Borough's heroes of '81
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I interviewed Gary Brice for this website in 2019 for his views on the Port Melbourne Football Club’s glorious hat trick of Victorian Football Association (VFA) 1 st Division titles between 1980 and 1982. (Click here to catch up with that story.)
The piece covered Brice’s first three years in charge at North Port Oval, specifically the Grand Final triumphs - the “back from the dead” steamrolling of Coburg in ’80, the record setting efforts in the ’81 decider, and the against-all-odds slaying of short priced favourite Preston in ’82.
This year the Port Melbourne Football Club will celebrate milestone anniversaries of its 1981 and 2011 premiership winning teams. With the spotlight likely to focus on Gary Ayres’ 2011 Invincibles, let’s take a trip back to a time when Ronnie Reagan was dodging bullets, MTV launched, and Charles and Di exchanged vows, to pay homage to a truly super side.
Brice’s 1981 squad had it all — prolific attack, reliable defenders and a cavalcade of brilliant on-ballers fed by the competition's most dominant ruckman. With a 16-2 win-loss record across the home-and-away program, few pundits expected anything but a second consecutive springtime coronation for the boys from the Borough.
Any concerns that the reigning premier would suffer a hangover were quelled within the first two weekends of the home-and-away fixture. A solid opening round win over fellow contender Sandringham preceded a 122-point humiliation of Frankston at the Kars Street snake pit. The “Bayside beatdown” stunned the perpetually noisy natives into silence. At 5pm on Sunday 19 April 1981 Port Melbourne sat at the top of the table. Played two, won two, with a percentage of 188.6.
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Port would relish the view from the summit for the remainder of the season. Prospects of back-to-back flags soared with the recruitment of Graeme Anderson (left). Anderson, a member of Port Melbourne’s 1974 premiership-winning team, returned to postcode 3207 following a five-season stint with perennial VFL finalist Collingwood. The acquisition of the 28-year-old forward/ruck rover was a classic example of the rich getting richer.
With a third of their home and-away commitments completed, Port Melbourne boasted a perfect six from six record and a whopping percentage of 204.3. The Round 5 dismembering of Prahran (33.24.222 to 10.9.69) demonstrated the reigning premiers "take no prisoners" philosophy. The forward line was humming. Fred Cook (37 goals) led all scorers, with Jim Christou (18) Glyn Evans (15) and Grant O’Riley (14) providing outstanding support. Anderson, with 12 majors across his first four appearances, filled the goal-scoring void created when reigning Liston trophy winner Stephen Allender transferred to VFL neighbour South Melbourne in late April.
The 14-game winning streak that stretched back to the previous July came to an abrupt end when Coburg whacked its 1980 nemesis by 65 points in the Round 7 clash at the City Oval. Normal transmission resumed immediately and the Borough went on another impressive run. Between Rounds 9 to 11 they would take on — and take down — Preston, Sandringham and Frankston. These teams would fill the remaining three finals positions at season's end.
In what can be best described as a quintessential early 80’s VFA shootout, the “1 v 2” clash at Sandringham’s Beach Road Oval on June 21 illustrated the gulf between the best and the rest. Taking a four-point lead to the first break (7.4 to 7.0) the visitors piled on 12 second term goals, extending the gap to a mammoth 72 points (19.12 to 9.0) at the long interval. By full time Peter Hogan’s blueprint to topple the ladder leaders was in tatters – Port Melbourne 32.22.214 had embarrassed the locals 20.5.125. Cook (8), O’Riley (7) and the underrated — in this author’s opinion — Brendan Kavanagh (5) starred in the goal orgy.
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Four weeks later Barry Nolan’s relegation-threatened Brunswick made the 10-kilometre journey across town to tackle the 11-1 ladder leaders. Coughing up 14 goals in the second term the 'Wick trailed by 84 points at the half. Nolan’s charges would have hoped the hosts, satisfied with their first hour's work would ease up upon resumption of play. Unfortunately for the Magpies, compassion wasn’t a hallmark of the early 80’s Port Melbourne Football Club. Leading by 99 points at the final change (26.19.175 to 12.4.76) the Borough bludgeoned Brunswick to add a further 16 goals to their total before the final siren mercifully ended the carnage, the victors 42.23.275, the vanquished 13.10.88. Port’s score was a miserly 12 points shy of the club's highest ever score in the Victorian Football Association.¹ Cook (12 goals) was unstoppable. Christou (6), the sparingly used Bruce Davis and Kavanagh (5 each) played wonderful cameos.
Proving that no one is bulletproof, Brice’s barnstorming Boroughs suffered what would be their second and final defeat for 1981 just seven days removed from the Maggie massacre. Prahran, who had yielded 222 points in the mid-May meeting at North Port Oval, looked doomed when it trailed the reigning champs by 40 points during the second period of the Round 14 clash at Toorak Park. With their finals heartbeat flat-lining, the Two Blues roared back into contention and trailed by the barest of margins with a quarter to play. Kim Smith’s three-goal final term proved the difference as the home town heroes prevailed.
A hard fought 10-point win over Coburg in Round 16 wrapped up the minor premiership and Port cruised through the remainder of its schedule unscathed.
And so to the business end of proceedings. Outscoring Preston in every quarter of the Second Semi-Final, Port ran out easy winners 22.25.157 to 12.14.86, the overwhelmed 'Ants flattered by the final margin. Cook’s five majors took him to within a brace of another magical three-figure season. A week later the 'Tonners avoided the ignominy of a straight sets exit to stave off a fast finishing Sandringham and win a high scoring Preliminary Final, 28.7.175 to 26.12.168. Their reward? A berth in the big one and a chance to deny Port back to back pennants.
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Having led at quarter time in all but two of their previous 19 encounters it was no surprise when the favourites bounced out to a healthy 29-point lead at the first change. Cook brought up his century with a couple of six pointers and the result appeared to be academic. To their credit Preston staged a stirring second-quarter comeback, and when the teams retreated to their respective rooms at the halfway point of 1981’s ultimate match-up, the Cramer Street crew had slashed the deficit to a measly five points, the score 9.9.63 to 9.4.58.
Inevitably the dam broke upon the restart. Smelling blood, Port Melbourne moved in for the kill. As the campaign entered its final hour, the minor premier put on a display chock full of power, precision and pizzazz. Be it the consequences of the previous week’s energy-sapping stoush, the unseasonal warm weather that bathed the Junction Oval, the enormity of the task at hand, or a combination of all three, Preston simply ran out of gas. Ten goals in the third term were followed by a baker’s dozen in the final stanza, the 13 -goal effort was the 10th time they’d registered double digit majors in a quarter for 1981.
The match ended with Port Melbourne 32.19.211 defeating Preston 15.8.98. An eight-goal afternoon for Fredrick William Cook saw him finish with a season total of 106. Anderson chipped in with five (giving him 55 in total in his return season) with four each to Christou (61 for the year) and O’Riley (53). In his 129 th and final game for the club he debuted with 11 years earlier, lionhearted ruckman Vic Aanensen was judged best afield. Having won a second Liston trophy just weeks earlier “Stretch” departed in style.
Whilst the forwards grabbed most of the glory (and newspaper column space) Brice was also blessed with a defence hell-bent on repelling any unwanted forward advances. John Christou, Peter Bradbury and Russell Davies provided plenty of dash and Greg Dermott and Mick Thompson, two blokes you’d be crazy to trifle with, brought the brawn to Borough backline. When Terry O’Neil resurrected his VFL career with a mid-season shift to Fitzroy, Brice turned to Shane Doyle and the 20-year-old didn’t disappoint. Possessing the competitions stingiest defence, Port Melbourne were the only team to allow fewer than 100 points per game (97.3) in the First Division in 1981.
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As mentioned, the indefatigable Aanensen enjoyed a dream season, grabbing a second Liston trophy, a BOG performance in the season finale and most importantly a third premiership in Red and Blue vertical stripes. His complete dominance around the ground and at stoppages aided and assisted the star studded midfield ensemble of Billy Swan (right), Paul Goss, Peter Wilkinson, Tony Ebeyer, Brendan Kavanagh and, when he wasn’t tormenting opposition backlines, the wonderful Jim Christou.
Quality on each line and every position. It must be asked, four decades later, how did Prahran and Coburg, fifth and sixth at season's end respectively, overcome this amazingly gifted squad?
So how does the 1981 Port Melbourne Football Club's efforts compare (statistically) to the clubs other 11 post-World War 2 VFA/VFL title winning teams? Not too shabby at all. Its 16 win/2 loss winning percentage (88.8) sits just behind Gary Ayres’ 2011 18-0 “invincibles” and Don Fraser’s 18-2 (90%) Coronation Premiers of 1953. Its outstanding percentage of 161.7 is bettered only by the 1953 team's stupendous 195.9.
This Saturday (15 May 2021), the men that delivered the 1981 premiership for the Borough will convene at North Port Oval where I’m sure memories of a truly outstanding time in this proud football club's history will be shared long into the autumn evening. They will be joined by the 1980 senior and reserve grade title winning teams who had to put their celebrations on hold due to the COVID 19 pandemic last year.Congrats and happy anniversary fellas.
A huge thank you my wonderful mates Angelo Cristoforo and Chris Teazis for providing the source documents that assisted me to compile this story. — Mic Rees
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Port Melbourne Football Club revealed in the lead-up to the anniversary celebration that 1981 coach Gary Brice was having a major heart bypass operation on Thursday 13 May. Mic Rees and australianfootball.com extend their best wish to Gary for a speedy recovery.
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Footnotes
1. Port Melbourne’s registered its highest score in VFA/VFL competition on 30 August 1941 when it kicked 43.29-287 v Sandringham at North Port Oval.
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