Toronto Eagles (Australian rules football)
| 250px | |
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Toronto Eagles Australian Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Eagles |
| Club details | |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Colours | Blue Gold White |
| Competition | AFL Ontario |
| President | S.Capoferri |
| Coach | A. Falcioni |
| Premierships | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2017 |
| Ground(s) | Humber College North |
| Other information | |
| Official website | www.eagleafc.ca |
| Guernsey: | |
The Toronto Eagles Australian Football Club (commonly known as the Toronto Eagles) is an amateur Australian rules football club competing in the AFL Ontario Australian football league.
The club was formed in 1989 when the then Canadian Australia Football Association (now known as AFL Ontario) began. They are based at Humber College (North Campus) in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada which has been their home for 10 years. Since entering the competition, the Eagles have become the most successful club in AFL Ontario history, winning 13 premierships, being runners up in 2018, and competing in finals constantly over the years.
Contents
History
In 1989, members of the local Australian community in Toronto, Canada congregated to play a number of Australian Rules football matches. Sighting some growing enthusiasm, AFL Ontario, which was then known as the Canadian Australian Football League and more recently as the Ontario Australian Football League (OAFL), was established later that year.
Soon after forming the AFLO, the pioneers of the league formed an affiliation with teams from the Australian Football League (AFL). This affiliation brought forward the formation of two teams – the Toronto Panthers and the Mississauga Mustangs.
1989 was a trying year for the Toronto Panthers as they lost every game that season until the inaugural Grand Final which saw the Toronto Panthers begin a legacy of winning football. The Panthers would defeat the Mississauga Mustangs 65 to 48 in the grand final, winning the inaugural Conacher Cup. The Panthers would then go on to win the next two Premierships, capturing three in a row amidst increasingly difficult competition.
At the end of 1991, amongst pressures of league expansion, many core Panthers left the club to form other teams. During these years, the team was pressured to recruit Canadian born players and introduce them to the game. In the next three years Toronto would fare well with one undefeated season, losing only by disqualification in the play-offs and another, which saw the Panthers once again make it all the way to the Grand Final.
By 1994, the Panthers were attracting many traveling or newly resided Australian players of top quality. That, combined with an exceptional base of talented Canadians players completed the rebuilding of their Championship squad.
1995 was a turning point for the Toronto Panthers football club as their new membership brought with it a new affiliation. The West Coast Eagles football club of the Australian Football League (AFL) would become the new sister club to the Toronto Panthers. That year the Toronto Panthers were reborn as the Toronto Eagles, trading their white with blue stripes for the blue and gold colors of the West Coast Eagles. To assist the Club with the transformation the West Coast Eagles helped by providing team uniforms and footballs, a gesture that was greatly appreciated by the club.
Regenerated as the Toronto Eagles, they then went to be undefeated the entire 1995 season, winning their fourth premiership in six years. Toronto’s high flying Eagles would then go on to capture the next four premierships in a row, establishing themselves as the dominant team in the AFLO. The Eagles would then fare well in the following two seasons but wouldn’t get their hand on the cup until 2002 when they would win their 9th premiership.
2006 and 2007 once again saw the Toronto Eagles tasting premiership glory as they would win back to back flags in impressive style. 2009 would see the Eagles win again, before a rebuilding phase. In 2017 the Eagles secured their 13th AFLO title in 26 seasons, firmly establishing the Toronto Eagles as the only true dynasty in AFL Ontario history.
Club Symbols
The Toronto Eagles official colours are royal blue, gold, and white. The club's current logo features a stylised Wedge-tailed Eagle with the words "Toronto Eagles" written underneath. Previous logos have all incorporated a stylised eagle's head. The club's current guernsey design features a stylised eagle's head taken from the club's logo on navy blue.
The club's official team song is "We're the Eagles", composed by Kevin Peek, a former member of the band Sky, and initially recorded at Peek's studio in Roleystone.
Club Awards
AFL Ontario Premierships
- 1989 1990 1991 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2002 2006 2007 2009 2017[1]
Club Honour Board
| Year | Finishing position | Coach | Captain | Troy Marsh Best & Fairest[2] | Leading Goalkicker | Rising Star[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Premiers | John Pearson | Peter Vitols | Glen Walker (9) | Patrick Grant | |
| 1990 | Premiers | John Pearson | David Letch | Mick Pearson (19) | David Kerr | |
| 1991 | Premiers | Peter Vitols | David Kerr | Mick Pearson (36) | ||
| 1992 | 3rd | Mick Pearson | Graeme Hewitt | Mick Pearson (36) | ||
| 1993 | 2nd | Mick Pearson | Dave Nelson | Mick Pearson (36) | ||
| 1994 | 3rd | Mick Pearson | Mick Pearson | Mick Pearson (36) | Arnie Korpela | |
| 1995 | Premiers | Greg Brown | Rod Cutler | Mick Pearson (68) | ||
| 1996 | Premiers | Greg Brown | John Law | Mick Pearson (58) | ||
| 1997 | Premiers | Mark Block/Gary Finch | Arnie Korpela | Mick Pearson (92) | Luke Davies | |
| 1998 | Premiers | Mark Block/Gary Finch | Troy Marsh | Mick Pearson (20) | ||
| 1999 | Premiers | Mark Block | Troy Marsh | Troy Marsh (44) | Marc Nord | |
| 2000 | 2nd | Arnie Korpela | Troy Marsh | Mick Pearson (55) | ||
| 2001 | 2nd | Arnie Korpela | Troy Marsh | Mick Pearson (49) | Brian McGillis | |
| 2002 | Premiers | Arnie Korpela | Troy Marsh | Mark Van Gelder (47) | Taylor Hayward | |
| 2003 | 3rd | Mark Block | Troy Marsh | Troy Marsh | Mark Van Gelder (60) | Matt Bachinski |
| 2004 | 2nd | Mark Block | Troy Marsh | Troy Marsh | Mark Van Gelder (44) | Kevin Minaker |
| 2005 | 3rd | Mark Block | Troy Marsh | Troy Marsh | Mark Van Gelder (41) | George Dimacakos |
| 2006 | Premiers | Mark Block | Troy Marsh | Troy Marsh | Mark Van Gelder (30) | Frank Luisser |
| 2007 | Premiers | Mark Block | Troy Marsh | Aaron Falcioni | Troy Marsh (18) | Aaron Lunadello |
| 2008 | 2nd | Mark Block | Troy Marsh | Tarquin Netherway | Troy Marsh (59) | Sukhjinder Bhangu |
| 2009 | Premiers | Aaron Falcioni | Troy Marsh | Troy Marsh | Troy Marsh (49) | Chris Grey/Brent Jensen |
| 2010 | 5th | Aaron Falcioni | Tasos Dimacakos | Kevin Minaker | Aaron Falcioni (54) | Samuel Rivett |
| 2011 | 4th | Aaron Falcioni | Tasos Dimacakos | Ralph Koens | Aaron Falcioni (42) | Nick Nisbett |
| 2012 | 9th | Aaron Falcioni | Tasos Dimacakos | Kevin Minaker | Aaron Falcioni (32) | Kevin Butler |
| 2013 | 3rd | Aaron Falcioni | Tasos Dimacakos | Kevin Minaker | Clinton Runnalls (36) | Brad Harding |
| 2014 | 8th | Aaron Falcioni | Tasos Dimacakos | Kevin Minaker | Aaron Falcioni (26) | Andrew Cober |
| 2015 | 1st | Aaron Falcioni | Tasos Dimacakos | Mikael Avramov | Aaron Falcioni (38) | Domenic Barranca |
| 2016 | 6th | Aaron Falcioni | Sean Kennedy | Neil Casey | Aaron Falcioni (40) |
| Year | Mark Block Clubman[4] | Coaches Award[5] | Defender of the Year[6] | Cooler Cup[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Damien Anderson | Oliver Hayward | Mark Block | |
| 2007 | David Heward | Kevin Minaker | Matt Bachinski | Tom Hammond |
| 2008 | Marc Nord | Matt Bachinski | Tasos Dimacakos | Tom Hammond |
| 2009 | Tom Hammond | Kevin Minaker | Matt Bachinski | Tom Hammond |
| 2010 | Nick Eddy | Salvatore Capoferri | Sean Kennedy | Tom Hammond |
| 2011 | Tom Hammond | Les Husar | Tasos Dimacakos | Adam Farr |
| 2012 | Ralph Koens | Tasos Dimacakos | Sean Kennedy | Patrick Larkins |
| 2013 | Patrick Larkins | Ryan McNabb | Nate Llewellyn | Nate Llewellyn |
| 2014 | Brad Harding | Sean Kennedy | Brad Harding | Tom Hammond |
| 2015 | Tom Hammond | Paul Loughnane | Ryan McNabb | Sean Kennedy |
| 2016 | - | - | - | Tom Hammond |
| 2017 | Matthew Lowden | Sean Westerhuis | Brad Harding | - |
Women's Awards
| Year | Women's Best & Fairest | Women's Coaches Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Erin Loughnane | Gillian English |
Individual awards
AFL ONTARIO BEST AND FAIREST
The Best and Fairest award is awarded to the best player in the competition during the home-and-away season as voted by the umpires:
Winners[8]
- 2018 - Dean Gavin
- 2017 - Dean Gavin
- 2015 - Mikael Avramov
- 2009 - Ajit Alister
- 1997 - Arnie Korpela
- 1995 - Rod Cutler
- 1992 - Mark Block
- 1990 - Mark Block and David Kerr
- 1989 - Tim Maud
Runner up
- 2007 - Lockie McDonald
AFL ONTARIO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR[9]
- 2018 - Sean Fahey
- 1997 - Luke Davies
- 1994 - Arnie Korpela
- 1990 - David Kerr
- 1989 - Patrick Grant
AFL ONTARIO LEADING GOAL KICKER[10]
- 2019 - Aaron Falcioni (43)
- 2008 - Troy Marsh (59)
- 1999 - Troy Marsh (44)
- 1994-97 - Mick Pearson
- 1990-93 - Peter Vitols
- 1989 - Glen Walker (9)
See also
External links
References
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- Australian rules football clubs in Toronto
- Etobicoke
- Ontario Australian Football League clubs
- 1989 establishments in Ontario
- Australian rules football clubs established in 1989
