Australian Football

1974 – Footscray's 50th VFL season: Part 1 – The pre-season

Footscray reaches its half century

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Gough Whitlam

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The Western World is in the throes of a recession, with the Oil crisis at its epicentre. The New York Stock exchange free-fall enters its second year. An attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne fails.

1974. Interesting wouldn’t you agree? And we’re yet to reach Easter.

Leaders both home and abroad are doing it tough. In Britain Edward Heath’s premature election gamble fails spectacularly. Ted’s Tories are turfed and Harold Wilson and the Labour Party are return to power after four years in opposition. Unable to gain an absolute majority of seats in the House of Commons, Labour will govern in coalition with the Liberal party led by the flamboyant Jeremy Thorpe. The fragile partnership won’t last.

In Washington, the fallout from the break-in at the Watergate complex in June 1972 continues to paralyse the administration of Richard Nixon. Dismissed by White House Press secretary Ron Ziegler as a “third rate burglary attempt” in its infancy, the saga and ensuing cover-up would eventually result in Nixon becoming the first US President to resign his post.

Back home Gough Whitlam’s Labor government, barely a third of the way through its first term, is struggling. The Whitlam government's problems are twofold, with the aforementioned world economic crisis wreaking havoc with the nations finances. Domestically, more specifically in Parliament, an obstructionist Senate is blocking parts of the sweeping social program that formed the platform of the party’s electoral victory in December 1972. A double dissolution election was looking the likely outcome of the power struggle.

Meanwhile in the city by the Yarra…

The population hovers around the 2.7 million mark. The average weekly take home pay is $112.50. A three-bedroom house in Footscray will cost you something in the vicinity of $15,000. Four television stations and nine radio stations - all on the AM band – rule the airways. Four newspapers – three morning, one afternoon – roll off the presses every day of the (working) week.

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Craving for entertainment? The Melbourne Theatre Company is presenting David Williamson’s controversial play The Removalists (left) at its Russell Street headquarters. If celluloid gratification is more your 'bag' Oscar contenders Last Tango in Paris, The Way We Were and The Exorcist are screening at cinemas in the city and suburbs. Tickets to see the Great Moscow Circus in Batman Avenue range between $4.20 and $6.20.

And so to Melbourne’s great winter obsession

Out in the sprawling western suburbs, the Footscray Football Club were making preparations for their 50th season in the Victorian Football League. The Bulldogs were in the midst of a finals drought that stretched all the way back to 1961. Only perennial also-rans North Melbourne (1958) and Fitzroy (1960) were experiencing a longer run of footy free Septembers. Worse still, the Dogs were the only VFL team that hadn’t enjoyed a winning season – i.e. completing your commitments with more wins than losses across the home and away fixture – at any time over the previous decade (1964-73).

But before we go any further we might benefit from looking back on what happened previously.

“….great pretenders, the improvers who never improve, the “next year” team...that’s Footscray, who have just completed yet another disappointing season.”

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That summation came from Roy Jamieson (right), a journalist who covered the home town heroes for the Footscray Advertiser, one of the city's two weekly newspapers. Rampaging Roy’s stinging rebuke came less than a fortnight after the dust has settled on the Dogs ninth (of 12) place finish in 1973.

Roy was far from impressed. Too right, considering the elite talent coach Bob Rose had on hand. Gary Dempsey was arguably the best ruckman in the game.

The brilliant Bernie Quinlan could, and did, dominate at both ends of the field. Prolific ball gatherers such as David Thorpe and Adrian Gallagher were well serviced by the talented big man department that included the aforementioned Dempsey and future Brownlow medallist Barry Round. The backline was marshalled by solid servants such as Gordon Casey, Stephen Power, Ian Salmon and Peter Welsh. Local lads Alan Stoneham and Dennis Collins were developing into fine players.

 Seven wins and a draw from 22 starts wasn’t anywhere near good enough. But, there was hope.

With just three weekends remaining in the 1973 Home and Away fixture the Scraggers sat in 11 ^th position, a mere four wins and a draw to show for their efforts. The two points garnered from the Round 7 tie at Arden Street in May was all that separated them from cellar dwellers South Melbourne. Considering their remaining commitments included dates with 1972 Grand Finalists Carlton and Richmond, a second wooden spoon in seven seasons remained a definite possibility.

And how did those disappointing Doggies close out a winter of discontent?

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A superb eight-goal afternoon from Laurie Sandilands fuelled a 37-point Round 20 belting of a mediocre Melbourne at the Demons' Jolimont domicile. They backed up seven days later with an outstanding nine-point win over reigning champs Carlton at the inhospitable confines of the Western Oval. Gary Dempsey (14 marks, 26 hit outs) David Thorpe (27 kicks) and Sandilands (five goals) starred in the Tricolours' upset victory. Rose’s men said "Sayonara ’73" in the best possible manner by outlasting Tom Hafey’s Tigers by the smallest possible margin on a wet, cold and generally unpleasant MCG. Dempsey (27 disposals, 22 hit outs, 2 goals) Adrian Gallagher (31 kicks) and Bernie Quinlan (21 kicks, 10 marks) were the standouts.

So with the curtain drawn, equipment packed away and post-mortems delivered, the final words on the 1973 Footscray Football Club go to Mr Roy Jamieson:

"Supporters are sick and tired of promises, they’re calling for action."

It’s almost summer

The well-worn adage that a football team had to be well administered off the field to taste on-field success was, well, pretty much true. However, no one could argue that all the blame should be laid at the feet of committee. Footscray members eligible to vote headed to the polls in November to elect a new board and they voted for change. Incumbent president Jack Collins was soundly defeated in his bid for re-election by 50 year old local businessman, Dick Collinson. Collinson, licensee of Courthouse Hotel in Nicholson Street, was swept to power winning in a landslide 1066 to 390 vote. Future President Tony Capes was on the Collinson ticket and joined the board.

Merry Christmas everybody!

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Valentine’s Day 1974

On the evening of Thursday 14 February 1974 Robert Rose (right), Victorian State cricketer and senior Footscray footballer, and friends were returning from a day at the races in Ballarat. Nearing Bacchus Marsh the Volkswagen Rose was driving came to grief. The 22-year-old Rose suffered a dislocation of the vertebrae, the injuries leaving him a quadriplegic. Robert’s father Bob, Footscray senior coach, was on a business trip in the United States at the time and made an emergency dash home. The accident shocked the Australian sports community and cast a pall over the Dogs' preparations.

Let’s get started

“Footscray are the greatest enigma in the league…a side filled with promise who don’t produce an ounce of it” – Greg Hobbs, The Sporting Globe, Saturday 23 February 1974

Despite the less than complementary opening sentence Greg Hobbs’ pre-season preview in The pink paper with punch was upbeat about the Dogs' chances in the upcoming season. Hobbs emphasised the need for a more potent attack (the 1860 points scored were the fewest of any of the 12 VFL outfits in 1973) and noted they had been “vigorously chasing Melbourne forward Greg Parke”

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Pre-season: (L-R) Ian Salmon, Gary Dempsey, Gary Baker, Barry Round

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Hobbs felt Laurie Sandilands, who topped the Dogs goal kicking chart in ’73 with 34 goals was the “best bet at full forward” and suggested the soon to turn 25 year old could be “a 100 goal a year player if allowed to stay at full forward”. High praise indeed.

Another option available to Coach Rose was teenage recruit Kelvin Templeton. Templeton notched 104 goals the previous winter for Traralgon in the Latrobe Valley Football League. Even more impressive was the fact he’d reached the magical three figure tally more than a month prior to celebrating his 17th birthday. Sensing the key forward role might be beyond one of such a tender age Hobbs offered: “Templeton may be played as a permanent forward pocket as part of a double pronged front-line attack”.

Hobbs referenced another three Gippsland recruits, Traralgon rover Geoff Jennings (17), Maffra on baller Jeff Geischen (17) and Bairnsdale rover John Burleigh (21) as chances to break into the senior team. Two locals Ted Whitten Junior (16), from F&Y Socials, and Daryl Collins (17), the younger brother of wingman Denis from Braybrook, got mentions.

Hobbs stated the club was “still hopeful of nabbing star Woodville (SANFL) rover Ray Huppatz.

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Prior to their opening round clash with Geelong on April 6, Footscray were scheduled to play practice matches against two premiership contenders, Ron Barassi’s North Melbourne and reigning champs Richmond. Dogs fans who made the trip to Arden Street would have returned home via Dynon Road somewhat discouraged. Outscored across all four quarters by the Kangaroos, the 6.17.53 to 13.15.93 loss was notable for the three goals kicked by the highly touted Kelvin Templeton (right).

Bernie Quinlan was solid in defence, Gary Dempsey marked strongly around the ground but nothing else went right for the visitors. Doug Wade (6 goals), John Burns and reigning Brownlow medallist Keith Greig starred for North. Coach Rose, understandably upset at the inept performance, kept the players behind closed doors after the clash for a well-deserved blast.

Rose would have been heartened a week later when his side put in a much improved if somewhat inaccurate effort against the title holders. Leading at all three breaks, the Bullies held off a strong-finishing Richmond team to record a 15.21.111 to 13.10.88 victory. Daryl Collins (4 goals) staked a claim for an opening round debut and Bernie Quinlan marshalled the backline. Dempsey was his usual dominant self. Wayne Walsh and the Kevins’ Morris and Sheedy were Tiger standouts.

An intra-club match was all that remained in their pre-season schedule. The club's attention now turned to securing clearances for potential recruits Greg Parke and Ray Huppatz. Rumours that Huppatz’s services could cost somewhere in the vicinity of $70,000 were refuted by Bulldog officials.

The sticking point for the Parke transfer appeared to be a disagreement between the clubs on what players would be part of the swap. In mid-March Melbourne secretary Jim Cardwell said the Demons would only agree to clear Parke if they received Garry Baker, John Keast and Charlie Pagnoccolo in return.

Next week – 'Footscray's first month'