30 years of the NAB League: 2005 Tassie Mariners

This year the AFL is celebrating the 30-year history of the competition which has produced more AFL and AFLW players than any other in recent decades, the NAB League (formerly TAC Cup).

Tasmania has been involved in the competition in various capacities since 1995, and to celebrate the competition’s milestone, we will take a look back at some of their most notable campaigns over the years.

While they were not a full member of the TAC Cup competition at the time, the Tassie Mariners made a big impact in 2005. The state’s under-18 boys played three games in the competition and won them all, beating a trio of sides playing a full season and fighting for a finals berth, before going on to dominate the Under-18 National Championships.

The Mariners played four games in each of the 2003 and 2004 TAC Cup seasons and steadily improved under coach Hamish Ogilvie, winning one game in 2003 and two in 2004. They took another step forward and were undefeated in 2005, beating Bendigo (15th in TAC Cup), Sandringham (9th) and Geelong (8th). The win against Sandringham was particularly disruptive, with the Dragons finishing just outside the finals positions at the end of the season. It was also the most exciting, as the Mariners came back from a 12-point deficit at three quarter time to win by six points at North Hobart Oval.

Tasmania’s final game against Geelong was one of the state’s most impressive wins on the national stage. The Falcons would go on to play in the TAC Cup finals that season, and they boasted big names such as Travis Boak, Shaun Higgins and more. The Mariners travelled to Kardinia Park and beat them handily on the road, winning by 41 points.

There were plenty of notable names in Tasmania’s squad, too, with eight players that would go on to be drafted to the AFL. Premiership superstars Jack Riewoldt (324 games, 751 goals for Richmond) and Grant Birchall (287 games for Hawthorn & Brisbane) shared the field for the Mariners and went on to be all-time great Tasmanian footballers, while the team was captained by Sam Lonergan (81 games for Essendon & Richmond).

Also in the squad were a pair of dual sport stars, with cricketers Matthew Wade and Jonathon Wells both pulling on the boots. Wade was one of the team’s best players in their TAC Cup campaign, booting 13 goals in their three games including a bag of seven against Geelong. That placed him second in the team’s goalkicking behind only Todd Grima, who had two hauls of seven goals.

The Mariners would go on to also win all three of their games at the 2005 AFL Under 18 Championships, which saw them claim the Division 2 title. Grima continued his hot form with another big bag of ten goals in a game, while Birchall was awarded the Hunter Harrison Medal as the best player in Division 2.