1978 The year it was

[McAlmanac]

Watching the way Ken Whelan played footy it reminded me of my own football career
I was the guy with the sprig marks in my back

[mal]

Regarding the game in which Bagshaw kicked 10 against Port at Unley, does anyone recall if he played as a permanent forward in that game, or alternated between on the ball and deep in attack (I'm assuming he didn't kick 10 purely as a midfielder).

from what I've read he spent a lot of the season forward.

B4 the 1978 Grand Final

Paul Bagshaw
19 seasons games played
324 0r 325 total career games, and club record holder at this stage
73 goals
194 career goals
32 years old
6''1'
13.0[82 kg]
Joined ST from Mclaren Flat
1964 debut year
B/F 66/69/70/71/77
State player 66/67/71/72/75/77

What a player, with Greenslade and Whelan not playing someone was needed to kick goals
Just goes to show what a versatile footballer Baggy was
Rick Davies in the next decade went from champion ruckman to a start full forward as well

[Adelaide Hawk]

WHELAN
Watching the way Ken Whelan played footy it reminded me of my own football career
I was the guy with the sprig marks in my back

Whelan was special in that whereas most high fliers I've seen needed a few steps before springing into action, Whelan could spring from one step like a roman candle. This made him very difficult to counter. I recall a photo comparing Whelan with a world class ballet dancer, and Whelan's leap was much higher. Incredible athlete. His ability to take these marks allowed him to stay closer to home and kick goals from easy range, also making him a very difficult opponent to counter.

[nickname]

In that photo is that Pettingill that Whelan is climbing on top of?

[Adelaide Hawk]

In that photo is that Pettingill that Whelan is climbing on top of?

Yes it is, and Ian Stasinowsky behind.

[nickname]

Did baggy happen to drop his strides in this match also ?

I'm almost certain that incident happened at Adelaide Oval. And if I was betting on it I'd back my memory and say it was in the south-western pocket. His shorts came loose, he kicked them away and kicked an amazing goal from a very tight angle, in his jockstrap, quite possibly with a checkside punt.

[rd]

Did baggy happen to drop his strides in this match also ?

I'm almost certain that incident happened at Adelaide Oval. And if I was betting on it I'd back my memory and say it was in the south-western pocket. His shorts came loose, he kicked them away and kicked an amazing goal from a very tight angle, in his jockstrap, quite possibly with a checkside punt.

That Bagshaw incident happened at Adel Oval in the 1973 Qualifying Final against North. I am really enjoying this 1978 Season Review although I'm dreading the ending !

[200 Killer Wasps]

Did baggy happen to drop his strides in this match also ?

I'm almost certain that incident happened at Adelaide Oval. And if I was betting on it I'd back my memory and say it was in the south-western pocket. His shorts came loose, he kicked them away and kicked an amazing goal from a very tight angle, in his jockstrap, quite possibly with a checkside punt.

That's not the Adelaide Oval scoreboard in the background. Actually with the terracing I would say a very young Football Park.

[spell_check]

Did baggy happen to drop his strides in this match also ?

I'm almost certain that incident happened at Adelaide Oval. And if I was betting on it I'd back my memory and say it was in the south-western pocket. His shorts came loose, he kicked them away and kicked an amazing goal from a very tight angle, in his jockstrap, quite possibly with a checkside punt.

That's not the Adelaide Oval scoreboard in the background. Actually with the terracing I would say a very young Football Park.

Correct. You can also see the wall up the back without the undercover roof which was not installed until 1981-82.

[dedja]

Definitely Footy Park ... concourse without a roof.

[smithy]

Regarding the game in which Bagshaw kicked 10 against Port at Unley, does anyone recall if he played as a permanent forward in that game, or alternated between on the ball and deep in attack (I'm assuming he didn't kick 10 purely as a midfielder).

from what I've read he spent a lot of the season forward.

B4 the 1978 Grand Final

Paul Bagshaw
19 seasons games played
324 0r 325 total career games, and club record holder at this stage
73 goals
194 career goals
32 years old
6''1'
13.0[82 kg]
Joined ST from Mclaren Flat
1964 debut year
B/F 66/69/70/71/77
State player 66/67/71/72/75/77

What a player, with Greenslade and Whelan not playing someone was needed to kick goals
Just goes to show what a versatile footballer Baggy was
Rick Davies in the next decade went from champion ruckman to a start full forward as well

I started going to the footy the year Baggy retired.
Given he was a star player who could go to full forward and kick a bag, would you compare him to a 70's version of Darren Jarman who was a more than handy full forward when moved there ?

[Adelaide Hawk]

Did baggy happen to drop his strides in this match also ?

I'm almost certain that incident happened at Adelaide Oval. And if I was betting on it I'd back my memory and say it was in the south-western pocket. His shorts came loose, he kicked them away and kicked an amazing goal from a very tight angle, in his jockstrap, quite possibly with a checkside punt.

That's not the Adelaide Oval scoreboard in the background. Actually with the terracing I would say a very young Football Park.

Correct. You can also see the wall up the back without the undercover roof which was not installed until 1981-82.

He's not talking about the photo of Whelan's mark, he's talking about Baggy's goal when he lost his shorts.

[spell_check]

I have seen footage of that actually, the shorts incident. Has to be floating around somewhere - ok, locked up in Ch9 vault and will cost you a pretty penny to send it to you.

[mal]

ROUND 12
JUNE 17 +18

WV 15-18 NA 9-10
NW 15-19 SA 5-9
WT 14-9 GL 8-8
PA 13-14 WA 11-10
ST 26-22 CD 11-14

WT cause another upset by knocking off 2nd placed GL
WT have now won 3 games in a row
ST now have 1 game and plenty of % break on GL in top spot, and with top spot in its grasp would have been the clear fav to win the flag

JUNE 18
25 players named in a squad for the SA V WA state game on 15/7
Graham Cornes was named state captain on 22/7

JUNE 22
GL ruckman Bob Paech has a knee operation

Rod Seekamp retires form league football
Seekamp had a knee operation pre season, but it didnt come up well enough to play
Seekamp 143 games was a wonderful player, and deceptively quick at times

JUNE 23
After a 3 day hearing in the Federal Court of Australia, Brian Adamson falied to gain a clearance to NW


STATE GAME
Just goes to show how serious they took these games, a squad was named with almost 1 months preperation

ADAMSON
Thank goodness he eventually gets a clearance , Im getting RSI posting about him

[robranisgod]

25 players named in a squad for the SA V WA state game on 15/7
Graham Cornes was named state captain on 22/7


STATE GAME
Just goes to show how serious they took these games, a squad was named with almost 1 months preperation

All this preparation for the State game didn't do SA much good. They were slaughtered by WA. After never being able to beat SA in Adelaide, WA did it twice in two seasons, 1977 and 1978.

[dedja]

Watching the way Ken Whelan played footy it reminded me of my own football career
I was the guy with the sprig marks in my back

Mal is Noel Pettingill?

[baggy8]

I started going to the footy the year Baggy retired.
Given he was a star player who could go to full forward and kick a bag, would you compare him to a 70's version of Darren Jarman who was a more than handy full forward when moved there ?

Smithy, IMO that's a very good comparison. Darren Jarman was so much like Baggy on the field; no-one else evens comes close in such a comparison. Very similar height and build (until Fud reached a certain age anyway), magnificent kicking skills (both field and goal), both would easily have kicked 100 in a season if they'd been left to age gracefully at FF for a full season, brilliant body use, similarly brilliant baulking and feinting skills. Neither looked particularly quick, but they were always there at the right time. Have to give Baggy's handballing skills the nod though (which is not to say that Fud wasn't up with the very best).

Both an absolute joy to watch.

[JK]

For me personally, this is the most enjoyable thread on the site ever .. Loved reading the descriptions of Ken Whelan who was just before more time and really hope to see some footage of him some day.

Great job Mal, hope you can do this for other seasons when this one is done

[mal]

The coaches in 1978

CD : DARYL HICKS
GL : JOHN NICHOLS
NA : BARRIE ROBRAN
NW : BOB HAMMOND
PA : JOHN CAHILL
SA : HAYDEN BUNTON
ST : JACK OATEY
WT : NEIL KERLEY
WA : FOS WILLIAMS
WV : JOHN MCINNES

The question is who was the best SANFL coach ?
Ive narrowed it down to 4 of them

I reckon OATEY for revolutionising SANFL football with a new style of footy, when he coached ST
WILLIAMS and CAHILL were great PA coaches
KERLEY was a great impact coach when taking over some struggling clubs

[CK]

The coaches in 1978

CD : DARYL HICKS
GL : JOHN NICHOLS
NA : BARRIE ROBRAN
NW : BOB HAMMOND
PA : JOHN CAHILL
SA : HAYDEN BUNTON
ST : JACK OATEY
WT : NEIL KERLEY
WA : FOS WILLIAMS
WV : JOHN MCINNES

The question is who was the best SANFL coach ?
Ive narrowed it down to 4 of them

I reckon OATEY for revolutionising SANFL football with a new style of footy, when he coached ST
WILLIAMS and CAHILL were great PA coaches
KERLEY was a great impact coach when taking over some struggling clubs

Fantastic question, this debate could go on for days. I don't have memories of Fos Williams at Port, but saw plenty of the other three. From talking to someone who played a lot of football under him, Jack Oatey was revered at Sturt by many - not all - of his players for his tactical knowledge and passion.

Neil Kerley - impact coach was a perfect description, but on the other hand, the way that West dominated the 1983 season is one I'll remember for a long time.

John Cahill was fantastic for Port and utilised the "long, direct, down the middle" style that is so effective, as a rule. Was pivotal to the club's dominance for so long.

Personally, I would agree that Oatey revolutionised with his game style, but from a purely personal level, I prefer the Cahill style of game play. Very difficult to separate all three coaches in their own way, though - could make a great case for any of them.

To open a slightly different question here - would history say that Haydn Bunton Jnr underachieved as a coach? For all of the years in the system, no SANFL flags and apart from 1979, didn't really take South to the next level.