1978 The year it was

[mal]

ROUND 1

NW 11-9 PA 8-12
WA 18-10 WT 14-13
GL 21-7 SA 10-20
ST 18-18 NA 14-15
CD 18-10 WV 9-20

Crowds were interesting
19733 Football Park
6443 Richmond
10203 Glenelg
8343 Unley
4005 Woodville

48727 people attended round 1
The comp was vibrant, SANFL clubs could mostly manage to keep the best to very best players away from the clutches of the VFL
The standard of players and the games played was high
PA set the bar with their relentless style of football in the 1950s
ST in the 1960s revolutionised the SANFL
You could see some of the ST gameplan being used by coaches in the 70s
Handball used to be an escape clause, was now being seen as more of a weapon
The 70s was a great period of time, hence the big crowds
48727 is in a way inflated becoz of the 5 games, and that NW played PA, but still a fair turnup

SA + WV both had more scoring shots than their oppoents but were crushed 40+

I recall being one of the 19733 at Football Park that day, but recall nothing of that game, 33 years was a long time ago

GL beat SA by 53 points
Fred Phillis kicked 10 goals
Freddys total was then 826 goals
Jack Owen had a career tally of 827 a club record

QUESTION

CHURCHETT
OWENS
PHILLIS
Which of these 3 full forwards would be the best ?

PS
IF anyone has info on these games feel free to post about it

[robranisgod]

The comp was vibrant

I would disagree with that comment "Mal". By 1978 the competition was being dominated by the clubs with money. Those clubs struggling cash wise weren't able to compete long term with the wealthy clubs who were picking the eyes out of the competition. By 1978 one eastern suburbs club was going around buying every talented junior imaginable leaving the clubs with less funds wallowing. The competition was much, much more vibrant in the 1960s and early 1970s -even though Port, Sturt and to a lesser extent North dominated, the competition didn't have clubs almost going to the wall as it did constantly by the late 1970s.

[mal]

ROBGOD
As a whole the SANFL was vibrant in 1978 in my eyes.
My point being that the VFL was not raping and over recruiting the playing stocks of the SANFL clubs
The raping and recruiting , and these days the drafting of players has since 1978 been decimating the standard of the SANFL
My view is purely SANFL/VFL

As for 'individual' wealthier SANFL clubs recruiting more players or obtaining juniors in 1978, yes I can agree to that
So within the SANFL the 'vibrancy' factor was to an extent being consumed by the allmighty $

NORWOOD
Is this the Eastern suburbs side in question ?
IF so I reckon it was the 1970/80s that Norwood alledgedly poached some juniors by paying top $$$ to them or the clubs to obtain them
One alledged story going around was that NW were paying about $2,000 to sign up these juniors ???


In any case , irrespective of what was happening within the SANFL, the main point was that most good and great SANFL footballers played out thier careers or most of thier careers at thier clubs.
Some like Ebert, Davies, Cornes did go to the VFL, but only after playing a lot of games in the SANFL

Unlike currently when any South Australian footballer with a glimmerish of abilty is whisked away in the AFL draft
Some of these players are still virgins, have not voted, and overstocking on Clearasil

[smithy]

R HUTTON

From memory, this is Russell Hutton?

He also played at Sturt?

It's the same one GWW.

Wore number 5 and I reckon called it quits in 1984.
Pity John McInnes wasn't given more opportunity to coach at league level either.

[robranisgod]

ROBGOD
As a whole the SANFL was vibrant in 1978 in my eyes.
My point being that the VFL was not raping and over recruiting the playing stocks of the SANFL clubs
The raping and recruiting , and these days the drafting of players has since 1978 been decimating the standard of the SANFL
My view is purely SANFL/VFL

As for 'individual' wealthier SANFL clubs recruiting more players or obtaining juniors in 1978, yes I can agree to that
So within the SANFL the 'vibrancy' factor was to an extent being consumed by the allmighty $

NORWOOD
Is this the Eastern suburbs side in question ?
IF so I reckon it was the 1970/80s that Norwood alledgedly poached some juniors by paying top $$$ to them or the clubs to obtain them
One alledged story going around was that NW were paying about $2,000 to sign up these juniors ???


In any case , irrespective of what was happening within the SANFL, the main point was that most good and great SANFL footballers played out thier careers or most of thier careers at thier clubs.
Some like Ebert, Davies, Cornes did go to the VFL, but only after playing a lot of games in the SANFL

Unlike currently when any South Australian footballer with a glimmerish of abilty is whisked away in the AFL draft
Some of these players are still virgins, have not voted, and overstocking on Clearasil

Yes, Norwood only had to pay $2,000 per junior to obtain their clearance. Many, many juniors were lured to Norwood that way. What I am saying that the haves versus have nots had really taken hold by the late 1970s. I would be interested to compare the crowds with the first round of 1964 when Central District and Woodville came into the competition. I know per capita the biggest crowds in the SANFL were the 1950s and 1960s.

[Adelaide Hawk]

The $2,000 paid for juniors was an SANFL rule at the time and Norwood were playing within the rules. I just wanted to point that out. I also doubt that the rule existed in 1978, it was more in vogue in the early-mid 80s.

[Adelaide Hawk]

R COUDRAYE...ruckman ?

I have a feeling this might be Roger Coudraye who was a PE Teacher at my high school in the 1980's (Murray Bridge High).

Yes I reckon it was
Was a beanpole ruckman from memory

I played basketball against a team of Woodville footballers, I think they were called the Peckers. John Girardi was in the team, and he was one of the "short ones". I can't recall the entire line up but Max Parker was one, I think both of the Brenton brothers, and I think Roger Coudraye. As you can see, they had a lot of height, and they weren't a bad side either.

[nickname]

The $2,000 paid for juniors was an SANFL rule at the time and Norwood were playing within the rules. I just wanted to point that out. I also doubt that the rule existed in 1978, it was more in vogue in the early-mid 80s.

I'm not sure when it came in but there was and is also a limit on how many juniors a club can buy from outside its zone. Up until recently (and it may still be the case) I think that limit was five.

[robranisgod]

The $2,000 paid for juniors was an SANFL rule at the time and Norwood were playing within the rules. I just wanted to point that out. I also doubt that the rule existed in 1978, it was more in vogue in the early-mid 80s.

I'm not sure when it came in but there was and is also a limit on how many juniors a club can buy from outside its zone. Up until recently (and it may still be the case) I think that limit was five.

There was no limit in the early days. In fact I know of a club (not Eastern suburbs this time) who sold an interstate player to another club for $35,000 and immediately purchased 17 juniors with that money.

No one said Norwood did anything against the rules, it just highlighted the battle that some of the less financial clubs had in competing by the time of the late 1970s. I can remember being at an under 15s carnival in the late 1970s where Norwood officials were marking off all the promising players from the other clubs and were commenting on how they would offer certain players tuition at Princes and that others would be offered a cash incentive to come to play for Norwood. $2,000 seemed chicken feed to them. It just rankled me at the time - and made me think that we weren't competing on a level playing field.

The limit on number of players that you could purchase never came about until either the late 1980s or early 1990s.

[mal]

APRIL 4
It was reported that PA were after big name VFL superstar Bernie Quinlan
It was said that PA were prepared to pay $100,000 to secure Quinlan

APRIL 6
Footscray refused an offer from PA to secure Quinlan

APRIL 7
RI cleared Graeme Robertson to WA
Robertson was named to make his debut in round 2

Big news from NA was a shock selection in round 2
Barrie Robran was named to play on the Interchange
This was to be Barries first game back since 1976


QUINLAN
This $100k recruiting attempt was big news at the time
Just how close PA got might never be known
Superboot Quinlan was a superstar
PA prob wanted a player in the SANFL that could kick further than Noel Pettingill !!!!!!

ROBRAN
Robran playing again would have absolutely thrilled NA barrackers[it thrilled me]
I had always hoped he would play again back in those days
Despite being an avid NW barracker, I always wanted to see the very best players playing at all times
I was dazzled to see the greats Robran, Ebert, Carman, Davies etc in those days

[Adelaide Hawk]

a player in the SANFL that could kick further than Noel Pettingill !!!!!!

No such animal
Bob Shearman was the only one who came close.

With Quinlan, Collingwood were the club expected to snare him in 1978 but somehow he ended up at Fitzroy.

[mal]

Could Diamond Jim Tilbrook kick a screwy as far as a Noel Pettingill drop punt ?

[Adelaide Hawk]

Could Diamond Jim Tilbrook kick a screwy as far as a Noel Pettingill drop punt ?

No. Pettingill was in a class of his own when it came to distances. He was a freak.

[mal]

Pettingill consitently kicked his monster punts and would be the longest kick of them all
But guys like
Diamond Jim Tilbrook
MAL Blight
Billy Barott
Jeff Ferring
Have produced a long kick/ long kicks during thier careers


Was Ferring a one kick wonder ?
Saw him kick a ball that went forever one day [Football Park?]

[CK]

Gents like Mal, Adelaide Hawk may know this one for sure - but Mum swears that she was at Football Park one day and saw Jim Thiel mark his own kick, the wind was that strong. He launched into one against the gale, it went about 30m or so and he was able to run to it and mark it himself - does anyone remember this one?

[Adelaide Hawk]

Gents like Mal, Adelaide Hawk may know this one for sure - but Mum swears that she was at Football Park one day and saw Jim Thiel mark his own kick, the wind was that strong. He launched into one against the gale, it went about 30m or so and he was able to run to it and mark it himself - does anyone remember this one?

I have vague recollection of it, so I'm sure it happened. Just don't recall the details. The one I always remember when it comes to windy days was back in the 1960s I was watching the Reserves at Adelaide Oval on TV and a Sturt player named Joe Westrych kicked the ball. He failed to keep it low, it held up ion the wind and then blew back 30 metres over his head.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Was Ferring a one kick wonder ?
Saw him kick a ball that went forever one day [Football Park?]

Not a one kick wonder as such, he booted a goal from centre when playing for St.Kilda. However, unlike Pettingill who was a consistently long kick, Fehring would really strike the ball hard causing a lot of balls to fly off the side of the boot, mistimed kicks, etc. A very inconsistant kick but when he hit one right, it really flew.

[robranisgod]

Gents like Mal, Adelaide Hawk may know this one for sure - but Mum swears that she was at Football Park one day and saw Jim Thiel mark his own kick, the wind was that strong. He launched into one against the gale, it went about 30m or so and he was able to run to it and mark it himself - does anyone remember this one?

I don't remember the Jim Thiel incident, but in 1989 Glenelg were playing North in atrocious conditions at Footy Park and Kym Hodgeman definitely did something similar. He managed to run and mark his extremely high kick. Furthermore the umpire paid the mark, which of course is a completely incorrect decision, It must have been one of Hodgeman's last games.

[smithy]

Gents like Mal, Adelaide Hawk may know this one for sure - but Mum swears that she was at Football Park one day and saw Jim Thiel mark his own kick, the wind was that strong. He launched into one against the gale, it went about 30m or so and he was able to run to it and mark it himself - does anyone remember this one?

I don't remember the Jim Thiel incident, but in 1989 Glenelg were playing North in atrocious conditions at Footy Park and Kym Hodgeman definitely did something similar. He managed to run and mark his extremely high kick. Furthermore the umpire paid the mark, which of course is a completely incorrect decision, It must have been one of Hodgeman's last games.

I reckon I seen footage of that game on Magarey night but on that occasion it was Darren Jarman ( I think) who kicked the ball and the camera footage showed the ball basically stopping mid air and head backwards.

[JK]

Gents like Mal, Adelaide Hawk may know this one for sure - but Mum swears that she was at Football Park one day and saw Jim Thiel mark his own kick, the wind was that strong. He launched into one against the gale, it went about 30m or so and he was able to run to it and mark it himself - does anyone remember this one?

If that happened my guess would be in the 81 prelim when apparently it was blowing a gale (that we kicked into for 3 quarters )