SANFL 19OO-1959

SECOND SEMI FINAL 1988

PA...3-9...5-14...9-15...10-17 [77]
NW..0-0...0-1.....1-1......2-5 [17]

A game I should remember Scrunch
I could not attend and listened to this match on the radio
Almost on siren time the commentator said something like this :
* Norwood player has a shot for goal as the siren goes , makes no difference to the game as Port win , the ball has gone through for a point.*

Whaddaymean it made no difference !
Of course that point made a difference
It brought the margin from 61 to 60 points
Yours truly had a footy treble into this game with PA to win between 1-60 points
It paid a considerable amount of money , so whilst my team was annihilated, at least my pocket expenditure account swelled

I cant recall the Norwood player who scored that point
I think it was described as a long kicked point

Scrunch wrote:

rocket_rooster wrote:

Scrappy wrote:1989 GRAND FINAL

PA 5-5...9-7...11-11...15-18 [108]
NA 0-2...0-3....1-6.......1-8 [14]

A lot of ridicule and embarrassment after that 1-8 [14] effort
Some NA supPORTers have had to put up with the indignity ever since

1905 GRAND FINAL

NA 1-1...2-7...4-7...6-8 [44]
PA 1-1...1-1...1-2...1-6 [12]

The PA 1-6 [12] is the lowest SANFL Grand Final score
If you supPORT North , you needed to know or be reminded of the 1905 Grand Final

Yes. I have won money on the fact that Port hold the record for the lowest Grand Final score.

That Port late 1980s defence was impassable.

What did Norwood score against it the year before in the second semi final?

From a very rusty memory I think Port beat Norwood in the 88' 2nd Semi 10.17 to 2.5. Beautiful sunny day, perfect weather for football. Those Port teams were ridiculously hard to score against.

The 1988 Port half back line of Abernethy, Phillips and Leslie is the greatest half back line that I have ever seen in SANFL football. I couldn't imagine a stronger one. Then there was Delaney at full back and Fiacchi in the back pocket. Impassable.

I think that Rodney Maynard from Centre Half Back was Norwood's leading goal scorer in that second semi final.

Yes I think Rocket kicked one or both of the goals. Again don't hold me to it, but Scrappy that last behind might have been "The Tan Man" Richardson?

1954 GRAND FINAL
PORT V WEST

Pre- season 1954 started with a BANG
Adelaide was hit with a 5.4 earthquake in March
Less than 2 months after the SANFL season began
Port Adelaide ended up minor premiers , West Adelaide in 2nd spot on the ladder

The clashes
RD5 [Adelaide Oval]
WA 10-11
PA 16-19

R12 [Alberton Oval]
PA 11-9
WA 9-7

RD 17[ Kensington Oval]
PA 16-24
WA 12-8

SECOND SEMI FINAL [Adelaide Oval]
PA 8-17
WA 7-12

PA had beaten WA all 4 times leading into the GF

GRAND FINAL [Adelaide Oval]
PA ...2-4...3-6...9-10...11-13
WA...7-7...7-7...9-12...10-16

WA highest scoring qtr of 1954 against PA before this GF was 4-2[1st QTR RD5 ]
WA had 7-7 at quarter time, and with a lead of 33 points , the players might have thought that the flag was almost theirs?
WA were scoreless in the second quarter but still with an almost match winning lead of  25 points

Here is a recollection from that point by iconic South Australian SANFL umpire Ken Cunningham
" I was there with my dad and by half time WA had a commanding 25 point lead and were well on thier way to a famous victory
Just as the half time siren sounded, Brian Faehse, Westies captain, knocked over Port player Davy Boyd, and it was on
Players started a brawl that quickly involved the crowd but West got the worst of it
There was no players race in those days, you just walked through the crowd, and West players were not even able to get to their rooms for the half time break
So after half time, Port got on top of the very unsettled West and won the game by just 3 points in a thriller."

PA won what seems a controversial Grand Final
The 1950s might have been a lot different had WA won that game ,that narrow PA win kick started a run of 6 flags in a row 1954-1959

West had an 11 point lead in the last quarter at one stage
With a few minutes left Geoff Motley [Peter Motleys dad] kicked the last goal of the match
West had scored a point , that being the last score of the match

This is what officials from both clubs had to say

* The Bloods lost the GF because of the bashing of players and officials got at half time*
By
Jack Simmonds
West Adelaide

" The winners can laugh, the losers can please themselves."
By
Big Bob Mclean
Port Adelaide

So what do make of the half time drama ?
Brian Faehse was hit in the jaw by a spectator
So did that jaw hit and other ruffling of the WA players cost WA the Grand Final ?

I did hear Doug Thomas say that the fighting in the 1991 Grand Final was kids stuff compared to what happened in 1954.

I am not being smart here, but are there any posters old enough to remember the 1954 Grand Final?

You also make a good point about what would have happened if Port had lost that 1954 Grand Final. It would have meant Port would have lost two very close Grand Finals in a row and would they then have won all of the subsequent close Grand Finals. Of course, we will never know, just a good point to ponder.

i vaguely remember my dad telling me, this fight was the reason that the players race/tunnels came into vogue.....will check with him later

bayman wrote:i vaguely remember my dad telling me, this fight was the reason that the players race/tunnels came into vogue.....will check with him later

It has been reported many times in various publications over the years that the 1954 fight in the crowd was the reason that players races were introduced to Adelaide Oval.

Round 1
1955
Norwood v West Adelaide
Adelaide Oval

NW 3-5...4-6...8-14...10-15
WA 4-1...9-6...9-10...12-14

This was the first SANFL game for premiership points played at the Adelaide Oval following the 1954 Grand Final
After the 1954 Grand Final the SANFL had a meeting about the fiasco
The result being that underground rooms were constructed before the 1955 season started
Coincidently West Adelaide played the first game under the new set up

We can only guestimate how much affect the half time incidents affected the final result in the 54 G/F

1954 Grand Final
PA... 2-4...3-6...9-10...11-13
WA...7-7 ..7-7...9-12...10-16

The next time the 2 sides met
1955 Round 2[Adelaide Oval]

WA...5-7...8-9...13-10..15-10
PA...1-1....6-3.....8-7...14-15

Once again WA got off to a great start by quarter time
Once again PA outscored WA after half time
This time WA won the match

PA were minor premiers in 1955 and thrashed Norwood in the G/F
West Adelaide finished 7th in a 8 team comp
7th after competitive games against the eventual 1955 Grand Finals teams

Scrappy wrote:Round 1
1955
Norwood v West Adelaide
Adelaide Oval

NW 3-5...4-6...8-14...10-15
WA 4-1...9-6...9-10...12-14

This was the first SANFL game for premiership points played at the Adelaide Oval following the 1954 Grand Final
After the 1954 Grand Final the SANFL had a meeting about the fiasco
The result being that underground rooms were constructed before the 1955 season started
Coincidently West Adelaide played the first game under the new set up

Didn't seem to help us after half-time again.

rocket_rooster wrote:You also make a good point about what would have happened if Port had lost that 1954 Grand Final. It would have meant Port would have lost two very close Grand Finals in a row and would they then have won all of the subsequent close Grand Finals. Of course, we will never know, just a good point to ponder.

Port won another close one in that run, against Norwood. As told to me by a Norwood source (so perhaps biased), Norwood had control in the first half until Brian Sawley (one of Norwoods best players) got injured. Being the days of 19th and 20th men, Sawley was left on the ground basically on 1 leg, in a defensive post and Geoff Motley carved him up on route to 7 goals (or similar) and a relatively narrow victory.

At Adelaide Oval, even after the players' races were introduced, the Reserves players still used to come through the crowd.
Anyway, even with the races, Nathan Bassett and Andy Collins still found a way to have a scrap.

Scrunch wrote:

rocket_rooster wrote:You also make a good point about what would have happened if Port had lost that 1954 Grand Final. It would have meant Port would have lost two very close Grand Finals in a row and would they then have won all of the subsequent close Grand Finals. Of course, we will never know, just a good point to ponder.

Port won another close one in that run, against Norwood. As told to me by a Norwood source (so perhaps biased), Norwood had control in the first half until Brian Sawley (one of Norwoods best players) got injured. Being the days of 19th and 20th men, Sawley was left on the ground basically on 1 leg, in a defensive post and Geoff Motley carved him up on route to 7 goals (or similar) and a relatively narrow victory.

That is only half the story. Legend has it that on the same night as the 1957 Grand Final coach Haydn Bunton caught Sawley running up the stairs of the Ambassador Hotel and there was some sort of confrontation given that Sawley wasn't "fit enough" to keep up with Motley. Motley had been soundly beaten in the centre by Peter Koerner until half time and was shifted to the half forward flank where he did in fact kick seven goals in the second half.

Port won that match by 11 points after trailing by 13 points at half time.

The next year Port beat West by 2 points in the Grand Final after trailing all day. That was the famous game where "Melbourne Jack" Richardson hit the post in the final moments of the game.

In 1959 Port beat West by 10 points after losing the second semi final to them and in 1962 Port beat West by 3 points in the Grand Final.

GEOF MOTLEY
7 goals in a half of football in a Grand Final
Crikeys , must have been an exceptional performance

I saw how good a footballer Geofs son Peter Motley was
I never saw Geof play
Was the Motley crew of father and son similar players ?

robranisgod wrote:

bayman wrote:i vaguely remember my dad telling me, this fight was the reason that the players race/tunnels came into vogue.....will check with him later

It has been reported many times in various publications over the years that the 1954 fight in the crowd was the reason that players races were introduced to Adelaide Oval.

So my dad is correct, won't have to check with him, thanks

Scrappy wrote:GEOF MOTLEY
7 goals in a half of football in a Grand Final
Crikeys , must have been an exceptional performance

I saw how good a footballer Geofs son Peter Motley was
I never saw Geof play
Was the Motley crew of father and son similar players ?

I saw Geof Motley at the end of his career. He was playing half back at that stage of his career and it was in that position that he won his Magarey Medal. He was shorter and much more thick set than Peter and he was very bow legged. He was a strong mark for his inches and a very hard but fair player. He was universally respected even though he played for Port who were either loved or loathed at the time.

Which team was known as the bottletops and why ?

" The answer West Adelaide and the story is one of our very early folklore.
You see in 1911 Westies beat Port by 5 points in the local Grand Final and 2 weeks later at Adelaide Oval beat Essendon for the champions of the commonwealth title and so the story goes to honor that the SA Brewing Company changed the labels of its west end beer to redandblack the same color as Westies.
Also they changed the color of the bottletops and thats why Westies got the nickname."

By
Grant Cameron

WA 8-9[57]
ES 7-12[54]

1900-1999
Every SANFL Grand Final had a common denominator
Either NA-NW-PA-ST played in the Grand Final

R.I.P
Ken Eglinton
Recently passed away aged 88

Played 159 games for West Adelaide [1950-1959]
His last match in the 1959 PA V WA Grand Final
Finished his career off well by being in the best players in that match
It appears he might have been a BIG name player of the time

Ken Eglinton did not score a goal in his 159 game SANFL career
It is reported that Ken played a fair bit of football on the wing
If so, it is surprising he never scored a goal in so many games

Scrappy wrote:R.I.P
Ken Eglinton
Recently passed away aged 88

Played 159 games for West Adelaide [1950-1959]
His last match in the 1959 PA V WA Grand Final
Finished his career off well by being in the best players in that match
It appears he might have been a BIG name player of the time

Ken Eglinton did not score a goal in his 159 game SANFL career
It is reported that Ken played a fair bit of football on the wing
If so, it is surprising he never scored a goal in so many games

That is a shock about Ken Eglinton not scoring a goal in his career. I know back in those days wingmen really did play as wingmen but you would have expected a state class wingman would have had to have kicked a few goals.

I have very vague memories of 1959 but I was too young to know of the players.

Two of my earliest recollections involve wingmen.

In 1960 Barrie Barbary became the first wingman to win a Magarey Medal. I have very vague recollections that he was only beaten once for the year and that was by the 1962 Magarey Medallist, Ken Eustice at Richmond. Barbary then beat Eustice at Prospect.

And going back to your point about wingman scoring goals I again recall Barbary.. Approaching time on in the 1960 Grand Final North were trailing Norwood by 2 points, Barbary picked up the ball just forward of the wing on the eastern side of the Adelaide Oval took a bounce and kicked a 60 yard drop kick goal to the southern end to put North 4 points in front. I can still picture it 56 years later. Legend has it that somehow in that same sequence of play Barbary managed to lose a tooth.

Ken was an active member of the West Adelaide Past Players' Association right up to his final illness. He was a terrific player, small, but very effective. along with his fellow wingman, Jack Lynch.

RIP Ken, loved by all at West Adelaide.

Glenelg Grandstands
There are these 2
Edward Rix and H Y Sparks stand


EDWARD RIX
Born in Port Adelaide about 1888
In 1918 Edward was a part owner of a bakery in Prospect
Sometime after he was an owner in a bakery in Rundle Street , in town
Edward was a Vice President of Glenelg in two stints, quite a while apart
1931-1936
1960-1961
He also was in the committee and chairman at the Glenelg Football Club

Would Edward Rix be related to the left footed Greg Rix who played for Norwood in the 1970s ?

GREG RIX
Greg played in at least 2 Premiership teams for Norwood
1974 v Glenelg in the Seconds
1975 v Glenelg in the League

Greg Rix was from the Riverland.
Probably the Rix who was more well known to old timers was Clarrie "Cappy" Rix who played for North and the state either side of the Second World War. He was often second leading goalkicker to Ken Farmer during his career at Prospect.

1940
Ken Farmer v West Torrens
Round 12
Prospect Oval

Important game for North Adelaide and West Torrens
West Torrens were in 5th position , North 6th position on the ladder
Both needed a win to stay in touch of the 4th placed Redlegs

West Torrens had what looks like a couple of frustrating games leading up to this encounter

RD 10
WT...2.6...10.10...12-17...15.23 [113]
GL ...8-5....10.8....12.11...17.12 [114]

RD 11
WA...2.4...8.7....11.10...15.16 [106]
WT...6.9...7.16...11.20...13.28 [106]

It might be safe to assume that inaccuracy may have cost WT winning both games ?

NA lost narrowly to PA by 2 points at Alberton leading into this match

I will assume the following scores are correct when Ken Farmer played West Torrens

KF ...4.0...9.2...14.3...23.6 [144]
WT...2.3...4.6...6.14...8.14 [62]

Ken Farmer beat West Torrens by 82 points
The rest of NA score was 3-5
NA 26-11 [167]
WT 8.14 [62]

Can someone confirm , as I think it is
Farmers 82 point differential over West Torrens is the highest by a player against a team in the SANFL

In the 8 team comp of 1940
North finished 6th
West Torrens 7th

Sturt won the 1940 Premiership

Would have to be the highest example of a player outscoring the other team. Not many players kick 14 goals in a game let alone 14 goals more then the opposition.