1972 SANFL Grand Final – North Adelaide v Port Adelaide: Same Again Thanks

 

 

The 1972 SANFL finals series was almost a replica of 1971. The only movement in the finals qualifiers was Norwood, replacing Sturt in third place. North, Port and Centrals retained their respective first, second and fourth placings from the previous season. The similarities continued with Norwood turfed out by the marauding Dogs as was Sturt in 1971. From then on, the remaining 1972 finals played out as they had in 1971.

 

 

 

The League’s printer, Messenger Press, must have had a spare vat of green ink, the only valid excuse for this colour scheme. Taken on Anzac Day 1972, Roosters Kym Lehmann and Darryl Webb look on as Port’s Keith Spencer accidentally contacts the ball with his fist and spoils Barrie Robran’s marking attempt.

 

 

 

Anything recommended by Margaret Court would be a bit hard to swallow these days. It was not on Tommy Hafey’s list of acceptable drinks during training, but neither was water.

 

 

 

 

Except for the 1976 Grand Final, Football Park never reached its planned final capacity of 80,000. I never bothered counting the toilet blocks. Please note that it was an ‘oval’ not a ‘stadium’, but many of the promises here were never fulfilled, including the public transport terminal.

 

 

 

 

 

North supporters celebrated with crumbed portions of their club mascot, sold to them by the club’s coach. Was that Mike’s home number?

 

 

 

Fos Williams had a collection of 1s and 2s to rival the Bolivar treatment works, although the run of number 2s since 1965 would be enough to give any coach the squirts.

 

 

Port had surprisingly lost more Grand Finals than it had won to that point, but Jack Cahill more than squared the ledger over the ensuing decades.

 

 

Remember the white plastic reseals on the 26oz Coke bottles. Bring ‘em back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Budget upped its Players’ Pen-Pix game in 1972, adding some extra detail and modernising the font, although metric measurements were not yet in vogue. Pedants may have preferred some words to accompany the photo of Geoff Strang and wondered why the injured Neil Sachse was shown at all. Nineteen paras seems a bit odd and the random ordering was perplexing. Kym Lehmann was not yet Russell Ebert’s brother-in-law. Barrie Robran was retrospectively recognised as a 1967 B&F winner (he tied with Don Lindner) and mysteriously wasn’t mentioned here for his 1971 win.

 

 

 

 

Bruce Nyland’s move to Modbury North was the sort of nugget that Budget readers forked out their 20 cents for. Only eighteen Magpies were deemed worthy of a write-up.

 

 

 

North and Port had evenly split their four 1972 contests. Barrie Robran’s absence from the Round 20 facts and figures and Russell Ebert’s B.O.G tell a mini story. The recent Second-Semi win gave the Minor Premiers some confidence.

 

 

 

What a feast of footy. Exclusive to Nine.

 

 

 

These posters came in glorious early 70’s colour. Even better, you could get a passbook in team colours, just like this one.

 

 

 

The Redlegs took out the Thirds easily, 19.16 to 10.13

 

Norwood’s best were Danny Jenkins, Neil Craig (the  1972 Tomkins Medallist and Norwood B&F winner), Nigel Wark, Greg Rix and Peter Roberts.

 

North’s Graham Wickham, Brenton Anderson, Kenton Muller and Gary Gum were the Roosters’ best.
All bar Wickham went on to play at League level.

 

 

 

 

The Budget humanised the umpires by giving us their given names in parenthesis after their initial. At least they didn’t go with what we usually called them. Murray Ducker got the nod; he was a very good umpire, watch his flawless bouncing technique if you get a chance.

 

1972 was a big year for Blighty, All-Australian and the Magarey Medal.

 

Pipe Bands were the default setting for half-time experiences and why not?

 

 

 

Norwood continued North’s dirty day in the lower grades. Redlegs captain-coach ‘Gentleman’ John McInnes won his third Seconds Magarey Medal to go with the flag that they won 23.21 to North Adelaide 13.8.

 

Haydn Davey booted 7 goals, John Nash 3.

 

Norwood best – McInnes, Phil Gallager, Brian Woodcock, Don Roach, Michael Gregg, John Nash, Chris Fienemann, Ian Stasinowsky and future Elizabeth South Primary teacher John White

 

North’s best – Maurie Francou, Bob Morcom, Barry Bamford, Michael Eichner and Bronte Mumford looked like a future A Grade lineup at SAFA club Ingle Farm.

 

 

 

Aunty ABC was an occasionally piss-funny column whose authorship I have never been able to confirm. Bonus points for the Hong Kong flu references.

 

 

 

Teaser and Darce weren’t hired for their coaching insights.

 

 

 

 

Pristine mugshots, mismatched to the selected 18/20 players for either side. What took Bob Hammond’s eye?

 

 

 

The ‘Tiser outdid Rupe’s rag with a full pager and of course the doyen, Gordon Schwartz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The recaps of past years’ flags are of great historical interest, as are the accompanying ads.

 

Public transport, especially the Adelaide Railway Station, was a big part of my pre-adult years. Brandy, what took its place and when? TAA was still flying high and West End pinched Coke’s tag-line.

 

 

 

The Umps had a Grand Final Night cabaret followed up the next morning with a “mystery” car rally. What a time to be alive.

 

All the ale you could drink for $2.50 at the Port GF Night cabaret. KG as guest speaker and Port businessmen was a match made in heaven.

 

Was the Peckers GF shindig was renamed the Coca Cola Cuparet?

 

Sturt too had a Grand Final night cabaret, catering by the Unley Baptist society.

 

The Bays must have been the only readers that took Auntie ABC seriously.

 

That is the classic Malcolm Blight pose.

 

 

 

Plenty of SANFL p*rn for the readers here.

 

Port’s courage and tradition apparently got them over the line against Centrals, those same characteristics were not evident when it mattered on Grand Final day.

 

The Peckers finally found a reason to buy a trophy cabinet when they won the repecharge.

 

Norwood’s seconds gave the Blues twos a touch up, as they did to Torrens in the thirds. The ‘Legs had young guns aplenty, but only Rocky Roberts kicked on for the Eagles.

 

Both Port and Glenelg Colts produced some very good future stars from this match.

 

 

 

Everyone dreamed of a Tilux-lined shower recess for their holiday home.

 

 

 

Sharp-eyed viewers will note that the VFL slipped a week behind schedule when the second-Semi was drawn. Carlton had to take the long way home to the GF, but eventually succeeded. Neil Balme, Greg Hollick and Syd Jackson finished their careers in SA, whilst McKellar and Whale Roberts had started as Croweaters. (Royce Hart made a brief SA appearance also in 1969).

 

There were some familiar names in the “Perth” match too. Greg Brehaut coached Woodville in 1974 and Peter Hines was a South Adelaide stalwart in the latter half of the 70s. Mal Brown’s East Perth prevailed over Claremont in the WAFL Grand Final, which lead to an “interesting” first day matchup between Carlton and Brown on the first day of the Champions of Australia series in two weeks.

 

Sandy Bay captain coach Rod Olsson had a fruitless stint at the Peckers a decade on. City-South took out State honours against Latrobe and they put up a bold showing against East Perth in the C of A (and a bolder showing at the Gold Coast on their end of season trip).

 

‘Swooper’ Northey had a successful foray into Sydney and the Wilston Grange Gorillas also provided the winner of the 1972 Grogan Medal, Barry Clarke.

 

Billy Barrot was Oakleigh’s captain-coach in his first season out of VFL ranks. West Torrens was impressed enough to give him the same role in 1973, but it all ended in tears mid-way through the following season.

 

Big Dennis Sachse started the season slowly as he recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of the 1971 season and saw him up and down between the firsts and the seconds. His 65 league goals look even better as he didn’t cement his place back in the seniors until Round 12.

 

Ken Whelan eventually got his chance as Sturt’s senior spearhead in 1973 and brought up the first of his two league centuries that year, following it up in 1974’s premiership winning side.

 

See who else you can spot.

 

 

 

 

Ray Huppatz looked slightly sheepish when stepping up to accept the CC Bottlers trophy. Did Ian Kroehn make it onto his booming left foot?

 

 

 

 

Galeola (32/10) and Mikado (2/1) were the only favourites to salute at Royal Cheltenham. Mick Goreham’s treble on Star Contender, Galeola and Roman Art was a highlight.

 

One of 5KA’s numerous rebranding efforts during the 1970s.

 

 

 

I saw most of the Centrals ones as a 12yo finding my own way all over Adelaide. Bliss.

 

 

 

Is it too late to apply?

 

 

AGC was Norwood’s first guernsey sponsor, starting in 1978.

 

 

 

Wasn’t smoking glamorous back then?

 

 

The Match

 

In the lead-up, Port lost full-back Ray Hayes due to suspension, Wayne Broadbridge was out with ‘flu and big blokes Bob Kingston and Kevin Spencer were not considered. North captain-coach Mike Patterson remained injured and handed over the captaincy to Bob Hammond for the day, a measure of the Swamp Fox’s selflessness. Neil Sachse’s broken thumb kept him out and Terry Collins was a late omission with a leg injury.

 

In front of 55,709 fans, with the temperature in the mid-80s (Fahrenheit), Murray Ducker bounced the ball in his fourth of his six Grand Finals.

 

Port’s Grimwood was lively near goal in the opening quarter and the Magpies had a handy 9 point break at the first change.

 

North kept with them in the second term, sharing that quarter’s four goals.

 

After the resumption, it was all the Roosters who came out fresher than Port and rattled on 8.5 to 2.1 to all but seal back-to-back flags. Big Dennis Sachse had been well held in the first half, but exploded with three goals, capping off the prodigious supply of ball winners Plummer and Phillips. Barrie Robran in the centre shook off three opponents Ebert, Woite and Sorrell (sometimes all at once) to lead the charge.

 

Port had nothing left to give. Captain John Cahill who had been out for the previous six weeks was unable to do much to lift his side when he came off the bench in the third quarter.

 

An early last quarter goal to Sachse was replied to by Port, but Barrie Robran sealed North’s consecutive flags with a sweetly struck set shot from the Members Side midway through the final quarter. Port’s further defensive efforts came to nothing as tall timber Jack Spry and Gary Sporn drifted down and sent the ball back towards the productive rovers Marsh and von Bertouch who both duly goaled to ice the premiership cake.

 

Everyone played their part for the Roosters, with all the forwards chipping in with goals.

 

For the losers Ebert, Marrett and Woite were best, but their best was once again not good enough, recording their fifth Grand Final loss since winning in 1965.

 

 

 

Here’s how the Football Budget looked back on this match.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Footy Film SA, here’s the full match.

 

Champions of Australia

 

The VFL second-semi draw meant that the gathering of premiers of the then four major football states was put back a week.

 

North took a party of forty players plus officials to witness the VFL Grand Final between Carlton and Richmond in front of 112,000 spectators. They saw the highest scoring conclusion ever to a VFL season, Carlton 28.9 to Richmond 22.18.

 

The Champions series was played over two consecutive days in Adelaide the following week. North welcomed back Neil Sachse but lost Rodney Robran with a knee injury suffered late in the Grand Final.

 

North drew Tasmania’s City-South on the Saturday and saw them off nicely by 69 points. Barrie Robran was adjudged BOG. Rooster half-forwards Barry Hearl (5 goals) and Adrian Rebbeck (4) buttressed the 20.23 to 11.8 scoreline.

 

Carlton on the other hand faced a Mal Brown led East Perth in a fierce stoush. The Blues won the game, but Brown took the points.

 

North was the fresher side for the Sunday late game decider. East Perth narrowly defeated City-South in the earlier playoff for third.

 

Carlton dominated the second quarter to lead by 16 points at the long break, but North clawed back the lead in the final term against a considerable breeze thanks to goals from Dennis Sachse and Darryl Webb then hung on doggedly (Roosterly?) to achieve a famous victory, 10.13 to 10.12.

 

The late, great John Devaney has assembled these accounts of this historic day

 

Michael Sexton’s Footy Almanac piece here was written ten years ago, some forty years down the track and remains an essential read.

 

It is an enormous shame that only ninety seconds of footage remains of this SA footy highlight, but Barrie Robran’s BOG performance is evident from those snippets. Rebbeck’s 4.6 from a flank was also an enormous contribution.

 

 

 

 

Read more from Swish Schwerdt HERE

 

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