As the 2026 Hume league finals approach, the Free Press looks back 20 years to a landmark premiership, when a merged club claimed its first flag and began the journey to becoming the club it is today.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The merger of Hopefield Buraja and Coreen Daysdale on the eve of the former Coreen and District Football League’s 2006 season was needed to sustain the future of country clubs.
Club stalwarts, Paul Phibbs and Chris ‘Darkie’ Collins, said the reason for the merger was to gain more volunteers and to bring in new families.
“When trying to get Hopefield Buraja on board, it was about building our juniors up and setting it up for the future,” Paul said.
At the time, the football landscape across the greater district was in a state of flux with several clubs looking at options to move to another league, creating mergers.
Billabong Crows formed through Oaklands and Urana; Rand and Walbundrie (and now with Walla), and Brocklesby and Burrumbuttock formed BB Saints.
The mergers highlighted a growing reality for many country football clubs: merge or risk disappearing.
With the district's population steadily declining, combining resources became the key to long-term survival.
For Darkie Collins, the success of the CDHBU merger was not simply about the players on the field, but the people working behind the scenes.
“It was the work from the committee and good support from members and volunteers; that's what made it work,” Darkie said.
“It was the work from the committee and good support from members and volunteers; that's what made it work.”
The arrival of former Corowa Rutherglen and O&M premiership defender Jarrod Hanrahan as coach in 2004 was instrumental in the club’s resurgence.
Hanrahan highlighted lifestyle and starting a family as factors in the return to his junior club.
The 2005 grand final heartbreak to Coleambally Blues fuelled the desire for the former CDU to chase their first premiership, so when the time came to merge with Hopefield Buraja, it was a no-brainer to commit to a bigger club in 2006.
“As they say, you have to lose one to win one,” Hanrahan said.
“We were just not good enough to win it on the day, then that set the foundation for the next two seasons.
"A lot more committee and like-minded people, all from farming backgrounds, helped make the club bigger and stronger.”
The 2006 season started strongly with a gutsy 10-point win over the Wahgunyah Tigers.
Wahgunyah had a strong dynasty from 1997 to 2004 and featured in six grand finals, winning four.
The rivalry was a distinctive one as players tended to share workplaces around Corowa and Wahgunyah, which shaped up to always being an intriguing battle.
“They weren't as big as a grand final, but boy they were celebrated” Hanrahan said.
However, Coleambally remained the ultimate hurdle.
After falling short against the Blues in 2005, CDHBU knew another tilt at the premiership would need improvement.
“We knew it was always going to be tough… I think that is what drove us, we just had to pick up a few recruits to nullify them” Paul said.
The recruitment of Hanrahan’s O&M teammates Paul Lavis and premiership captain Beau Longmire were masterstrokes by the football committee.
“Topping up with guys like Beau and Stumpy (Paul Lavis) with Ovens and Murray experience was the cream on top” he said.
But the arrival of Mark House was the club’s big signing.
Paul Phibbs and Darkie Collins said he was vital for the club moving forward.
“We sat him down and told him what we expected at the end of 2005… the next day he gave us a call and he said he was ready to sign” Darkie said.
The road was not straightforward with a loss in the semi-final, to the Blues, forcing the squad to regroup, but Hanrahan believes the setback helped reset the players before the biggest game of the season.
“We certainly had to have an in-depth discussion, but playing in the preliminary final against Rennie allowed us another opportunity to go get it,” he said.
And take that opportunity they did, beating Rennie by 43 points.
CDHBU came to the 2006 CDFL Grand Final with vengeance to return serve to Coleambally.
The Saints romped home and flipped the semi-final with an 81-point thrashing in the decider.
Doug Lavis’ eight goals and Beau Longmire’s best-afield performance were big highlights.
For a club that had only recently brought four communities together, the premiership was about much more than a football flag.
It was proof that the merger could work and that the combined strength of Coreen, Daysdale, Hopefield and Buraja, could create something stronger than the individual clubs could achieve alone.