Western Eyre Football League

Australian rules football competition in South Australia

Western Eyre Football League
Most recent season or competition: 2023
Formerly	County of Way Football Association (1909–1948) Murat Bay Football League (1949–1961) Far West Football League (1962–2020)
Sport	Australian rules football
Founded	1909
First season	1909
No. of teams	6
Most recent champion(s)	Western United (11th Premiership) (2023)
Most titles	Koonibba (37 Premierships)
Related competitions	Mortlock Shield, SANFL
Official website	https://www.greatflinders.com

The Western Eyre Football League (WEFL), formerly Far West Football League (FWFL), is an Australian rules football competition based in the Ceduna area of the Eyre Peninsula region of South Australia, Australia. As of March 2021, the league includes clubs in Ceduna, Thevenard, Koonibba Aboriginal community, Penong (Western United FC), Streaky Bay (West Coast Hawks) and Wirrulla.

It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League.

Brief history

The County Of Way Football Association was formed in 1909, with founding clubs including Charra, Denial Bay, Goode, Koonibba, Murat and Penong. Fowlers Bay also wished to join the league but was denied entry due to excessive travel distance.

In 1948 The league changed its name to Murat Bay Football League changed and then Far West Football League in 1962.

The Koonibba Roosters are the oldest continuing Aboriginal football club in Australia, having named their Team of the Century in 2009.^[1]

The West Coast Hawks of Streaky Bay and Wirrulla club joined the league in March 2021, after the Mid West Football League was wound up permanently. Around the same time, the Far West Football League changed its name to the Western Eyre Football League.^[2]

Current Clubs

Club	Location	Nickname	Founded	Years in comp	WEFL premierships	Premiership years^[3]
Blues Formally Ceduna Blues & Ceduna-Smokey Bay Blues	Ceduna	Blues	1989	1989–	5	1997, 1999, 2009, 2016, 2022
Koonibba	Koonibba	Roosters	1906, 1909–1937, 1947–		37	1910, 1922, 1925–28, 1938–40, 1946–49, 1951, 1954, 1956–57, 1960–61, 1963, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1988, 1990, 1994–96, 1998, 2001–02, 2010–12, 2014, 2017
Thevenard	Thevenard	Magpies	1927	1927–	23	1959, 1967–74, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1983–87, 1989, 1991–93, 2013, 2015
Western United	Penong	Tigers	1974	1974–	11	1980, 2000, 2003–08, 2018–19, 2023
West Coast	Streaky Bay	Hawks	1999	2021–	1	2021
Wirrulla	Wirrulla	Bombers	1919	2021–	0

Premiers

List of Premiership teams of the Western Eyre Football League.^[4]

1909 Murat Bay
1910 Koonibba
1911 Murat Bay
1912 Murat Bay
1913 Murat Bay
1914 Murat Bay
1915-1921 Recess
1922 Koonibba
1923 Athenna
1924 Murat Bay
1925 Koonibba
1926 Koonibba
1927 Koonibba
1928 Koonibba
1929 Murat Bay
1930 No Competition
1931 Murat Bay
1932 Murat Bay
1933 Ceduna
1934 Ceduna
1935-1936 Recess
1937 Bookabie
1938 Ceduna
1939 Goode
1940 United
1941-1945 Recess due to WW2
1946 Ceduna
1947 Koonibba
1948 Koonibba
1949 Koonibba
1950 Ceduna

1951 Koonibba
1952 Ceduna
1953 Ceduna
1954 Koonibba
1955 Ceduna
1956 Koonibba
1957 Koonibba
1958 Rovers
1959 Thevenard
1960 Koonibba
1961 Koonibba
1962 Penong
1963 Koonibba
1964 Charra
1965 Ceduna
1966 Penong
1967 Thevenard
1968 Thevenard
1969 Thevenard
1970 Thevenard
1971 Thevenard
1972 Thevenard
1973 Thevenard
1974 Thevenard
1975 Koonibba
1976 Thevenard
1977 Koonibba
1978 Thevenard
1979 Koonibba
1980 Western United
1981 Thevenard

1982 Koonibba
1983 Thevenard
1984 Thevenard
1985 Thevenard
1986 Thevenard
1987 Thevenard
1988 Koonibba
1989 Thevenard
1990 Koonibba
1991 Thevenard
1992 Thevenard
1993 Thevenard
1994 Koonibba
1995 Koonibba
1996 Koonibba
1997 Blues
1998 Koonibba
1999 Blues
2000 Western United
2001 Koonibba
2002 Koonibba
2003 Western United
2004 Western United
2005 Western United
2006 Western United
2007 Western United
2008 Western United
2009 Blues
2010 Koonibba
2011 Koonibba
2012 Koonibba

2013 Thevenard
2014 Koonibba
2015 Thevenard
2016 Blues
2017 Koonibba
2018 Western United
2019 Western United
2020 Recess due to COVID-19
2021 West Coast Hawks
2022 Blues
2023 Western United

Ladders

2011 Ladder

Far West	Wins	Losses	For	Against	%	Pts	Final	Team	G	B	Pts	Team	G	B	Pts
Koonibba	11	1	1470	520	73.87%	22	1st Semi	Thevenard	11	13	79	Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues	5	14	44
Western United	9	3	1401	729	65.77%	18	2nd Semi	Koonibba	19	11	125	Western United	10	2	62
Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues	3	9	545	1539	26.15%	6	Preliminary	Western United	19	25	139	Thevenard	7	7	49
Thevenard	1	11	684	1312	34.27%	2	Grand	Koonibba	17	11	113	Western United	11	2	68

2012 Ladder

Far West	Wins	Losses	For	Against	%	Pts	Final	Team	G	B	Pts	Team	G	B	Pts
Koonibba	10	2	1438	840	63.13%	20	1st Semi	Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues	14	12	96	Thevenard	10	11	71
Western United	8	4	1239	871	58.72%	16	2nd Semi	Koonibba	20	14	134	Western United	13	6	84
Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues	6	6	992	1154	46.23%	12	Preliminary	Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues	13	8	86	Western United	11	5	71
Thevenard	0	12	723	1527	32.13%	0	Grand	Koonibba	24	17	161	Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues	12	9	81

2013 Ladder

Far West	Wins	Losses	For	Against	%	Pts	Final	Team	G	B	Pts	Team	G	B	Pts
Western United	8	4	1278	820	60.92%	16	1st Semi	Koonibba	36	17	233	Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues	11	9	75
Thevenard	7	5	1227	989	55.37%	14	2nd Semi	Thevenard	12	9	81	Western United	10	7	67
Koonibba	7	5	1347	1089	55.30%	14	Preliminary	Koonibba	19	17	131	Western United	6	11	47
Ceduna-Smoky Bay Blues	2	10	790	1744	31.18%	4	Grand	Thevenard	12	17	89	Koonibba	10	22	82

References

^ "Koonibba unveils 100-year team - Aboriginal Football". Aboriginal Football : The Indigenous Game. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
^ "Mid West Football League has folded". BigFooty. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
^ Country Footy 2010 Archived 2012-07-22 at archive.today
^ "A Grade Premiers - Western Eyre Football League".