A Season in the Country: 1975 in the Wimmera and Farrer Leagues – Episode 14

 

 

Lockhart Football Ground

 

Episode 14:  Henty tame Lions as Tigers await

 

Featuring Henty’s Garry Mickan

 

The Farrer League

 

Match of the day: Henty v Culcairn

Saturday 19^th July 1975

at the Henty Showground

 

 

 

Swans                             v                             Lions

 

 

 

 

 

Henty is the home of southern Australia’s biggest single annual agricultural event – the Henty Machinery Field Days. Once a year, in the early days of spring in the Riverina, the town comes alive with over 60 000 visitors to attend the agricultural showcase.

 

Why Henty? It is no coincidence that Henty is the home of one of Australia’s most important agricultural machinery inventions – the Headlie Taylor Header. Henty farmer, Headlie Taylor, demonstrated his header harvester, one that would revolutionise grain stripping around the world, at the Henty Show in the spring of 1915. So it is perfectly appropriate that Henty hosts the big agribusiness event. The field days started in 1961 as a one day school on harvesting machinery at the Henty Showgrounds when the call was move aside football and welcome to the headers, balers and tractors.

 

Henty, or ‘Doodle Cooma’ as it was once known, stands astride the Main Southern railway line midway between Wagga Wagga and Albury where the south west slopes meet the Riverina. Doodle Comer is the name of a wetland located on the outskirts of Henty and no doubt figured in the local football team’s decision to take on the emblem of a Swan and later the moniker, the ‘Swampies’.

 

Visitors to the Henty Showground are greeted and granted passage through ornate gates featuring a silhouette sculpture of Headlie Taylor’s Header sitting atop replica concrete silos.

 

 

Henty’s football history dates to before the turn of the 20^th century. The club was initially affiliated with the Culcairn and District League in 1914 and later the Riverina Football Association. Henty was an original member of the Albury and District League (forerunner to the Farrer League), which was formed in 1930. Henty was likewise an inaugural member of the Farrer League when it commenced in 1957 and remained with the league until 1980 when it moved to the Hume League. The ‘Swampies’ (formerly known as the ‘Swans’) won three A&DFL premierships (1930, 1935, 1937) and have won a further five flags in the Hume League (1984, 1986, 1990, 1996, 2014).

 

 

Preview

 

In form Henty were tipped to get past a rejuvenated Culcairn at home. The duel between centre half forward Garry Mickan and Culcairn’s Steve Paul would be a key to the match. If Henty’s captain coach Max Sanbrook, follower Neville Habermann and rover Jimmy Creek do well, Mickan’s supply should be guaranteed. Another contest worth watching is the mid-field battle between the Swans’ Warren Schultz and the Lions’ Trevor Smith.

 

Team lists

 

(Source: NSW Australian Football History Society)

 

 

The match

 

After an even first quarter, Henty’s experience and greater manpower showed. In the end it was a good solid win to the Swans and another lesson for the Lions in how the top sides grind out a win. Best players for Henty were follower: follower Neville Habermann; the elusive Robert Kilo who booted five goals; Brian Spencer with four; centre half back Graham Scholz; skipper Max Sanbrook in the centre; wingman Phil Morison and talented youngster Doug Wheaton. Players who stood out for Culcairn were Stuart Pitson and Steve Paul who held the gun Henty forward, Garry Mickan, to two goals. Henty consolidated in third place on the ladder and looked to test their mettle against Wagga in the next round.

 

 

Final score: Henty 15.15 (105) defeated Culcairn 9.13 (67)

 

 

Around the Farrer League grounds

 

Wagga roared away in the last quarter at Robertson Oval to easily account for Holbrook. Greg Sheather booted six for the winners and took his season tally to 61. MCU got some revenge for their 1974 grand final loss to Collingullie with a big win at home. After an even first half, North Wagga had no trouble in disposing of Temora when the whips got cracking after half time. In the closest game of the round, TR-YC snuck home against Lockhart.

 

Next week’s matches: In the battle of the ‘combines’, Mangoplah Cookardinia United take on The Rock-Yerong Creek. Collingullie will look to avoid one of their worst ever seasons in the Farrer League when they host Temora. The Henty v Wagga game looks to be a foretaste of a likely September contest. Lockhart travel to Holbrook where they need to claim seven points for a slim chance of making the ‘five’. North Wagga will attempt to consolidate its position on top of the ladder with a four quarter effort over probable wooden spooners Culcairn.

 

 

This episode’s featured player Garry Mickan (Henty)

 

 

 

 

 

When prolific goal kicker Garry Mickan came to the Henty Football Club in 1975 from the Hume League all eyes lit up around town at the prospect of a big year for the Swans. Mickan was highly rated by legendary Hume League football identity Merv Wegener who described him “as good as North Albury’s Stan Sergeant.” And that’s a big rap! The 1972 Hume League best and fairest winner (Azzi Medal) joined Henty from Walla Walla, the club where he had also won the league goal kicking award that year with 108 goals.

 

For Henty and Garry Mickan 1975 was a good season, as the Swans made it to the “big dance” in September against Wagga. Mickan’s contributions to his new club started immediately with ten goals in round one. He finished the season kicking 76 goals and was runner up in the Farrer League’s goal kicking award. Mickan used his bulk to great advantage and was a long and accurate kick for goal. He played in both key forward positions in his season with Henty. During the ’75 finals series Mickan booted 13 goals and was seen as a potential grand final match winner for the Swans. Read more about the finals series in later episodes.

 

Garry Mickan’s sojourn at Henty lasted for just one season before he returned to Walla and continued his stellar football career with the Hoppers. Three more Hume League goal kicking awards and further ‘September glory’ followed after his return to the Hoppers.

 

After his playing days ended Garry Mickan remained closely connected with the Hume League and the Walla Walla Football club as an administrator. Away from football, Walla farmer Garry Mickan is a leader in the move to on-farm grain storage in the region. And that is fitting for our series, A Season in the Country, which celebrates the silos of the Wimmera and the Riverina wheatbelts. We catch up with Garry Mickan again in episode 17 when we pay tribute to the late Merv Neagle, who at the time of his death in 2012 was coaching Walla Walla.

 

 

The Wimmera League

Round up

 

Ararat thrashed an injury-plagued Jeparit by 94 points and sounded a loud warning of its intentions to other finals aspirants. In regards to the ‘Rats’ proposed move to the Ballarat League in 1976, next week would be decision time. Murtoa started its grind towards the finals with a win over Dimboola. Stawell faded again in the last quarter but still managed to get the points over a gallant Minyip. Horsham bolted away from Nhill kicking nine second quarter goals, which put the match out of danger. Warracknabeal kept its finals hopes alive with a 97 point win over lowly Rupanyup.

 

Next week’s matches: The Panthers (Rupanyup) host the Rats in our match of the day; the Roos (Dimboola) are at home to the Lions (Warracknabeal); the Redbacks (Jeparit) meet the Blues (Minyip); the Redlegs (Stawell) play the Tigers (Nhill) at Central Park; and the Magpies (Murtoa) travel to Horsham to take on the Demons.

 

Next episode’s featured player: Gary Todd (Ararat)

 

 

In the VFL

 

After an afternoon of atrocious goal kicking Carlton 11.22 overcame St Kilda 8.27 to register another win and take another step closer to the ’75 premiership. Former South Melbourne star John Pitura gave it back to the South members at The Lake Oval after getting the ‘raspberry’ all day. Upon kicking the first of three goals, late in the match, he turned to the crowd and gestured defiantly. Meanwhile, the Tigers ran up a cricket score to win by 107 points. An embittered Footscray coach Bob Rose blasted his players for their lost opportunity against his former club Collingwood. The Bulldogs lost the game, a place in the five and in their third quarter capitulation, the patience of their coach. The Hawks were pushed all day by a defiant Demons outfit and had to pull out all stops to get the four points.

 

At Arden Street, North Melbourne outclassed Geelong to win by 54 points, but coach Ron Barassi said in his press conference that the Roos “blew a chance to win by about 18 goals.” In his 14^th season of football, Barry Cable celebrated the 300 game milestone with a masterful performance, while the young centre half forward Arnold Briedis gave a sparkling display of his talent. Geelong’s skipper John Newman was named best on ground in the Melbourne press for his effort in the ruck against the hard working Mick Nolan.

 

The next round will help gauge the strengths of the two leading premiership contenders, Hawthorn and Carlton in the match of the day at Princes Park. Meanwhile, North Melbourne take the road out to the Western Oval to do battle with the Dogs and Richmond meet old rivals Collingwood at the MCG.

 

Meanwhile …

 

Tony Greig was appointed England cricket captain replacing Mike Denness in the wake of the home country’s poor showing in the First Test. Greig sought to lure Geoffrey Boycott back into the realm from the Yorkshireman’s self imposed exile, but was without success. Senior Australian cricketers asked for a meeting with the Australian Cricket Board, upon their return from England, to discuss pay and playing conditions. The seeds of discontent among the players over their pay and conditions eventually sprouted in the World Series Cricket breakaway two years later.

 

The Loans Affair continued to dominate Federal politics with a series of Senate hearings, orchestrated by the Opposition, to keep the political pressure on the Whitlam government. Former Carlton President George Harris became embroiled in the loans affair when his role in attempting to broker the deal for sacked Treasurer Dr Jim Cairns was revealed.

 

 

Read more episodes of A Season in the Country – 1975 in the Wimmera and Farrer Leagues HERE 

 

To read about Geelong’s Record Run, click HERE.

 

Peter also wrote about St. Kilda’s premiership season in his 1966 and All That series. You can read that HERE.

 

 

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