The halcyon days of the SANFL
The years 1960 to 1990 arguably represent the greatest period in the history of the SANFL (South Australian National Football League). This article profiles those three decades of football, looking at some of the highlights and significant developments that occurred, as well as some of the great names associated with the game during that time. It also explores the reasons why 1990 marks a well defined end-point to the halcyon era.
Historical development
South Australian football began in the 1860’s (some historians claim an even earlier start), but it was the formation of the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) in 1877 that created the administrative framework from which the senior competition in the state developed. The SAFA, and its direct descendants, the South Australian Football League (SAFL, 1907), and the South Australian National Football League (SANFL, 1927) controlled and developed what was the premier football competition played in South Australia prior to the establishment of the Adelaide Crows in 1990, and their debut in the AFL competition the next year.
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South Adelaide won the inaugural premiership in 1877 based on rankings at the end of the season, with no finals, and remained a strong club throughout the early days, although it was Norwood who reigned supreme for most of the 1880s. In those early days numerous clubs came and went, but the make-up of the competition was eventually settled when Sturt was admitted in 1901, followed by Glenelg in 1921.
South Australian football grew strongly in the decade before 1914, and the state team won the Interstate Carnival at home in 1911, rounded off by a resounding 43-point victory over the Victorians. West Adelaide was a powerhouse during that era, and twice won what was termed the 'Championship of Australia', with wins over VFL premiers Carlton in 1908, and Essendon in 1911, emulating the success of Norwood in 1888 when they overcome VFA premiers South Melbourne. West's big man, Tom Leahy, was considered the best ruckman in the land, and was ably supported by centreman 'Dick' Head.
The competition was suspended in 1916 due to the pressure on man power and resources due to the 'Great War', and did not resume until 1919. But football in the state soon bounced back and in 1920 a powerful state team recorded the first win over Victoria in Melbourne, at the MCG. A number of legendary players emerged during the inter-war years, starting with the triple-Magarey medalist Dan Moriarty, the goalkicking superstar Ken Farmer, and the tenacious rover Bob Quinn.
During the height of the Second World War, 1942 to 1944, wartime pressures again had a major impact on the competition. The game went on, but with eight teams merged into four; Port-Torrens, Norwood-North, Sturt-South and Glenelg-West. The regular competition resumed in 1945 and by the 1950s it was Port Adelaide that dominated, winning eight premierships in eleven years from 1954 to 1963 years under coach Fos Williams (and Geof Motley). Throughout that decade the standard of play improved, but it was in the 1960s that football in the state reached a new level of attractiveness and popularity.
The decade of change
The 1960s, a time of social change, and questioning of authority and social mores, saw a gradual rise in attendances at SANFL matches, with the one millionth annual spectator achieved in 1965, televising of games and a record crowd of 62,543 at the Sturt-Port Grand Final. The Adelaide Oval at that time did not house more than 40-45,000 comfortably, and many in the ‘outer’ could not see the action in Grand Finals.
In 1960 North played off against Norwood for the flag, the first time since 1952 that Port was not involved on the big day. North won by 5 points in a thriller. The following year saw the famous ‘Turkish bath” grand final between West and Norwood, played in ‘century’ heat. Players weren’t encouraged to drink fluids during the match (which was thought to cause cramping or vomiting) and many became dehydrated and unwell for some time after the game.
Port was back on top in 1962, vanquishing the luckless West Adelaide by 3 points, the fifth time in nine seasons they had beaten West in the decider. The point margins of those games had been 3, 16, 2, 10, and 3.
West Torrens dominated the 1963 season until the finals when injuries struck, and it finished third after Port and North. Lindsay Head won his third Magarey Medal.
Two new teams, Woodville and Central Districts, were admitted to the league in 1964 to make a ten-team competition. Central achieved a degree of success but Woodville struggled, as did West Torrens (now with too many teams on the western side of town) and the latter two clubs eventually amalgamated to form the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles. But that was in the future.
Dominance of the competition by the Port Adelaide Magpies was ended first by ‘Cinderella’ team South Adelaide and then Sturt.
South had been the perennial bottom side in the post-war years but went from bottom to top in 1964 under new captain-coach Neil Kerley, only the second time this had been done (the first time was in 1935, also by South) . South demonstrated a new level of fitness, skills and desperation under Kerley, and surprised most observers by winning five of its first six games in 1964, and going on to beat Port Adelaide in a memorable grand final watched by a crowd of 56,353. The round seven clash between the two eventual grand finalists drew a minor round record crowd of over 27,000 to the Adelaide Oval.
Crowds of 5,000-10,000 were the norm at minor round SANFL games in this period.
The SANFL boomed in the 1960s because
- it was serving up an improved product with fitter, stronger players
- there was a cohort of genuine star players
- SA football was competitive with the benchmark, the Victorian Football League.
- the SANFL was the premier football competition in SA
- it was reaching wide audiences through television
Television had reached Adelaide in 1959 and regular televising of games, with the last quarter “live” and a full replay later, began in 1965. Highlights of VFL games already were being shown, and the SANFL could see it was missing out.
This created a whole new audience, especially in country areas where people couldn’t easily attend games, and had relied on radio commentary and print media.
Bob Jervis, Blair Schwartz and recently-retired South premiership player Ian Day formed the pioneer commentary team for Channel Seven. A post-match “Football Report” was televised Saturday evening (all games were played Saturday afternoon), and on Sundays a panel of experts, mostly coaches, retired players or umpires, would review the round of football.
Ex-umpire Max Hall and former WA footballer Ian Aitken also ‘called’ the footy in the black and white TV days with special comments by former Essendon and Sturt player Wally May . “Comment, Wally May! “ became part of our language. Ian Day and Peter Marker formed a renowned TV commentary team in the days of colour TV and Football Park.
Extensive radio coverage of SANFL games continued in the TV era, and on ABC radio (5AN as it then was), the expert comments of former star players Jim Deane and Lindsay Backman could be regularly heard. There was extensive football coverage in the The Advertiser, The Sunday Mail and the now-defunct afternoon paper The News .
Players like Lindsay Head, Geoff Motley, Don Lindner, Neil Hawke, Malcolm Blight , Robert Day, Peter Darley, Gary Window, Neil Kerley, Russell Ebert, 'Fred’ Phillis, Peter Marker, and arguably the best of them all, Barrie Robran, thrilled the crowds with their football talents. The game was becoming more professional in terms of player preparation and training, club facilities and administration. Money became a factor in attracting and retaining good players and coaches.
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There had been a resurgence in interstate Football with success against Victoria (“The Big V “), most notably on the MCG in 1963. This team arguably is the greatest SA team ever assembled, and its players now read like a Who’s Who of South Australian football. This victory was described by one journalist as “the day SA football came of age”.
In the later 1960’s Sturt teams coached by Jack Oatey dominated, winning five consecutive Grand Finals with players like John Halbert, Paul Bagshaw, Bob Shearman, John Tilbrook, Brenton Adcock, Rick Schoff, Mick Nunan, Sandy Nelson, and a host of other stars. After narrowly losing to Port in 1965, the Double Blues turned the tables on the Magpies in 1966, and again in 1967 and 1968 (see picture below). It was Glenelg's turn to feel the heat in 1969 despite the presence of VFL star Royce Hart who was knocked out early in the game. The Bays fared little better the next year.
The home of football
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+Throughout the history of the SANFL and its predecessors, the Adelaide Oval was not only the home of football, it was also synonymous with the game. All that changed in 1974, when the purpose-built Football Park at West Lakes was completed. Regrettably, the SANFL left the Adelaide Oval that year, the result of a chronic dysfunctional relationship with the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) and moved its home to the new venue. Part of the problem was certainly the SANFL’s issue with SACA members being able to get into Adelaide Oval football free of charge, however the full reasons for the split have never been made public. The State Government of the day looked on impotently. It was a state of affairs that should never have been allowed to happen. Sir Donald Bradman ruled the SACA with an iron hand and in negotiations throughout the preceding years would not compromise. As a consequence, SANFL President Max Basheer, with his deputy Leigh Whicker, oversaw the construction of a dedicated home of football, Football Park, and the split from the SACA was complete.
Football Park (later branded as AAMI Stadium) was located somewhat remotely at West Lakes and lacked the easy access of Adelaide Oval. One of the problems was the sensation of emptiness and echoing in the semi-deserted stadium when small crowds were present. The myriad problems (and subsequent fate) of Football Park were not dissimilar to those experienced by VFL Park in Melbourne, and in 2013 the venue hosted its last SANFL and AFL matches.
Notwithstanding the problems of Football Park, the facilities for TV and radio commentary were superb, its surface was excellent, and it came into its own at finals time, with almost 67,000 attending the 1976 Sturt-Port Grand Final and many thousands apparently turned away (see photo left).1
Adelaide Oval remained South Adelaide’s home ground from 1974 to 1993, but its small supporter base and lack of success often led to embarrassingly small crowds. A few other “neutral” games were played there but the iconic oval, sadly, was largely deserted in winter and most of the time stood forlornly as an indictment of our intransigent sporting administrations, and failure of the State Government to intervene. SA football fans were the losers. Major SANFL and AFL football eventually returned to the Adelaide Oval in 2014, and the game in South Australia will be much better for it.
Living in the 70s
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Football continued on an upward march throughout the 1970s. The decade first saw the resurgence of North Adelaide, coached by ex VFL (Richmond) ruckman, Mike 'Swamp fox' Paterson, underpinned by the star that was Barrie Robran, three-time Magarey Medalist, who in the years 1970 to 1974 was arguably the outstanding footballer in Australia. In a 'Championship of Australia' match played between the SANFL premier North Adelaide and the VFL premier Carlton in 1972 at the Adelaide Oval, a virtuoso performance by Barrie Robran got the Roosters over the line. Spectators recalled the unforgettable sight of Carlton champion Alex Jesaulenko (Jesaulenko, You beauty!) literally applauding Robran’s brilliance.
Glenelg became North's major challenger in the early 70s, and the cliff-hanger Grand Final of 1973 is regarded by many as the greatest ever SANFL decider. With Neil Kerley at the helm, and supported on the field by the likes of Graham Cornes, Peter Carey, and Peter Marker, Glenelg hung on to win its first premiership since 1934.
In 1973 the SANFL introduced the Final Five, replacing the Page final four system to gain two more finals matches and (of course) more revenue.
In 1975 All-Australian player and coach Haydn Bunton Jnr took up the challenge of coaching South Adelaide, which had returned to the bottom of the premiership table after the brief success of the 'Kerley years' in the mid-60’s, and took it into the Grand Final in 1979. Unfortunately foul weather robbed the game of its spectacle, and Port won the crucial coin toss and the game comfortably.
The 1970’s saw the disappearance of the drop kick from the game, lamented by many. This was replaced by the more reliable and predictable drop-punt. The torpedo or screw punt also was gradually disappearing, Both types of kick were difficult to execute consistently. The game had got quicker and the extra time taken to execute a drop kick could render a player vulnerable to a tackle .
Haydn Bunton Jnr was the first coach to ban the drop kick and as coaches looked at statistics and ‘percentage’ plays, those that were most likely on average to be effective. This has however taken something from our game, as many can remember the artistry and devastating effectiveness of the drop kick and stab pass performed by Bob Hank, Jim Deane, Bob Shearman Lindsay Head and Paul Bagshaw, and the super-long and accurate screw punts perfected by players like Ken Farmer, John Tilbrook and Malcolm Blight.
Sturt returned to the winner's circle in 1974, and again in 1976 when it surprised hot favourites Port Adelaide before a SANFL record crowd (see above). The mercurial Rick Davies dominated the game, gathering 21 kicks, 21 handballs, 15 marks, and 21 hit-outs. The tables were turned in 1978 when Norwood seemingly came from nowhere to defeat this time hot favourites Sturt in a memorable last quarter comeback. Norwood, a perennial power of South Australian football, had had a lean time through the 1960s, but made up for it with four premierships between 1975 and 1984, two under coach Bob Hammond, and a further two under ex-Richmond strongman Neil Balme.
Not to be outdone, the SANFL's most successful club, and Norwood's great rival, Port Adelaide, bounced back after a decade long premiership drought, to claim the title in 1977, and again in 1979, 1980, and 1981, the great Russell Ebert, four-time Magarey Medalist, being dominant throughout the period.
The beginning of the end
The 1980s saw some of the best football ever played in the state, but it was also the decade that spelled the end of the halcyon days for the SANFL.
On the broadcast front, Ian Day teamed up with ex-Glenelg champion Peter Marker to form a renowned commentary team on Channel Nine, covering the ‘match of the day', including the reserves game, and also finals and State games, the latter all played at Football Park. Media coverage in general had never been greater, and interest remained high.
Neil Kerley took his old team West Adelaide to the 1983 premiership, blessed with classy players like Peter Mueret, Roger Luders, Grantley Fielke. Ian Borchard and Bruce Lindner. In the same year Graham Cornes became captain coach of South Adelaide for two seasons and took it into the finals before being enticed back to coach his old Club, Glenelg, where he tasted premiership success in 1985 and 1986. With the likes of Stephen Kernahan, Peter Carey, Tony McGuiness, Tony Hall, and Stephen Copping, he had a lot of talent to work with.
North Adelaide, the runners-up in 1985 and 1986, faced off against the same enemy in 1987, but were able to reverse the result with a thumping 82 point win against the Bays, with the Jarman brothers prominent.
The last three seasons of the 'old' SANFL saw the return to power of the mighty Magpies, Port winning three in a row. Clearly established as the dominant force in South Australian football once again, the men from Alberton felt the time was right to seek greener pastures and new challenges. A bid to join the newly expanded AFL in 1990, set the wheels in motion for a transformation of the South Australian football landscape.
The VFL was Australia's premier competition and looked interstate to recruit the best players. Many of the stars of the SANFL of this period elected to stay, but some were enticed to the VFL, notably Robert Day, John Tilbrook, Craig MacKellar, Bohdan Jaworskyj, Malcolm Blight, Phil Carman, Neville Roberts, Ray Huppatz, Brian 'The Whale' Roberts, Stephen Kernahan, Stephen Copping, Craig Bradley, Peter Motley, John Platten, Tony McGuiness, Tony Hall, Michael Taylor, Mark Williams, Mark Naley, Paul Weston, Matt Rendell, Keith Thomas, Steven Stretch, and Greg Anderson. This extensive recruiting was the beginning of the decline of the SANFL, coming to fruition with the advent of the AFL competition.
Notable players who stayed in SA were Lindsay Head, Neil Kerley, John Cahill, Ken Eustice, Barrie Robran, Peter Darley, Peter Marker, Paul Bagshaw, Peter Carey, Neil Craig, Michael Aish and Gary McIntosh. Graham Cornes and Russell Ebert went to North Melbourne, and Rick Davies to Hawthorn for a single season but too late in their careers to make a significant impact. Others, such as the highly talented Peter Jonas and Tony Antrobus succumbed to injury, although it was the life-threatening and career-ending injury of Neil Sachse that left the greatest impact.
Losses of star players to Victoria led to one-sided interstate games and there was a call for State of Origin matches where players would come back and play for their home states. Many stirring State-of-Origin matches occurred between SA and Victoria throughout the 1980s, and on one memorable occasion in 1984 Stephen Kernahan kicked ten goals from centre half forward for SA in what TV commentator Ian Day said was the greatest individual performance he has seen.
As the AFL expanded nationally throughout the 1980s, and certainly after the Adelaide Crows entered the competition in 1991, the public appetite for interstate games waned, as the AFL was now the de facto interstate competition.
The bid by Port to join the AFL in 1990 was thwarted by the SANFL, but only by the advent of an officially SANFL endorsed club, the Adelaide Crows. This new club, which had to start from scratch, was the price the SANFL had to pay to maintain control over football in South Australia. To ensure their viability, they were given access to the SANFL’s best players, instantly and permanently relegating the SANFL to a second tier competition. With significant exceptions, not least from Port supporters, the South Australian football public took to the Crows, and turned out in large numbers to support them. The SANFL compettion, while still viable, suffered as a result.
Subsequently, in 1996, Port Adelaide, rebranded as 'Port Power', made a successful bid to join the national competition, further eroding the player base of the SANFL. That erosion was made even more complete by the AFL's National Draft, which in the 1990s made available the entire SANFL player pool to AFL clubs. Naturally, AFL recruiters cast a wide net, and the cream of the South Australian crop was absorbed into the team lists of the AFL clubs in Adelaide and around the country.
The SANFL is still a good standard and vibrant competition, a community-based league, which many supporters believe plays a better brand of 'old-fashioned' footy. It stands second only to the AFL in terms of playing standards and attendances, but the gap now between first and second leagues in the land is greater than its ever been. The SANFL remains very much a second cousin to the AFL and given the growing power of the AFL, will never recapture the halcyon days of the 1960 to 1990 era.
My all-star SANFL team, 1960-1990, includes nine Magarey medallists:
FF: | Rick Davies | Fred Phillis | Malcolm Blight |
HF: | Garry McIntosh | Tim Evans | Paul Bagshaw |
C: | John Cahill | Lindsay Head | Russell Ebert |
HB: | Ken Eustice | Greg Phillips | Geof Motley |
FB: | Neil Kerley | Bob Hammond | Michael Graham |
Ruck: | Peter Darley | Barrie Robran | John Platten |
Int: | Peter Carey | Bob Shearman | Lindsay Backman |
Emerg: | Stephen Kernahan | Peter Marker |
Footnotes
1. Photo courtesy of Adelaide Now.
Comments
Gus Brown 5 December 2014
Great article - but seriously, how happy would the centre half back be to see Tim Evans at Centre Half Forward and Stephen Kernahan sitting on the bench?!!!! Evans only made it out of the goal square because he didn't fit in it! And I think you will find SA beat Vic on the MCG in 1922. Great days though, well captured by your article which could never capture all the good things - or get agreement on players!
Randal Williams 7 December 2014
Thanks Gus. I guess the all star team was always going to provoke discussion. For example, Michael Aish could have been included in place of Michael Graham and number of other players eg Mark Naley were unlucky to miss out, but with the exception of Kernahan I went for players who played all or most of their football in SA . The reason Tim Evans was put at centre half forward is that he is the second highest goalkicker in SANFL history, but could not displace Fred Phillis from full forward, who won a Magarey Medal in that position.
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