South Australia v Victoria 1973: Nevermore

I saw my first state game in 1973. It had a ripsnorting finish. I don’t remember any particular incidents, my main memory was Alex Jesaulenko’s virtuoso performance at full forward.

I went with Steve Ellis and his family – I have no idea why this happened. Steve was one of the many very good players for my local Central Juniors U/13 team, but we were never particularly close. Perhaps his dad Mike felt sorry for me, knowing what damage he was to do to my fragile psyche in a year’s time.

We sat in the wooden bench seats behind the goals at the scoreboard end, arriving just after half time in the curtain raiser.

The Budget shown below was the one I bought on the day, replete with my childish references and doodlings. I wish I’d had the foresight to sell the idea of colourisation to Ted Turner back then, before he came up with the idea of ruining Hollywood’s Golden Age.

(All pictures can be expanded by clicking on them if you wish)

That’s Port’s Peter Woite on the special effects cover (his chaser is possibly Peter Crimmins).

 

The first of many references to now extinct entities in this article goes to John Martin’s, as venerable an institution as Adelaide has ever had.

 

 

This succint preview to the match was close to spot on, but I’m not sure how the captioner mistook Billy Goggin for Big Nick.

 

An ad for the Advertiser, the morning broadsheet, notable for the (now extinct) Chesson footy. It’s morphed into SA’s version of the Herald Sun, with better comics.

 

Patto’s two flags with the Roosters plus their Champions of Australia win had him as a walk up start for the SA coaching job, although Fos, Jack and Kerls had fair records too. His “light gym work” may have got him over the line.

John Kennedy had well and truly earnt his spot as Big V coach.

 

 

Not all of the names in the early fixture went on to higher honours. My interest was in Centrals tyros Wayne Hughes, Chris McLay, Michael Lamont, Russell Cropley (who received a pat on the back from me later in the year when he brought up the ton for Centrals U/19s) and of course, Wilbur Wilson, who was already using his “strong upper body” to good effect.

Those with a keen eye can spot a handful of familiar names, one of which went on the become the step-father of a current AFL coach (am I the only person that has read “Goody”?)

[Update 31/5/18] I could write an entire article on the history of Amscol Footy Colours their various incarnations. Suffice it to say that Amscol ain’t no more.

 

 

Here’s the teams, thanks to Ross Faulkner.

 

 

Not my favourite Golden Fleece ad, there was a better one with Stanley in it from around this period, (yes, add them to the extinct list).

 

 

The coveted Arnott’s Golden Football Award (two points for each win in the League and the Seconds).

The mandatory Coke ad. We used to buy a 26oz bottle at the Goodman Road shops on our way to watching the Centrals U/17s and U/19s at home if we decided not to go to the League game some Saturdays. It would last us the afternoon if you didn’t lose the white plastic stopper/lid thingo.

Arnott’s and Coke are both still going. I sense a conspiracy by “Deep Dentists”.

 

 

Some weeks Creampuff was mildly humorous. Not this week.

 

 

Bill Ryan joined the legion of ex-Victorians operating Gold Coast newsagencies. David Cearns later married Olympic Gold Medallist Glynnis Nunn (nee Saunders). If only Nathan Buckley was ten years older.

The probable SA side to play Queensland mentioned was the second-string version, but there’s still some memory-conjuring names there.

TAA didn’t disappear in the Ansett sense and I’m pleased to report that Trophy House appears to still be going strong.

 

 

The Vics Pen-Pix were chock full of information, but in hindsight they missed the vital “Occupation” category. Jezza had reason to feel somewhat slighted re his mistaken birthplace. There were several players who were in the early stages of their careers (e.g. Wells, Irwin, Richards, Southby, Greig) – the selectors knew what they were doing.

I didn’t follow any particular VFL side, but Al Martello’s huge sideburns drew me to Hawthorn. I had a poster of Barry Davis on my wall, but only because it was inside the only copy of Football Life that I could ever afford.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How did this team lose? I’m swooning just reading these names. Ebert, Robran, Carman, Blight, Sachse, Cornes. All of them were honoured to be picked in the same team as Sonny Morey, Ian Kroehn and Dean Farnham.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This wasn’t my usual Budget match tracking method. The Ellises gave me the tip about using * and ‘-‘ to keep a running tally of notable events, but I don’t remember what the IDIOTS IN FRONT did to upset us. That wasn’t me drawing the Adelaide Oval picket fence, it was Jezza’s goal tally.

 

 

 

In the absence of a magnet board, this had to do instead.

If only Snack chips hadn’t overreached by introducing their gourmet range with flavours such as Barbecue and Salt & Vinegar, they might still be around today.

 

 

 

The last quarter lives on through this clip. Pull up a seat and give it your undivided attention. If you stay to the very end, you’ll hear Wally May give the umpiring of WA’s Ross Capes a very subtle spray. (Thanks to SAfootballarchive)

 

 

 

Big Nick stayed home, but received a mention anyway due to his distinguished record for Victoria.

Kentucky Fried tasted way better back then, but I’m not sure that three meal’s worth was the best way to avoid Doctor Sanders.

 

 

I’m not sure if this was a rehash of something written in 1879 or a 1973 retelling. According to footyjumpers.com the player shown is wearing the SA 1891 kit, which was black and white, so I wasted my textas there.

 

 

The 1963 win over the Vics at the MCG ensured that none of the SA players needed to put his hand in his pocket in an Adelaide pub for years. Fred Bills, Bob Hammond and Robert Oatey were still going around in SA ten years later, as were Doug Wade, Kevin Murray, Doc Baldock (back in Tasmania) and Nicholls.

Stefano’s latest technique is no longer.

 

 

SA caught the Vics on the tail end of an arduous road trip in 1965. The difficulty in the Budget correctly spelling “Grljusich” persisted.

And you can scratch Ansett.

 

 

“Science and purpose” help SA to haul in the Big V half-time lead in 1946 in Melbourne. Gil Langley hadn’t yet made his Test debut, Miller received his first cap a few months prior.

The Arkaba Steak Cellar was indeed famous (but not related to the Arkaba Hotel), but it’s a pop-up Asian-Tex Mex Tapas Organic fusion rooftop bar now.

 

 

Ern Kolosche was the SANFL’s stats bloke for many many years.

I don’t recognise any of those coaching graduates.

Bank of Adelaide, you guessed it, part of ANZ since 1979.

 

 

Hey, wasn’t I neat?

 

 

Take note of July 28 – yep, the Saints v Princes match was part of the official SANFL programme. Gough Whitlam soon fixed that.

 

 

Some random SA v Vic stats and Fred Bear, better known in my household as the manager of the Adelaide Mail Exchange a few years before my late father-in-law.

Gilt Edge, yet another victim of this Budget’s kiss of death.

 

 

More recent stats and some Richmond team-mates.

 

 

The equivalent page in the minor round Budgets was the A-B C-D etc, which didn’t quite work for standalone games.

The News was the local afternoon paper and the beginnings of News Limited. So much to answer for.

 

 

Woodville, a social club masquerading as a football club? Or was that South?

Oil heaters, JD Travers, the centre diamond, Vulcan, Hecla, Wonderheat, Super Convair – gone the lot of ‘em.

 

 

The coveted Viscount Goal of the Day was a highlight of Channel Nine’s Sunday Football Show. Port’s awkward but effective ruckman Paul Marrett won the lobster and the gaspers the previous week.

Russell Cropley kicked 116 goals for Centrals thirds (U/19s) but he wasn’t on the list here after five rounds. There were some huge names in the League aggregate and also Phil Howlett.

I couldn’t wait to see who was winning the Viscount $500 Club Award each week. I’m fibbing.

 

 

Here’s the 1973 Viscount Goals of the Day (thanks again to SAfootballarchive)

 

 

 

Now that’s how you work out percentage.

5KA dealt in “Factual Football”, unlike presumably 5DN, 5AN or 5AD who dished out alternative facts. No, they’re not still on the air. Any of them.

 

 

This template, including the tortured instructions stood the test of time, if not comprehension each week.

And all those horses. Gorn.

 

 

I’m ashamed to admit that I still don’t own a copy of this.

 

 

Eldon Crouch (shown with the Rossie Faulkner Native Brand) was the velvet voiced host of many of Nine’s sports shows and the occasional Magarey Medal count.

“Gentleman” John McInnes is on the left, I reckon that’s Darrell Moss taking the mark for the Bays (thanks to McAlmanac’s 2005 BigFooty post for that confirmation).

 

============================

Here’s how the Budget remembered this game in 1979.

 

=============================

So that’s it, my first state game. Forty five years ago.

Over to you for your recollections please.

 

About Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt

Saw my first SANFL game in 1967 - Dogs v Peckers. Have only ever seen the Dogs win 1 final in the flesh (1972 1st Semi) Mediocre forward pocket for the AUFC Blacks (1982-89) Life member - Ormond Netball Club -That's me on the right

Comments

  1. Stephen Taylor says

    Picked up a couple of names that were familiar to me. Peter Badcock looks like my former science teacher from Wirreanda High School (never knew he was a football coach.)
    The other familiar name was Reg Pollard who was a former player and senior coach at Morphett Vale football club, playing in 4 consecutive senior premierships. (His son Scott would emulate his father’s deeds in the noughties with Morphett Vale’s senior side, as a full forward not a ruckman.)

  2. george smith says

    Memory of Max James. Did not do much at South Melbourne, but appeared in the 1980 reserves grand final against Geelong, probably the last final for South before the big trip north…

    Max came off the bench to the delight of a merry bunch of South Australian supporters, who’d obviously come over for the big day. With Geelong well in front, the chorus in unison:
    “You Geelong blokes are in trouble now, because Maxy’s on the ball!”

    As we know, Richmond destroyed Collingwood, so this was the only highlight of a very bleak day…

  3. I always thought the North Adelaide Amscol Footy Colours were the tastiest.

  4. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Thanks for those recollections Stephen, George and Daly.

    I can’t believe I didn’t make more of a big deal about Footy Colours in the above. The special state team version a few years later was pretty good but the ice cream version of the very early 70s was the best (Centrals came with a white chocolate shell on the top half).

  5. Charlie Brown says

    Swish, was the coaching graduate by the name of Platten related to John? Enjoyed watching the Billy Barrott goal again. But what an insipid looking guernsey WT had!

  6. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Don’t think that was a Sampson Road, Elizabeth Grove Platten, Charlie

    I still maintain that I retrieved that Barrot kick and sent it back over the fence with a nifty left foot snap.

  7. Luke Reynolds says

    The ‘Tiser has better comics than The Phantom, Snake Tales and Hagar?

    Surely that immaculate crossword writing was delivered via the left hand, where all immaculate handwriting comes from?

    Go Vics.

  8. Peter Warrington says

    wow Blight Ebert Cornes Carman and Robran, that is some team!

  9. Hey, Peter Badcock looks like the lead singer of the Sweet, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Connolly
    Same era!

    See also my recent comments on your old post http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/boys-dont-cry-central-juniors-1974-warning-contains-traces-of-laceup/#comment-1050653

    Send in the $1.20 to GPO BOX 103. It might not be too late!

  10. Is Elon Musk Eldon Crouch’s secret love child? Uncanny physical resemblance.
    Seriously, thanks Swish. I’ll be mining the gold in this for days. Moving beyond Tony Giles the second best football(writ)er Yorketown ever produced, I reckon one of the unsung giants of that era was Port Adelaide wingman Bruce Light. Surprised and saddened to see his name on the “In Memorium” board in the AFL Hall of Fame telecast last night.
    We lived in Renmark in 65/66 and I reckon a teenage Bruce Light kicked 100 goals for Waikerie Magpies as a full forward. Loxton had hall of fame Russel Ebert and my Renmark Rovers had Rod Seekamp who became a Norwood stalwart. Hawthorn 61 premiership ruckman captain coached Berri and Jack Oatey brought him down to pinch hit in the ruck for Sturt just for finals. Upper Murray league was pretty good back then.
    But my strongest memories of Light are as a tall barnstorming blonde long haired wingman in Fos Williams’ super conformist short back and sides teams of that era. Clay and Bourke had just pioneered the tall attacking wingman at Richmond in the VFL, and Bruce Light was the SANFL progenitor. Light was the first footballer I ever saw who kicked equally long and well with both feet. Most SA footballers could kick over 50 metres with their dominant foot, but at best a 20 metre chip with the other. Lindsay Head and Paul Bagshaw (2 SA champs) had no left foot to speak of – they always baulked and ran around onto the right.
    It was astonishing to see Light charge forward off the wing to win contested ball and kick over 50 metres long and flat off both sides into the Port forward line. Genuinely someone who could walk into any AFL team today and be a top player without having to modify his game and learn new skills.
    Vale’ Bruce.

  11. Wasn’t the umpiring different back then? Deadly on dropping the ball!!

    Brilliant stuff Swish. What a cracker of a game.

  12. Peter Crossing says

    Thanks for this terrific slice of SA football history, Swish.

  13. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    The Ghost Who Walks, Luke. Yep, left handed (but I throw overarm right handed and underarm left handed)

    I didn’t realise how lucky I was Peter W

    You could be onto something Smithy. Mike Patterson looked liked Engelbert Humperdinck if you squinted.

    PB – I set the Tony Giles trap for you. He must have moved to the big smoke by then (unless the Budget had mislabelled him). Malcolm Hill had a pretty fair strike rate. Brucey Light featured in the goals of the day from that year with a raking right foot major.

    Thanks Dips, I’m pleased to have been there.

    Ta Peter, a slice of Australian football history too.

  14. Dave Brown says

    Fascinating! Some reasonable talent in the school boy team. Love the SANFL logo in the footy book page too (have seen it a couple of times but from memory the SANFL cycled through a few logos in that period before settling on more or less the current design in the early ’80s). As for the radio stations, 5DN and 5AN still effectively operate (there are radio stations on those AM frequencies which claim a continuous heritage). There are stations on the FM band that claim to be the progeny of 5KA and 5AD. But then again David Jones exists in John Martin’s Marion and Rundle Mall footprints so do with that what you will.

    Question – why did Richardson get a yellow colouration?

  15. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Thanks Dave, you’ve made some very good points about the commercial progeny of these advertisers, none of which help my narrative at all.

    I should exhume that Twitter thread about the SANFL logos and how they settled on the current MS-Paint version before MS-Paint was invented. Two separate logos existed simultaneously it seemed.

    I’m guessing that I got my Waynes and Barrys mixed up.

    A sharp-eyed reader from elsewhere pointed out the 1970 Melbourne Cup winner Baghdad Note went around at Morphettville that day.

  16. Malcolm Ashwood says

    Swish love these yes Jezza effectively ended Ian Kroehn career confidence was shot not a era of sports psychcology unfortunately,yes talent in the junior teams,Greg Rix listed as a ruckman ! ( love the links )
    Fun to send the article on as well

  17. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Thanks for flicking this piece around to half of the SA team ‘Book, as well as many of those in the early game.

  18. Swish- you know I love these for their socio-cultural insight as much as the footy history.

    Is there a better SA photo caption than: Ray Huppatz?

    These are endlessly engaging.

  19. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Ta Mickey. I reckon there’s a Uni course in all of this.

  20. Phillip Dimitriadis says

    Fantastic work Swish, on the footy front and the advertising/pop culture of the day. Whatever happened to Golden Fleece ?
    First time I’ve seen a picture of Blighty with mutton chops. They were right in vogue back in ’73.
    And we are the last generation of Australians who flew TAA. Great stuff.

  21. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Thanks Phil. Absorbed by Caltex, you know those supermarkets that sell fuel as a sideline.

  22. An ad from that time that relates to the game was for Yoo Hoo, a chocolate milk that predated Big M by 4 years. Alex Jesaulenko featured in the ad. Maybe it was only produced/distributed in Victoria.

    Glen!

  23. I’m loving all these, Swishter.
    It’s proving how little I know about SA footy.

  24. Dave Brown says

    Yes, I love all that stuff about logos etc Swish (although I may be in rare company). I particularly like how it was normal to change all of those sort of things (songs, guernseys, rules etc.) or at least little import was attached to them. Then at some point we decided that everything was a tradition and must be retained at all cost while the things that were, perhaps, much more important eroded away.

    I’m putting together a mystery team that will include Wayne Richardson… I reckon it’s just a very Richmondy name.

  25. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Things were a lot more localised back then Glen, so Jezza’s Yoo Hoo never made it to SA. But FUIC wasn’t a big thing in SA then either.

    Don’t feel bad Smokie, I’m still learning to become a Victorian after 24 years.

    I’ve got a fair collection of logos now Dave, probably an idea for another article.

  26. I found the last quarter of this game on youtube and was blown away to hear that jezza had just kicked his 9th. Hang on a minute I said to myself, I remember dad taking me to a state game where Jezza kicked 10 on the hapless Ian Kroehn from Centrals in his one and only, bizarrely selected state game. Sure enough, there is Kroehn getting a kick a few minutes later. Dad and I were in the eastern pocket at the end the Vics kicked to in the last quarter, I was 8 yrs old. I remember us being filthy when Kroehn was selected over Peter Woite, Russ was picked on a half back flank, Blighty was on the bench.. crazy selections yet for all that, if we kicked straighter we win.

  27. randal williams says

    Wonderful talent from both States on display here, in a very evenly matched game. You have to feel for Ian Kroehn who had to cope with Alex Jesaulaenko, who kicked 10-2. Players like Keddie, Cornes, Marker, Robran, Carman, Graham and Ebert are household names in SA, while the Victorians had Jezza, Len Thompson, Greig, Southby and Leigh Matthews in amongst a host of star players of that period. . Very good effort by SA in a high quality game, which could serve as a good lesson for today’s coaches in how football should be played..

  28. Daryl Schramm says

    Thanks for reposting Swish. I probably read it at the time on the desktop, which meant I could figure out the small print. Can’t on this phone. I worked with Russell Cropley few a few years in the late seventies. Also played in a winning cricket GF against Royal Park 40 years ago. Their attack was lead by one Paul Marrett.

  29. Daniel Baker says

    Swish I see you mentioned an ex Centrals rover in Chris McLay, I had the pleasure of playing when he was coaching our under 17 interleague side from the mid southeast football league. At the time I didn’t realise he had played league footy with Centrals but just knew him as this little prick who was a still a gun rover with the Robe footy club who at the time was my home side’s arch enemy (Mt Burr)! To cut a long story short I bloody learnt a lot from his coaching from the few training sessions we had with him and he played a lot of quality footy down here in the south east after his league days.

  30. Mark 'Swish' Schwerdt says

    Thanks Daniel, I had no idea where Chris ended up but it seems that he’s still a fixture in the Robe community to this day.

    I expect that he would have flourished away from the rigours of League footy, he was often too courageous for his size and took a regular battering, which accounts for his 50 senior games at the Dogs from 1973-81 and possibly twice as many games in the twos recovering from injury. He was certainly well loved at Elizabeth.

Leave a Comment

*