SA Footy

Before I get started, let me point right out from the start that this is not some type of shot at the West Torrens Football Club whom I have every respect for, yet is designed to be a thread focused on the Woodville Football Club and where they might be today if they had not merged with West Torrens. So please dont take any offence Eagles fans!

Considering the rise and rise of the Central District football club from the late 1990's to today, I do reflect on the other club that began at the same time as Central Districts being the Woodville Woodpeckers. Woodville had been an amatuer league side formed in 1938 and were admitted to the SANFL in 1964. Their achievements were few, yet not really much different in number to that of my own club in the same time. They won the night competition in 1972 and again in 1988. The best finish for the Peckers was third in 1986 four years prior to the merger. The Reserves won the premiership in 1973 & 1987.

It seems to me that towards the end of the 1980's was when Woodville really began to hit their straps and see some success. They played in the finals in 1986 and 1987. Malcom Blight and Stephen Nichols both cracked the tonne in the goal kicking stakes. Less than three years later in 1990 the club amalgamated with West Torrens and the rest is history.

Woodville were not financially all that bad at the time of the merger and did not need to merge as much as Torrens did who were having issues with the work that the council has and is carrying out at Thebarton Oval. It is my opinion that Woodville were seen by the SANFL as an easy target for a merger and pressured to go down that pathway.

At the same time West Torrens were being allocated a recruiting area in the outer North Eastern Suburbs - Modbury / Tea Tree Gully and if the merger had not gone ahead there was talk that West Torrens were looking at moving there which if that had gone ahead would have left Woodville as the dominant side in the Inner Western Suburbs.

Fast forward to todays modern SANFL competition and I do think that Woodville would have won a Premiership and have had several years of finals football under their belt by now. They had a surprisingly high number of resiliant supporters who have been a big part of WWT success today and no doubt would have been part of the same with Woodville if they had of been given that opportunity.

Interested to hear your thoughts on where you think Woodville would be today, especially if you were a Woodville supporter!

The other question that I have is to those old School Woodville supporters, is which side you go for now? Did you go with the merged club, or did you move your allegiance to another SANFL side?

I would like to hear what West Torrens fans think how their club would be faring in 2008.

Im a woodville man since 1980

Good topic Sojournor moved it to teh history forum though.

1980 Tassie Medalist wrote:Good topic Sojournor moved it to teh history forum though.

Fair enough although I am hoping for posts based in a future tense as opposed to a historical tense though!

The major factor to not forget in this nostalgic speculation is the entry of the Crows in 1991 which, as we all know, completely changed the SANFL landscape.

Traditionally stronger and better supported clubs like Glenelg, Sturt, North, Norwood and Port all struggled at different stages in the post 1991 era. Yes, Woodville could have emulated Centrals, but more likely would have faced hard times like most of the other teams did. And without the same supporter base it would have been even tougher.

The fact that solid football people at the club, like Bill Sanders, chose to merge says to me that they pulled out the crystal ball in 1990 and didn't like what they saw. If they felt the club could have won a premiership, or even been able to simply survive on it's own, then they would have taken that option surely. So, to me, that's the answer.

Also, West Torrens FC would have likely died if not for the merger so any speculation about a Woodville premiership, probably needs to assume it happened in a 9 team comp, as Mr66 pointed out.

For all the emotion of 1986, it saw the club's only 2 finals wins in its 27 year history and 1 of only 3 times it ever made the finals. Since the merger, it's been part of a team that's been a regular finalist.

They were great days with the Warriors and I officially nominate WOODWT as the no 1 Warriors supporter I knew

Here's a couple of pointers to the comparative state of the two clubs at the time of the merger. With nearly 20 years' hindsight, I'm not so sure I should have so readily put my hand up at the merger vote. The only votes against, interestingly enough, were from players.

In those days, I think, recruiting was more dominately through local leagues and zones, although there were always some interstate imports. Support was often fairly local too. Port, Woodville, West Torrens, West Adelaide, and Glenelg, between them made the no longer expanding as much western suburbs rather crowded - particularly at the northern end - and Torrens and Woodville struggled for players and support. I doubt either would have survived without the merger.

Great snap McAL.........those poles look bigger than Norths.......

If you have anymore, please put them in the photo album forum please..........great stuff.

smithy wrote:Great snap McAL.........those poles look bigger than Norths.......

If you have anymore, please put them in the photo album forum please..........great stuff.

Thanks tp my dear late mother for the snaps. There was no more diehard Pecker/Warrior.

I will put them in that forum - in the meantime, they can be viewed Legends of Woodville. Select Cheer Squad from the drop down box.

With their small supporter base and the new AFL club based on the Western suburbs I think the advent of the Crows spent doom for both West Torrens and Woodville. If it didn't happen in 1990 it would've happened within three years and we would've had the Eagles as they are now in a familiar guise.

At best for Woodville Torrens would've folded - given their financial state and Woodville would have been left on their own. Not sure they would've had the same success as the Eagles as the sponsors and supporters of Torrens wouldn't have neccessarily jumped onto the Woodville Warriors if Torrens folded.

An interesting topic .I was a West Torrens supporter since 1975 .I have been a Woodville West Torrens since the merger.
Interesting topic why not go back to the 60's .Woodville was formed out of an area that was West Torrens.No Woodville how different would have West torrens been.
Or go back even further how much better would Port Adelaide have been if The Port Natives (who became West Torrens) had stayed at Alberton!
It does no good looking back and think what if .Yes we merged and we all lost something but we gained two things that we would not have had as single clubs two FLAGS!!

And something my lad picked up on how did West Torrens and West Adelaide survive for so long so close together .You could throw in Woodville and Port Adelaide as well .Four clubs all close together.

McAlmanac wrote:Here's a couple of pointers to the comparative state of the two clubs at the time of the merger. With nearly 20 years' hindsight, I'm not so sure I should have so readily put my hand up at the merger vote. The only votes against, interestingly enough, were from players.

I held that banner, i was on the left pole, the woodville one that is
I havent seen it for a long time

Mickyj wrote:An interesting topic .I was a West Torrens supporter since 1975 .I have been a Woodville West Torrens since the merger.
Interesting topic why not go back to the 60's .Woodville was formed out of an area that was West Torrens.No Woodville how different would have West torrens been.
.

Interesting you should say that because most books I've read almost always state that Torrens had the 2nd biggest supporter base behind Port in the 40's and 50's.
THe formation of Woodville could be attributed to a downfall in support for West Torrens.

Bring back the Peckers Disco I say !!!

smithy wrote:

Mickyj wrote:An interesting topic .I was a West Torrens supporter since 1975 .I have been a Woodville West Torrens since the merger.
Interesting topic why not go back to the 60's .Woodville was formed out of an area that was West Torrens.No Woodville how different would have West torrens been.
.

Interesting you should say that because most books I've read almost always state that Torrens had the 2nd biggest supporter base behind Port in the 40's and 50's.
THe formation of Woodville could be attributed to a downfall in support for West Torrens.

And I wasn't born in the 40's or 50's .
Emotions do get the better of me and I like to defend my team .Watched some of the lads from all the teams today with the banner.Turned to my Brother in law today and said those guys mostly the chap from westies with the loud voice are all hardcore SANFL fans .Heard my lad say dad we are hardcore sanfl fans as well.
Back on topic I even heard today people talking about Torrens up modbury way by the time of the merger that area was well and truly gone and given to Norwood .
I know this topic brings peoples emotions out yes I lost Torrens and yes others lost woodville .Both groups while losing a little have gained 2 flags .Neither would have won them if they had not merged and I am sure my torrens would have died.

McAlmanac wrote:Here's a couple of pointers to the comparative state of the two clubs at the time of the merger. With nearly 20 years' hindsight, I'm not so sure I should have so readily put my hand up at the merger vote. The only votes against, interestingly enough, were from players.

The sorry thing to see from both photo's is the crowd numbers .With the Sewer pic the oval looks packed the last game between the two clubs so few watching .

smithy wrote:

Mickyj wrote:An interesting topic .I was a West Torrens supporter since 1975 .I have been a Woodville West Torrens since the merger.
Interesting topic why not go back to the 60's .Woodville was formed out of an area that was West Torrens.No Woodville how different would have West torrens been.
.

Interesting you should say that because most books I've read almost always state that Torrens had the 2nd biggest supporter base behind Port in the 40's and 50's.
THe formation of Woodville could be attributed to a downfall in support for West Torrens.

I believe Torrens' average crowd in 1963 was of the order of 17,000. There is no doubting that Woodville eked away at their support.

McAlmanac wrote:

smithy wrote:

Mickyj wrote:An interesting topic .I was a West Torrens supporter since 1975 .I have been a Woodville West Torrens since the merger.
Interesting topic why not go back to the 60's .Woodville was formed out of an area that was West Torrens.No Woodville how different would have West torrens been.
.

Interesting you should say that because most books I've read almost always state that Torrens had the 2nd biggest supporter base behind Port in the 40's and 50's.
THe formation of Woodville could be attributed to a downfall in support for West Torrens.

I believe Torrens' average crowd in 1963 was of the order of 17,000. There is no doubting that Woodville eked away at their support.

That is a very romantic notion McAlmanac .
I am only 45 and started attending games in 1975 .From that date until the merger I noticed that crowd numbers would go up and down .But like today's cellar deweller's it really depended on if a team was winning and quite honestly West Torrens only won a fair few matches under Neil Kerly.And I hate to say that as I think he did more damage than good.

Perhaps the romantic view is much better that both teams accepted each other and we all returned to one big family .

Woodville Cheer Squad circa 1981!