North Adelaide (3)

NORTH ADELAIDE - Part Three: 1970 to 2008

In 1970 North Adelaide broke with tradition by appointing a Victorian, Mike Patterson, as senior coach. Known as 'Swamp Fox', Patterson had played 152 games, mainly as a ruckman, with Richmond, and he was to go on to play 45 more with the Roosters. However, it was as a coach that he would exert his greatest influence.

After finishing 4th in Patterson's first season in charge, the team progressed rapidly the following year so that

The immortal Barrie Robran. (Click on the image to see an enlarged version.)

"....even midway through (the) season it was hard to begrudge North the accolade of greatness. A new found maturity (including the ability to withstand pressure), vigorous body contact and quick tackling were added to its renowned skill...... And it also acquired a facility for successful improvisation." [see footnote 7]

The Roosters won 17 out of 21 minor round matches in 1971 to top the ladder and then proved too good for Port Adelaide in both the second semi final (by 15 points) and grand final (by 20 points) to demonstrate conclusively that they were the outstanding team in the SANFL. Best for North in the grand final were the superlative Barrie Robran, who, despite being officially named at centre half forward, played the entire match as a ruckman, rover Terry Von Bertouch, half forward Adrian Rebbeck (4 of the team's 10 goals), half back flanker David Burns, and back pocket Geoff Paull.

A week later North gave VFL premiers Hawthorn a fright in the Championship of Australia match, ultimately going down by 24 points after leading late on in the final term.

If 1971 was good, though, the following season would be hard to improve on. After once again securing the minor premiership, North repeated its successes of twelve months earlier against Port Adelaide in both its finals matches. In the grand final, played in front of 55,709 spectators, it actually trailed at half time by 8 points before unleashing an irrepressible second half performance to add 14.8 to 4.4 and win by 56 points. Barrie Robran was at his indefatigable best to be a clear choice as best afield, while 6 goal full forward Dennis Sachse, sprightly rover Terry Von Bertouch, veteran full back Bob Hammond, and tenacious half back flanker Geoff Strang were also prominent.

Which brings us almost to where we came in: Sunday 15 October 1972 - the indisputable zenith of North Adelaide's history. For the first time the Australian Club Championships, which since being re-born in 1968 had - totally unjustly, particularly as far as Western Australia was concerned - involved only the premiers of the VFL and the SANFL, were extended to include both the WAFL premiers and the Tasmanian state champions. For the first time therefore the winning club would be able, with considerable justification, to term themselves 'champions of Australia'.

Convincing wins by Carlton and North over East Perth and City-South respectively set up the mouth-watering prospect of a final clash involving two players popularly regarded in their respective competitions as Australia's finest. In the event, Carlton's 'worm', Alex Jesaulenko, was comprehensively upstaged by his croweater rival, Barrie Robran, who in the end probably proved the decisive difference between the two sides. At one point, indeed, Jezza actually openly applauded as Robran enacted a particularly spectacular piece of magic, an incident which swiftly passed into football folklore, in South Australia at any rate.

North won 10.13 (73) to 10.12 (72), with Robran joined on the best players list by ruckman Geoff Sporn, forward flanker Adrian Rebbeck (who booted 4.6), wingman Barry Stringer, and half forward Darryl Webb, who secured the winning goal of the match.

Television commentator Lou Richards summed things up by saying that "Robran took Superjezza and the mighty Carlton apart like a soggy newspaper." [see footnote 8]

'Swamp Fox' - North coach, Mike Patterson.

With a team containing many young players presumably still to reach their peak, Mike Patterson was optimistic about the future when questioned prior to the commencement of the 1973 season:

"The players are far more advanced physically and in their competitive attitude than at any other time since I've been in Adelaide. They think, work and act and react as friends, not just team mates." [see footnote 9]

However objectively valid this assessment may have been, the history of football in general, and the North Adelaide Football Club in particular, is littered with occurrences which fly in the face of such logic. No North supporter worth his or her salt would therefore have been remotely surprised by the sequence of events which followed the Roosters' spectacular successes of 1971 and 1972.

Admittedly, North did remain a highly competitive unit in 1973, reaching a third consecutive grand final after a hard fought finals series which saw them overcome the temporary hiccough of a 6 point qualifying final loss to Sturt to down Norwood by 5 points in the first semi final before gaining spectacular revenge to the tune of 93 points against the Double Blues in the following week's preliminary final. A week later against Glenelg the Roosters were arguably the better side for much of the game but would have derived absolutely no consolation either from that or from losing what is now universally remembered as one of, if not the, greatest SANFL grand finals of all time (covered in detail in the GREAT GAMES section).

Going into time on in the final term North led by 5 points after clawing their way back from an 8 point three quarter time deficit, but last gasp goals from Cornes and Sandland gave the Tigers victory by 7 points, 21.11 (137) to 19.16 (130). An unusually subdued performance from Barrie Robran, who that year won the third of his Magarey Medals, did not help, but overall - notwithstanding the comments in the preceding paragraph - the Roosters could have few complaints as Glenelg had clearly been the outstanding side for 1973, sustaining only one defeat (against North, as it happened) for the entire year.

As far as North were concerned it was all to be downhill from here for some considerable time. In 1974 the side slipped to 7th on the ladder with only 7 wins out of 22 for the season. Of much greater long term significance, however, was an occurrence which took place in a match which did not even involve North Adelaide. As part of continuing efforts to promote Australian football in the eastern states the VFL and South Australia took part in an interstate match on the Sydney Cricket Ground and during the closing moments of this encounter Barrie Robran was involved in a collision which saw him sustain a serious knee injury. The immediate consequence of this was that he missed the next 9 matches, but even after his return to action he was never the same player.

Neither, coincidentally, was North Adelaide the same team. After a lack lustre loss to Port Adelaide in the elimination final of 1975 the Roosters were to remain out of the September action for eight long years. Not even Barrie Robran's appointment as coach in 1978 could lift a side which in fact plummeted to the wooden spoon that year - the club's first since 1912 - with just 5 wins out of 22.

Robran coached the Roosters for three seasons before making way in 1981 for former Sturt, Norwood, and by that stage North, player Mick Nunan, who was highly admired both for his analytical insight into the game and his fanatically infectious desire to win. Under Nunan the Roosters' improvement was steady rather than meteoric, 7 wins and 8th position in 1981 being followed by 10 wins and 7th spot a year later. In 1983 they managed to clamber into the finals with 11 wins before achieving a good victory over South Adelaide in the elimination final. However, Sturt in the first semi final proved to have their measure.

After dropping back among the chasing pack in 1984 the Roosters stunned even their most ardent admirers the following season by winning their opening 11 matches in succession, which ultimately proved good enough to cancel out the effects of a poor run in and enable them to clinch the minor premiership.

North's poor form going into the finals, however, did nothing to inspire confidence, and perhaps in hindsight their feat in eventually reaching the 1985 grand final via an 11 point preliminary final win over West Adelaide can be viewed as something of an over-achievement. Certainly, the Roosters were never in the hunt against Glenelg (North's conquerors a fortnight earlier in the second semi) in the grand final, losing with barely a squawk by 57 points, 12.12 (84) to 21.15 (141).

A year later the same two sides again reached the grand final, although on this occasion it was North which entered the match as firm favourites following a convincing 24 point second semi final victory over the Bays. Grand final day saw a vastly different story unfold, however, and if anything Glenelg's eventual 48 point triumph was even more of a humiliation than the 1985 result, especially given the Roosters' improved pedigree.

Reflecting on the bitterness of back to back grand final defeats Andrew Jarman, who would go on to win the 1987 Magarey Medal, and would later play with distinction for the Adelaide Crows, was optimistically defiant: ".....we'll be back better than ever next year. It took Hawthorn three years to win a flag and I'm sure we can do the same." [see footnote 10]

Prophetic words indeed, heralding the onset of one of the most dominant all round seasons enjoyed by any club in the entire history of the SANFL. In addition to Jarman's Magarey, team mate Darel Hart finished as a joint runner-up for the Medal, while full forward John Roberts landed the Ken Farmer Medal for kicking the most goals during the home and away matches. If the Roosters were to go on to win the premiership they would join Port Adelaide (1914) and Norwood (1925) as one of only three SANFL clubs to have achieved, in the same season, the trifecta of premiership, Magarey Medal and top goalkicker. [see footnote 11]

The Roosters duly won through to a third consecutive grand final after overcoming Norwood by 20 points in the second semi final and, to the immense satisfaction of everyone connected with the club, the opposition on grand final day would be provided by the arch-nemesis, Glenelg. Mike Nunan put it thus:

"The past two years we've suffered enormously as a club and personally in terms of each individual because of the criticism we've had to bear from all over the place and a lot of it has been very much justified.

"We (the club) tend to think that unless we can remove that bogey both in a grand final and more sweetly against Glenelg then we are going to leave ourselves as a target for that criticism for the rest of our lives." [see footnote 12]

Thankfully, North Adelaide performed superbly in the grand final to obliterate the 'bogey' once and for all. After establishing a 5.2 to 0.1 first term lead the Roosters never looked back, eventually amassing the astonishingly accurate total of 23.7 (145) to Glenelg's 9.9 (63) to win by a resounding 82 points, at that stage the second greatest grand final winning margin in SANFL history. Recipient of the Jack Oatey Medal for best afield was 6 goal ruckman/forward Michael Parsons who had a close challenger for the award in brilliant half forward cum ruck rover Darren Jarman, the younger brother of Andrew. Others to shine in what was a consummate all round team performance included rover Steve Sims (4 goals), centreman Kym Klomp, ruckman Mick Redden and wingman Roger Carlaw.

Mick Nunan neatly summarised the feelings of everyone connected with North Adelaide when he said in a post match interview:

"There's an enormous amount of work that has gone into winning this premiership from not a huge number of people, but then again North Adelaide's not a huge resourceful club in terms of dollars and cents, and I think it's just a good story of the battlers that have come up, been knocked down on the canvas a couple of times and have come back and have finally won - and won in a very classy fashion." [see footnote 13]

At the risk of labouring the point, the follow up to North's outstanding achievement ought not to have taken anyone by surprise: in 1988, the Roosters blew hot and cold throughout the year and ultimately failed even to make the finals.

North's games record holder, Orroroo farmer Mick Redden, leaps for a mark against South Adelaide towards the end of his 389 game career. (Click on the image to see an enlarged version.)

That there was still considerable talent at the club was undeniable, however, and in the 1989 minor round the Roosters once again became the measuring stick for all other clubs in the competition. Once the finals arrived though it was a less highly skilled but more ruthlessly efficient Port Adelaide side which was to prove to have North's measure, winning both the second semi final (by 20 points) and grand final (by a demoralisingly easy 94 points, with North managing a paltry 1.8 (14) for the match). The response to the loss from within the Rooster camp was predictably downbeat, but at the end of the day, irrespective of the scoreline, any grand final defeat simply means you finish the season in second place.

North had a solid season in 1990, winning 14 out of 20 home and away matches, but were again found wanting when confronted by Port Adelaide at the tail end of the year, this time in the preliminary final. However, the following season the Roosters adapted better than any other SANFL club to the changed local environment brought about by the formation of the Adelaide Crows and defeated West Adelaide 21.22 (148) to 11.7 (73) in the grand final to record a 13th senior premiership. However, the match is remembered more for the on field mayhem than the scoreline. Players on both sides seemed at times to pay no heed whatsoever to the laws of the game and the result was an entirely undignified and chaotic spectacle which SANFL General Manager Leigh Whicker called "the most unsightly game I've ever seen". [see footnote 14]

As far as the actual football was concerned the Roosters fought hard to gain the upper hand in a torrid opening term and thereafter went from strength to strength. They were particularly well served by 7 goal forward pocket Darel Hart, who won the Jack Oatey Medal for best afield, classy centreman Peter Krieg who had 22 kicks, 3 marks and 6 handballs, rugged half back Tim Perkins (19-4-11), experienced centre half back Trevor Clisby, and evergreen ruckman Mick Redden.

After a 1992 season which saw the Roosters drop to 4th place Mick Nunan retired as coach to be replaced by veteran player Darel Hart. Initially, Hart felt that he would have no trouble bucking recent trends and successfully combining the roles of player and coach. However, after a dismal 1993 season in which North finished 7th with only half a dozen wins for the year he readily admitted that this had been naive of him. [see footnote 15] The 1994 season saw Hart coaching from the sidelines and the team showed marginal improvement to record 9 wins, although this was still not enough to qualify for the finals. In 1995, however, the Roosters played some scintillating football to reach the finals with some ease, and although they failed to progress beyond the 1st semi final there seemed every reason to expect further improvement over the next few seasons.

Sadly, however, under new coach Mick Flynn 1996 witnessed a reversal of fortunes. On their day, the Roosters remained capable of overturning any opposition, but overall they were much too inconsistent to constitute a real force. In the end, North finished 6th, which probably represented a fair reflection of their abilities. In this context, 22 year old Josh Francou's unexpected Magarey Medal win was a bonus, and certainly the highlight of the season as far as the Roosters were concerned.

The 1997 season saw the appointment of former Glenelg and Adelaide champion Chris McDermott as playing coach and under his typically resolute and inspirational guidance the side qualified for the finals in 5th place. A dour elimination final tussle with Sturt saw the Roosters come out 7 points to the good, but the following week North's season was brought to an end at the hands of Central District. Overall, however, there had been improvement, and the expectations of most within the club had been more than met. It thus came as something of a surprise and disappointment when the side's form declined the following year to the extent that finals participation was not achieved.

Matters got even worse in 1999 as the Roosters succumbed to the ignominy of a wooden spoon, only the third in the club's illustrious history. Seasons 2000, 2001 and 2002 were only marginally better, yielding 8th, 8th and 7th place finishes respectively, before a demoralising slump to another wooden spoon in 2003. In 2004, however, under new coach Andrew Jarman, the Roosters restored a modicum of credibility with an at times highly promising campaign that ultimately produced a 4th place finish, a result that was repeated the following year, and improved on incrementally in 2006 (3rd) and 2007 (2nd). For the time being, however, that was as good as it going to get for North with the side suffering a pronounced post-grand final hangover in 2008 to slump to seventh.

Although both Port Adelaide and Norwood have been more successful than North in terms of premierships, it is arguable that the Roosters have an unmatched record over the years in terms of producing players of the highest order. Such champions have included:

Northern Territory recruit Richard Gerke prepares to send the Roosters into attack against Central District. (Click on the image to view an enlarged version.)

1905 and 1906 Magarey Medallist, Tom MacKenzie;

the man known throughout Australia during his time as 'the prince of ruckmen', Tom Leahy;

Ken Farmer, 'football's Bradman';

Harold 'Dribbler' Hawke, described by Geelong great Reg Hickey as "the greatest centre half forward I have ever seen" (see footnote 16);

ultra versatile dual Magarey Medallist, Ron Phillips;

arguably the doyen of South Australian full backs, Ian McKay;

aerialist and on field leader supreme, Don Lindner;

the player adjudged by some as the greatest ever, Barrie Robran;

the mercurially talented Jarman brothers, Andrew and Darren.

Players of this quality bequeath a legacy that enriches, ennobles and enhances the game, and to many football lovers it remains a shame that those who oversee and, in effect, manipulate the game's destiny appear to have little or no awareness of the importance, or even in many cases the existence, of such individuals.

Where now?

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Footnotes

7. South Australian Football Yearbook 1972, page 19. Return to Main Text

8. 'The Advertiser', 16/10/72, page 17. Return to Main Text

9. Football in South Australia 1907-1972, page 11. Return to Main Text

10. 'Football Times' vol. 11 No. 30, 9/10/86, page 3. Return to Main Text

11. Port Adelaide would shortly go on to achieve the feat twice more, in 1990 and 1992, with Norwood managing it for a second time in 1997. Return to Main Text

12. 'Football Times' vol. 12 No. 28, 1/10/87, page 15. Return to Main Text

13. 'Football Times' vol. 12 No. 29, 8/10/87, page 3. Return to Main Text

14. 'Football Times' vol. 16 No. 31, 10/10/91, page 3. Return to Main Text

15. See, for example, the 1994 SANFL Yearbook. Return to Main Text

16. Quoted in 'Sporting Life', August 1950, page 25. Return to Main Text