1963 interstate match: VFL v South Australia - The day South Australian football came of age
Well known for his infamous 'kiss of death' predictions, former Collingwood great Lou Richards showed he was a good sport when he
regally entertained the victorious South Australians, for whom he had predicted 'the mother and father of a hiding', at his hotel after
the game. Richards is shown above undertaking one of the many 'penances' incurred over the years after his confident predictions
went awry.
The teams
VFL | |||
---|---|---|---|
BACKS | John Benetti (Carl) | Roy West (Geel) | Alan Morrow (StK) |
HALF-BACKS | Alex Epis (Ess) | Wes Lofts (Carl) | Kevin Murray (Fitz) |
CENTRES | Barry Capuano (Ess) | Alistair Lord (Geel) | Brian Dixon (Melb) |
HALF-FORWARDS | Darrel Baldock (StK) | Ken Fraser (Ess) | Ron Barassi (Melb) |
FORWARDS | Graham Farmer (Geel) | Doug Wade (Geel) | Ian Law (Haw) |
FOLLOWERS | John Nicholls (Car) | Sergio Silvagni (Carl) | Bob Skilton (SM - capt) |
19th, 20th, Em. | John Henderson (Coll) | John Birt (Ess) | Noel Teasdale (NM) |
COACH | Bob Davis (Geel) |
SOUTH AUST | |||
---|---|---|---|
BACKS | Fred Bills (W. Torr) | Bob Hammond (N. Adel) | Bob Shearman (W. Torr - capt) |
HALF-BACKS | Ken Eustice (W. Adel) | Jeff Bray (W. Adel) | Geoff Motley (P. Adel) |
CENTRES | Barry Barbary (W. Torr) | John Halburt (Sturt) | John Cahill (P. Adel) |
HALF-FORWARDS | Lindsay Head (W. Torr) | Ian Hannaford (P. Adel) | Brian Sawley (Norwood) |
FORWARDS | Harry Kernahan (Glenelg) | Neil Hawke (W. Torr) | Robert Oatey (Norwood) |
FOLLOWERS | Bill Wedding (Norwood) | Neil Kerley (W. Adel) | Jeff Potter (Port Adel) |
19th, 20th, Em. | Robert Day (W. Adel) | Don Lindner (N. Adel) | Ron Benton (W. Adel) |
COACH | Fos Williams (P. Adel) |
About the Players
Under the astute and motivational off field leadership of Fos Williams, South Australia came of age in front of a parochial Victorian crowd of 59,260 patrons at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 15 June 1963.
Finally under the Port Adelaide’s maestro’s leadership, South Australia had hand picked the side that believed it was capable of beating the Vics on there own turf.
Going into this match, South Australia had injury concerns to Bob Shearman (pulled right thigh) and John Halbert (left knee soreness), with both needing fitness tests the day before the game. Each got through their respective tests and played an important part in this victory.
St Kilda star defender Verdun Howell (pictured right) did not train on the Thursday night practice because of a gastric complaint and would be replaced by Geelong full back Roy West, who the Victorian selectors had asked to be put on standby.
South Melbourne champion and eventual triple Brownlow Medallist Bob Skilton would lead the Victorians, while ex Essendon player Bob Shearman was the skipper of the South Australian side. The respective deputies were Kevin Murray and Neil Kerley.
The strength of the two sides can easily be seen in retrospect by the number of elite player accolades achieved by combatants on both sides. Of the 40 participants, 14 players went on to receive a total of 20 All Australian jumpers. For the beaten Victorians, Ron Barassi gained three, Kevin Murray, John Nicholls, Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer and Darrel Baldock each two, while Brian Dixon achieved one.¹
South Australian had eight players who gained the honour, all on one occasion: Lindsay Head, John Halbert, Neil Kerley, Don Lindner, Bill Wedding, Bob Shearman, Robert Day and John Cahill each collected a national blazer for their wardrobes.
On top of this there were a number of winners of the respective competitions' top awards (Brownlow Medal in the VFL, and Magarey Medal in the SANFL). Both Skilton and Head won three, while Murray, Lord, Halbert, Barbary, Eustice and Motley each gained one. North Adelaide’s Don Lindner, having originally lost on a countback, would receive a retrospective Magarey Medal for his efforts in 1967, while both emergencies, Ron Benton (SA) and Noel Teasdale (VFL, retrospectively) would also earn their league's greatest individual honour.
The game
Elation on the croweater bench as the siren sounds with the scoreboard showing SA 7 points to the good.
In a direct, hard-hitting encounter, between two star-studded sides, South Australian broke a 37-year drought at the MCG, erasing the Big ‘V’ complex that had haunted the croweaters for too many years.
This first victory in Victoria since 1926 was a fierce, uncompromising and close encounter, with the tri-coloured South Australians getting home in a tense and thrilling last quarter by 7 points.
A player who had played his first Test cricket match earlier in the year against England in Sydney, and who later would open the bowling at this level for his country, Neil Hawke, kicked one of the visiting team’s 4 goals from deep in the pocket in the first quarter. Unfortunately, he had to leave the ground at the first break with a twisted knee, and was replaced at the goal front by North Adelaide’s Don Lindner.
South Australian hard man, Neil Kerley had a collision with Alistair Lord at the first bounce, and while some big ‘V’ players were more focused on Kerley, the croweaters skipped out to a 3 goal lead.
Both SA wingmen Barrie Barbary and John Cahill dominated their positions, with the Croweaters' half backline being magnificent. Port Adelaide’s Geoff Motley shut out Tasmanian-born, St. Kilda champion Darrel Baldock, with centre half back Jeff Bray and Ken Eustice also repelling many attacks.
In his first game at this level, North Adelaide’s Bob Hammond competed well against Geelong goal kicking ace Doug Wade, although the Victorian kicked 4 goals. 'Big Bill' Wedding worked untiringly all day and was too hard to handle for the opposing pair of John Nicholls and Graham ‘Polly" Farmer. Meanwhile, the man who was to become known as the ‘King’ of South Australian football, Neil Kerley, again put in a sterling performance for his state.
Best players for the VFL side were Fitzroy champion and 1969 Brownlow Medallist Kevin Murray, who kept West Torrens champion Lindsay Head very quiet. Roy West, called up as a late replacement for St. Kilda’s dashing full back Verdun Howell, performed creditably, as did captain Bob Skilton and 1962 Brownlow Medallist Alistair Lord.
The victorious SA team
receives a garland welcome
on the tarmac at Adelaide
airport.
Neil Kerley was involved in another clash with defender John Benetti at the 7 minute mark in the last quarter, which saw the latter player leave the ground. Kevin Murray was then moved onto Kerley and Benetti's replacement, John Henderson, was assigned the task of looking after Lindsay Head, who up to that point had been having a quiet day.
Then, in a twist of fate, after the home side had regained the lead, 2 goals in the final minutes of the game by the always dangerous Head proved critical to South Australia’s victory.
The South Australian team celebrated their victory in Victorian stalwart, Lou Richards’ hotel that evening.
Amazingly, nearly 8,000 people braved the inclement weather to greet the victorious team on return to Adelaide. As the plane pulled up to a halt, the crowd hurled streamers and let fire crackers off, with hundreds jumping the barriers and surging on to the tarmac.
Now, 40 years on, this victory is still rated as one of the finest efforts by a South Australian team in an interstate clash.
Although Barbary was given best player in most of the papers, half back Geof Motley received an electric shaver for South Australia’s best player in an award given by his peers. "It is still a prized possession that I have among my things," said the Port Adelaide champion.²
Some media outlets in Melbourne ('Herald' and 'Sporting Globe particularly') had some harsh words about the performance of WA umpire Montgomery, but in the end the free kick count was Victoria 28 – South Australia 24. Two points that make this victory even more meritorious. First, the VFL side was not picked according to its usual ‘two players from each club’ criterion so the side had nearly all the stars of the VFL competition in it. Secondly, the VFL snatched the lead back in the last quarter, only to see the croweaters regroup and secure a well deserved victory.
Victoria coach Bob Davis said to 'the Age' reporter after the game, "They were more purposeful and faster and too good for us".³
South Australian coach Foster Williams said, "You’ve no idea how happy we are. We have the power football now that has been missing in the past. It is demanded of all our players. We expected to play well and kept pressure on the Victorians all day. The win is the climax to my football career."⁴
In a recent interview Neil Kerley said, "We had a fantastic team of the right type of players. 'Big Bill' Wedding took the ruck supremacy away from the Victorians, jumping over the top of them all day and sapping their confidence. Our coach Fos Williams was an important part of the win, with his passion and enthusiasm, although he was not a strong tactical coach. He demanded you ran straight at the ball and was inspiring. We had many good players on the day, Barbary and Cahill on the wings, the whole back line was great, while Fred Bills and I were expected to ensure the ruck contests were a one on one battle."⁵
In the return match at Adelaide Oval on 6th July, the VFL gained revenge with a thrilling 12-point victory, despite being under pressure for much of the game, and managing 3 fewer scoring shots.
Match Summary
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
South Australia | 4.1 | 8.3 | 9.4 | 12. 8 80 |
VFL | 2.1 | 3.4 | 7.9 | 10.13 73 |
BEST
South Australia: Barbary, Cahill, Sawley, Motley, Eustice, Kerley, Wedding
VFL: Murray, West, Skilton, Lord, Lofts, Farmer
SCORERS
South Australia: Lindner 3.1; Sawley 2.3; Head, Potter 2.1; Hawke Kernahan, Oatey 1.0; Wedding 0.2
VFL: Wade 4.2; Skilton 3.3; Capuano, Farmer, Fraser 1.0; Baldock 0.2; Barassi, Birt, Law, Morrow, Nicholls 0.1, rushed 0.1
Attendance: 59,260 at the MCG
Gate: £9,991
Footnotes
- Both of Farmer's All Australian blazers were gained while representing his home state of Western Australia, while 1 of Baldock's 2 was won while playing for Tasmania.
- From a private interview with the author.
- 'The Age', 17/6/63.
- Ibid.
- From a private interview with the author.
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