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EASTLAKE DEMONS (Eastlake/Manuka/Manuka Weston/Southern District)
Affiliated: FTARFL/CANFL/ACTAFL/AFL Canberra 1926-present
Formed: Eastlake -1926; Manuka - 1928; Manuka became Manuka Weston in 1985; Eastlake and Manuka Weston merged in 1991
Emblem: Demons
Premierships: Eastlake - 1928, 1930, 1933-34, 1937, 1942 (with Manuka), 1945, 1948, 1957, 1960, 1962-63-64-65-66, 1972, 1976, 1978 (18 total); Manuka - 1931, 1935, 1938, 1942 (with Eastlake), 1949-50, 1955, 1967-68-69, 1971, 1973-74-75, 1977, 1981 (16 total); Eastlake Demons - 2001 (1 total)
CANFL Fairest and Best Award: Eastlake - Bill McKistrey 1933 & 1934 (1 player/2 awards)
Mulrooney Medallists: Eastlake - Ernest Hurtig 1951; Robert Shearer 1963; Paul Feltham 1968; Paul Macdonald 1972*; Peter Phillipou 1974; Keith Miller 1979; S.Overland 1985; G.Dickerson 1990 (8 total) Manuka - Phil Barrett 1937; Jack Dorman 1938*; Alan Ware 1939; Jim Brophy 1949; Perc Eagles 1950; Glen Bow 1965; Bill Vaughan 1971; Edney Blackaby 1977 (8 total) Manuka Weston - S.Fitzsimmons 1987; A.Mills# 1990; M.Swan# 1990 (3 total) Southern District/Eastlake Demons - J.Garnaut 1993; S.Wilson 1995-96; G.Cannon 2000 (3 Medallists/4 Medals)
League Top Goalkickers: Eastlake - G.Sharp (83) 1947 & (128) 1948; G.Werner (54) 1961 & (77) 1966; J.Stewart (58) 1970; D.Morgan (134) 1972; G.McLean (88) 1974; W.Smorhun (89) 1975; B.Mickelson (72) 1978 (9 total) Manuka - J.Brown (94) 1933; W.Heath (85) 1960; K.Bromage (105) 1962 & (70) 1963; T.Gallagher (112) 1969, (58) 1970 & (83) 1973 (7 total) Manuka Weston - nil Southern District/Eastlake Demons - J.Watts (73) 2000 & (64) 2001 (2 total)
* indicates awarded retrospectively, having originally been lost on a countback
# indicates joint winners
| MINI-BIOGRAPHIES: | Neil Conlan Robert Franklin Daryl Gerlach Alex Jesaulenko Ian Low Peter Phillipou Jim Richardson Alan Ware Danny Warr Roy Watterston |
Manuka/Manuka
Weston 1928-1990
Southern
District/Eastlake Demons 1991-present
| Eastlake's First Premiership Side |
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| BACK ROW (L-R): J.Ryan, C.McFadyean, W.Carroll, V.Prior, R.Torbet, C.Williams, V.Martin, F.Himming (umpire) |
| MIDDLE ROW (L-R): G.Orford, H.Woods, J.Hicks, G.Turnbull (captain), A.Morcombe (vice-captain), H.Jenkins, L.Robertson, G.Thompson (umpire) |
| FRONT ROW (L-R): G.Bulpin, H.Cottrell, G.Chandler, D.Stewart |
Eastlake 1926-1990
The Federal Territory Australian Rules Football League was just two years old when the Eastlake Football Club first emerged on the scene in 1926. Comprised chiefly of local tradesmen, many of whom had moved to Canberra from the southern states, the team did not take long in finding its feet. In 1927, it contested its first grand final (see footnote 1), losing by 34 points to Acton, and the following year achieved premiership success for the first time with a comprehensive 9.16 (70) to 4.6 (30) grand final defeat of Ainslie. Eastlake's ranks in 1928 had been bolstered by the acquisition of several players employed at the newly opened Government Printing Office.
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'Jezza' |
Ainslie achieved revenge over Eastlake in 1929 with a hard fought 8 point grand final triumph, but Eastlake opened the 1930s in fine style, conclusively downing the Tricolours 14.16 (100) to 7.7 (49) to clinch the club's second premiership. Eastlake proved to be Canberra's most successful club during the 1930s, emerging with a 100% record from four grand finals. The club's third premiership victory in 1933 was rewarded with permanent possession of the 'Canberra Times Shield', which was one of several trophies presented to the competition's premier team at the time. During World War Two, Eastlake combined briefly with Manuka, winning a premiership in 1942, and becoming known for a time as 'City', rather than as a straight hybrid of the two partners' names. |
Eastlake was back as an independent entity in 1945 and, in what was an abbreviated season with only four clubs competing, emerged victorious from one of the most exciting grand finals seen in Canberra up to that point. The temporary non-involvement in the competition of Ainslie, Manuka and Queanbeyan proved inordinately beneficial to Eastlake, which proved to be the favoured transient refuge for many of the players from those teams. Duly reinforced, Eastlake was able to compete on equal terms with armed service teams comprising large numbers of highly proficient southern states footballers, including reigning premiers Navy which had proved a cut or two above the rest in 1944. Navy it ultimately was which stood between Eastlake and premiership glory on grand final day and, after a titanic struggle during which the lead repeatedly changed hands, the final margin, courtesy of a rushed behind in the dying moments, was the barest one attainable, in Eastlake's favour.
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Three years later things could hardly have been more different as Eastlake scored a resounding 80 point grand final victory over past and future merger partners Manuka. Scores were Eastlake 22.16 (148) to Manuka 10.8 (68), a result which clearly reflected Eastlake's dominance during a season which brought only 1 defeat. The 1950s brought an unwanted first for Eastlake, with the hitherto unprecedented indignity of a wooden spoon in 1952. The remainder of the decade brought gradual improvement, however. Within a couple of years of ploughing the depths, the club played off in a grand final against the Queanbeyan-Acton. However, it proved to be a distinctly unmemorable occasion for the boys in white and red, with the 'Combine' as they were known surging to a record victory, 23.15 (153) to 6.8 (44). When Eastlake finally broke through for another flag in 1957 it did so in the most emphatic fashion, remaining undefeated (including one tie) all season to earn the rare title 'premiers and champions'. The grand final against Manuka, which was the team that earlier in the season had come within an ace of denting Eastlake's record, was a tough, closely fought affair, with Eastlake emerging winners by 15 points after rallying strongly in the final term. |
Action from Eastlake (white guernsey) vs. Belconnen in 1976. |
The 1960s would prove to be easily the most successful decade in Eastlake's history, and the club served notice of what was to come in 1960 with another undefeated premiership. This time around the performance was, if anything, even more conclusive, culminating in a 20.15 (135) to 9.9 (63) grand final demolition of Ainslie.
Between 1962 and 1966 Eastlake dominated the Canberra football scene as no team, before or since, has done. Playing a strong, aggressive style of football, and boasting a formidable defence, the side was never severely tested in five consecutive grand finals. Future VFL champion Alex Jesaulenko was a member of three of these premiership winning Eastlake combinations.
| Although the remainder of the decade heralded a
comparative decline in fortunes, Eastlake was still able to contest the grand
final for a further three successive years, losing to Manuka
each time. Manuka again had Eastlake's measure in the 1971 grand final,
but when the side eventually returned to the winners' frame in 1972 it did so in the
most emphatic fashion imaginable with a 26.19 (175) to 9.8 (62) annihilation of Ainslie.
It was almost as impressive four years later, thrashing its erstwhile nemesis
Manuka by 69 points.
The 1978 grand final, watched by a good crowd of 9,500, was one of the most exciting ever staged in the nation's capital. At half time, Eastlake trailed Ainslie by 27 points, but then came roaring back to claim a memorable 24 point victory, 19.23 (137) to 16.17 (113). However, this proved to be Eastlake's last solo premiership. After losing three consecutive grand finals between 1982 and 1984 the club began to struggle, and in 1991 the oldest surviving ACTAFL club entered into a merger agreement with Manuka which spawned the establishment of the Southern District Demons. |
Eastlake's 1974 Mulrooney Medallist, Peter Phillipou. |
Manuka/Manuka Weston 1928-1990
| Manuka's Inaugural Team of 1928 |
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| BACK ROW (L-R): L.Lindley, R.Findlay, R.Leonard, J.Moroney, H.McDonald, N.Taylor, C.Marriott, |
| MIDDLE ROW (L-R): J.Tootell, E.Hicks, G.Bryant, J.Febey, T.Lindley, L.Barber |
| FRONT ROW (L-R): J.Woodcock, L.Brodie, J.Brown, W.Boyd, T.Riley |
Formed in 1928, Manuka entered the Federal Australian Rules Football League the same year, replacing founder members Federals, which had disbanded, and adopting the same red and black playing uniforms. The side finished last in a five team competition in its debut season, and continued to struggle until 1931 when, in the first year of the Page-McIntyre finals system, it battled its way through to the grand final. Opponents Acton, which had vied with Manuka for the wooden spoon in each of the previous three seasons, afforded stern opposition in a dour, low scoring tussle, but the red and blacks proved steadier in front of goal, and ultimately prevailed by 19 points.
Manuka remained at the forefront of the game in Canberra for the remainder of the decade. After losing three consecutive grand finals between 1932 and 1934 it re-assumed pole position in 1935 with a 9.14 (68) to 4.19 (43) grand final defeat of Ainslie. Manuka's third and final premiership of the 1930s followed three years later when Queanbeyan was its grand final victim. Manuka won a high standard encounter 18.9 (117) to 15.4 (94), with former VFL player Tom Fitzmaurice bagging 10 goals.
The 1939 CANFL season (see footnote 2) was noteworthy for producing the first drawn game since the inception of the league. Manuka and Acton were the two teams involved, each kicking 10.17 (77). Incredibly, the second drawn game in league history happened just a matter of weeks later, on grand final day. Once again, Manuka was involved, registering precisely the same score - 7.10 (52) - as opponents Queanbeyan. This remains the only drawn grand final in league history.
Somewhat controversially, CANFL president John Mulrooney ruled that the replay should take place at Queanbeyan's home ground of Queanbeyan Park. Everyone connected with Manuka was most aggrieved, less so regarding any intimations that Queanbeyan was being handed an advantage than over the diminutive size of the ground, which they believed was inimical to the production of good football. The league was not to be gainsaid, however, and the match duly went ahead, with Queanbeyan emerging victorious with disquieting ease, 18.22 (130) to 9.19 (73).
During World War Two Manuka joined forces with Eastlake for three seasons, winning the 1942 flag with a 13.24 (102) to 4.14 (38) annihilation of RAAF.
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Manuka (dark shorts) and Queanbeyan in action during the 1974 season. |
Manuka returned as a force in the late 1940s, losing the 1948 grand final to Eastlake, and then scoring a narrow win over the same opponent the following year in one of the most nail-biting grand finals witnessed in the Territory up to that point. When Joe Flaherty goaled in the closing minute of the game to put Manuka 4 points in front it was the first time in the match that the red and blacks had led, and their timing could not have been more impeccable. Final scores were Manuka 6.9 (45) to Eastlake 5.11 (41). Manuka again overcame the challenge of Eastlake in 1950, recovering from a 2nd semi final loss - the side's only reversal for the year - to win the grand final by 25 points. In 1955 Manuka achieved the comparatively rare feat of downing the mighty Queanbeyan-Acton Combine, 12.11 (83) to 8.6 (54), to secure the club's sixth premiership as an autonomous entity. The 1960s proved to be the club's most successful decade so far as it contested a total of six grand finals for a 50% success rate. The three flags came consecutively between 1967 and 1969, with Eastlake on the receiving end each time. In 1970 Manuka played off for a 4th successive premiership but lost a thriller to Ainslie by 6 points. The 1970s would prove to be even more rewarding than the 1960s with the club appearing in 7 grand finals for 5 wins. Many excellent players donned the red and black during this decade including Bill Vaughan, Brian Backhouse, Edney Blackaby and Greg Eaves. |
The main architect of Manuka's success during the late 1960s and early '70s was Tasmanian Neil Conlan who took over as captain-coach of the Bullants, as they were known by this time, in 1967. Described as "a quick thinker and an aggressive, constructive footballer always looking to bring his forwards into the game with his accurate disposal" (see footnote 3) Conlan "inspired his players by his knowledge of the game as well as his ability to play it" (see footnote 4). As playing coach of Manuka, Conlan oversaw two premierships, and four more as non-playing coach. Following his departure after the 1974 flag he left a distinctive legacy which contributed to the club's continued prominence during the remainder of the 1970s. A forthright character, he "was never averse to advise the umpires about the state of the game" (see footnote 5). Neil Conlan's son Michael later became a renowned VFL footballer with Fitzroy after beginning his career with the Bullants.
Manuka's final premiership came in 1981 with Brian Quade as captain-coach. In what was the first grand final played at the league's new headquarters of Philip Oval Ainslie was overcome by 22 points, 18.18 (126) to 15.14 (104).
As Manuka Weston the side contested one grand final, losing to Queanbeyan by 20 points in 1989. Two years later came the merger with Eastlake and a new era beckoned.
Southern District/Eastlake Demons 1991-present
Eventual bedfellows Manuka and Eastlake go head to head at Manuka Oval in 1970.
The alliance of two struggling clubs in the shape of Eastlake and Manuka Weston to form Southern District in 1991 produced immediate dividends as the fledgling organisation promptly won the ACTAFL club championship trophy, awarded to the team with the best overall record in all grades. The senior side just failed to lift the premiership, however, losing the grand final against Queanbeyan by 4 goals.
Eastlake and Manuka had joined forces before, of course, winning the 1942 premiership during a three year wartime partnership. Moreover, they had another reason to be fairly well acquainted: between 1933 and 1977 they had met one another in no fewer than seventeen senior grand finals, easily a record (see footnote 6).
After a succession of near misses, the Demons, now bearing the Eastlake moniker, finally clinched a flag in 2001, downing Belconnen by 3 points after a thrilling tussle. Since then, however, preliminary finals in 2002 and 2006 have been the side's best finishes.
Although scarcely any senior football club at any level in the country can be properly described as inviolable, the administrations at Eastlake and Manuka Weston have done everything practicable to ensure that at least some vestiges of their respective clubs' traditions and heritage endure well into the twenty-first century.
Where now?
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Footnotes
1. For convenience, the term 'grand final' is used to describe any premiership-deciding match, even though, prior to the implementation of the Page-McIntyre finals system in 1931, there was, strictly speaking, no such thing as a 'grand final'. The usual system was for the competition's top four sides to play a straight elimination series of two semi finals and a final, with the proviso that, if the minor premier was defeated at any stage during the finals, it could challenge the eventual winner of the final to a decisive, premiership deciding play off. Thus, matches conveniently described as 'grand finals' prior to 1931 would, in actuality, either be 'finals' or 'challenge finals'. Return to Main Text
2. The Federal Territory Australian Rules Football League (FTARFL) became the Canberra Australian National Football League (CANFL) in 1927. Return to Main Text
3. The National Game in the National Capital: 60 Years of Achievement by Barbara Marshall, page 134. Return to Main Text
4. Ibid, page 134. Return to Main Text
5. Ibid, page 134. Return to Main Text
6. Eastlake had emerged victorious from nine of these encounters, compared to Manuka's eight. Return to Main Text