STURT - Part Two

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Sturt's decline since the mid 1970s when, along with Glenelg, Norwood and Port Adelaide, it was popularly regarded as comprising the 'big four' of South Australian football, was at first virtually imperceptible. However, in retrospect the first writing could be said to have appeared on the wall in 1977 when the side surprisingly slumped to 7th. This appeared to be merely a temporary aberration, however, as the following year the Blues achieved their greatest ever minor round return of 21 wins from 22 matches before comfortably defeating Norwood to go straight in to the grand final.

Unfortunately - some would say almost tragically - the Blues then chose grand final day - once more against Norwood - to suffer one of the most embarrassing capitulations in SANFL history. For the first three quarters Sturt seemed in total command but, thanks to a mixture of complacency and uncharacteristic inaccuracy in front of goal, led by only 29 points at the last change, 12.21 (93) to 9.10 (64). Exuberantly grateful to still be in with a chance after being so comprehensively outplayed the Redlegs hit back strongly in the last term and when the final siren blew the astonishing sight which greeted the 50,867 spectators in the ground as well as the thousands more watching on television was a scoreboard which read: Norwood 16.15 (111) defeated Sturt 14.26 (110). The best side in the SANFL for most of the season, indeed arguably one of the best sides which the SANFL has ever produced, had lost the plot, not to mention the premiership, in the final thirty minutes of the year.

As often seems to happen, however, the initial promise rapidly dissolved. Sturt managed just 3 wins and a draw from 24 matches over the next two seasons, finishing bottom both times, and sustaining some hefty defeats in the process. The only major bright spot came with the emergence of a player who has since come to be regarded as the Double Blues' first bona fide champion. Hendrick 'Taffy' Waye was one of Australia's finest ruckmen for much of the first decade of this century, regularly beating taller, heavier Victorian opponents in the interstate arena. In 1903 in particular Waye was indefatigable, his Herculean efforts in a consistently losing side earning him the Magarey Medal. Waye played a total of just 71 senior games in a ten season career, for most of this time making the twenty-five mile round trip each Saturday from his farm at Willunga on horseback or by buggy.

Bert Renfrey, a football veteran with six clubs in four states, was appointed Sturt's 1909 captain and, largely on the basis of his recommendations, Dempsey's offer was brought into realisation. Bolstered by the likes of Harold 'Vic' Cumberland from Victoria, and Frank 'Diver' Dunne, Percy Champion, Robert Honeybone, Phil Matson, Albert Heinrichs and Joe Bushell from Western Australia Sturt were expected to mount a strong challenge for the flag.

Also joining Sturt in 1909, although not strictly speaking one of 'Dempsey's Immigrants', was Frank Golding who, while on his way from Perth to Melbourne, where he intended to play cricket, stopped off in Adelaide where he happened across an old Western Australian compatriot in the shape of 'Diver' Dunne. Excited at what he believed was on the verge of happening at Sturt Dunne quickly persuaded Golding, who was as accomplished a footballer as he was a cricketer, to remain in Adelaide and lend his weight to the Double Blue cause. Golding not only stayed, he went on to play a total of 207 games before retiring in 1927 after playing a prominent part in Sturt's first three premiership successes.

The arrival of the 'foreign legion' brought great excitement to Unley. In March 1909 over 1,000 people attended a reception at the Unley Town Hall at which the newcomers were welcomed to the district, and several weeks later Unley Oval was full as 10,000 supporters revelled in a dream start, the Blues thrashing South Adelaide by 52 points.

Thereafter Sturt endured something of a mixed season, winning 6 out of 12 matches to miss the finals by a single game. This still constituted an improvement, however, and laid the foundations for future success.

Statistically, Sturt's arrival as a League power is readily summarised:

Improvement began in earnest in 1910 when the Blues played off for the premiership for the first time. Indeed, the side came within a goal post's width of the flag. After securing the minor premiership Sturt overcame Norwood by 8 points in a tough second semi final before fronting up to Port Adelaide in the final. Five points adrift in the dying moments Sturt's final desperate attacking foray culminated in full forward Golding marking within easy range of goal. Tragically for the Blues, however, his shot hit a goal post, consigning his team to a 4 point defeat and a re-match with Port the following week. There was to be no such drama on this occasion as Sturt played poorly to go down by 17 points.

After the challenge final Phil Matson returned to Western Australia where he enjoyed an illustrious coaching career, steering East Perth to seven premierships in nine seasons from 1919.

Bert Renfrey was appointed state captain in 1911 and led South Australia to a famous triumph in the Adelaide Carnival. Sturt, however, were less successful, dropping to 4th, a position they maintained in each of the next three seasons. Renfrey gradually lost favour with the club hierarchy and was ousted as skipper in 1913 in somewhat acrimonious circumstances.

The ultimate breakthrough finally arrived in 1915 under the captaincy of Bill Mayman, although when Sturt barely scraped into the finals with a 6-6 win/loss record the omens did not appear all that promising. Second semi final opponents South Adelaide were widely favoured to bring a peremptory end to the Blues' season but after a tight first term there was only one team in it: Sturt, which won easily in the end by 24 points, 9.6 (60) to 4.12 (36).

Straight kicking in the final brought a deceptively comfortable victory over West Adelaide next, 7.3 (45) to 2.13 (25), before minor premiers Port Adelaide exercised their right of challenge on the last Saturday of the season.

The black and whites had won the previous two premierships, and were playing off for the flag for the seventh consecutive time, and few pundits seriously gave Sturt much chance. The Blues, however, were not to be denied. In front of a crowd of 13,000 spectators, including many Services personnel, they played tough, resolute finals football throughout, holding their own early before breaking clear late on to record a hard earned but thoroughly deserved 2 goal victory. Final scores were Sturt 6.10 (46) to Port Adelaide 4.10 (34), with centreman and captain Bill Mayman best on ground, followed by rover Bill Noal (who booted 5.5 of the Blues' total), half forward flanker Howard Rayner - incredibly playing his one and only game for Sturt - ruckman Ivor Nicolle, back pocket Clarrie Ryan and full back Doug McDougall.

Sturt's chance at successive premierships had to wait to wait for four years while the league went into recess because of the war. The long wait only served to intensify the players' hunger. Sturt won 10 out of 12 minor round matches to claim the minor premiership and most observers rated them as firm favourites to take out the flag. Unknown to these observers, however, unrest was rife at Unley, with Mayman's captaincy style increasingly eliciting the displeasure of his team mates. In the first semi final North Adelaide capitalised on these problems to record a comfortable 37 point win.  Fortunately, as minor premiers, the Blues would have the right of challenge.

Training leading up to the challenge final was fraught with tension and uneasiness. The 'Unley News' reporter noting that "The players form cliques which do not mingle and the trainers will have terrible difficulty in sending a united team on to the field" and concluded by likening the players to "a bunch of schoolboys".

Sturt's challenge final opponents were a battle-weary North Adelaide combination which, after defeating Sturt, had survived a titanic two game battle with West Torrens, eventually emerging victorious in the replay by just 5 points.

North Adelaide, having won the toss, kicked with the breeze in the opening term, and by quarter time had established a 26 point advantage. Given the predominantly low scores of the era this might have been expected to prove enough for victory but Sturt refused to capitulate. By the long break the Blues had got to within 5 points and thereafter a tight, tense tussle developed. At the twenty-two minute mark of the final quarter North led by a goal, 5.9 (39) to 4.9 (33), only for a Leslie Smith snapshot to bring Sturt level. During the last five minutes of the game the Blues gained the ascendancy but failed to capitalise.  For the first and only time in SANFL history two finals in the same series had been drawn.

The replay was scheduled for a public holiday, Wednesday 8 October - Labour Day. The performance in the drawn challenge final had had the happy side effect of uniting the Sturt players, at any rate for the time being, and practice prior to the replay was reportedly excellent.

A huge crowd of 35,000 turned up at Adelaide Oval for the replay. The first half was tight, with both team's customary fluency inhibited by a strong cross wind. North led at half time by 7 points but by the final change of an extremely low scoring encounter they had extended this to 14 points and the game looked as good as over. However, midway through the last term goals to Sellick and Nicolle - Sturt's first for the entire game - brought the Blues to within a couple of points. North then held out until two minutes from the end when a behind by Sturt's Beatty heralded a frenetic climax to the game. This culminated in big, balding ruckman Ivor Nicolle pulling down a desperate mark within range of goal with just thirty seconds remaining. A score looked inevitable, but would it be a behind, giving rise to another replay, or a goal? Nicolle took a brief, three step run up and carved out a major niche for himself in Sturt's history by bisecting the big ones and giving the Blues a 5 point win, 3.5 (23) to 2.6 (18), so that:

Wildly cheered the Sturt supporters,

Never such a game as this,

While the captain treated Nicolle

To a mighty hug and kiss. [see footnote 9]

The unity of spirit and purpose which had yielded a flag in 1919 soon evaporated. Mayman's tenure as captain came to an abrupt and controversial end midway through the 1920 season and he was replaced by local hero and players' favourite Victor Richardson. [see footnote 10]  This only served to aggravate matters, for whereas Mayman had been popular with the club committee, Richardson, who tended to speak his mind, was not. In this way the oft enacted polarisation between management and players came very much to the fore at Sturt, with predictable results. After a 1920 season which yielded just 5 wins and a draw from 12 matches and a drop to 5th place on the ladder Vic Richardson resigned as captain and player and moved to local district club Kingswood hoping to rediscover the enjoyment in the game which the acrimony at Sturt had eroded.

Sturt improved slightly to finish 4th in 1921 but the following year, with Richardson back in harness, they surprisingly tumbled to 7th.

The 1923 season ended with a semi final defeat by North Adelaide but owing to the vagaries of the system in operation at the time Sturt were officially placed 2nd, with the red and whites reverting to their pre-finals classification of 4th after losing the final to Norwood.

In 1924 Sturt lost the premiership decider by 8 points against West Torrens, giving that club the first premiership in its twenty five year history. Afterwards, Vic Richardson made the traditional post-match trip to the victors' rooms and declared "We would have rather lost to you than any other team. Well done everyone!" Somehow it is hard to imagine, say, Warren Tredrea entering the Fremantle changing rooms after the Dockers' first grand final triumph and expressing similar sentiments. In many ways, the philosophy which underscores the game has altered every bit as much as its rules and tactics.

With the multi-talented Richardson on the sidelines preparing for what he hoped would be selection in the Australian cricket team to tour England the following year the Blues finished 3rd in 1925. Clearly, they were not all that far off the mark, and when Richardson failed to achieve selection for the Ashes tour there were hopes that, if he could put his disappointment behind him, he might prove to be the missing piece of the jigsaw. "I'll play one game and see how I go," he told club skipper Frank Golding. Thankfully for Sturt his first game against Glenelg was a good one and thereafter he never looked back. Despite a mid-season slump the Blues took out the minor premiership and seemed well placed to secure the flag. However, a shock first semi final loss to Norwood lowered their stocks significantly, and they entered the challenge final against Norwood's conquerors, North Adelaide, as underdogs.

In what was to prove a fitting swansong for both Richardson and Golding the Blues proved the sceptics wrong in convincing fashion, leading at every change by 5, 6 and 12 points, before coasting to a 13 point triumph, 9.10 (64) to 7.9 (51). A crowd of 30,000 witnessed the clash, which proved to be Sturt's last finals match of the 1920s.

The Blues' re-emergence as a major force began in 1930 when they downed minor premier North Adelaide in the second semi final. However, there was still some way to go as was evidenced by their 34 point capitulation to Port Adelaide in the following week's final.

Double Blues' supporters with exceptionally long memories look back on the 1931 premiership as one of those which 'got away'. After missing out on the minor premiership by 0.07% Sturt enjoyed swift revenge over Port Adelaide in the second semi final, winning by a single point, 11.16 (82) to 11.15 (81). Under the new Page-McIntyre system of playing finals this meant that the Blues now proceeded straight to the premiership-deciding grand final, where they would meet the winners of the following week's preliminary final between Port Adelaide and North Adelaide. Somewhat to most people's surprise, this proved to be North, and seven days later the red and whites carried on where they left off, downing Sturt in the grand final with some comfort by 38 points. North Adelaide full forward Ken Farmer - 'football's Bradman' to South Australians - proved to be the difference between the two sides with 6 goals. However, Sturt coach Sid White, who had been appointed in 1930 after a 145 game career with Norwood, was confident that sound foundations for future success had now been laid.

For the time, White had some fairly innovative coaching ideas. When the players turned up for the first training session of 1932 he told them, "Tonight you will train without footballs, so when I introduce them next week you will be hungry for them." Such pronouncements inevitably seem hackneyed to today's supposedly more sophisticated way of thinking, but there is no doubt that White's methods were responsible for moulding Sturt into a much more accomplished and competitive unit.

Sturt won 9 lost 7 and drew 1 minor round match in 1932 to qualify for the finals in 4th place. Victories over Port Adelaide by 24 points and Norwood by 26 points then provided the Blues with an opportunity for revenge over their 1931 conquerors North Adelaide in the grand final. A crowd of 29,717 saw underdogs Sturt control affairs right from the start, leading by 13, 15 and 62 points on the way to a 16.14 (110) to 10.9 victory. The win was widely attributed to White's tactical acumen in instructing his players to vary their kicking style when delivering the ball into the forward lines depending on who they were passing to. Kicks to centre half forward, for example, were executed 'grubber' style on the theory that Sturt's Alf Mussman was better on the ground than his North opponent, Sid Burton, but would have struggled to beat him in the air. Mussman was high in the Blues' best along with fellow half forwards Vic Bateman and Lance Leak, and the rucking trio of Keith Dunn, Paul Robertson and Bill Martin. Full forward Gordon 'Classy' Green revelled in the quality of service which he was accorded and bagged a grand final record tally of 9.1. [see footnote 11]

Sturt enjoyed a better home and away campaign in 1933, securing the minor premiership, but their season collapsed in the finals with successive losses to West Torrens and Norwood. The preliminary final loss to Norwood was particularly galling as the Blues managed five more scoring shots than their opponents in a low scoring game only to go under by 5 points.

Further preliminary final losses followed in 1934 (to Glenelg) and 1935 (to South Adelaide).

In South Australia's Centenary Year of 1936 the Blues were favourites for the flag after a 21.11 (137) to 13.25 (103) second semi final defeat of Port Adelaide but the Magpies had their revenge in the grand final, winning a thriller by 3 points. Sturt began as they had left off a fortnight earlier and at half time looked to be in control at 11.6 (72) to 6.8 (44). However, Port hit back strongly after the long break adding 7.11 to 3.4 to snatch a famous victory. Adding salt to the Sturt wounds, full forward 'Bo' Morton missed a kickable set shot for goal in the dying moments.

Sturt defeated Norwood in the second semi final by 71 points, 22.13 (145) to 10.14 (74). Most observers believed that all they would have to do to secure the premiership a fortnight later against the same opposition was turn up at the ground for the game. Instead, the 30,742 spectators who poured into Adelaide Oval for the grand final were witnesses to a complete form reversal, with only a last quarter rally by the Blues giving some semblance of respectability to the scoreline. The final scoreboard read Norwood 14.16 (100) to Sturt 10.11 (71). It was to be the Blues' last appearance in a grand final for almost a quarter of a century.

The seventeen year period from 1945 to 1961 was one of unprecedented bleakness for the Sturt Football Club (up to that point of time at any rate; it has since been comprehensively surpassed by the period 1989 to 1996 alluded to earlier). The Blues contested the finals on only five occasions during that period, which coincidentally was the same number of times they ended up with the wooden spoon. All told, Sturt won just 34.75% of all matches played, a return which would have been even poorer were it not for the outstanding individual abilities of such as triple Magarey Medallist Len Fitzgerald, Wally May, John Halbert, Clayton 'Candles' Thompson, Tony Goodchild and Don Harris.

Then Oatey arrived, and a new tradition was eked out, only to erode gradually after his departure to the point where Sturt's future as an independent club seemed for a time to be in real doubt. Improvement when it finally came in 1997 must have been as unexpected to Sturt supporters as it was welcome. With former Norwood, Collingwood, Essendon and St Kilda champion Phil Carman at the coaching helm the Double Blues comfortably qualified for the finals in 4th position. Unfortunately, however, the side lacked the experience to go on with things, and lost a dour, low scoring elimination final against North Adelaide by 7 points.

Double Blues supporters would probably have seen enough in 1997 to convince them that further improvement was likely in years to come, but even they must have had to pinch themselves at times during 1998 as the side repeatedly set and then met ever more ambitious targets for itself - to win consistently, to qualify for the finals, to secure the minor premiership, to reach the grand final. Tragically, however, the final, all important target - clinching the flag - proved beyond them, as perennial grand finalist Port Adelaide proved just a little too strong, winning by 9 points in the closest grand final since 1984.

The loss to the AFL of key grand final performers such as Barnaby French (Port Adelaide) and Simon Feast (Sydney) undermined Sturt's premiership aspirations in 1999, and although the side remained competitive it slumped to 5th. Season 2000 brought slight improvement - 3rd place - but the side slipped back into the field after a woeful start in 2001.  Nevertheless, the scent of success is never far from the nostrils at Unley [see footnote 15], and in 2002 the side performed consistently well throughout the season to qualify for the finals in 3rd place with a 16-4 record.  Wins over Norwood in the qualifying final (33 points) and preliminary final (49 points) subsequently earned the Blues a place in the grand final.  Interspersed between these wins, however, was a 14 point 2nd semi final loss to reigning premier Central District, in light of which the Bulldogs had been securely installed as flag favourite by the time the two sides met again a fortnight later. 

In front of a crowd of 35,187 on Sunday 6 October 2002 Sturt comprehensively re-established itself as a force in South Australian football with a 13.14 (92) to 6.9 (45) grand final defeat of Central District.  The Double Blues took control right from the opening bounce and, with the exception of the opening twenty minutes of the 3rd term, were never seriously challenged.  "Sturt were just awesome," Central skipper Daniel Healy admitted. "They just came out and were ready to go and they probably beat us at our own game..........They just shut us down. They did everything right. They played a perfect game."  (See footnote 16.)

Former South Adelaide and Adelaide utility Matthew Powell was voted best afield to become the first ever Sturt recipient of the Jack Oatey Medal, an award named in honour of arguably the greatest ever Double Blue.  Powell headed a defence which seldom permitted the (on paper) most potent attacking force in the League any leeway, but there were plenty of other notable contributors, like ruckman Barnaby French (on 'weekend leave' from Port Adelaide), defenders Mahoney, Thurstans, Nelson and Curtis, and on ballers Chambers and Weatherald. 

Sturt's victory brought to an end a premiership drought lasting twenty-six years, and many observers were quick to point out that the last time this happened (in 1966) the Double Blues went on to claim a club record five successive flags.  Sadly, history was not to repeat itself on this occasion: the side dropped to 4th place in 2003, and this was followed by 3rd and 5th place finishes in 2004 and 2005.  At their best, the Blues remained extremely competitive, but they lacked the consistency that distinguishes genuine premiership contenders from the chasing pack.  In 2006, however, the wheels appeared to fall off completely as the side managed just 3 wins from 20 matches for the year to plummet to 8th, its worst finish for ten years.  However, it would seem that this was just a temporary aberration, because in 2007 the Blues comfortably reached the finals with a 12-8 record, and although they then went down by a point against Glenelg in the elimination final, overall the signs were that the club was once again moving in the right direction, an impression reinforced to a certain extent by a solid and at times impressive 2008 campaign which ultimately yielded third place on the ladder.

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Footnotes

7.  The legacy, however, lived on for a while; when former Richmond player Mervyn Keane was appointed Sturt coach in 1985 he considered that he was joining one of the top dozen clubs in Australia. Return to Main Text

8.  Oatey died in 1995 and the following year was included in the AFL's inaugural 'Hall of Fame'. Return to Main Text

9.  Serge, writing in 'The Unley News', and quoted in True Blue, page 68. Return to Main Text

10.  Richardson was an all round sportsman of some repute, with expertise in cricket (to Test level), baseball and squash. Return to Main Text

11.  As mentioned earlier the SANFL record of 9 goals in a grand final was eventually equalled by another Sturt player, Malcolm Greenslade, in 1969. Return to Main Text

12.  Scott's coaching career had begun in the 1920s while he was still a player at Norwood and in 1929 he had steered that club to a flag. Return to Main Text

13.  Langley later went on to become a Test wicket keeper of note. Return to Main Text

14.  Between 1942 and 1944 the eight SANFL clubs were paired off according to their geographical locations: Sturt formed a temporary alliance with South Adelaide with the combination managing 18 wins from 41 starts for 3rd, 4th and 3rd place finishes. Return to Main Text

15.  After long running discussions with the local Council Sturt resumed playing regular matches at Unley Oval from 1998. Return to Main Text

16.  Quoted in 'The Advertiser', 7/10/02.  Back to Main Text