1966 and all that: Round 13 – Carlton v St. Kilda

 

Unlucky 13 for Saints

 

Saturday 23rd July

Princes Park

 

Unlucky 13 it was for the Saints in Round 13 at Princes Park against the giant killers Carlton.

 

St. Kilda made only one change to the team that defeated the Bulldogs, with Jeff Moran replacing the injured Kevin Roberts. This allowed John Bingley to come into the side as 20th man. On the other hand, Carlton made wholesale changes to their line-up following a disappointing loss to Richmond the week before.

 

After a positive start with four straight goals, the Saints were completely shut down by the Blues and did not register another goal until the final quarter. Harassing tactics were perfectly executed by the Blues and as a result St. Kilda’s match winners were effectively blanketed by their opponents. Big John Nicholls took complete command in the ruck and was clearly best on ground.

 

With mounting injuries the Saints finished the game with only 17 fit men and their play raised serious concerns for the team’s finals prospects. Carl Ditterich and Verdun Howell were both replaced early in the match with injuries. Ross Smith was taken from the ground late in the game with concussion. Furthering their woes, Darrel Baldock and Roger Head were nursing injuries during the game.

 

Carlton were again without their inspirational leader Ron Barassi, who had recently announced he would not play again in 1966 due to a shoulder injury. The Blues continued their roller coaster form of previous weeks, winning against the odds at home and losing away from Princes Park.

 

St. Kilda’s shock loss to Carlton saw them fall to third on the ladder and they were drawn to play the respectable North Melbourne the following week. After the game, a St. Kilda committeeman was quoted as saying: “The Saints are now in real trouble and will have to show a big improvement to play in the finals.”

 

 

Scores

 

Carlton           1.4 (10)          3.7 (25)          4.11 (35)       7.15 (57)

St. Kilda          4.0 (24)          4.5 (29)          4.9 (33)          5.11 (41)

 

Goals:

Carlton – Collins 2, R. McLean 2, P. McLean, J. Gill, V. Waite

St. Kilda – Baldock 2, Kennedy 2, Neale

 

Best:

Carlton – Nicholls, Stewart, Hall, P. McLean, Collins, Lofts, Gallagher

St. Kilda – Smith, Murray, Baldock, Stewart, Sierakowski, Head

 

For Carlton Cliff Stewart led the disposals with 24 while for St. Kilda Ian Stewart and Ross Smith both had 27.

 

Umpire: Jolley                        Crowd: 23 367

 

Reserves: St. Kilda 10.21 (81) defeated Carlton 5.11 (41)

 

Under 19s: St. Kilda 9.6 (60) defeated Carlton 3.12 (30)

 

Around the grounds

 

At Victoria Park – Collingwood 19.14 (128) defeated Fitzroy 9.7 (61)

At Windy Hill – Essendon 6.16 (52) defeated North Melbourne 6.6 (42)

At the Western Oval – Richmond 11.16 (82) defeated Footscray 7.15 (57)

At the Lake Oval – Geelong 9.17 (71) defeated South Melbourne 9.11 (65)

At the MCG – Melbourne 23.13 (151) defeated Hawthorn 9.5 (59)

 

Milestone

1960 Brownlow Medallist, John Schultz, played his 150th game in round 13.

 


Highlights of the round

 

Melbourne’s veterans, Brian Dixon, ‘Tassie’ Johnson and Don Williams, led the way against Hawthorn in a performance which brought back memories of their glory days. Big John Nicholls had a massive 54 hit outs for the Blues against the Saints.

 

Read The Age, Monday 25th July 1966, for coverage of all matches HERE.

 

Country Footy

The Western Border League straddles the border between South Australia and Victoria. It was formed in 1964 when the Western Districts League (Victoria) and the South East and Border League (South Australia) merged. Twelve clubs initially participated in the league, with an equal number from both sides of the border. The most represented district in the competition was Gambier, with a club from each of the four points of the compass. The league was later zoned to Collingwood when the Country Zoning Scheme was introduced in 1968. It is currently affiliated with the South Australian National Football League. Over the course of its history the most successful club in the league has been South Gambier with 12 premierships.

 

1966 was Portland’s year when they defeated Coleraine in the grand final. Portland’s most prominent football product was Stuart Spencer, recruited by Melbourne in 1950. Spencer was a key figure in the Norm Smith coached Demons’ dynasty of the mid fifties. After the 1956 premiership, at the height of his fame, the 24 year-old Spencer moved to Tasmania where he built a distinguished career with Clarence.

 

Let’s check out the results in the league from Saturday 23rd July 1966 and remember some of its favourite sons who were playing at that time in the VFL.

 

Coleraine defeated Casterton, North Gambier took the points against rivals West Gambier, South Gambier had a comfortable win over Hamilton Imperials, Heywood enjoyed a good win over Penola, Portland were too strong for Millicent and East Gambier outscored Hamilton.

 

Both Millicent and Hamilton originally wore black and white colours, so when the new league was formed it was decided that the team who finished lower on the ladder in 1965 would have to change its strip. Millicent were that club. The South Australian club included red on its jumper, transforming into the Saints from the 1966 season onwards.

 

In 1966 at least five footballers from the Western Border district were playing in the VFL. Carlton’s John and Barry Gill and Richmond’s Alan ‘Bull’ Richardson all hailed from Casterton. The Tigers’ Eric Moore was from Coleraine while rover Peter Hogan was recruited from Portland. Hogan enjoyed one of the best days of his VFL career in round 13 1966, with 25 disposals and three goals to his name. The Gill brothers both lined up for the Blues in their upset win over the Saints in round 13.

 

Other notable players in the 1960s from the Western Border district were: Geelong’s John Yeates from West Gambier who finished his VFL career at the end of 1965; and later, Ian ‘Bluey’ Hampshire from Portland who arrived at Kardinia Park in 1968.

 

Meanwhile …

 

Plans for a new grandstand to replace the 60 year old Gray Smith Stand at the M.C.G. were announced. When constructed, the new stand would increase the ground’s capacity to about 125 000.

 

After the successful Gemini program, the American space agency NASA announced tentative plans to land a man on the Moon in April 1968.

 

 

Read more of Peter Clark’s weekly reviews of  St Kilda’s triumphant 1966 footy season HERE

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

Do you really enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help keep things ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE
One off financial contribution – CLICK HERE
Regular financial contribution (monthly EFT) – CLICK HERE

 

 

Comments

  1. Dr Rocket says

    Carlton were always the saints bogey team, even in a premiership year!

    According to The Beast at Blueseum, Carlton won 100 games from the first 120 games played, which also included 2 draws.

    I reckon St Kilda only ever won 4 or 5 times at Princess Park in the 20th century…? Anybody know?
    They did beat the Blues at Carlton in 1964, and then one more time, maybe the 80s…when they stunned the Blues after half-time.

    Its all changed now!

Leave a Comment

*