A Season in the Country: 1975 in the Wimmera and Farrer Leagues – Episode 9

 

 

Lockhart Football Ground

 

 

Episode 9   

 

The Saints shall not be moved (from the top)

 

Featuring North Wagga’s Alan Hayes

 

The Farrer League

 

                                                                  

 

           Saints                                    v                                     Swans

 

 

Match of the day: North Wagga v Henty

 

Saturday 14th June 1975

At McPherson Oval, North Wagga

 

 

 

 

The residents of North Wagga know a thing or two about floods and how to endure the adversity wreaked by the rising waters of the Murrumbidgee River. That they occupy a floodplain is not disputed, but the right to determine their own destiny is something they guard very closely. Despite the best efforts of others to move them away from troubled waters to higher ground elsewhere, they have remained in steadfast resistance. They are a stubborn lot, as the sign at the entrance to the village declares: “We shall not be moved!” 

 

And for well over 50 years of holding firm, they have not been moved on. Other strategies such as raising their houses above the floodwaters have been tried, but periodically the ‘Bidgee breaks its banks and threatens the levees constructed to hold the river back.

 

The floods of 1974 at North Wagga were disastrous. Many houses in North Wagga had over two metres of water pouring through them. The levees built after the floods of the 1950s were designed to protect the Wagga CBD but not North Wagga properties, with their exclusion becoming a source of discontent and petitioning by residents for a permanent levee. But the “once in a generation” floods of 2012 proved an even greater test of the community’s resilience. The football ground was inundated and the dressing sheds destroyed, but the community rallied and repairs were made in time for the 2013 season.

 

So, you will sense that a strong, practical and resilient community surrounds McPherson Oval in North Wagga. Many of its folk are ‘battlers’ and that character is proudly reflected in the football club, the North Wagga Saints. North Wagga, under various names (Old Town, Stars, Saints, North Wagga-RAAF), have won eight premierships in their 135 year history.

 

The club nearly folded in 2007, choosing to go into recess for a year to rebuild its financial and playing stocks. With a talented crop of Under 18’s players the club could see a promising future, a vision that precipitated its move in 2008 from the Farrer League to the stronger Riverina League. The realignment suited the Saints because the Riverina League had a healthy Under 18’s competition. The club then successfully rebuilt from the grassroots. After a two year struggle in the Riverina League, North Wagga rejoined the Farrer League in 2010, winning their eighth and most recent flag in 2019.

 

And in good times and bad, the residents and footballers have a choice of watering holes – ‘The Black Swan’ or the ‘Palm and Pawn.’

 

The team lists

 

 

 

The Wagga press gave Henty a good chance of unsettling North Wagga, evidencing the Swans recent history of knocking off the previous season’s premiers. Dry ground conditions at McPherson Oval provided hope for a high scoring match.

 

Henty made the first three quarters a struggle for the home team but eventually the floodgates opened. Five goals in the last 10 minutes of the final quarter gave North Wagga’s win a much more comfortable appearance on paper than the actual contest. Rover Ken Dash got the Saints going after the last change, while captain coach Alan Hayes showed both his brilliance and his resilience in shrugging off illness and a hamstring injury to lead his side to an impressive 52 point win.

 

Final scores: North Wagga 17.13 (115) defeated Henty 9.9 (63)

 

Around the Farrer League grounds

 

The Rock-Yerong Creek had a percentage-boosting win over Culcairn, winning by 93 points. Wagga enjoyed a comfortable 48 point win over Temora. Mangoplah-Cookardinia United won an evenly balanced contest against Lockhart by 15 points. Holbrook raced out of the blocks with seven first quarter goals before coasting home to a 21 point win over Collingullie.

 

Next week in the Farrer League:

 

No home and away matches are scheduled. We will look at the NSW State Championships played at Narrandera.

 

 

The Wimmera League

 

 

                                                                                   

             Western Border League                        v                          Wimmera League

 

 

The home and away season took a week off with the interleague match between the Wimmera League and the Western Border League at Melville Oval Hamilton grabbing all the attention of football followers.

 

Interleague football was a jewell in the crown of country football at the time as well as much a anticipated opportunity for football fans to see how their stars matched up against players from neighbouring and more distant leagues.

 

In the previous decade the Wimmera League had enjoyed victories over the Western Border League (1967, 1970) and the Hampden League (1967). They reached the final of the VCFL country championships in 1968 but lost to the powerful Ovens and Murray team. In 1969 they were knocked out by the Hampden League in the zone final. The Western Border League claimed bragging rights in 1971 with a 14 point victory over the Wimmera League at Horsham. In 1972 the neighbouring North Central League took the honours over the Wimmera boys before the Sunraysia League edged them out in 1973.

 

Wimmera League selectors went for form over reputation. Max Deckert (Warracknabeal) was named captain while veteran Bill McGrath (Minyip) was the Wimmera team coach. Selectors and supporters believed the team’s roving would be the match-winning department.

 

The teams

 

Western Border League

 

B:                                                              D. Crawford, G. Blane, R. rach

HB:                                                            C. Hopkins, G. Curnow, Z. Golebiowski

C:                                                              G. Cameron, N. Doody, I. Rechmann

HF:                                                            D. Blowes, S. Holcombe, F. Davis

F:                                                               A. Knape, M. Dittmar, P. Keast

Foll:                                                           T. Quill, T. Grant

Rov:                                                          S.McKew

Res:                                                           S. Burger, D. Maczkowiack

 

 

Wimmera League

 

B:                                                              R. Krantz, B. Jaensch, I. Jones

HB:                                                           W. Dickeson, G. Chequer, M. Finnigan

C:                                                               B. Robson, P. Morrison, G. Jelly

HF:                                                            L. Mooney, M. Deckert (c), G. Kent

F:                                                               G. Clayton, G. Todd, K. Newall

Foll:                                                           D. Stephens, G. Liersch

Rov:                                                          P. Wood

Res:                                                           I. Bell, K. Kramer, M. Tobin

 

 

Wimmera League selectors were justified for their faith in the form players of the competition and in backing-in the team’s roving department to make the difference. Best players for the Wimmera were rovers Peter Wood (Horsham) and Graeme Clayton (Warracknabeal) who both scored four goals. They were well supported by centreline players Gary Jelly (Minyip ) and Peter Morrison (Murtoa), while full forward Gary Todd (Ararat) also booted four goals. In fact, buoyant league supporters felt every Wimmera player beat his opponent on the day.

 

Final scores: The Wimmera League 19.14 (128) defeated the Western Border League 14.17 (101)

 

Next week:

 

In next week’s episode of A Season in the Country we travel back to the Wimmera League to witness the action between Murtoa and Jeparit. In other games Horsham host Dimboola, Minyip are at home to Ararat, Nhill take on visitors Warracknabeal and Rupanyup travel to Stawell.

 

Next episode’s featured player is Murtoa’s Peter Morrison.

 

This episode’s featured player: Alan Hayes (North Wagga)

 

  

 

Queensland state representative Alan Hayes, from QAFL club Mayne, moved to Coolamon (South West District League) in 1969 and left an indelible mark on the history of Australian Football in the Riverina as a star player at three clubs and a successful coach. He was a dual Gammage Medal winner (1969 and 1970). The players he beat to win the league best and fairest award were strong contenders indeed- Ricky Quade and Frank Gumbleton (1969) and Doug Priest (1970). Hayes transferred to North Wagga in 1972 and led the Saints to a drought breaking Farrer League premiership in just his second season as captain coach of the club.

 

Hayes was a versatile key position player who could hold down the centre half back and centre half forward positions with equal aplomb. He was a spectator’s delight with his trademark long kicking, high marking and balance on the run. ‘Hazy’ was known to set very high standards and take great attention to detail in his preparation, always wanting to perform at his best.

 

Alan Hayes coached the Farrer League and was the NSW vice captain in 1975. He later coached Turvey Park to the 1977 SWDFL premiership. His brother Jim, also from the Mayne Tigers, coached the Coolamon premiership side in 1970. A third brother, Ken, was attracted to the Riverina football scene where his brothers had established strong reputations. Ken came to Coolamon from the Mayne Tigers in the mid 1970s and later coached the Hoppers.

 

In the VFL

 

Interstate football also captured the attention of VFL, WAFL, SANFL and Tasmanian football fans on the Saturday of the Queen’s Birthday weekend at VFL Park. In the curtain raiser the ‘Crow Eaters’ had no trouble in disposing of the Baldock-coached Tasmanian side, winning by 59 points. The ‘Big V’ smashed the ‘Sandgropers’ scoring 20.24 (144) to 8.15 (63). Alex Jesualenko kicked five for the winners and Warwick Irwin (Fitzroy) was named best on ground.

 

On the Monday of the long weekend, VFL matches produced upsets with defeats to three of the top five teams. St Kilda’s win over the Tigers as nothing short of amazing. The Saints kicked 13 goals to four in the second half to win by 12 points after trailing by eight goals at half time. In other matches Carlton scraped home against a gallant Bulldogs outfit, Melbourne upset its traditional rivals at the MCG, Hawthorn continued on its winning way against Essendon, Geelong held on to deny a win to the fast finishing Fitzroy, while North Melbourne got past cellar-dwellers South Melbourne. For the ‘Shinboners’, their next match against ladder leaders Hawthorn would reveal much about their prospects for the remainder of the season.

 

Hawthorn officials flew to Hobart in a bid to entice Peter Hudson back to VFL football, but it would be two years before they would get their man back at Glenferrie Oval.

 

 

Meanwhile …

 

The Australian film Sunday Too Far Away, starring Jack Thompson, premiered.

 

In the Cricket World Cup, Australia faced the might of the West Indies at The Oval. They lost both the game and the “speed bowling spectacular” with the West Indian fast men, led by Andy Roberts, taking the points decisively. Clive Lloyd warned that, despite the loss, the Aussies were far from out of contention for the inaugural Prudential World Cup Trophy.

 

The top three singles on the Australian music charts in mid June 1975 were: January by Pilot; Ego is Not a Dirty Word by Skyhooks; and Summer Love by Sherbet.

 

 

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.

 

 

To return to our Footy Almanac home page click 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.

 

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