’73 - junior footy

 highwater mark

LOOKING back 50 years it’s amazing how junior football numbers around Greater Hamilton have progressively collapsed. 

In 1973, when Western Border had already started draining players from the Hamilton Junior Football League six competitive U18 teams remained.

They were St Andrews, Monivae Red, St Mary’s, College, Monivae Gold & Monivae Blue.

Western Border U18s that year was divided into two competitions, an east zone for Victorian teams and a west zone for South Australians.

The Victorian U18 ladder at season’s end was Coleraine 56, Hamilton 40, Portland 36, Imperials 36, Heywood 12 and Casterton nil.    

The amalgamated interstate thirds competition many of us grew up with first kicked off in 1974, exactly 10 years after the WBFL was established, starting with senior and reserves grades only.

During the off-season Monivae College considered joining this new U18 competition but that never eventuated due to the travel distances involved.  

Portland took last “divided” U18 flag

THE Maroons, who before Sunday’s grand final had an unbeaten record against Portland, took the lead half-way through the third quarter after several towering marks by their resting ruckman and captain, L. McDonald.

 The side held a seven-point break until the final term when the lead changed on many occasions – including four times in the last five minutes.

Grand final details…

Portland           4.0       8.2       11.5     15.6… (96)

Coleraine         2.7       4.12     10.16   12.21…(93)

Best: PORTLAND – Fraser, Kinnaird, Richardson, Sheppard, Gazzard. COLERAINE – McDonald, Vickery, Ferguson, Beaton, Harriott, Barnes, Mitchell.

Goals: PORTLAND – Barker 4, Cancian 3, Harris, Britton, Holt 2, Melis, Spencer. COLERAINE – Harriott 3, McDonald, Greed, Barnes, Vickery 2, Cameron.

At: Melville Oval, Hamilton. Gate: $311. Umpire: B. Schurmann.

And still HJFL league soldiered on

DESPITE increassing pressure on junior football numbers HJFL still fielded nine teams in U13 – Kokoda, Magpies, St Mary’s Gold, St Mary’s Green, Patterson Park, Monivae, St Andrews, Branxholme and Hamilton College.   

In U15 there were seven – Kokoda, Patterson Park, Monivae Blue, Monivae Red, St Andrews, St Mary’s and College.

Then, too, neighbouring towns like Casterton, Coleraine, Heywood/Portland had local underage

competitions.

Hamilton Junior Football League played out the 1973 grand finals as follows…

UNDER-18: St Mary’s 8.12 (60) d St Andrew’s 5.7 (37).

 Goals: ST MARY’S – T. Wilson, G. McLeod 2, G. Doherty, G. Storer, M. Turner, M. Hiscock. ST ANDREW’S – P. Richards 2, Baulch, Gunning, Wilson.

 Best: ST MARY’S – Peters, Hurley, Ryan, Franklin, Wilson, Newell. ST ANDREW’S – Brereton, Herrman, Wilson, Nagorcka, Kennett.

 Winners of the trophies donated by the Hamilton Imperials and Collingwood football clubs:

 ST MARY’S – David Hurley (Imperials, Collingwood), R. Ryan (Hamilton).

 ST ANDREW’S – C. Nagorcka (Hamilton, Imperials), P. Richards (Collingwood).

UNDER-15: St Mary’s 10.8 (68) d St Andrew’s 5.5 (35).

 Goals: ST MARY’S – W. Fletcher 4, C. Mooney 2, W. Feely, B. Waight, M. Soulsby, D. Franklin. ST ANDREW’S – C. Mitchell 3, R. Sherren, C. Murphy.

 Best: ST MARY’S – S. McDonald best on ground, followed by M. Soulsby, W. Fletcher, C. Mooney, F. O’Connell, J. Kidney, P. Soulsby. ST ANDREW’S – Overall, J. Orton, C. Herrman, M. Mirtschin, A. Baulch, P. English.

UNDER-13: Monivae 6.4 (40) d St Andrew’s 5.4 (34).

 Goals: MONIVAE – O’Loughlin 3, McLeod, Officer, Payne. ST ANDREW’S – B. Schultz 2, T. Orton, P. Orton, G. English.

 Best: MONIVAE – O’Beirne, Cantwell, Officer, Delahunty, Dubois, O’Loughlin, Rhook. ST ANDREW’S – B. Schultz, P. Clarke, R. Lewis, J. Gaylard, G. English, G. Watt, P. Brewer, J. Barham, T. Orton.

Saints a late junior powerhouse    

SURPRISINGLY, with a big primary school feeding players directly into church-based teams, St Mary’s were slow to hit the highs in all grades.    

The club rarely looked outside this community for coaches, with familiar names like Alf Callaway, Ron Donne, Owen Fletcher, Jim Fletcher and Mick Feely among those bringing a belated flag.

One from left-field was Peter Murphy (pictured), parish priest from 1970-73.

He won with the U13s in 1972, the year before Ron Donne went back-to-back.     

Fr Murphy’s footy resume was modest. In the early 60s while a rookie priest at Koroit he played three seasons with nearby Tower Hill, and coached juniors in Portland.

He told the Spec years ago: “I didn’t want the job. I was a bit sick of it after doing it in Portland”. But the club said I’d be a good influence and I finally went along to a meeting”.

At the meeting, he told the committee he’d take the position on two conditions: he’d need an assistant coach, and he and the assistant would be the only selectors.

 They agreed to the first condition, but not the second.

“They said, ‘No, we can’t do that’. So I said, ‘Okay then’, and walked out.”

After that breakdown in negotiations, the club called Peter two weeks later saying it still wanted him to coach, but couldn’t he soften on his second condition?

“I said, ‘No’. . .”

St Mary’s finally gave into the priest’s demands.

 “I still had run-ins with fathers as it was, who didn’t like their sons being taken off.”

After securing the coach position, Peter took his charges to the grand final in his first year and won premierships in the two subsequent seasons.

“A funny thing though. St Mary’s had never won a premiership in under-13s, 15s or 18s, but the kids that won under-13s premierships went on to win them in the higher grades.”

Club colours date back to WW1.

ACCORDING to historian, Jim Eveston, after the Great War the men who returned to Hamilton were looking to play sport.

At the time Hamilton Magpies were operating in the major competition and it was difficult to accommodate all who wished to play.

A scratch match was arranged on Melville Oval between Tarrington and whoever else turned up.

The newcomers not having jumpers turned whatever they brought inside out.     

With so many players interested this led to a team to be called St Mary’s.

The green and gold colors belonged to the pre-war Catholic Young Men’s Society.  

The team operated successfully winning premiers and champions in 1951.

Eventually due to teams pulling out of the Wallacedale & District League and the high cost of fielding a senior side the team went into recess, handing over its assets to St Mary’s junior teams which continued for many decades to come.     

Caption….

IT was a night of reminiscing, when St Mary’s U18 HJFL premiers gathered for a 50-year reunion last month.

With 13 former players converging at Alexandra House, it was a late night for many of them, having not seen each other for many years.

The premiership flag, time bell and a playing jumper were all part of the celebration.

Players who have since died were also remembered on the night, including Michael Considine, Grant Newell, Steve McArthur and premiership coach, Ron Donne.