs chipping away at the margin, they turned an eight-point three-quarter-time deficit into a 55-point win with a 10 goals to zero last quarter.
That game marked something of a turning point for the Dees as they were unable to replicate that form in 2015, only winning one game. That win, against Thomastown, came with the Bears still undefeated, and a 15-point win was a great fillip for the group. Despite that, the Demons would still go down to Division Three for the second time.
During this period, we were saddened by the loss of club legend Sandy Brock. The Best and Fairest would be renamed in his honour - the Sandy Brock Medal.
2016-PRESENT - CHIPPING AWAY
The return of Mernda to Division Three introduced the league to a new ground and a new cup - Round 1 saw Mernda open the Waterview Recreational Reserve against Epping for the Patrick Chow Cup - recognising his contribution to both teams. The Demons started 2016 with a strong 25-point victory, and for much of 2016, looked like premiership contenders. With two games remaining, the Demons sat in the top two. They would miss out altogether, such was the closeness of the competition, with losses to St Mary’s and South Morang.
Late in 2016 we would see our first junior player drafted to AFL football, with Deanna Berry drafted to the Melbourne Football Club. Berry would taste premiership success in 2018 with the Western Bulldogs, and became the second player - after Frank Murphy in the 1920s - to play at the highest level after playing with Mernda. The Senior Women’s Best and Fairest is named in Berry’s honour.
2017 saw a down year for the Demons - although they had opened strongly with two wins and finished with two wins, they would lose the 12 games in-between to finish 7th. However, our netball team would take out another premiership in a positive for the club.
The 2017 season would also birth a new rivalry for the Northern Football League - with the Laurimar Power - a junior club at that stage, enter the senior men’s and netball competitions. Laurimar won the first game between the two rivals at Laurimar, before the Demons took a commanding 48-point victory in the final game of the 2017 season.
At the end of the year, the Demons decided to rebrand their image, much like the league had done by rebranding it the Northern Football Netball League - gone was the largely blue jumper which had served them for six seasons, a return to a predominantly red jumper and a revamped netball division saw the Demons take a new urgency into 2018.
Likewise, women’s football was starting to take a massive hold on the football landscape, and the Demons were able to introduce a women’s team to play under the junior banner for their first season.
On the men’s side of the draw, the Demons made a red-hot start, dismantling premiership fancies Panton Hill by 83 points in the opening round of the season, and eventually winning seven of their first nine games. However, in a repeat of 2016, the Demons, who had spent 17 weeks of the season in the top four, would be forced out at the 11th hour following a loss to Panton Hill, which saw the Power take their place in the final four. The season was not short on highlights, with the Demons taking a terrific victory at Kilmore, while also taking back the Les Butterworth Cup. The under-19s, returning after a hiatus in 2017, would make the finals.
The women’s team would win two games - the first a dominant victory over La Trobe University, before a gritty four-point win followed against Eltham.
Our netballers would back up the 2017 flag with another premiership in Section 11, while our Section 10 girls made the finals in a terrific result for the club.
In 2019 the Demons looked like taking a step back when they started the season 1-5. However, the club went on a memorable run which saw the club win eight of their last 10 games to look like a finals threat. Unfortunately, results during Round 18 did not go our way, and for the third time in four years, the Demons had to settle for a fifth place finish. Despite that, the club could still hold their heads high, as brilliant wins over Kilmore, Heidelberg West and South Morang against the odds typified our season.
The women’s team also saw major improvement in 2019 after joining the senior fold. They would win three games - a highlight being the first win from either a senior men’s or women’s team at Laurimar, while the Dees also took wins against Hurstbridge and Reservoir.
The Demons grew their netball division from two teams to five in 2019, and saw their Section 8 team play off in a Grand Final against Watsonia. Although unsuccessful, it was a brilliant season from the girls.
In 2020, sport took a back seat in perhaps one of the most unprecedented years in history, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced football and netball on the sidelines for the first time for non-war reasons.
