A Season in the Country – 1975 in the Wimmera and Farrer Leagues: Epilogue

 

 

Epilogue

 

Lockhart Football Ground

 

In the land where the Wimmera flows, 1975 was the year of the Rats (Ararat). Some 600 km away, in Farrer’s fertile fields, the Tigers (Wagga) reigned supreme. Meanwhile in Melbourne, the Kangaroos (North Melbourne) lifted the VFL premiership cup for the first time. 

 

The silos of the wheatbelt football country stood witness to some memorable individual and team feats in the season of  ‘75. We have read about them in the 23 episodes of this series … A Season in the Country. We have met many of the star wheatbelt footballers of that era and have taken a glimpse at their future deeds, but what lay ahead for the clubs of the Wimmera and Farrer Leagues and the Leagues themselves?

 

Wimmera League

 

For Ararat, who stuck with the Wimmera Football League rather than move to the Ballarat competition, it would be more than a decade before they would taste premiership success again. After winning the flag in 1986 the ‘Rats did not stand on the podium as premiers once more until the cusp years of the new millennium (1999, 2001). The 1975 runners-up, Stawell, would have only a short wait until they took the title (1978), then again in 1987 and 1995, before winning their most recent premiership as the meat in Ararat’s 1999-2001 sandwich of flags. The Horsham Demons have been far and away the most successful WFL club since 1976 winning 19 premierships (including 10 flags in succession from 2003-2012). A second Horsham club, the Horsham Saints (known at first as St. Michael’s) joined the WFL from the Horsham District League in 1993 and won premierships in 2015 and 2016. 

 

A stand out achievement by one of the small Wimmera clubs is Minyip’s strings of premierships, firstly on their own in 1984 followed by three in a row (1991-93), and next with their merger partners Murtoa (Minyip-Murtoa ‘Burras), in 1996, ‘97, ‘98 and most recently in 2019 and 2022. Murtoa won its only WFL flag in 1980. Dimboola finally broke its drought of 26 years, winning the 1985 flag. Nhill got back on track and won in 1981, while Warracknabeal were successful in 1994 and 2002 (as the Warrack Eagles). Jeparit moved to the Southern Mallee League in 1990 and later joined forces with Rainbow (in 1996) to enter the Mallee League, winning the new league’s first premiership in 1997. Rupanyup did not win another Wimmera League flag (premiers 1961, 1971, 1973), and left the league for the Horsham District League in 1981. The Panthers were initially very successful in the minor league (HDFL premiers in 1985, 1986, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001). In 2022 the Panthers returned to the pinnacle, winning their eighth HDFNL flag.

 

Today, the Wimmera League is a nine club competition with the new club on the block, the Southern Mallee Giants (a merger between former Mallee League clubs Hopetoun and Beulah in 2014) who joined in 2018. In 2022 the Grand Final was played between Minyip-Murtoa and Ararat. The ‘Burras won by seven points and, with that victory, recorded flags on either side of the pandemic break (2020-21). 

 

 

Farrer League

 

The Farrer League was soon to be hit with a major shock following a review of football in the Riverina by the VCFL. In 1982 the Farrer League, along with the SWDFL and the Central Riverina League, disappeared from the football landscape, replaced with new entities, the Riverina Football League and the Riverina District Football League (Divisions I and II). By popular demand, the name ‘Farrer League’ was reincarnated in 1985.

 

After their 1975 premiership, Wagga went on to dominate the Farrer League, winning four more flags (1977-78, 1980-81) before the shakeup in Riverina football in 1982. At that point the Tigers went into the newly formed Riverina Football League and soon had success, winning the 1985 premiership.The nineties was a great decade for the club with six flags in seven seasons (1993,’94,’95 and 1997,’98,’99). Another pennant followed soon after in 2001 before the Tigers had a five year stint in the ACT Football League. Upon their return to Riverina football in 2007 Wagga had immediate success, winning the premiership that season. Two more flags (2016, 2019) and the Riverina Football Championships trophy (2020) are the club’s most recent accomplishments.

 

Henty moved to the Hume League in 1980. After a 47 year wait, the Swampies were undefeated premiers in 1984 and created league history two years later by winning premierships in all three grades. Henty have taken out three further premierships (1990, 1996 and 2014). North Wagga only had to wait 12 months for redemption, winning the 1976 Farrer League flag under Laurie Pendrick. Five more flags have gone into the trophy cabinet at McPherson Oval, North Wagga (1983, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 2019). The Saints have drifted in and out the Riverina Football League on several occasions, but today are back in their long term home, the Farrer League.

 

The Rock-Yerong Creek proudly share the record of winning the most Farrer League premierships (8) since the realignment of the leagues in the Riverina in 1982. They are the only club to maintain a continuity of affiliation with the league since its inception in 1957. Mangoplah-Cookardinia United, historically one of the most successful football clubs in the Riverina, have participated in the Riverina Football League since 1995 but are yet to win a premiership in that competition.

 

Lockhart left the Farrer League in 1982 to join the Hume League (HFL), winning the premiership, under legendary coach Tim Robb, in their first season. Only one further HFL premiership has gone Lockhart’s way since (in 2013). Holbrook moved to the Tallangatta and District League in 1981 before joining the Hume League in 1998. The ‘Brookers have won two premierships in the HFL, both against Osborne (2004, 2022). After more than fifty years of waiting, Temora finally broke through to win its first Farrer League flag in 2012, but did not stop at one flag, winning three in succession.

Collingullie remained in the Farrer League until 2011 (except a brief stint in the RFL in 1995-1997) before shifting permanently to the stronger Riverina Football League. The ‘Gullie shares the record with TR-YC for the most Farrer League premierships (8) in the post-1982 era. In the RFL, the entity now known as Collingullie-Glenfield Park, won premierships in 2014, 2015 and 2018. Culcairn were admitted to the Hume League in 1992 and won the premiership the following season. One further HFL flag went to Culcairn in 2007.

 

Today the Farrer League is a nine club competition with Barellan United, Coleambally, Marrar, Charles Sturt University and the Northern Jets having joined the ‘old’ Farrer League clubs – namely, East Wagga-Kooringal, Temora, North Wagga and TR-YC. The 2022 Farrer League premiership was won by Marrar who defeated The Rock-Yerong Creek by 39 points. Meanwhile, former Farrer League club Holbrook, now participating in the Hume Football League, won the 2022 premiership defeating Osborne by 29 points.

 

In 2022 the name ‘Farrer League’ was under threat once more but, after an outcry from clubs, the proposed new identity, “AFL Riverina Community League”, was dumped. The connection to the wheatbelt continues. 

 

 

In the VFL

 

The North Melbourne Football Club was founded in 1869 and competed in the Victorian Football Association prior to entering the VFL in 1925 along with Hawthorn and Footscray. North Melbourne footballers were known as ‘Shinboners’, reflecting the name given to local abattoir workers. The culture of the club was built on inner city working class people and their determination to succeed against the odds. For the first 19 years of its VFL history, North Melbourne did not finish higher than eighth on the ladder. In 1944 they finished sixth, then the following season the club made its finals debut and five years later its first Grand Final, losing to Essendon. The 1950s saw mixed fortunes for North followed by a barren decade in the sixties. In 1973 a bold plan was hatched at Arden Street to win a flag.

 

With what Ron Barassi later described as “class”, the club cashed in on a new and short-lived rule that allowed a player who had completed 10 years with a club to transfer to another without any restraint. Within 48 hours of the rule coming into effect, North Melbourne, under the leadership of Barassi, Allen Aylett and Ron Joseph, had interviewed 22 of the leading candidates, with Doug Wade, John Rantall and Barry Davis among the prized signings.

 

The club already had the backbone of a very talented list featuring players with experience and firepower – Dench, Greig, Cable, Schimmelbush, Blight, Briedis, Kekovitch, Burns and Goodingham. Add a sprinkling of country boys – Nolan, Gumbleton, Chisnall and Henshaw – and at the last minute throw in Crosswell from Carlton. Stirred vigorously by the volatile Ron Barassi, and North had the ingredients for ultimate success. The Kangaroos had to overcome John Kennedy’s commandos, the Hawks, featuring a star studded line up led by Knights, Matthews, Moore, Scott, Martello, Hendrie, Rowlings and Tuck – but unfortunately without captain Peter Crimmins. 

 

One of North’s star recruits, Doug Wade, had to literally talk his way into the Grand Final line-up after indifferent form. The ex-Geelong full forward was instructed by Barassi not to fly for marks, to stay on the ground. Tactically, it was a risky strategy, but as the match unfolded it proved to be a masterstroke.

 

Redemption for their 1974 loss to Richmond was a strong motivating force for North as they ran on to the MCG in front of over 110 000 spectators on 27th September 1975. Two and a half hours later they had reached the holy grail of football, a maiden VFL premiership (their last premiership was in the VFA in 1918).

 

Final score: North Melbourne 19.8 (122) defeated Hawthorn 9.13 (67)

Goal kickers: North Melbourne – Briedis 5, Burns 4, Wade 4, Schimmelbush 2, Kekovitch, Crosswell, Blight, Feltham 

Hawthorn – Martello 2, Moncrieff 2, Rowlings, K. Matthews, Trott, Meagher, Scott

Best: North Melbourne – Rantall, Crosswell, Greig, Burns, Dench, Henshaw, Chisnall, Kekovitch

Hawthorn – Knights, Martello, Bremner, Moore, Jaworskyj, Scott

Umpire: Kevin Smith

Crowd: 110 551

 

Meanwhile ….

 

The year 1975 is remembered for many things in Australia: the introduction of colour TV, the Tasman Bridge disaster, etc, but none to equal the events of November 11th in Canberra when the word “dismissal” went to number one in the political lexicon as the Governor-General sacked the Prime Minister and his government. The unprecedented events of that day would reverberate for decades and indelibly mark the careers of the main players – Whitlam, Kerr and Fraser.

 

To read more of this excellent series by Peter Clark click here.

 

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