Revenge is sweet - 1976 VFA grand final: Port Melbourne v Dandenong
The legacy of '67
To suggest that the Victorian Football Association's 1976 grand final combatants enjoyed something of a history would merely scrape the surface of the truth. Nine years earlier, in the premiership deciding match of 1967, Dandenong and Port Melbourne had, all too literally, fought out one of the ugliest and most violently tempestuous matches in the history not only of the VFA, but of the sport of Australian football itself. At one stage, the atmosphere became so spitefully unpleasant and the actions of the umpire so controversial that Port captain-coach Brian Buckley threatened to remove his players from the ground, only to be ordered by club officials to 'get on with it'. VFA umpires' advisor Fred Allen later described Buckley's and his team's threatened actions as "The most disgraceful, undisciplined, unsporting display I've seen by any team"¹. Quite how such an extreme assessment can be justified in light of some of the other on field behaviour that went on during the course of the match is hard to say; despite a determinedly lenient stance on the part of field umpire David Jackson, four players (three Port, one Redlegs) ended up being reported, with the judiciary handing out sentences ranging from two to six weeks to the three Borough players, whilst exonerating Dandenong's Alan Osborne on a charge of kicking. Needless to say, this disparity in treatment did not sit well with Port supporters already feeling bitter and dejected over their team's 25 point loss.
Football supporters have longer memories than most other folk, and the wounds caused by the events of 1967 had certainly not healed among members of either camp when the Redlegs and Borough fronted up against one another in the premiership play off of 1976. Both sides had enjoyed premiership success in the intervening nine years, Dandy in 1971 against Preston, and Port three years later against Oakleigh, but there was a sense in which such achievements were only a matter of 'marking time' in anticipation of the encounter that both sets of supporters really wanted. That encounter finally took place at the Junction Oval on Sunday 19 September 1976 in front of 32,317 spectators, the biggest VFA grand final crowd since 1953.
Port Melbourne, having capitulated in the closing seconds against Dandenong in the 1975 preliminary final, had won both of the home and away meetings between the sides in 1976, by 40 points in round 4 at the Port, and by 10 points in round 14 at Dandenong. After proving itself the pre-eminent force in the competition for most of the season², the Borough cruised into the grand final with a seemingly effortless 2nd semi final mauling of Preston. The Redlegs, however, after enduring a somewhat mediocre home and away campaign, were equally impressive, comfortably accounting for both Caulfield and Preston, whilst playing "the type of football that wins flags"³. Most scribes consequently expected a close, hard fought game, with the inevitable fall-out from the 1967 encounter only serving to spice things up even further.
The combatants compared
VFA football in the mid-1970s was enjoying something of an Indian summer, brought about to a large extent by its policy of scheduling fixtures for Sunday afternoons when, as far as 'big time' football in Melbourne was concerned, it was 'the only show in town', both 'live' and, perhaps even more significantly, on television⁴. The fact that the VFA was so popular contributed not only to the substantial crowd which showed up for the 1976 grand final, but also helped to make the match itself one of the most famous (or infamous) and widely talked about of the 1970s.
In terms of pure football talent, Port Melbourne and Dandenong appeared fairly evenly matched. Port had strength on every line, starting in defence with the likes of former Fitzroy
(66 games) back pocket Shane Molloy and ex Richmond (33 games) centre half back Ian Owen, through promising first year centreman Bill Swan (left), who would go on to play over 200 games and win the Liston Trophy, talented half forwards Ivan Rasmussen (35 games with
Footscray) and David Holt, and full forward sensation Fred Cook, who would end the season
with 124 goals, and would top the century on four further occasions during his Port Melbourne career. Ruckmen Tony Haenen and Norm Brown were among the most formidable in the competition, with Haenen having played 93 VFL games with South Melbourne as well as
represented Tasmania in interstate football, and thirty-three year old captain-coach Brown having three times won Fitzroy's best and fairest award and represented the VFL during his twelve season, 182 game career with that club. Supporting Haenen and Brown were a number of classy on ballers, notably Jim Christou (30 games with Fitzroy) and local product Graham 'Buster' Harland.
The Redlegs were equally well served with the likes of experienced captain-coach Travis Payze, who hailed from St Kilda where he had
played 128 games, 1976 Liston Trophy winner Danny Hibbert,
rugged rover Lance Taylor, hard hitting defenders Alan Harper and Bill Thompson, and champion full forward Jim 'Frosty' Miller (above right), of whom renowned VFA historian Marc Fiddian wrote in 1977 "there hasn't been a better one than him in the past twenty years"⁵.
1st Quarter
The match was played on a mild spring day, and the opening term provided no hint of the trauma and turmoil which was to come as Port, kicking with the aid of a 3 or 4 goal breeze, dominated proceedings almost everywhere on the field to rattle on eight goals to the Redlegs' three. With its half back line of Allen, Owen and Dermott all but impassable, the Borough ensured that most of the play was confined to its own attacking area, where a combination of finely homed team skills and general aerial supremacy, to which ruckman Tony Haenen was the most conspicuous contributor, enabled it to keep the scoreboard ticking over consistently. For Dandenong, half forward Pat Flaherty (left) made a lively start, but he had few allies, and the longer the term wore on the more Port Melbourne appeared to be in control. The Redlegs' problems were compounded when, late in the quarter, the wind direction began to shift.
QUARTER TIME: Port Melbourne 8.5 (53); Dandenong 3.2 (20)
2nd Quarter
By the start of the 2nd quarter the wind direction had reversed almost completely, allowing Port Melbourne to enjoy its continued favour. With the Borough still seemingly in complete control, it was obvious that the Redlegs needed to try something desperate in order to claw their way back into the match. Five minutes into the term, they made their move, after Port's goal kicking hero, Fred Cook (right), had snapped truly from close range. As goal umpire Ken Andrews replaced his flags after signalling the goal, Cook lay spread-eagled on the ground, eliciting an immediate and angry response from the Port Melbourne players, who identified Cook's nearest opponent, Alan Harper, as the culprit. Meanwhile, the two goal umpires, who were busy ferrying the ball back to the centre of the ground so that it could be bounced, had their backs to the incident, oblivious to what had occurred. As the Port players swarmed angrily around Harper, the Redleg backman's team mates rushed to his rescue, and a fierce, thronging melee ensued, with trainers and runners quickly converging on the scene to join in. So much was happening and so quickly that the umpires had a hopeless task trying to identify and report miscreants; nevertheless, a number of reports did find their way into the umpires' notebooks, including Dandenong's Brian Shinners, who was cited for striking Port trainer Allen Thomas, Thomas himself who was charged with pulling Alan Harper by the hair, and Port Melbourne's Greg Dermott, reported for allegedly kneeing Harper.
Boiling points
'Public enemy number one' - Dandenong's Alan Harper - is gang tackled by 3 Port Melbourne opponents.
The immediate aftermath of the incident which left Alan Harper (on ground, at left) with a broken jaw.
Eventually, comparative peace was restored, and the game resumed its previous pattern of more or less total Port dominance. Mid-way through the term, however, tempers flared again when Port captain-coach Norm Brown (right) was poleaxed. Once again, the Borough players identified Alan Harper as the culprit, and a well judged punch to the jaw, allegedly by Port ruck- rover Graham Harland, put him out of action for the remainder of the game. Harland was duly reported for his part in this incident.
Once again, both teams eventually calmed down, and the fifteen minutes or so to half time were played out peacefully, with the Borough extending its lead at half time to 46 points.
HALF TIME: Port Melbourne 12.10 (82); Dandenong 5.6 (36)
3rd Quarter
With the breeze at their backs for the only time in the match, the Redlegs, with centreman Danny Hibbert and ruck-rover Travis Payze especially prominent, enjoyed easily their best period of the afternoon. However, Port Melbourne's defence, notably full back Alan Wharton and half back flanker George Allen, rose to the occasion superbly, putting their opponents under constant pressure and forcing the squandering of many promising scoring opportunities. The Redlegs outscored Port 3.5 to 1.4 in this term, reducing the margin at three quarter time to 33 points, but realistically they would have to have been within a couple of kicks to have even an outside chance of taking the spoils.
The absence from the fray of agent provocateur Alan Harper helped produce a 3rd term that was free of incident. Indeed, a curious flatness seemed to envelop proceedings, with Dandenong seemingly resigned to their fate, and Port content to go through the motions.
THREE QUARTER TIME: Port Melbourne 13.14 (92); Dandenong 8.11 (59)
Port ruckman Tony Haenen takes a strong grab.
4th Quarter
Port Melbourne resumed its all round dominance during a last quarter which yielded 6.4 to 2.4, blowing the final margin out to 57 points. Full forward Fred Cook, with 5.6 for the match (including 2 posters), gave glimpses of the type of form which would earn him near legendary status in coming seasons, while 4 goal half forward Ivan Rasmussen was a thorn in Dandenong's side all day. Key to Port's success, however, was its dominant 1st ruck combination of Tony Haenen (right), Graham Harland - most observers' choice as best afield - and Jim Christou, who collectively ensured that the Borough had first use of the ball almost all day.
Best for Dandenong were Hibbert, Payze, and back pocket Jim Thompson.
Although neither nerve-tinglingly close, nor an exemplary showcase of breathtaking football, the 1976 VFA grand final starkly exemplified why Australian football is arguably the richest and most diverse - and certainly the most indefatigably human - source of sporting excitement yet invented. While other sports inhibit, proscribe and re-direct the primal instincts which underlie and, to some extent, comprise our humanity, Australian football allows - if not 'officially', then certainly implicitly - the controlled expression and manifestation of such impulses. Moreover, however one endeavours to deny or subjugate 'the animal inside', the stark (dare one say brutal?) truth is that, provided their own security is not overtly threatened, people respond passionately and more or less positively to the bald expressions of aggression on the part of others. The main talking point immediately after the 1976 VFA grand final was therefore not the fact that Port Melbourne had won an eleventh premiership, or that Fred Cook had booted 5 goals; it was the extra curricular activities of the 2nd quarter which led to nine reports, and produced an identifiable villain with a badly damaged jaw. Three decades on, one's perspective on the game has not changed; such an assessment is not to condone or glorify violence, but merely to acknowledge its existence as an essential component in the fabric of life, a fabric which Australian football, in a fuller sense than any other football code, represents and celebrates.
FINAL SCORE: Port Melbourne 19.18 (132); Dandenong 10.15 (75)
The tribunal
A total of nine players and officials incurred reports during the 1976 VFA grand final, and were required to confront the VFA Honorary Commissioners to explain themselves. The nature of these reports, and the results of the Commissioners' deliberations, were as follows:
Haenen (Port) - charged with Striking boundary umpire Walker - Not sustained
Dermott (Port) - Kneeing Dandenong's Harper - Guilty - reprimanded
Harland (Port) - Striking Harper (Dandenong) - Guilty - 4 match suspension
Holt (Port) - Striking Droscher (Dandenong) - Guilty - 2 match suspension
Allen (Port) - Striking Thompson (Dandenong) - Guilty - 2 match suspension
Thomas (trainer - Port) - Grabbing Harper (Dandenong) by the hair - Guilty - banned from entering the playing arena for 12 months
Shinners (Dandenong) - Striking Port trainer Thomas - Guilty - 4 match suspension
Droscher (Dandenong) - Striking Holt (Port Melbourne) - Guilty - 2 match suspension
Melai (runner - Dandenong) - Using abusive language toward boundary umpire Kerr - Guilty - 6 match suspension
Match Summary
1st | 2nd | 3rd | FULL TIME | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Port Melbourne | 8.5 | 12.10 | 13.14 | 19.18 (132) |
Dandenong | 3.2 | 5.6 | 8.11 | 10.15 (75) |
ATTENDANCE: 32,317 at the Junction Oval
Port Melbourne's 1976 Premiership-winning Team
BACKS: | S. Molloy | P. Wharton | B. Profitt |
HALF BACKS: | G. Allen | I. Owen | G. Dermott |
CENTRE: | W. Swan | ||
HALF FORWARDS: | I. Rasmussen | C. Kerr | D. Holt |
FORWARDS: | N. Brown (captain-coach) | F. Cook | G. Bond |
FOLLOWERS: | A. Haenen | G. Harland | J. Christou |
RESERVES: | R. Colbert | W Barrot |
Footnotes
- Quoted in The Roar Of The Crowd: A History Of VFA Grand Finals by Marc Fiddian, page 92.
At the conclusion of the home and away rounds the 1976 VFA premiership ladder read as follows:
W L D For Ag. % Pts Port Melbourne 15 3 - 2,288 1,883 121.5 60 Preston 13 5 - 2,164 1,920 112.7 52 Caulfield 11 7 - 2,095 1,978 105.9 44 Dandenong 10 8 - 1,966 1,781 110.3 40 Coburg 9 9 - 2,052 1,940 105.7 36 Geelong West 9 9 - 1,960 2,079 94.2 36 Prahran 8 10 - 1,847 2,019 91.4 32 Brunswick 5 12 1 1,836 2,105 87.2 22 Sandringham 5 13 - 1,982 2,068 95.8 20 Oakleigh 4 13 1 1,639 2,056 79.7 18 'VFA Souvenir Grand Final Recorder', Sunday 19 September 1976, page 3.
- Needless to say, it did not take the VFL authorities long to uncover a loophole in the legislation which prohibited the programming of VFL matches on Sundays. The prohibition only extended to Victoria; consequently, the League began to programme regular home and away matches in Sydney, ostensibly for 'promotional purposes', but in reality to tap into the profitable, football obsessed Melbourne TV market that hitherto had been available exclusively to the VFA. Not surprisingly, faced with a choice between watching Melbourne and Richmond from the SCG or a VFA fixture at Coburg or Preston, the majority of viewers opted for the former. The writing was on the wall as far as the VFA was concerned, with the impact on attendances and the overall popularity of the competition as immediate as it was drastic. By 1979 the attendance at the VFA's showpiece game, the grand final, had dwindled to 17,947; in 1983 it was 14,719, and the following year just 11,180.
- The Pioneers: 100 Years Of Association Football by Marc Fiddian, page 178.
Comments
LocalFooty Stats 9 March 2014
Nine years after a bitterly-fought 25-point loss to Dandenong in the 1967 Grand Final, Port Adelaide jumped at a chance for revenge. John Devaney tells the story.
Should be Port Melbourne
Adam Cardosi 11 March 2014
Mistake corrected. Thanks for pointing that out.
Login to leave a comment.