Central District (2)

In 1989 a fourth Central District player was awarded a Magarey Medal in Gilbert McAdam. A quick, highly skilled on baller or wingman, McAdam played 73 games for the Dogs before following the by then well worn path to Victoria in 1991 to join St Kilda. McAdam's victory in the Magarey Medal was particularly fitting as he was the first Australian aboriginal player to be so honoured, and over the years Elizabeth Oval has been home to probably more aboriginal players than any other ground in South Australia.

'King' Kerley's reign as coach ended after the 1990 season with Centrals having finished a disappointing seventh. His successor, Alan Stewart, was a former player with the club, albeit mainly at seconds level, who had experienced success as coach of both Centrals Under 17s and the South Australian Teal Cup side. Stewart's first season as coach of the Bulldogs coincided with the formation of the Adelaide Crows, a development which contributed significantly to the SANFL's transition from being the 'shop window' of the state's football talent to little more than a breeding ground for the AFL. The fact that Stewart's background involved nurturing and developing youthful talent perhaps made him an ideal choice as coach, and certainly his results would appear to have borne this out.

That said, improvement was not immediate, the Bulldogs finishing some way off the pace in each of Stewart's first two seasons in charge. In 1993, however, the team was good enough to reach the finals for the first time since 1989, and, despite going down to Norwood in the elimination final, there appeared to be good reason for optimism over the future.

Off the field things were not looking quite so rosy. A 1993 operating loss of more than $120,000 meant that there was no money available for recruitment prior to the start of the 1994 season, but the Bulldogs took this in their stride and it soon became clear that young players like Rick MacGowan, Tim Cook, John Abbott and Michael Wakelin had matured sufficiently to provide that extra impetus necessary to transform the side into genuine premiership contenders.

With a 5-3 win/loss record after the first complete round of matches Centrals did enough to qualify to face ladder leader Woodville-West Torrens in the final of the SANFL's re-vamped night competition, the Foundation Cup. (In 1994, for the first time, the Foundation Cup's qualifying rounds were deemed to coincide with the first nine rounds of the official league programme, with the two leading sides after that time playing off for the Cup.) In a battle of defences played in near perfect conditions the Bulldogs went down by 14 points, 2.7 (19) to 4.9 (33), but were far from disgraced. It was Centrals' first grand final of any kind, and, it goes without saying, whetted the appetite for more.

Four months later the Bulldogs faced perennial finalist Port Adelaide in the qualifying final having finished the home and away rounds in third place with 13 wins from 22 games. Prior to the match, Alan Stewart backed his charges to do well:

"I have confidence and I rely on the players being very focused in what they have to do. I believe we have to set a standard and let the opposition worry about us. That means you are backing your 20 against their 20. When it comes down to it, our players know - and have experienced - that when they put in a disciplined, honest, team effort to the best of their abilities, they can beat any side in the competition." [see footnote 2]

In the event, the Bulldogs and Magpies staged one of the all time classic SANFL finals matches, the Magpies eventually emerging victorious by 15 points after the teams had been forced into playing extra time for the first ever occasion in a SANFL final.

The Bulldogs showed they had learnt from the experience a week later in the first semi final when they held off a fast finishing Norwood to clinch their first finals victory since 1972. However, in a preliminary final re-match with Port Adelaide the bubble was well and truly burst to the tune of 90 points, and the Bulldogs had once again, as on three previous occasions, failed to advance to a grand final.

ABOVE: Tim Cook snaps a 'miracle goal' against Port Adelaide in the 1995 2nd semi final. Sadly, it was not to be enough to see the Bulldogs home.

Central District were the outstanding side in the SANFL for most of the 1995 season, winning the minor premiership [see footnote 3] for only the second ever time, and surviving a 2 point 2nd semi final loss against Port Adelaide to make it through to the grand final. For the first time since the formation of the Adelaide Crows the match was a sell out with 45,000 spectators at the ground being joined by over a quarter of a million who watched it 'live' on television. Sadly for the Bulldogs, the occasion and Port Adelaide's finals acumen proved too much for them to handle, and the result was a disappointing 48 point loss. With a young, vibrant and highly committed group of young footballers at his disposal, however, coach Alan Stewart had good reason to feel optimistic about the future. "We have to learn the lesson of (the 1995 grand final) performance and store it away. We have to work hard at it, like we did in last year's finals, to get another opportunity to win enough games in the minor round and play finals footy. Hopefully next year we can do a better job." [see footnote 4]

Stewart's replacement as coach was Steve Wright, a former VFL player with South Melbourne/ Sydney and a dual premiership coach with Clarence in the TFL. Under Wright the Bulldogs again won the minor premiership [see footnote 5] and this time, after a torrid encounter played in extremely windy conditions, emerged victorious against old nemesis Port Adelaide in the 2nd semi to take the easy route to the grand final.

Centrals were 6/10 on favourites to win the 1996 premiership after grand final opponents Port Adelaide emerged bruised, battered and bloodied from a last gasp 2 point win over Norwood in the preliminary final. However, just as in 1995 the Bulldogs failed to match the Magpies' physicality and intensity and they went under by 36 points. Victorious Port coach Stephen Williams paid the Bulldogs the compliment of acknowledging that they were the closest side to the Magpies in terms of style but it would be extremely surprising if anyone at Elizabeth derived any consolation from this.

The Central District hierarchy were doubtless acutely conscious of the fact that, in 1996, their club was the pre-eminent force in the SANFL for all bar the last 120 minutes of the season. Achieving dominance in that vital two hour period is the final, and probably the biggest, leap which a club ever has to make. After two consecutive grand final losses, and with the complexion of the SANFL set to change with the admission of a second Adelaide-based club to the AFL, the Bulldogs had a perfect opportunity in 1997 to make that leap, but unfortunately this proved easier said than done.

True, they qualified for the finals with a fair degree of comfort, but a 17 point qualification final loss to Port Adelaide saw them start off on the wrong foot. The following week in the 1st semi final, North Adelaide were comfortably eliminated, but Norwood in the preliminary final proved too strong, and the Bulldogs' season was over.

The most eagerly anticipated event of the 1998 season was the return to Elizabeth Oval of the club's favourite son, John Platten. Sadly, however, Platten struggled for most of the year with a knee injury, and his appearances in the seniors were limited. The side itself also struggled, eventually scraping into the finals with just 9 wins - the lowest total by a finals qualifier since 1975 - before capitulating by 61 points to eventual premier Port Adelaide.

Things deteriorated even further in 1999 when the club's five season sequence of appearances in the major round came to an end, although it would probably be fair to observe that this was more a result of inconsistency than any inherent lack of talent.

Astute recruiting over the summer months was to bear spectacular fruit in the 2000 season as the Bulldogs finally vanquished their premiership hoodoo in decisive, if not exactly spectacular, fashion. Among the new names to bolster the club's ranks were Danny Stevens from the Kangaroos, and James and Chris Gowans from St. Kilda. An additional bonus was the return of Daniel Healy - the 1999 Gardiner Medallist for fairest and best in the AFL reserves competition - also from St. Kilda. It took them a few rounds to find their feet but once they did it became clear that the Bulldogs were going to prove extremely difficult to beat in 2000. Finals qualification in second spot with a 14-6 record ultimately proved the perfect perch from which to launch a premiership assault. A 22.11 (143) to 10.10 (70) annihilation of Port Adelaide in the qualifying final got the finals campaign underway in exhilarating style - indeed, it represented arguably the Bulldogs' best display of the season - but thereafter it became something of a grind. Minor premiers Woodville-West Torrens succumbed by 18 points in the 2nd semi, but the contention of many observers was that the Eagles would be much stronger next time round (credence to this point of view being provided by the fact that, having had the bye at the end of the minor round, they had not fronted up for a fortnight, and were therefore likely to be 'under done').

The Eagles duly got their second crack at Centrals after a hard fought preliminary final defeat of Sturt and opinion in Adelaide was almost evenly divided as to where the 2000 flag would eventually end up. A disappointing crowd of just 34,819 - the lowest at an SANFL grand final since 1947 - turned up at Football Park on a wet September Sunday afternoon knowing that, one way or another, they would witness history in the making. On the one hand an Eagles win would give that club a clean sweep of premierships in all four grades, an achievement that not even the redoubtable Port Adelaide had ever managed, while a victory to Central District would see the red, white and blue colours adorning the top of the West End Brewery chimney for the first time ever.

From the start it was clear that, even by grand final standards, this was going to be a hard, slogging affair, with 'scientific' football at a premium. After a goalless first quarter the Bulldogs, having enjoyed the benefits of a two or three goal breeze, led narrowly 0.5 to 0.3. According to many observers this represented a moral victory to the Eagles who, with the breeze at their backs, would kick away during the 2nd term. However, such a view ignored the ferocious determination with which the Central District players, to a man, were approaching the game. Such an approach rendered incidentals like wind advantage irrelevant, and over the remaining three quarters the Bulldogs systematically proved this by adding 8.8 to 5.6 to secure a memorable victory by 22 points. James Gowans won the Jack Oatey Medal for best afield with brother Chris not far behind in terms of his overall contribution. Others to play well included Graham, Macgowan, Healy, Geister and Dew.

Twelve months later it was almost a case of déja vu as Centrals and the Eagles clashed again on grand final day in near identical weather conditions. The only difference was that Centrals were by this stage an even more assured and well balanced outfit than a year earlier, and victory was achieved with correspondingly greater comfort, 10.11 (71) to 4.8 (32). The Jack Oatey Medallist on this occasion was Rick Macgowan, with the Gowans brothers again prominent along with Hicks, Slade, Geister, Healy and Guerra.

For most of the 2002 season it appeared that all the Bulldogs would need to do would be to turn up at Football Park on grand final day in order to secure a 3rd successive pennant. After completing the minor round with only 2 defeats they enjoyed a week's rest at the outset of the finals before comfortably booking a place in the premiership decider with a 9.14 (68) to 8.6 (54) 2nd semi final defeat of Sturt. A fortnight later against the same opposition Centrals were widely tipped to win again but the Double Blues, showing great desperation and commitment, overturned the odds in spectacular fashion. The early loss of Damian Hicks, who sustained a rib injury after a clash with Barnaby French, undoubtedly disrupted Centrals' forward set-up, but this alone was not enough to account for the Bulldogs' capitulation.

Centrals also joined Port Adelaide and Norwood in securing the elusive 'trifecta' of premiership, Magarey Medallist (Paul Thomas), and leading goalkicker (Daniel Schell) in the same season.

Best players for the Bulldogs in an awesome all round team display included Nathan Steinberner (Jack Oatey Medal), Marco Bello, Daniel Schell (6 goals), Daniel Healy and Stuart Cochrane.

The only sour note was struck by the dismal crowd of just 24,207 who elected to show up on what was a perfect day for spectators.

The 2005 season saw Centrals struggle early, only to move ominously into form once the finals loomed. In the end, a 15-5 record was good enough to procure a fifth successive minor premiership, and thereafter the Bulldogs performed with consummate skill, aggression and purpose to overcome Port Adelaide Magpies by 45 points in the 2nd semi final, and the Eagles by 28 points in the grand final, thereby securing a third consecutive flag, and their fifth in total. The Jack Oatey Medal for the best player afield went to Luke McCabe.

In 2006, the Bulldogs looked to have put a somewhat stuttering minor round performance behind them when they comfortably overcame North Adelaide and the Eagles in successive finals to qualify for their seventh premiership play-off in a row. However, on grand final day they were comprehensively outplayed to the tune of 76 points by a ferociously competitive Eagles combination. If there was a consolation, it was that there were only 25,130 spectators at AAMI stadium to witness their humiliation, affording further sad evidence that, through no fault of its own, the SANFL had in a few short years been irreversibly transformed from a major player on the Australian football stage to an incidental cameo of comparatively negligible importance and interest.

Just as they had done after the Sturt debacle of 2002, the Bulldogs bounced back from their 2006 humiliation at the hands of the Eagles to capture the 2007 premiership in emphatic fashion. Comfortably top of the ladder after the minor round with an 18-2 record, they cruised to their sixth flag on the strength of convincing wins over North Adelaide in both the 2nd semi final (by 20 points) and the grand final (by 65 points).

The 2008 season brought yet another grand final appearance, and a new grand final opponent in the shape of Glenelg. In front of a crowd of 34,128 - the largest for a premiership decider since 2002 - the Bulldogs found the going tough during the first two quarters, and entered the long break hanging on to a meagre 4 point advantage. After half time, however, with ruckman Jason Mackenzie continually giving the likes of Paul Thomas, Matthew Slade, the Gowans brothers, Ian Callinan and Brayden O'Hara first use of the ball the match developed into a red, white and blue procession. Centrals added 12.7 to 6.5 in the second half to win pulling away by exactly 7 goals, 17.11 (113) to 10.11 (71), with Mackenzie being rewarded for his efforts with the Jack Oatey Medal for best afield.

In 2009 the Bulldogs stamped themselves as one of the greatest SANFL teams of all time by reaching their tenth straight grand final and comfortably overcoming Sturt, their 2002 nemesis, by 38 points, 13.14 (92) to 7.12 (54). By claiming eight senior flags in a decade the Bulldogs overhauled the previous record of seven established by Norwood in the 1880s, and later emulated by Port Adelaide during the 1950s.

Amazingly, there was still further triumph to follow, with the Bulldogs contesting their eleventh straight senior grade grand final in 2010 and overcoming Norwood by a single straight kick, 10.11 (71) to 9.11 (65), thereby claiming their ninth premiership victory.

In forty-plus years of League competition Central District Football Club has boasted its share of champion players, with names such as Platten, Eustice, Duckworth, Window, McAdam, Grljusich, Casserly, Farnham and Haughan being as noteworthy as almost any in the game over that period. Although it was not until the early years of the twenty-first century that the club could truly be said to have 'arrived' as a consistently viable force in the competition, once it did arrive it gave the distinct impression that it was not remotely interested in the short term haul; Centrals now possess, not to put it limply, dynastic aspirations.

Other SANFL clubs beware - the Bulldogs have battled long and hard to acquire their current pre-eminence, and it will take something quite exceptional on the part of their regular adversaries to bring them back down to earth.

Footnotes

2. 'The South Australian Football Budget', volume 69, number 26, 10 September 1994, page 13. Return to Main Text

3. The Bulldogs also received the Foundation Cup, which was now awarded to the SANFL minor premiers, making this technically the club's first senior premiership. Return to Main Text

4. Quoted in 'Football Plus', volume 1, number 36, 4 October 1995, page 13. Return to Main Text

5. En route to the minor premiership the Bulldogs met and defeated Port Adelaide on three occasions, the last of which, at Elizabeth Oval in round 20, saw them 31 points down at three quarter time before storming back to claim a stirring 10 point victory. Return to Main Text

7. After steering Centrals reserves to the 2002 flag, Laird took over the senior coaching role the following year. Return to Main Text

CENTRAL DISTRICT - Part Two: 1980 to 2010

Footnotes