The club was formed in 1891 and after having success in the Melbourne Districts Association (premierships in 1907, 1924, & 1928), they were one of two teams admitted into the VFA in 1929, the other being Sandringham.

The game had erupted into full scale violence during the last term when a Northcote defender elbowed an Oakleigh forward in the face and an all in brawl, involving a number of spectators as well as most players, ensued.

Under the rules of the time, Oakleigh would have been able to challenge Northcote the following week if they had lost this game as they had finished as minor premiers after the home and away matches preceding the finals series.

The two sides met once more in the Grand Final the following year and Oakleigh again got the better of Northcote, winning by 3 points despite kicking inaccurately, 10.14 (74) to 11.5 (71).

Oakleigh struggled to make an impact in the recombined competition and never managed to move far off the bottom of the ladder again.