Almanac Footy: Round 1 1972

 

 

 

 

There’s that question: where were you when JFK was shot? While I don’t know exactly where I was though I was certainly in nappies having been born earlier that year. You may also ask someone where they were when Peter Hudson did his knee? I’ve a slightly better recollection of that.

 

It was Easter Saturday 1972; my father had taken our family for a drive. We were down near Hastings, a place I don’t recall being to since, or prior, when the news came across the car radio. Peter Hudson, who’d kicked a record equalling 150 goals in 1971 had gone down with a knee injury just in sight of half time. In less than two quarters he’d kicked 8.1, as well as handing out a goal. He was on the way to equalling his best game tally of 16, which was against the same opponents on the same ground in 1969. He collided with Melbourne’s Barry Bourke, then as the say: the rest is history.

 

Anyhow, it gets me thinking that it’s fifty-years ago, fifty years since the opening round of the 1972 Victorian Football league (VFL) season; scary how long ago all this was.  Where’s my childhood gone?

 

 

 

 

One of the big changes that year was the introduction of the Final Five, replacing the Page-McIntyre, Final Four that that been in place since 1931. Yes, there remained only the 12 Victorian based sides but now there was six, not four, finals matches. More people attending, more $$ in the VFL coffers.

 

The round, and season, started with three games on Easter Saturday, April 1. It was a pleasant, sunny Melbourne autumn day.

 

Hawthorn unfurled their 1971 premiership flag, hosting Melbourne at Glenferrie Oval. These two teams met on the same ground in the final home and away round in 1971. That day Hawthorn won by 59 points with Peter Hudson’s tally of 10.7 besting Melbourne’s score of 8.17 by two points.

 

Melbourne had started 1971 in a blaze of glory by wining eight of their first ten clashes, before the wheels fell off. Hawthorn won the flag that season. Melbourne coach Ian Ridley sought to inspire his 1972 side with the motto, ’this is it’. Unsure what he meant, as 1972 didn’t start as well for them as the season prior.

 

Hawthorn broke away early.

 

Just before half time, Hawthorn’s Peter Hudson led out for a mark with Melbourne’s Barry Bourke backing into him, resulting in a momentous collision. Hudson took the mark close to goal, but his right knee buckled, with his anterior cruciate ligament tearing (It must be one of the few things I have in common with him).  The second half of the match was quite humdrum as both sides kicked six goals each. Hawthorn increasing their half time margin overall by 2 points. The result seemed secondary to the news of Peter Hudson’s knee injury.

 

Peter Hudson returned for a game in late 1973, then a couple in the early rounds of 1974. In 1977 he played one last season in VFL ranks slotting through a cool 110 goals, not bad for a 31-year-old with a wonky knee.  Hawthorn did not win their next flag until 1976, whilst Melbourne did not play in the finals until 1987.

 

Hawthorn was best served by premiership heroes Peter Crimmins, Leigh Matthews, Leon Rice, and Kevin Heath.  For Melbourne’s Gary Hardeman toiled away stoically in defence. His effort here set the tone for his 1972 season as he was named an All Australian that year. Hardeman was named as Melbourne’s Centre Half Back in their team of the century, also one of the handful of AFL/VFL players to appear over 200 times without playing in a finals match. Solid support came from Stan Alves, Greg Wells, as well as Peter Sinclair playing probably the best performance in his final season.

 

 

Hawthorn: 4.3.27/ 9.4.58/ 10.10.70/ 15.14.104: Hudson 8, Keddie2, Matthews L 2, Hendrie, Martello, Rice

 

Melbourne: 1.3.9/ 4.7.31/ 5.11.41/ 10.15.75 : Carr2, Wells2, Alves, Brewer, Callery, Dillon, Keenan, Townsend

 

Moorabbin was not a happy hunting ground for North Melbourne. The 1971 clash saw the home side win by 28 points. How would 1972 pan out? Their previous nine visits there had been defeats, victory eluding them there until 1974: the closest margin in this time was a 10-point loss in 1967. 1972 subsequently saw their tenth loss.

 

With North Melbourne going in with a 22-point quarter time margin what were their fans dreaming? It didn’t last long as a nine goal second term by the home side sent them on their way to a 58-point win. Not too many visiting teams won at Moorabbin during this period.  This very much set the tone for North Melbourne’s season as they finished wooden spooners with the sole victory.

 

For the victors’ big men John Mcintosh (father of future West Coast player Ashley), and Carl Ditterich created numerous opportunities, with experienced teammates such as Ross Smith, Travis Payze, and Barry Breen getting plenty of the ball. Up forward some-time-Victorian batsmen John Stephens kicked a lazy five. One of the three times he did so in the opening four rounds of 1972.

 

For the vanquished Glenn Joseph, (Doctor) Robert Peterson, Keith Grieg, Billy Nunn, as well as 21-year-old team captain David Dench, could hold their heads high despite the heavy defeat. Debuting for North Melbourne on this day was 16 year old Arnold Briedis. He got injured, not returning to senior ranks until round 20.

 

St Kilda: 2.1.13/ 11.6.72/ 13.10.88/ 20.14.134 Stephens 5, Davis 4, Breen 3, Manzie 2, Theodore 2, Ditterich, Mynott, Smith, Trott

 

North Melbourne: 5.5.35/ 6.6.36/ 10.8.68/ 11.10.76 Peterson3, Briedis 2, Smith2, Doolan, Feltham, Haywood, Redenbach.

 

Carlton found themselves at home to Fitzroy. These two teams last clashed in the ‘fog match’ at Junction Oval from round 21 of the previous season.  Carlton after being premiers in 1970, missed the finals in 1971.

 

John Nicholls had taken over as Captain Coach of Carlton with dual premiership coach Ron Barassi moving on after 1971. 1972 saw Barassi turn out a few times for Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association.

 

The 1972 encounter was a tight match that saw Carlton outlast Fitzroy, being a tad steadier in the final term. For Carlton, Brent Croswell kicked 4 that day. I’ll note that in the famous ‘fog match’ the previous season saw Croswell return to the Carlton team, after missing the opening 20 rounds of 1971 due to osteomyelitis. Croswell kicked 4 that day, as he did again in the 1972 season opener.

 

In the 1972 clash Croswell was assisted by the small men Barry Armstrong, Adrian Gallagher, Trevor Keogh, whilst in defence boom full back Geoff Southby continued the fine form from his debut season, repelling Fitzroy’s forward moves.

 

For Fitzroy, reliable stagers John Murphy, Russell Crow, Shane Molloy and Doug Searl played their part in keeping Carlton under pressure. Also performing well was the wingman David Rhodes whose opening day performance set the scene for what his best season, a season in which he gained state selection.

 

Carlton: 2.4.16/ 5.9.39/ 7.11.53/ 11.15.81 Croswell 4, Armstrong2, Walls2, Gallagher, Kennedy, Robertson

 

Fitzroy: 3.4.22/ 5.6.36/ 7.8.50/ 10.10.70 Ruscuklic A 3, Thompson2, Crow, Irwin, Murphy, Padley, Richards

 

Easter Monday, April 3, saw the match of the round where Richmond took on Collingwood at the MCG. A crowd of 72,659 attended. These teams had met in the elimination final in 1971, Richmond winning by 44 points. This overturned the result of the two home and away bouts of the season, as Collingwood won both.

 

Richmond maintained a steady lead throughout the day: Collingwood not helping themselves with a touch of the yips in the third term seeing them kick 9 points without a solitary major. However, in the final term they again had nine scoring shots for 8 goals one point, only falling 4 points short when the bell rang .

 

The 1972 clash certainly merited the match of the day status as last year’s third and fourth placed teams slugged out a thriller. Richmond was well served by Francis Bourke, Royce Hart, Craig McKellar as well as Kevin Bartlett. For Collingwood John Greening, the Richardson brothers,  Peter McKenna all played their roles well in this tight encounter.

 

After kicking 134 goals in 1971 Collingwood full forward Peter McKenna was again among the majors with 6. For the Tigers Ricky McLean kicked 4 in his debut for them. During his time at Carlton, Mclean was hampered by ongoing injuries, but he was now at a new club hoping to find the elusive premiership. At Richmond he delivered the best football of his career, with 103 goals in his 39 games as well as being an enforcer of note. The Premiership glory that eluded him at Carlton was finally delivered at Richmond.

 

Collingwood had a new coach that day, former premiership player Neil Mann taking the reins from the luckless Bobby Rose. Mann had coached the reserves for over a decade, as well as filling in a few games as senior coach in both 1960, & 1967: now he was the senior coach.

 

Richmond: 4.5.29/ 10.7.67/ 12.8.80/ 16.9.105: McLean 4, Richardson 3, Clay 2, Beckwith, Bond, Boyanich, Dean, Hart, McKellar, Roberts

 

Collingwood: 4.3.27/ 6.7.43/ 6.16.52/ 14.17.101 McKenna 6, Dunne2, Atkinson, Delahunty, Jenkins, Richardson W, Tredrea, Wearmouth

 

The Western Oval saw neighbouring Essendon travel out to the Western Oval to clash with Footscray, who’d won the last five encounters between these two teams. Essendon last saluting in the final home and away game of 1968. This was a new look Essendon side with Collingwood legend Des Tuddenham as their Captain Coach.  Footscray also had a new coach with Tuddenham’s former Collingwood coach Bobby Rose taking over as their coach. Two famous Collingwood names were coaching against each other. How would it go?

 

Essendon started like a bomb going in with a quarter time lead of 34 points. However, in the second term they only managed five points whilst the home side kicked back to draw within eleven points. After the long break a new look Essendon regained their momentum, stretching their lead past the 10-goal mark. Essendon won by 61 points their first victory there since 1968, also their then second biggest winning margin at the Western Oval.

 

In the Essendon line up was ruckman Greg Perry, who last appeared in senior ranks in 1970. In 1971 he was on active duty in Vietnam, one of six Essendon players who saw action during that conflict. With a couple of goals in a winning side, his return to VFL ranks was enjoyable.

 

Leading the way for Essendon was the bespectacled full forward Geoff Blethyn, who slotted home a cool 7 goals. Blethyn had debuted during the 1968 final series. He’d also been Essendon’s leading goal kicker with 33 gaols in 1970.  In this opening round clash Essendon’s twin pronged forward attack of Geoff Blethyn, and Alan Noonan, combined for 12 goals, outscoring Footscray.

 

Essendon was on their way to appearing in the finals for the first time since 1968; for Footscray another year of no finals action loomed.

 

Essendon:  7.7.49/  7.12.54/ 14.17.101/ 18.20.128 Blethyn 7, Noonan 5, Fields 2, Perry2, Gross, Tuddenham

 

Footscray:  2.3.15/ 6.7.43/ 7.9.51/ 9.13.67 Bissett4, Thorpe2, Cook G, Quinlan, Welsh

 

At the Lakeside Oval, South Melbourne hosted Geelong.

 

Reminiscing those days, how it was like in the 20^th century: South Melbourne Football Club, the Lakeside Oval, both long gone.

 

The end of 1971 saw both sides lose star rovers, South Melbourne’s triple Brownlow medallist Bobby Skilton retiring after 237 appearances in club colours, while Geelong saw Billy Goggin retire after 248 games.

 

Geelong was without champion full forward Doug Wade for this encounter. Wade had kicked 94 goals in 1971, though injured himself in the final round.  Returning to the Geelong team for this 1972 opening match was Gareth Andrews. He had been trekking around Europe with teammate Geoff Ainsworth the previous year, though Ainsworth returned for the final game of 1971.

 

In  1971 Geelong had won both encounters between these two, triumphing in the round 2 Lakeside Oval clash by 18 points. Geelong finished the year tenth of twelve teams, the wooden spooners were South Melbourne.

 

South Melbourne jumped away to an early lead. At the long break would Geelong get on top? As an impressionable schoolboy I hoped/expected to, but… oh well.

 

I waited a long time for a 1972 Geelong win: Round 11 to be exact! But that’s another story for another time.

 

One of the recruits that day for South Melbourne was Norm Goss. He was a member of the legendary Port Melbourne Goss clan. Goss helped himself to 17 possessions, capped off with three goals.

 

South Melbourne: 3.5.23/ 6.8.44/ 10.9.69/ 10.13.73 Goss N 3, Hoffman 3, Quade R2, Miller N1, Brice

 

Geelong:  2.0.12/ 7.1.43/ 8.4.52/ 9.7.61 Clarke3, Nankervis I 2, Barkley, Mayne, Newman, Ryan

 

As with every opening round there are your debutants, some of whom became household names, others remain primarily in the memories of sporting aficionados. We’ve touched on a few already.  Some of the others included Ken Marks and Gary Baker for Footscray,  Greg Kennedy  debuting for Carlton, two Geelong forwards David Barkley & Terry Mayne, with Collingwood’s Rob Oborne being yet another neophyte.

 

Glenferrie Oval saw a handy pair of forwards debut that day.  John Hendrie ended up a dual premiership player  with Hawthorn, whilst Ross Brewer turned out for Melbourne, for whom he was their best first year player.  Melbourne was the first of three clubs he’d play for during his career. Of course, dual North Melbourne premiership Arnold Briedis was another handy forward debuting that day.

 

There was of course Ricky Mclean, also Des Tuddenham, playing for the first time with their second team. Tuddenham also being one of the new coaches for 1972, along with his old coach Bob Rose who’d gone to Footscray. Taking over from Rose at Victoria Park was Neil Mann. Capping off the changing coaches was John Nicholls at Princess Park, who like Des Tuddenham was a Captain Coach.

 

195,724 attended these six clashes, three matches on each of the Easter Saturday, then Easter Monday.  When the twelve matches were finished Essendon sat on top of the ladder, Footscray were last.

 

For those who wondered how the first round went the year before, 1971, or in the previous home & away round, round 22, 1971 here are some links.

 

 

To read back through Glen’s summary of Round 1 of the 1971 season, click HERE

 

To look back on the 22nd Round of the 1971 VFL season, click HERE

 

 

 

Glen!

 

 

 

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