Living History

A day at the Footy: Part 1

My best friend Charlie was a West Torrens supporter, which is the main reason Saturday 15 July 1967 found me, an ardent Port Adelaide fan, at Elizabeth Oval for the meeting of home side Central District and the Eagles.

Accompanying us was Charlie's granddad - 'Pops' - a jocular and, to my youthful perception, extraordinarily wizened man, with brown teeth and firm, unwavering opinions. Some of these opinions related to footy, and were characteristically expressed with adamantine terseness, almost as if by rote,

‘How do you think Centrals will go against Torrens at the weekend, Pops?’

‘Ah, no hope Centrals, no hope.’ (Uttered machine gun style, almost as a single word, and rounded off with a half embarrassed, mirthless chuckle.)

‘What about Sturt against South?’

‘Ah, no worries Sturt, no worries.’ (The same knee-jerk, staccato certainty; the same mirthless laugh.)

Regardless of the opposition, Pops's answers never varied. Centrals was always ‘no hope’, Sturt ‘no worries’.

Mind you, in 1967 you did not have to be a football genius to make these kinds of prognostications. The premiership ladder printed inside the 'SA Football Budget' for 15 July made the contemporary balance of power clear: Sturt had 11 wins after 12 games to head the ladder. North Adelaide was next with 10 wins followed by Port Adelaide (eight), Norwood (seven), Glenelg (six), South Adelaide (five), West Adelaide (five), West Torrens (five), Central District (two) and Woodville (one).

However, what the ladder did not reveal was the recent trend of disastrous form that had seen West Torrens sustain five consecutive losses to tumble from third from top after seven rounds, to third from bottom prior to this match. Indeed, so poor had Torrens' recent displays been, that the Budget writer felt justified in suggesting that ‘All Centrals need is a return to top form from Tom Grljusich, to be reasonably confident of their third win for the season’.

Originally from South Fremantle, where he would return at the end of the season, Bulldogs vice-captain Grljusich was a strong marking, quick thinking, powerful key position player who, along with Ken Eustice, formed the backbone of Centrals' woefully under-resourced and extremely inexperienced side. Other key players for the Bulldogs included Sonny Morey, an original member of the club's League team whose career would finally blossom after Eustice's replacement as Centrals coach, Dennis Jones, transformed him from a livewire but erratic wingman into the best rebounding back pocket in the state; former East Fremantle rover Keith Shorthill; promising ruckman Gary Smith; and long kicking full back Terry Phillips, who later in the year would beat off the challenges of players from Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania to win the inaugural 'Craven Filter Champion Kick of Australia' contest.

On paper, West Torrens had a much stronger line-up than Centrals, even allowing for the absence through injury of two key players in the shape of centre half forward Geoff Kingston and ruckman Chris Butler. In Lindsay Head, the Eagles had one of the most skilful players in the League, indeed in Australia, while centre half back Glen Pill, utility Fred Bills, rover David Lee, half forward Peter Phillipou, and full back Tracy Braidwood were all players of the top rank. Also appearing for the Eagles in this match was a man by the name of Wayne Jackson, who would later enjoy much greater notoriety as a football administrator.

In the view of Pat Hall, writing in Footy World, ‘there is no doubt that Torrens have the ability to extend any side in the competition, if they decide to put their best foot forward’. This ability had been amply demonstrated during the first meeting between Torrens and Centrals in 1967 when, in round four at Thebarton, the Eagles had enjoyed an effortless 59 point success, but since then the players' confidence had declined appreciably.

At season's end, second year coach Ron Ashby would become the inevitable scapegoat for the team's decline, making way for former Essendon and Victorian interstate rover Johnny Birt.

In contrast to the old world charm of Thebarton, the verdant splendour of Adelaide, the almost palpable air of tradition at Alberton, or the ramshackle claustrophobia of Norwood, Elizabeth Oval in 1967 was a threadbare and uninviting place. Despite the fact that you were only some 24 kilometres from the heart of Adelaide, you almost got the feeling that you had 'gone bush' with, as suggested above, some of the football played by the home side only serving to reinforce the impression.

During the interval between the seconds game (won surprisingly by ninth placed Centrals against second placed Torrens by 60 points), a brief ceremony took place out on the ground in which the general manager of John Martins donated a perpetual best and fairest trophy to the Central District Football Club. At the time, such an event was a comparative novelty, with business and football enjoying at best a platonic friendship rather than the full-blown love affair that would all too rapidly develop.

After the two teams had engaged in a couple of warm up laps, and had their sprigs and fingernails inspected, Torrens captain Fred Bills won the toss and elected to kick to the southern end of the ground, which was favoured by a fairly stiff, four or five goal breeze.

John, Victoria

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