“On this day in September” – 8 September

Another big date in our League’s history with both a Senior and Junior Grand Final day, plus four Senior Presentation Nights where stars of the local sport feature prominently.

1990 SENIOR GRAND FINALS
North Coffs Kangaroos claim their first Premiership in the AFL North Coast competition having been a founding member of the League eight years earlier.
Seniors: North Coffs Kangaroos 13.10 (88) def Woolgoolga Blues 6.13 (49)
This was the first season when no Reserve Grade or Under 18 competition was played since 1982.

2001 SENIOR PRESENTATION NIGHT
Troy Mirkin (North Coffs) and Matt Lane are declared joint winners of the League Best and Fairest. This is the first time since the inaugural year (1982) that the award has been won by two players.

2007 SENIOR PRESENTATION NIGHT
Mark Couzens (Sawtell) wins the first of his three Best & Fairest medals, sharing the honour with 2000-2009 Team of the Decade captain Brad Giri (North Coffs) who claimed his second medal. This is the third (and last) occasion when the award has been jointly won by two players.

2012 SENIOR PRESENTATION NIGHT
Jesse Schmidt (Port) wins his first League Best and Fairest Medal, repeating the feat the next season, and making three in four years with another win 2015 to become the third three time winner (along with Brian Rava and Mark Couzens).

2013 NORTH COAST JUNIOR GRAND FINALS
Under 13: Sawtell Toormina Saints def Coffs Swans
Under 15: Coffs Swans def Sawtell Toormina Saints

2018 SENIOR PRESENTATION NIGHT
Danniel “DJ” Johnson (Sawtell) wins the Brian Saville Medal as League Best & Fairest. This made DJ only the fourth player to have won both the Best & Fairest and Woodlock Medal for B.O.G. in a Grand Final (along with Sawtell team mates Mark Couzens and Luke Matthews, and Jesse Schmidt from Port).
Cambridge McCormick (Port) wins the first ever Women’s Best and Fairest to go with the Best on Ground in the Grand Final she claimed a week earlier. This is the first of two consecutive times Cambridge claimed this double.
In his last season as a player, Greg Jarman (Breakers) wins the Best and Fairest in Reserve Grade. This comes 14 years after Greg was the first recipient of the newly minted Woodlock Medal.
Port Macquarie’s Premiership winning captain Dominic Byrne took home the Under 18 Best and Fairest Medal.

To see more details of the AFL North Coast timeline over the past 40 seasons and beyond, please click here.