"Your club will only last one season" - these were the words repeated at the Coota Blues' 60th anniversary dinner on Saturday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Rod Knagge, who was the first speaker at Saturday's night celebration, mentioned that years ago Blues legend Max Rudd told him that a critic had made the faulty prediction way back in 1960.
Having defeated Murrumbateman by 82 points on Saturday, remaining undefeated after the opening seven matches, the Blues are now halfway through their 60th season.
Knagge's speech inspired the rest of the speakers, who thrilled the Blues' faithful attending the dinner at the Town Hall.
MC for the night, Don Oliver, coached the Blues for eight seasons spread over four decades. He spoke of the heartache of losing grand finals in 1986, 1987 and 1988.
His first coaching stint with the Blues was from 1988 to 1990.
The 1989 grand final was against old rivals South Wagga. In a titanic struggle, the Blues prevailed by 21 points, 12.11 (85) to 10.4 (64).
Like any football club, the Blues have seen the dark times when they struggled for numbers, including 1979 and 1985.
From 2001-03, the Blues won just two matches. They eventually moved to AFL Canberra; this was the only competition where the Blues could field one side.
In 2007, the Blues forfeited their final six matches and the club's future was in doubt. However, the Blues have rebounded to where they are today.
Former president Peter Hogan spoke of the golden decade of the 1970s, when the Blues won first grade flags in 1973, 1974 and 1977, capping things off with another premiership on 1980.
Current coach Luke Webb spoke of the drought-breaking 2014 premiership win, when the Blues defeated Yass in the grand final by 40 points.
For the first time, the reunion made special mention of the other sporting groups involved with the club.
Hard-working secretary Lee Loiterton mentioned the formation of the women's auxiliary in 1962, which went onto raise a substantial amount of money for the young club.
While playing in the Farrer League, from 1995 to 2003, the Blues fielded netball teams, which were called the Bluebirds. At various times they fielded three teams. The highlight was in 2001 when they defeated Ardlethan by 10 points in the grand final.
Women's football joined the Blues in 2017.
Auskick has been a part of the Blues structure for over 25 years. Four of the current players commenced their footy at Auskick - Mick Knagge, Liam Frilay, Zac Oliver and Dylan McDermott.
The reunion was the club's fourth. The Town Hall looked magnificent and was draped in the 11 flags the Blues have won. The updated honour boards, plus a stack of old photos, displayed the club's rich history.
