The Penrith Australian Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith, which plays its home games at Greygums Oval, Cranebrook. It competes in the Sydney AFL competition, running in season 2020 Senior and Reserve grade open-age grade sides (in Platinum Division and Platinum Division Reserves respectively), as well as a women's AFL team competing in Division 1.
History
The Penrith club was formed in 1981 from an idea principally from Keith Claxton, a prominent footballer then residing in the Penrith area. In its first two years the Rams fielded a Reserve Grade side in the Sydney District Football Association, playing before Hawkesbury's First Grade matches and using that club's home grounds at firstly Deerubbun Park, Windsor and then Colbee Park, McGrath's Hill. In their first season, the Rams bowed out in the Preliminary Final, but had individual honour winners in Keith Claxton (McFarlane Medal) and Peter Traeger (SDFA Reserve Grade Leading Goalkicker) – Peter had also kicked the Reserve Grade record of 11 goals in a game during the season, which stood for 26 years until broken by Jason Ware in 2006.
Next season, 1982, the club went one better, making the Grand Final, only to lose in a spiteful match to Sydney Uni. Again Keith Claxton won the McFarlane Medal and this time Tom Hall won the SDFA Reserve Grade goalkicking with 126 goals, the only time that a Rams player has kicked 100 goals in a season. 1982 also saw the first Rams age-based senior side fielded, the Under 20's, which made the First Semi-Final.
In 1983, Penrith expanded to fielding First and Reserve Grade sides and also moved to its own home ground at Sales Park, Luddenham. The years 1983 to 1985 were lean ones for the club, fielding two quality sides proving difficult, although First Grade managed an improved 9th position in 1985.
Things lifted in 1986, with the First Grade side finishing a very respectable sixth. In that year the Rams also kicked their record club score, 62.22 (394), against Camden at Sales Park.
In 1987, Penrith again moved grounds, this time to Greygums Oval, Mt Pleasant. The SDFA was renamed the Sydney Football League (SFL) and split into two divisions, with Penrith playing in the second division. This revitalised the club's fortunes, with First Grade making the Grand Final – only to lose to the strong Liverpool side. Graeme Tuckwell came second in the SFL Div 2 Reserve Grade Best and Fairest voting, while Stephen Cox established the club goalkicking record for an individual game, booting 20 goals against Blacktown. In 1988, the Rams also made the Grand Final only to again lose to Liverpool.
The years 1989 to 1991, in which there was no Reserve Grade competition, were the most productive years in the club's history. Going into the 1989 Grand Final against Auburn at Wagener Oval as rank underdogs, the Rams easily won their first premiership by 51 points. To cap off a great year, club stalwart Geoff Eldering won the Apted Medal for Best and Fairest Player in the competition. The Under 20's side in 1989 (the Nepean Colts – a composite of Penrith and Blacktown players) also featured the competition's leading goalkicker in Phil Lane.
In 1990, First Grade made the Preliminary Final, however inaccurate kicking cost the side a game they should have won . The Under 20's side, this time composed solely of Penrith players, made the First Semi-Final, only to go down to HMAS Nirimba. On 6 August, the first club reunion was held at the Kingswood Bowling Club.
The following year, 1991, was the most dominant in the club's history, with the First Grade side going through the season undefeated. In the newly renamed Sydney Football Association (Penrith were still in Division 2), the nearest thing to a loss was a draw against Bankstown. In the finals, the side kicked 25.12 (162) in the Second Semi-Final (the club's finals record score) and 22.17 (149) in the Grand Final, both times against Hawkesbury. Gavin Chalker kicked eight and nine goals respectively in these two games. The Under 20's did not participate this year and an age-based senior side did not resurface until 1996.
Season 1992 saw the reintroduction of the Reserve Grade competition, with both Penrith sides making and losing the Grand Final (against Bankstown in First Grade and Hawkesbury in Reserve Grade). In Reserve Grade, David Robinson took out the SFA Div 2 goalkicking award and Graeme Tuckwell was joint winner of the Armstrong Medal.
In 1993, a convincing Second Semi-Final win saw First Grade soar into the Grand Final – only to lose to Hawkesbury. Reserve Grade bowed out in the Preliminary Final.