Australian Football

Sturt

Norwood and Port Adelaide may possess the tradition and the premierships, North Adelaide and West Adelaide the galaxies of champion players, and Central District may have nouveau riche pretensions which have already gone some way toward obliterating the scars of a less than glorious past, but try a word association test involving the name ‘Sturt’ with South Australian football followers of more than fifty years of age - and long memories - and the chances are that the most popular responses would be terms like “skilful”, “brilliant”, “classy” and “dazzling”.

The reason for this is simple. The Sturt side that dominated South Australian football during the second half of the 1960s had an impact which no other team in the history of the SANFL, with the possible exception of the great Port Adelaide side which won six successive premierships during the 1950s, ever managed. However, the Magpies’ triumphs were founded on grim determination, relentless aggression and an almost fanatical desire to succeed; during their record sequence of grand final wins they only once won comfortably, and on at least a couple of occasions they were blessed by good fortune. During Sturt’s period of dominance it was otherwise, an 11 point victory over Port Adelaide in the 1967 grand final being the only occasion when success could have been said to have been achieved with more than a modicum of difficulty.

“You at Sturt can’t even sell an ice cream to an Eskimo”

The real turning point in Sturt’s fortunes came when former Norwood and West Adelaide supremo Jack Oatey was appointed coach in 1962. Initially, Oatey was less than enthusiastic about the Double Blues’ approach, remarking that “You at Sturt can’t even sell an ice cream to an Eskimo”. However, the Sturt committee, led by chairman Ray Kutcher, was persistent, and finally landed its man.

Oatey’s previous coaching record included premierships with Norwood in 1946, ‘48 and ‘52, and a string of narrow grand final losses to Port Adelaide while at West. He had a reputation as an innovator and astute tactician, but it took a while for his message to get across to his predominantly youthful charges at Unley.

In 1962, the Double Blues managed just 4 wins from 19 games to finish second last.

"Sometimes you couldn’t help feeling that Oatey and his players weren’t operating on the same wave-length,” it was suggested. Moreover: "it may have been expecting too much for Sturt players to absorb the finer points of Oatey’s teaching in one season. And finer points are the crux of Oatey’s method. Handball with either hand, bullet-like find-a-player foot passes, thinking two or three kicks ahead, blinding non-stop speed." [1]

Such were the traits that Oatey had instilled in the West Adelaide players during his stint there; at Sturt, they would be honed to a previously unimagined level.

Among the list of forty-one players used by the Double Blues in 1962 were names like Hicks, Short, Jarrett, Clarke, Martin, Schoff, Murphy, Halbert and Rigney, all of whom were to play prominent roles in the club’s success over forthcoming seasons, and all of whom, bar Halbert, were in the early stages of their careers.

Sturt showed measurable improvement in 1963, winning 10 out of 20 matches for the season to finish sixth. In 1964, finals fever returned to Unley with a vengeance as the Double Blues downed Glenelg by 5 points in the first semi final before succumbing to eventual premiers South Adelaide by 41 points in the preliminary final. Afterwards, Oatey told Ray Kutcher that he needed to see just one additional player at the club in 1965 in order to concoct a genuine premiership threat. The player Oatey had in mind was former Essendon utility Robert Shearman, who since 1961 had been starring for West Torrens. The Eagles were unwilling to clear Shearman but so keen was the player himself to join Sturt that he willingly stood out of football for twelve months in order to obtain an automatic clearance. [2]

Twelve months later, Oatey’s prophetic declarations concerning Shearman would come to fruition in quite dramatic fashion, but even without his contribution the Blues continued to improve in 1965.

That said, it needed a last round win over Woodville coupled with a loss the same day by arch rivals North Adelaide against South Adelaide, to see the Blues displace the Roosters in fourth place. For Oatey, any initial feelings of relief were quickly supplanted by a sense of eager relish. “Finals football is different,” he enthused. “Anybody can win.”

Playing superbly, Sturt outclassed Norwood in the first semi final by 45 points and then outlasted a determined South Adelaide in the preliminary final to win a thriller by just 7 points. In the grand final, in front of a league record crowd of 62,543, the Double Blues trailed Port Adelaide by 35 points early in the final term before coming home with a wet sail, as the cliché goes, to fall short by just 3 points. The inevitable disappointment was mixed with defiance: no one at Unley doubted that 1966 would see the Double Blues’ favours adorning the tower of the West End Brewery for the first time since 1940.

the five in a row era

With Bob Shearman slotting seamlessly in at centre Sturt’s football for most of the 1966 season bore the unmistakable hallmarks of a team which had finally come of age. The Blues lost only a couple of minor round matches all season to top the ladder with some comfort, 4 wins ahead of both Port Adelaide and South Adelaide. A one-point second semi final loss to the Magpies proved to be nothing more than a temporary distraction as they swept inexorably to the flag. In the preliminary final Sturt annihilated North Adelaide 22.14 (146) to 9.7 (61) before gaining conclusive and indeed quite astonishing revenge by 56 points against Port Adelaide on grand final day. ‘Astonishing’ is not too outlandish an adjective: the Magpies of that era simply did not lose matches by margins of that magnitude. With time-on in the third term approaching Sturt led by just 3 points, 7.8 to 7.5, before suddenly finding another gear and adding 9.8 to 0.3 over the next quarter and a bit before Ashley McKay chipped in with a consolation goal for Port in the dying moments. Final scores were Sturt 16.16 (112) defeated Port Adelaide 8.8 (56), with former Hawthorn ruckman Malcolm Hill, centre half forward and captain John Halbert, 8 goal full forward Malcolm ‘Emmy’ Jones, defenders Brenton Adcock, Philip ‘Sandy’ Nelson and Bruce Jarrett, and centreman Bob Shearman the leading lights for the victors.

A week later, Sturt took on VFL runners up Collingwood in a challenge match. A crowd of 30,794 at the Adelaide Oval were treated to another vintage display as the Double Blues won with ease, 18.12 (120) to 11.18 (84). Collingwood president Tom Sherrin was generous in defeat, conceding: "I was amazed with their skill - it was a real shock. They would be strong contenders for a VFL premiership."

Sturt finished half a win behind North Adelaide at the end of the 1967 minor round but then comfortably overturned that club in the second semi final by 44 points. The grand final was a repeat of the previous season, with Sturt heavily favoured having already defeated Port Adelaide by 23, 22 and 28 points during the 1967 minor round. The grand final was considerably closer, but once again Sturt proved to have too much class when the pressure was at its height. When the final siren sounded the Double Blues were 11 points to the good, 13.10 (88) to 10.17 (77), having been best served by back pocket Brenton Adcock, ruckman Tony Clarkson, utility Rick Schoff, ruck rover John Murphy and rover Roger Rigney.

Carlton, which had finished third in the VFL, took on Sturt at the Adelaide Oval a week later and, after leading 7.7 to 7.4 at the long break, were overrun in the second half as the Double Blues added 12.4 to 4.8 to win easily. Carlton coach Ron Barassi ventured the opinion after the game that “Sturt are one of the most talented and certainly one of the top teams in Australia”.

This assessment was born out in 1968 as the Blues continued to dominate. After losing only 2 minor round matches all year - both against Port Adelaide - Sturt proved to have the Magpies’ measure when it really counted with wins in the second semi final, 15.15 (105) to 13.14 (92), and the grand final, 12.18 (90) to 9.9 (63). Best for the Blues in the grand final included ruck rovers Paul Bagshaw (‘Mr. Magic’) and John Murphy, centre half forward Rick Schoff, ruckman Tony Clarkson and first year rover Peter Endersbee.[3]

Sturt lost to Carlton on the Saturday following the grand final in a match which, in South Australia at least, was billed as being for the ‘unofficial’ championship of Australia (a description which seems almost to contradict itself). As far as most Victorians were concerned, of course, the ‘real’ championship of Australia had been determined a week earlier on the Melbourne Cricket Ground when Carlton defeated Essendon, while the opinion of the football-loving fraternity west of the Nullarbor is similarly easy to infer.

Sturt finished the 1969 minor round on 15 wins from 20 matches, two fewer than minor premier Glenelg. However, once again, when the finals got underway, the Blues proved capable of elevating their football to another plane. In the second semi final they outclassed the Bays to the tune of 38 points, 18.16 (124) to 11.20 (86), and a fortnight later they were even more convincing against the same opponents, winning by nearly 11 goals and accumulating a grand final record score in the process. Final scores were Sturt 24.15 (159) to Glenelg 13.16 (94), with half forward flanker John Tilbrook (4 goals), ruck rover Paul Bagshaw, full forward Malcolm Greenslade (who bagged a grand final record-equalling 9 goals), wingman Daryl Hicks, and back pocket Brenton Adcock best for the victorious Blues.

The only blot on a record-breaking season came with a 57-point loss against Richmond in the so called ‘Championship of Australia‘ clash the following week.

Sturt made it five flags in a row with a disarming lack of fuss in 1970, losing only 3 minor round matches for the year before downing Port Adelaide in the second semi final by 35 points and Glenelg in the grand final by 21 points. Bagshaw, Rigney, Endersbee, Greenslade (6 of Sturt’s 12 goals) and Schoff were the best players.

the bubble bursts ....

The Double Blue bubble finally burst in 1971 when, after reaching the finals but failing to secure the double chance, Sturt lost the first semi final to first time finalist Central District by 27 points. Afterwards, stalwarts Trevor Clarke, Roger Rigney and Rick Schoff retired, while during the close season John Tilbrook was cleared to Melbourne for $18,000; it would take Sturt a while to cover these losses.

In 1972 Sturt, while still capable of playing some excellent football, finished fifth, missing participation in the major round for the first time since 1963.

The 1973 season saw the introduction of a final five system with Sturt overcoming North Adelaide in the first ever qualifying final (played between the sides finishing the minor round in second and third positions) before losing the second semi final to Glenelg and, in an astonishing form reversal, the preliminary final to the Roosters by a record margin of 93 points. Full forward Ken Whelan kicked more than 100 goals for the season, the first Sturt player to do so since ‘Bo’ Morton in 1940, but this afforded little consolation.

.... and inflates again

Oatey took the embarrassment hard and in 1974 he had the Blues primed to a peak and producing football comparable with their best form of the five in a row era. Where the teams of the late ‘60s had been renowned for their attacking prowess, however, the Double Blues of ‘74 owed much of their success to a watertight defence, which statistically proved nearly 20% better than their nearest rivals.

Sturt lost only 3 minor round matches before progressing straight to the grand final with a hard fought 7.19 (61) to 8.8 (56) second semi final victory over Port Adelaide. The grand final opposition was provided by reigning premiers Glenelg and, after another dour tussle, the Double Blues emerged victorious by 15 points, 9.16 (70) to 8.7 (55). The win was all the more meritorious in that Sturt had to kick into the breeze in the last quarter after leading by just 5 points at the final change but, after being enjoined by Oatey to “attack, attack, attack”, added 3.4 to 2.0 to claim a triumph which some observers might have viewed as improbable. Best players for Sturt were ruckmen Rick Davies and Greg Wild, ruck rover Paul Bagshaw, rover Mick Nunan, and back pocket Brenton Adcock in his last ever league game.

In the ‘Championship of Australia‘ series, which was now contested by teams from all four of the major football states,[4] Sturt defeated East Fremantle but lost heavily to a Richmond combination which was arguably one of the greatest in Australian football history.

In 1975 the Blues remained a force but they were somewhat surprisingly bundled out of the major round in successive weeks by Glenelg and Port Adelaide. A minuscule measure of consolation was afforded by the club’s success in winning the Datsun-sponsored League Cup, contested by the sides occupying the top eight places on the premiership ladder after all teams had played each other once. The competition was not well patronised, however, and 1975 proved to be the only year in which it was held.

The following year Sturt continued to play good football but the consensus was that the team was a trifle past its best. ‘Too old and too slow’ was the catch-cry, and when Glenelg annihilated Sturt 28.16 (184) to 15.12 (102) in the last minor round match of the season and followed this up with another comfortable win in the qualifying final this assessment seemed vindicated.

Come first semi final day, however, and a different Sturt emerged, with only Norwood’s exceptional accuracy in front of goal preventing a massacre. The Double Blues won 17.23 (125) to 16.3 (99) and in the following week’s preliminary final maintained their good form to gain revenge over Glenelg in a thriller by seven points.

Sturt’s grand final opponent was Port Adelaide, which had been far and away the season’s dominant team. The bookmakers made the Magpies 10/7-on favourites but, perhaps significantly, players from the other eight league clubs, when asked to predict the winner for a feature in the grand final issue of ‘Football Budget’, seemed less sure, three having no hesitation in tipping the Double Blues, with West Adelaide‘s Bob Loveday predicting a draw. “Port should win it, but the way Sturt are playing I can’t see them losing”[5] was his assessment.

Interest in the match was unprecedented, in part because of the intense rivalry between the two clubs which had burgeoned over the preceding decade. An all time record crowd of 66,897 crammed into Football Park, many of them being forced to sit on the grass just outside the boundary line. Many thousands more were locked out.

Port started strongly with the aid of a three- to four-goal breeze but, with Sturt ruckman Rick Davies acting as an extra defender and taking several telling marks, numerous Magpie forward thrusts were repelled. At quarter time Port Adelaide led by only 8 points, and thereafter the Double Blues gradually assumed complete control adding 16.11 to 8.10 over the remainder of the match to win ‘running away’. Rick Davies gave arguably one of the greatest all round performances seen in a grand final accumulating 21 kicks, 21 handballs, 15 marks and 21 hit outs, all the while displaying a “nonchalant air and unruffled ease”. Other notable contributors to what the vast majority of Sturt supporters would probably tend to regard as the club’s finest hour were ruck rover Paul Bagshaw - always a dynamic force in big matches - the half forward line of Michael Graham, Robbert Klomp and John Murphy,[6] and centreman Brendon Howard. Seventy-five years on from its formation the Sturt Football Club’s position had never seemed so secure, but the next two decades were to demonstrate that no club can afford to rest on its laurels when it comes to maintaining a position of pre-eminence in the cut-throat world of Australian football.

a marked decline in fortunes

Sturt’s decline after the mid 1970s when, along with Glenelg, Norwood and Port Adelaide, it was popularly regarded as comprising the ‘big four’ of South Australian football, was at first virtually imperceptible. However, in retrospect the first writing could be said to have appeared on the wall in 1977 when the side surprisingly slumped to seventh. This appeared to be merely a temporary aberration, however, as the following year the Blues achieved their greatest ever minor round return of 21 wins from 22 matches before comfortably defeating Norwood to go straight in to the grand final.

Unfortunately - some might say almost tragically - the Blues then chose grand final day - once more against Norwood - to suffer one of the most embarrassing capitulations in SANFL history. For the first three quarters Sturt seemed in total command but, thanks to a mixture of complacency and uncharacteristic inaccuracy in front of goal, led by only 29 points at the last change, 12.21 (93) to 9.10 (64). Exuberantly grateful to still be in with a chance after being so comprehensively outplayed the Redlegs hit back strongly in the last term and when the final siren blew the astonishing sight which greeted the 50,867 spectators in the ground as well as the thousands more watching on television was a scoreboard which read: Norwood 16.15 (111) defeated Sturt 14.26 (110). The best side in the SANFL for most of the season, indeed arguably one of the best sides which the SANFL has ever produced, had inexplicably lost the plot, not to mention the premiership, in the final thirty minutes of the year.

The all too obvious lesson which ought to have been learned from the failure - that success is not self-replicating but needs constantly to be worked at in order to be maintained - was seemingly not grasped by the powers that were at Sturt. The team plummeted to an all-time low of ninth in 1979 and although it did recover to contest the finals in 1980 (third), 1982 (fourth), 1983 (second), 1985 (fifth) and 1988 (fifth) it soon became clear that the conviction and irrepressibility which had characterised the majority of the Oatey era were gone.[7]

Jack Oatey[8] retired at the end of the 1982 season after a 21-year stint at Unley during which the club had been almost perpetually at the forefront of the game in South Australia. During his time at the club Oatey guided the Blues to 314 wins and 4 draws out of a total of 470 matches for a success rate of 67.2%. More significantly, he steered the club to a total of seven premierships from nine grand finals, with the Blues failing to contest the major round on just five occasions. Following his departure, the club’s performances and standing seemed to grow progressively worse with each successive year. Unbelievably to those who grew up during an era when the Sturt name was synonymous with brilliance and achievement, in each of the eight seasons between 1989 and 1996 the Double Blues finished rock solid last. Not even in its formative years did the club struggle so repeatedly.

formative years

Sturt originally entered the South Australian Football Association in 1901, making it the Association’s seventh club. Founded by Unley lawyer, Arthur Thomas, who four years earlier had also established the Sturt Cricket Club, the team adopted a combination of Cambridge and Oxford blue as its colours by virtue of the situation of Unley Oval at the meeting point of Cambridge Terrace and Oxford Terrace.

Sturt did not have long to prepare for its debut season. The SAFA meeting at which the club’s application to join was considered took place on 1st April 1901, a mere month before the season was scheduled to commence. Sturt’s first game was against Norwood, which predictably triumphed by 33 points, but those who had expected the newcomers to be out of their depth were swiftly proved wrong: as early as round 4 the Blues broke through for their first win against South Adelaide at Unley. True, the side only managed a further 3 victories for the season to finish, as universally predicted, in last position, but 2 of its victories were achieved against eventual runner-up Port Adelaide, and on no occasion during the year did the newcomers give the impression of being ‘out of their depth’.

As often seems to happen, however, the initial promise rapidly dissolved. Sturt managed just 3 wins and a draw from 24 matches over the next two seasons, finishing bottom both times, and sustaining some hefty defeats in the process. In 1904 and 1905 Sturt showed improvement, just failing to make the finals on both occasions. The side made a poor start to the 1906 season resulting in club captain Claude Fulton being ousted and replaced by the more popular John Buttrose. Captains in those days were in many respects the equivalent of today’s coaches, and under Buttrose the Blues showed immediate and quite marked improvement, eventually making the finals for the first time. Once there, however, the side’s major round inexperience betrayed them and they were quickly bundled out of contention by Norwood to the sizeable tune for the era of 8 goals.

Confidence at Unley was high, however. The club appeared to be on the verge of establishing itself as a genuine power in the competition, and with the appointment as captain of former West Torrens, North Adelaide and Collingwood player Oscar Hyman optimism soared.

Hyman’s two year tenure proved disastrous, however. Sturt finished bottom both years, and the club’s reputation correspondingly declined.

Enter John Dempsey, an influential member of the Municipal Tramways Trust and an ardent Sturt supporter, who was to play a significant role in engineering what it would not be too fanciful to describe as the club’s first ‘golden era’. Irritated at the Blues’ failure to kick on after reaching the finals two years earlier, Dempsey met with his friend Arthur Thomas, himself a prime mover at Sturt, and offered to arrange accommodation and employment for any high quality imports that the club could attract.

Bert Renfrey, a football veteran who boasted experience with six clubs in four states, was appointed Sturt’s 1909 captain and, largely on the basis of his recommendations, Dempsey’s offer was brought into realisation. Bolstered by the likes of Harold ‘Vic’ Cumberland from Victoria, and Frank ‘Diver’ Dunne, Percy Champion, Robert Honeybone, Phil Matson, Albert Heinrichs and Joe Bushell from Western Australia Sturt were expected to mount a strong challenge for the flag.

The arrival of the ‘foreign legion’ brought great excitement to Unley. In March 1909 over 1,000 people attended a reception at the Unley Town Hall at which the newcomers were welcomed to the district, and several weeks later Unley Oval was full as 10,000 supporters revelled in a dream start, the Blues thrashing South Adelaide by 52 points.

Thereafter, however, Sturt endured something of a mixed season, winning 6 out of 12 matches to miss the finals by a single game. This still constituted an improvement, however, and laid the foundations for future success.

Another major step forward was made in 1910 when the Blues played off for the premiership for the first time. Indeed, the side came within a goal post’s width of the flag. After securing the minor premiership Sturt overcame Norwood by 8 points in a tough second semi final before fronting up to Port Adelaide in the final. Five points adrift in the dying moments Sturt’s last desperate attacking foray culminated in full forward Golding marking within easy range of goal. Tragically for the Blues, however, his shot hit a goal post, consigning his team to a 4 point defeat and a re-match with Port the following week. There was to be no such drama on this occasion as Sturt played poorly to go down by 17 points.

Bert Renfrey was appointed state captain in 1911 and led South Australia to a famous triumph in the Adelaide carnival. Sturt, however, were less successful, dropping to fourth, a position they maintained in each of the next three seasons. Renfrey gradually lost favour with the club hierarchy and was ousted as skipper in 1913 in somewhat acrimonious circumstances.

the ultimate breakthrough

The ultimate breakthrough finally arrived in 1915 under the captaincy of Bill Mayman, although when Sturt barely scraped into the finals with a 6-6 win/loss record the omens did not appear all that promising. Second semi final opponents South Adelaide were widely favoured to bring a peremptory end to the Blues’ season but after a tight first term there was only one team in it: Sturt, which won easily in the end by 24 points, 9.6 (60) to 4.12 (36).

Straight kicking in the final brought a deceptively comfortable victory over West Adelaide next, 7.3 (45) to 2.13 (25), before minor premier Port Adelaide exercised its right of challenge on the last Saturday of the season.

The black and whites had won the previous two premierships, and were playing off for the flag for the seventh consecutive time, and few pundits seriously gave Sturt much chance. The Blues, however, were not to be denied. In front of a crowd of 13,000 spectators, including many Services personnel, they played tough, resolute finals football throughout, holding their own early before breaking clear late on to record a hard earned but thoroughly deserved 2 goal victory. Final scores were Sturt 6.10 (46) to Port Adelaide 4.10 (34), with centreman and captain Bill Mayman best on ground, followed by rover Bill Noal (who booted a remarkable 5.5 of the Blues’ total), half forward flanker Howard Rayner - incredibly playing his one and only game for Sturt - ruckman Ivor Nicolle, back pocket Clarrie Ryan and full back Doug McDougall.

unrest ... rife at Unley

Sturt’s chance at successive premierships had to wait to wait for four years while the league went into recess because of the war. The long wait only served to intensify the players’ hunger. Sturt won 10 out of 12 minor round matches in 1919 to claim the minor premiership and most observers rated them as firm favourites to take out the flag. Unknown to these observers, however, unrest was rife at Unley, with Mayman’s captaincy style increasingly eliciting the displeasure of his team mates. In the first semi final North Adelaide capitalised on these problems to record a comfortable 37 point win. Fortunately, as minor premiers, the Blues would have the right of challenge.

Training leading up to the challenge final was fraught with tension and uneasiness, and the ‘Unley News’ reported that “The players form cliques which do not mingle and the trainers will have terrible difficulty in sending a united team on to the field” and concluded by likening the players to “a bunch of schoolboys”.

Sturt’s challenge final opposition was provided by a battle-weary North Adelaide combination which, after defeating Sturt, had survived a titanic two game battle with West Torrens, eventually emerging victorious in the replay by just 5 points.

North Adelaide, having won the toss, kicked with the breeze in the opening term, and by quarter time had established a 26 point advantage. Given the predominantly low scores of the era this might have been expected to prove enough for victory but Sturt refused to capitulate. By the long break the Blues had got to within 5 points and thereafter a tight, tense tussle developed. At the twenty-two minute mark of the final quarter North led by a goal, 5.9 (39) to 4.9 (33), only for a Leslie Smith snapshot to bring Sturt level. During the last five minutes of the game the Blues gained the ascendancy but failed to capitalise. For the first and only time in SANFL history two finals in the same series had been drawn.

The replay was scheduled for a public holiday, Wednesday 8th October - Labour Day. The performance in the drawn challenge final had had the happy side effect of uniting the Sturt players, at any rate for the time being, and the mood at practice prior to the replay was reportedly excellent.

A huge crowd of 35,000 turned up at Adelaide Oval for the replay. The first half was tight, with both team’s customary fluency inhibited by a strong cross wind. North led at half time by 7 points but by the final change of an extremely low scoring encounter they had extended this to 14 points and the game looked as good as over. However, midway through the last term goals to Sellick and Nicolle - Sturt’s first for the entire game - brought the Blues to within a couple of points. North then held out until two minutes from the end when a behind by Sturt’s Beatty heralded a frenetic climax to the game. This culminated in big, balding ruckman Ivor Nicolle pulling down a desperate mark within range of goal with just thirty seconds remaining. A score looked inevitable, but would it be a behind, giving rise to another replay, or a goal? Nicolle took a brief, three step run up and carved out a major niche for himself in Sturt’s history by perfectly bisecting the big ones and giving the Blues a 5 point win, 3.5 (23) to 2.6 (18), so that:

Wildly cheered the Sturt supporters, Never such a game as this, While the captain treated Nicolle To a mighty hug and kiss.[9]

The unity of spirit and purpose which had yielded a flag in 1919 soon evaporated. Mayman’s tenure as captain came to an abrupt and controversial end midway through the 1920 season and he was replaced by local hero and players’ favourite Victor Richardson.[10] This only served to aggravate matters, for whereas Mayman had been popular with the club committee, Richardson, who tended to speak his mind, was not. In this way the oft enacted polarisation between management and players came very much to the fore at Sturt, with predictable results. After a 1920 season which yielded just 5 wins and a draw from 12 matches and a drop to fifth place on the ladder Vic Richardson resigned as captain and player and moved to local district club Kingswood hoping to rediscover the enjoyment of the game which the acrimony at Sturt had eroded.

"reinvigorated" Richardson returns

Sturt improved slightly to finish fourth in 1921 but the following year, with a reinvigorated Richardson back in harness, they surprisingly tumbled to seventh.

The 1923 season ended with a semi final defeat by North Adelaide but owing to the vagaries of the system in operation at the time the Blues were officially placed second, with the red and whites reverting to their pre-finals classification of fourth after losing the final to Norwood.

In 1924 Sturt lost the premiership decider by 8 points against West Torrens, giving that club the first premiership in its twenty-five year history. Afterwards, Vic Richardson made the traditional post-match trip to the victors’ rooms and declared “We would have rather lost to you than any other team. Well done everyone!” Somehow it is hard to imagine, say, Shannon Hum entering the Fremantle changing rooms after the Dockers’ first grand final triumph and expressing similar sentiments. In many ways, the philosophy which underscores the game has altered every bit as much as its rules and tactics.

With the multi-talented Richardson on the sidelines preparing for what he hoped would be selection in the Australian cricket team to tour England the following year the Blues finished third in 1925. Clearly, they were not all that far off the mark, and when Richardson failed to achieve selection for the Ashes tour there were hopes that, if he could put his disappointment behind him, he might prove to be the missing piece of the jigsaw. “I’ll play one game and see how I go,” he told club skipper Frank Golding. Thankfully for Sturt his first game against Glenelg was a good one and thereafter he never looked back. Despite a mid-season slump the Blues took out the minor premiership and seemed well placed to secure the flag. However, a shock first semi final loss to Norwood lowered their stocks significantly, and they entered the challenge final against Norwood’s conquerors, North Adelaide, as underdogs.

In what was to prove a fitting swansong for both Richardson and Golding the Blues proved the sceptics wrong in convincing fashion, leading at every change by 5, 6 and 12 points, before coasting to a 13 point triumph, 9.10 (64) to 7.9 (51). A crowd in the region of 30,000 witnessed the clash, which proved to be Sturt’s last finals match of the 1920s.

re-emergence as a major force

The Blues’ re-emergence as a major force began in 1930 when, under the coaching of former Norwood player Sid White, they finished third. A year later they reached the grand final, but lost to North Adelaide.

For the time, White had some fairly innovative coaching ideas. When the players turned up for the first training session of 1932 he told them, “Tonight you will train without footballs, so when I introduce them next week you will be hungry for them.” Such pronouncements inevitably seem hackneyed to today’s supposedly more sophisticated way of thinking, but there is no doubt that White’s methods were responsible for moulding Sturt into a much more accomplished and competitive unit.

Sturt won 9, lost 7 and drew 1 of their minor round matches in 1932 to qualify for the finals in fourth place. Victories over Port Adelaide by 24 points and Norwood by 26 points then provided the Blues with an opportunity for revenge over their 1931 conquerors North Adelaide in the grand final. A crowd of 29,717 saw underdogs Sturt control affairs right from the start, leading well at every change on the way to a 16.14 (110) to 10.9 (69) victory. The win was widely attributed to White’s tactical acumen in instructing his players to vary their kicking style when delivering the ball into the forward lines depending on who they were passing to. Kicks to centre half forward, for example, were executed ‘grubber’ style on the theory that Sturt’s Alf Mussman was better on the ground than his North opponent, Sid Burton, but would have struggled to beat him in the air. Mussman was high in the Blues’ best along with fellow half forwards Vic Bateman and Lance Leak, and the rucking trio of Keith Dunn, Paul Robertson and Bill Martin. Full forward Gordon Green revelled in the quality of service which he was accorded and bagged a grand final record tally of 9.1.[11]

Sturt enjoyed a better home and away campaign in 1933, securing the minor premiership, but their season collapsed in the finals with successive losses to West Torrens and Norwood. The preliminary final loss to Norwood was particularly galling as the Blues managed five more scoring shots than their opponents in a low scoring game only to go under by 5 points.

Further preliminary final losses followed in 1934 (to Glenelg) and 1935 (to South Adelaide).

In South Australia’s Centenary Year of 1936 the Blues were favourites for the flag after a 21.11 (137) to 13.25 (103) second semi final defeat of Port Adelaide but the Magpies had their revenge in the grand final, winning a thriller by 3 points. Sturt began as they had left off a fortnight earlier and at half time looked to be in control at 11.6 (72) to 6.8 (44). However, Port hit back strongly after the long break adding 7.11 to 3.4 to snatch a famous victory. Adding salt to the Sturt wounds, full forward ‘Bo’ Morton missed a kickable set shot for goal in the dying moments.

Sid White departed as Sturt coach after a 1937 season which saw the Blues miss the finals for the first time since 1929. He was replaced by Walter 'Wacka' Scott, a former dual Magarey Medallist with Norwood, who latterly had been coaching without success at West Adelaide and Glenelg.[12] This lack of success was to continue at Unley, and after seeing the Blues finish disappointingly in sixth position twice in a row he departed to be replaced by 'Bo' Morton.

The late 1930s were inauspicious but, with Morton at the helm in 1940, things improved dramatically with Sturt qualifying for the grand final thanks to a 3 point second semi final defeat of Port Adelaide. A crowd of 28,050 attended the grand final to see warm favourites Sturt take on South Adelaide, surprise conquerors of Port Adelaide in the preliminary final. At quarter time the Blues seemed to have one hand already firmly clutching the premiership pennant as they had eked out a 4.5 to 0.0 lead. However, South fought back strongly in the second term and at the long break there was only a goal in it. ‘Bo’ Morton came to the fore in the third quarter kicking 3 of his side’s 6 goals for the term to effectively settle matters. South outscored the Blues 5.4 to 3.6 in the final quarter but never looked like mounting a serious challenge. Sturt’s best were half back flanker Norm Headon, who successfully countered South’s danger man, Max Murdy, rover Gil Langley[13], full forward Morton, half forward flanker Max Lowe, and centreman Bill Leak.

In 1941, the last season before the league implemented its restricted, wartime competition,[14] Sturt again qualified for the grand final and looked well placed to take out another flag. However, Norwood had other ideas, and executed one of the greatest finals turn arounds in SANFL history.

Sturt had defeated Norwood in the second semi final by 71 points, 22.13 (145) to 10.14 (74). Most observers believed that all they would have to do to secure the premiership a fortnight later against the same opposition was turn up at the ground for the game. Instead, the 30,742 spectators who poured into Adelaide Oval for the grand final were witnesses to a complete form reversal, with only a last quarter rally by the Blues giving some semblance of respectability to the final scoreline which saw the Redlegs triumphant by 29 points, 14.16 (100) to Sturt’s 10.11 (71). It was to be the Blues’ last appearance in a grand final for almost a quarter of a century.

post-war blues ... and pre-millenial revival

The seventeen year period from 1945 to 1961 was one of unprecedented bleakness for the Sturt Football Club (up to that point of time at any rate; it has since been comprehensively surpassed by the period 1989 to 1996 alluded to earlier). The Blues contested the finals on only five occasions during that period, which coincidentally was the same number of times they ended up with the wooden spoon. All told, Sturt won just 34.75% of all matches played, a return which would have been even poorer were it not for the outstanding individual abilities and contributions of such as triple Magarey Medallist Len Fitzgerald, Wally May, Eddie Tilley, John Halbert, Clayton ‘Candles’ Thompson, Tony Goodchild and Don Harris.

Then Jack Oatey arrived, and a new tradition was eked out, only to erode gradually after his departure to the point where Sturt’s future as an independent club seemed for a time to be in serious doubt. Improvement when it finally came in 1997 must have been as unexpected to Sturt supporters as it was welcome. With former Norwood, Collingwood, Essendon and St Kilda champion Phil Carman at the coaching helm the Double Blues comfortably qualified for the finals in fourth position. At that stage, however, the side lacked the experience to go on with things, and lost a dour, low scoring elimination final against North Adelaide by 7 points.

Double Blues supporters would probably have seen enough in 1997 to convince them that further improvement was likely in years to come, but even they must have had to pinch themselves at times during 1998 as the side repeatedly set and then met ever more ambitious targets for itself - to win consistently, to qualify for the finals, to secure the minor premiership, to reach the grand final. Tragically, however, the ultimate, all important target - clinching the flag - proved beyond them, as perennial grand finalist Port Adelaide proved just a little too strong, winning by 9 points in the closest grand final since 1984.

a premiership at last!

The loss to the AFL of key grand final performers such as Barnaby French (Port Adelaide) and Simon Feast (Sydney) undermined Sturt's premiership aspirations in 1999, and although the side remained competitive it slumped to fifth. Season 2000 brought slight improvement - third place - but the side slipped back into the field after a woeful start in 2001. Nevertheless, the scent of success is never far from the nostrils at Unley,[15] and in 2002 the side performed consistently well throughout the season to qualify for the finals in third place with a 16-4 record. Wins over Norwood in the qualifying final (33 points) and preliminary final (49 points) subsequently earned the Blues a place in the grand final. Interspersed between these wins, however, was a 14 point second semi final loss to reigning premier Central District, in light of which the Bulldogs had been securely installed as flag favourite by the time the two sides met again a fortnight later.

In front of a crowd of 35,187 on Sunday 6th October 2002 Sturt comprehensively re-established itself as a force in South Australian football with a 13.14 (92) to 6.9 (45) grand final defeat of Central District. The Double Blues took control right from the opening bounce and, with the exception of the opening twenty minutes of the third term, were never seriously challenged.

“Sturt were just awesome,” Central skipper Daniel Healy admitted. “They just came out and were ready to go and they probably beat us at our own game ..... They just shut us down. They did everything right. They played a perfect game.”[16]

Former South Adelaide and Adelaide utility Matthew Powell was voted best afield to become the first ever Sturt recipient of the Jack Oatey Medal, an award named in honour of arguably the greatest ever Double Blue. Powell headed a defence which seldom permitted the (on paper) most potent attacking force in the league any leeway, but there were plenty of other notable contributors, like ruckman Barnaby French (on ‘weekend leave’ from Port Adelaide), defenders Mahoney, Thurstans, Nelson and Curtis, and on-ballers Chambers and Weatherald.

Sturt’s victory brought to an end a premiership drought lasting twenty-six years, and many observers were quick to point out that the last time this happened (in 1966) the Double Blues went on to claim a club record five successive flags. Sadly for the club’s supporters, however, history was not to repeat itself on this occasion: the side dropped to fourth place in 2003, and this was followed by third and fifth place finishes in 2004 and 2005. At their best, the Blues remained extremely competitive, but they lacked the consistency which distinguishes genuine premiership contenders from the chasing pack. Then in 2006 the wheels appeared to fall off completely as the side managed just 3 wins from 20 matches for the year to plummet to eighth (of nine), its worst finish for ten years. However, it would seem that this was just a temporary aberration, because in 2007 the Blues comfortably reached the finals with a 12-8 record, and although they then went down by a point against Glenelg in the elimination final, overall the signs were that the club was once again moving in the right direction, an impression reinforced to a certain extent by a solid and at times impressive 2008 campaign which ultimately yielded third place on the ladder.

In 2009 the Double Blues qualified for the grand final for the first time since their premiership year of 2002. The opposition came in the shape of Central District, just as it had seven years earlier, but the result was reversed as the Bulldogs won comfortably.

The 2010 season saw Sturt bow out in the elimination final at the hands of the Eagles, and there then followed a sequence of three seasons in which the side failed to make the finals, including the indignity of wooden spoons in 2011 and 2012. In some ways this echoed the dark days of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and there were rumours that the club’s very survival was at stake.

 "just one chapter in the journey”

The Blues again reached the finals in 2014 but dropped out of contention with straight sets losses to Norwood and South Adelaide. The following season brought a decline in fortunes as the Blues managed just 6 wins to plummet to eighth. Hopes for the immediate future did not seem bright, but the 2016 season proved to be the most memorable in over a decade. During the minor round the Double Blues were solid and consistent, winning 13 and drawing 1 of their 18 matches to qualify for the finals in third place. They then proved to have South Adelaide’s measure in a qualifying final that was closely contested for three quarters before the Blues added 6 last term goals to 2 ease home by 27 points. The second semi final clash with the Eagles brought Sturt back to earth with a thump as they were comprehensively outplayed and went down more easily than the final margin of 24 points implied. For the preliminary final clash with Adelaide popular opinion was on the side of the in-form Crows but the Double Blues rose to the occasion magnificently, leading at every change by 7, 25 and 29 points en route to a 15.13 (103) to 10.8 (68) victory.

The 2016 grand final brought a re-match with hot favourites Woodville-West Torrens Eagles. The opening term was tense and tight, with the Eagles earning a 3 point advantage heading into the first change. A similarly tense second quarter saw Sturt seize a narrow lead before kicking away after half time to win by 27 points, 12.4 (76) to 7.7 (49). The Blues were simply too disciplined, decisive and determined for their opponents who battled hard but were unable to make as good use of the ball as Sturt. Victorious coach Martin Mattner was jubilant. “Today, we knew our best was good enough,” he said, “we just had to execute for four quarters and we did today. This is the journey we’ve started and hopefully it’s just one chapter in the journey.”[17]

The 2017 season saw Mattner getting his wish as the Double Blues went back to back for the first time in almost half a century. Their triumph was all the more gratifying in that the grand final opposition came from arch rivals Port Adelaide, while the fact that success was achieved by the narrowest margin possible only served to enhance the pleasure even more.

A year later Sturt again qualified for the finals only to suffer the acute disappointment of a "straight sets" exit at the hands of the Eagles and North Adelaide.