The Gilbert Football Association, or Gilbert Valley as it was often referred, was formed in 1921. The founding clubs were Alma, Tarlee, Stockport and the Hamley Bridge Rovers. Hamley Bridge had an excess of players in the early 1920s, so the Hamley Bridge Rovers were formed to give more footballers the opportunity to play. Duffield Town and Pinkerton Plains were formed by Hamley Bridge to maintain the association when there were insufficient teams.
The 1924 grand final between Tarlee and Hamley Bridge Rovers was drawn and replayed the following week at Stockport. A large crowd attended the replay with a special train running from Hamley Bridge. Tarlee won the replay by 7 points in an exciting game but Hamley Bridge exercised their right to challenge as the minor premier. This set up the third meeting between Tarlee and Rovers in three weeks on the Stockport oval. The Challenge Final was somewhat of an anti-climax with the Rovers having an easy victory over Tarlee.
Owen applied to join the Gilbert association in 1926 but coming from the Wooroora association they were deemed as being too strong for the Gilbert association. Desperate to be accepted into an association, Owen agreed before the season started to only include six members of their 1925 premiership team in all games. Owen questioned the appointment of umpire Mitchell to officiate in the Challenge Final. Earlier in the season, Mitchell had umpired a Tarlee-Owen match and was reported by the Owen Football Club for being intoxicated. As Owen lost the final by six points, the impartiality of Mitchell was called into question.
