Back to South Adelaide Part 1
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Anthony 'Bos' Daly - click to enlarge. |
In 1897 the SAFA voted to
introduce an electorate system of player registration, whereby players would be
required to play for the club in whose electoral district they resided.
The system was loosely implemented that very year, but only on a voluntary
basis. However, from 1899 it became compulsory and, over the longer term, the
big loser was the South Adelaide Football Club.
Initially, however, although the club lost a large number of highly talented and experienced players, including the likes of 'Dinny' Reedman, Jack Kay, Ern Jones, and Edward MacKenzie, the overall impact was negligible, as there were also a number of significant gains. Principal among these was the arrival from Norwood of the leading goalsneak in the colony, Anthony 'Bos' Daly, who promptly proceeded to help himself to 32 goals for the season as South procured the 1899 premiership courtesy of a 5.12 (42) to 2.2 (14) challenge final victory over Daly's former associates from the Parade. Unfortunately, however, in 1900 he was on the move again, this time to West Torrens, and although the blue and whites were still sufficiently strong to play off for the premiership (losing by 13 points to North Adelaide) the 'halcyon era' was very definitely over. Over the course of the next decade, particularly after Sturt was admitted to the competition in 1901, the effects of the electorate system would truly begin to hit home. South Adelaide was the only club to vote against Sturt's admission - hardly surprising when you consider that the newcomers were to be allocated a major slice of South's territory, which would see them able to claim as many as a dozen former Blue and White players in their debut season. |
South Adelaide's zone was actually centered on east Adelaide, one of the few areas of the city where the population was not expanding; moreover, with limited finances at its disposal, the club did not have ready recourse to alternative methods of recruitment. (Sturt, for example, had a major beneficiary in the shape of John Frederick Dempsey, whose money was used as bait to lure large numbers of top quality players to Unley from interstate; these players, known as 'Dempsey's Immigrants', would effectively sow the seeds of the Blues' first ever premiership in 1915.) The situation rapidly became self-perpetuating, and would continue, with only fleeting interludes, for most of the remainder of the twentieth century.
| This is not
meant to suggest that the club took the situation lying down. Far from it,
in fact: in 1908, for example, it joined West Adelaide in breaking new ground
for the SANFL by appointing a paid coach in the shape of former player, Fred
O'Brien, who was enticed back from Broken Hill with the by no means meagre offer
for the time of 10 shillings a week. His efforts were unsuccessful, however, and the
club continued to struggle (see footnote 7).
Between 1906 and 1914, South failed to contest the major round, and its overall success rate was poorer than 25%, easily the lowest in the competition during that period. Despite this, the club continued to be home to many fine players. Among the most notable of these were: |
'Dinky' Barry - click to enlarge. |
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Jack Tredrea, a ruggedly indefatigable and resolute performer, who freely - and somewhat colourfully - admitted to putting "plenty of ginger into my play because I do not believe in making a parlour game of the great Australian pastime" (see footnote 8) |
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George Wallace, a champion left footed rover who joined South from West Adelaide in 1905, and went on to give the club many years of sterling service, besides playing for South Australia on numerous occasions |
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Alexander Job, a clever wingman who represented South Australia when it won the 1911 Adelaide Carnival |
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Frank 'Dinky' Barry, a fleet of foot rover "who was sometimes accused of running too far with the ball" (see footnote 9), but who nevertheless was recognised as one of the finest players of his era, winning the Magarey Medal in 1915 |
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The cleanest of players, he reminds me very much of Dave Low, that man of men, who always went for the ball, never intentionally interfering with his opponent. It is in this that a footballer shows his strength. If he cannot beat his man fair and square, what need is there to risk giving a free? Dan Moriarty gives great promise of being one of the greatest footballers of modern times. (See footnote 10)
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The writer showed uncanny prescience, for in winning successive Magarey Medals in 1919, 1920 and 1921, Moriarty established a record that is unlikely ever to be equalled. Not that his greatness was merely a matter of records, statistics and inscriptions on the club honour board; his play was of such incomparable quality that it made you sit up and take notice whoever you were, and whatever your football background. For example, renowned Western Australian football historian Dolph Heinrichs, in reviewing the 1921 Perth Carnival, wrote: If South Australia could only run an honourable third in a small select field, it could claim, I believe, the finest player of them all. I refer to Dan Moriarty, who on his form against Victoria and WA, was one of the greatest half backs who ever played on a West Australian football field. (See footnote 11) Meanwhile, former Sturt and South Australian great Victor York Richardson recalled: |
The 'human horse stinger', Jack Cockburn. (Click to enlarge.) |
It may not be considered good football nowadays, but I remember an interstate game between Victoria and South Australia in which either Dan Moriarty or Wells Eicke four or five times in succession took spectacular finger tip marks at half back and kicked far down the ground, only to see the other of them return the ball practically to the position from which it had been kicked. Good football by today's standards or not, it had the vast crowd roaring with delight at the sheer brilliance of each individual effort by these counterparts in each team. (See footnote 12)
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South's "champion wingster" - click to enlarge. |
Unfortunately for South
Adelaide, Dan Moriarty's football career was only brief, and although his
presence in the side was not quite sufficient to propel the side to a
premiership, or even indeed to a grand final, things would get a lot worse
after his retirement. During Moriarty's seven years at South the club
contested the finals on three occasions, with 3rd place in 1921 and 1923 its
best return; following his departure, it would not participate in the
major round for a decade, and finished dead set last no fewer than six times; moreover, during that period, every one of the other
seven SANFL clubs
won at least one premiership.
At the root of South's problems was the league's inequitable zoning system which allocated the club "only 1.5 per cent of the area allotted to football clubs and 6.5 per cent of the population of the metropolitan area; half the quota required assuming an equitable distribution among eight league clubs" (see footnote 13). When, in 1929, South's concerns on this matter were endorsed by a special Boundaries Commission to which both the SANFL chairman and vice-chairman were party, the club must surely have felt that it was at last on the verge of achieving parity with the other teams in the competition. However, the full league committee rejected the Boundary Commission's proposals, and South was back where it started. |
Despite the team's collective inferiority to most of its opponents, South Adelaide continued to attract a fair number of exceptional players. During the early '20s, besides Moriarty, there was rugged, straight ahead half back 'Jim' Handby, who later played for Glenelg where he won the 1928 Magarey Medal; Boulder City-born and Broken Hill-raised Wally Allen, "Australia's champion wingster" (see footnote 14); prolific goal kicker and captain Steve McKee, who was also a fine weight lifter, and who went on to become a sporting journalist of note; the formidable A.J. 'Bulla' Ryan, always in the thick of the action, and who almost invariably dominated his key position, both for club and state, despite being only 175cm tall; and brilliant rover Jack Daly, son of former Norwood and West Adelaide champion 'Bunny' Daly. Later on the club was blessed with the talents of Frank Tully, a fast, courageous rover who established a record by playing 168 consecutive league games; two outstanding wingmen in Jack Mackay and Laurie Cahill; arguably the club's greatest ever full forward in the shape of C.C. 'Dinny' Munro, who booted a total of 393 goals in eight seasons; and sublimely talented half forward flank specialist, Max Murdy, who was unlucky enough to finish 2nd in the Magarey Medal on no fewer than three occasions. Perhaps the club's finest player of the 1930s, however, was the 'human horse stinger', Jack Cockburn. Recruited from Blyth in 1934, when already twenty-four years of age, Cockburn won the Magarey Medal the following year, and in that season's 1st semi final issue of 'the SANFL Football Budget' was afforded the following eloquent tribute by 'Corinthian':
Although of particularly robust physique, Cockburn has compelled admiration by the transparent fairness of his methods, and his concentration on the ball. What an easy task our umpires would be set if every player emulated Cockburn's style! The ball is invariably his objective, and his brilliance in gaining possession by dashing groundwork, and brilliant high flying, has made him the outstanding player of the season. (See footnote 15)
| After the team finished
bottom in 1934 with just 4 wins from 17 matches, South's committee
embarked on a determined, Australia-wide recruiting campaign that was
ultimately to bear spectacular fruit in season 1935. Under new coach
Vic Johnson, a burly former Port Adelaide ruckman, the blue and whites
gave no indication of what lay ahead when they lost their opening round
fixture at home to Norwood by 47 points.
The following week, South travelled to Prospect and received a 23.5 (143)
to 12.10 (82) hiding from North
Adelaide, at which point the club's supporters must surely have sighed
with resignation, muttering "here we go again". In round
3, however, South scored a hard fought 26 point victory against West Torrens,
a team which had made the four the previous year, and over the following
weeks it became clear that, under Johnson's fervent tutelage, the team was
playing with greater tenacity, cohesion and purpose than for many a year.
The level of improvement was vividly demonstrated in round 8 when the team
travelled to the Parade for the return meeting with ladder leaders Norwood
and emerged with an astonishing 21.17 (143) to 8.7 (55) victory. By
this stage, all thought of consecutive wooden spoons had been well and
truly dispensed with; the conversation among the club's supporters was now
focused on the finals, and even - dare they hope? - the premiership.
South's flag-winning credentials went up a further notch after a 15.12 (102) to 11.13 (79) defeat of Port Adelaide at Adelaide in round 13. Prior to the game, most of the 'smart money' was on the Magpies for the premiership; afterwards, the blue and whites had achieved the status of 'danger team', not least down Alberton way, where nothing is ever taken for granted. |
Max Murdy, three times a Magarey Medal runner up. |
South duly qualified for the 1935 major round in 2nd position with an 11-6 win/loss record. It was the club's best minor round performance since 1915, and the first time the club had reached the finals since 1923. Perhaps not surprisingly therefore, in the 2nd semi final clash with Port Adelaide many of the players on whom the team had come to rely during the course of the season suddenly forgot how to play; the Magpies won 17.17 (119) to 10.13 (63), comprehensively recapturing the favouritism of most of the pundits in the process. Indeed, there were some who now felt that Sturt, impressive winners over Norwood in the 1st semi final, had supplanted South as the major challengers to Port's supremacy.
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Laurie Cahill, one of South's - and the game's - finest ever wingmen. (Click to enlarge.) |
In a tough, slogging preliminary final, the blue and whites reasserted themselves, if not quite convincingly, then at least with enough fortitude to see off the Double Blues. A key to South's victory was the display of Jack Cockburn. Barely sighted in the centre against Port Adelaide, Cockburn was shifted to centre half back for the clash with Sturt, and proved virtually impassable all match. In winning 13.15 (93) to 11.13 (69) the blue and whites had qualified for the grand final for the first time since 1903 but, Cockburn's display apart, there had been little in their performance to suggest they could overturn the Magpies. A major part of football's allure is its unpredictability, however. When the South players ran out for the grand final in front of 26,496 spectators, Johnson had them bursting with ambition and resolve. They needed to be. In a fearsome arm wrestle of a game, the underdogs held sway until three quarter time, and then: In the last quarter Port attacked relentlessly and with three minutes to go trailed by only two points. From the bounce South swept into attack and following a succession of flashing passes Munro took a well judged mark over West to score a goal. The ball had barely bounced when the bell rang. (See footnote 16) |
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| XXXX |
| South had broken the camel's
back with a win that was full of grit, determination and no small amount of
skill. Final scores were South Adelaide 15.9 (99) to Port Adelaide 13.13
(91).
The last SANFL team to enjoy a meteoric rise from obscurity to pre-eminence, Glenelg in 1934, had found the dizzying heights of newfound success asphyxiating, and plummeted straight back to earth with a thud (the Tigers finished last in 1935). The question many football supporters were asking now was whether South Adelaide could avoid the same fate. South made a solid start to the 1936 season to put its supporters' fears to rest, and although it was ultimately unable to repeat its 1935 success, it did at least manage to contest the finals for a second successive year, which in itself was a fairly noteworthy, indeed almost novel, achievement. Unfortunately, 1st semi final opponents North Adelaide proved too strong, winning a high standard encounter by 28 points. Under new coach 'Buck' Ashby the side showed marginal improvement in 1937. After winning 11 out of 17 minor round matches the blue and whites were placed 3rd on the premiership ladder going into the finals. South's 1st semi final opposition was provided by West Torrens, against whom victory had been procured in round 16 at Thebarton in somewhat unusual circumstances, South winning by 3 points (7.25 to 9.10) despite kicking 2 fewer goals. On 1st semi final day, the blue and whites' dominance was more accurately reflected on the scoreboard as they won with ease by 50 points, 15.13 (103) to 7.11 (53). The good form continued in the preliminary final when South overcame Norwood for the first time in the season, scoring 18.17 (125) to the Redlegs' 15.11 (101). |
Frank Tully |
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| XXXX |
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Len Lapthorne - click to enlarge. |
The blue and whites' second
grand final in three seasons once more pitted them against Port Adelaide, which
was the reigning premier, and which had annihilated Norwood in the 2nd semi
final by 63 points. Needless to say, this made the Magpies a raging hot
favourite going into the big game, but South's excellent late season form helped
attract an excellent crowd of 35,895, the biggest to witness a grand final
since 1925. Sadly, South did not quite have Port's measure on this
occasion, losing by 4 straight kicks, but there was always next year.
'Next year' was, from a blue and white perspective, sensational, and to an arguably unprecedented extent. South opened the season with scores of 25.24 (174) against West Adelaide, 31.15 (201) against Glenelg, and - most satisfyingly of all - 20.24 (144) against 1937 nemesis Port Adelaide. That was merely the hors d'oeuvres: during the remainder of the minor round, the side accumulated a record 2,244 points at an average of 132 per game en route to a 15-2 win/loss record and the club's first (and ultimately only) minor premiership of the 20th century. Likened to a machine owing to the systematic precision of much of its play (see footnote 17), never before nor since has a South Adelaide team dominated the competition to the extent that it did in 1938. Former South champion Steve McKee, writing midway through the season in 'the SANFL Football Budget', expressed the opinion that the team, after initially seeming "well balanced at all points except at full back where lack of high marking strength theoretically exposed South to the danger of defeat" was now, following the move of former Glenelg player Jack Boyle to that position, pretty close to being 'the complete article' (see footnote 18). |
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| XXX |
| The accuracy of this
assessment was emphatically demonstrated during the 1938 finals series when the
blue and whites coasted to a 'straight sets' premiership courtesy of wins over
Norwood (by 20 points in the 2nd semi final) and old rivals Port Adelaide (by 46
points in the grand final). South's record-breaking season reached a
record-breaking climax when it established a new grand final 'high' with a tally
of 23.14 (152). (Click here for a
detailed account of the 1936 grand final.)
One week after the grand final South Adelaide met VFL premier Carlton in an unofficial championship of Australia match at the Wayville Showgrounds. Despite the inappropriateness of the venue for such a prestigious match, the teams put on a captivating display that finished in the most dramatic circumstances. After trailing by 15 points at three quarter time, South fought back strongly in the last quarter, and when George Jobson marked within goal kicking range as the final bell went, only 6 points separated the sides. Unfortunately for South, however, Jobson's kick missed everything, leaving Carlton victorious 10.22 (82) to 10.16 (76). (See footnote 19) |
Keith Brown - click to enlarge. |
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| XXXX |
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Moments after the final bell in the 1938 grand final, South captain Jack Dawes has a celebratory cigar on hand as he is chaired from the field by ecstatic supporters. (Click to enlarge.) |
Among the many noteworthy contributors to South's record-breaking season were Laurie Cahill, who won the club's best and fairest award, leading goalkicker Clem Rosewarne (82 goals), the Dawes brothers, Jim and club captain Jack, fleet-footed rover Len Lapthorne, "who never looked anything but a gleeful imp of mischief on the field" (see footnote 20), the resolutely irrepressible Jack Cockburn, effervescent speedster Max Murdy, and the formidably powerful Keith Brown. With all of these players except for Rosewarne still available in 1939 South was always going to be difficult to beat. Unfortunately, after a solid minor series which yielded 12 wins from 17 matches, good enough for 2nd position on the ladder, the side capitulated when it counted. Against Port Adelaide in the 2nd semi final, poor kicking for goal was partly responsible for a 19 point loss, but in the following week's preliminary final meeting with West Torrens the side under-performed dismally and was soundly beaten by almost 6 goals. Still a force to be contended with in 1940, and widely recognised as the premier attacking force in the league, the blue and whites reached their fourth grand final in six seasons after solid finals victories over Norwood (by 31 points) and Port Adelaide (by 20 points). Sturt, however, justifiably won the premiership by 19 points in front of a meagre crowd of 28,500, which emphasised the inimical impact that war was beginning to have both on football, and on the society which nurtured and spawned it. Six consecutive finals appearances remains by some measure the club's most auspicious sequence since the inception of district football. Over the next two and a half decades, however, it would all too often seem, to supporters of long standing, like a dim, distant memory, or perhaps a dream. |
Where now?
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7. The South Australian Football Story by Bernard Whimpress, page 153. By contrast, the man appointed by West Adelaide was former South great 'Dinny' Reedman, who promptly steered the red and blacks to the longest period of sustained success in the club's history. Return to Main Text
8. Quoted on the South Adelaide Football Club official website, at www.safc.com.au. Return to Main Text
9. SA Greats: The History Of The Magarey Medal by John Wood, page 75. Return to Main Text
10. From 'The Sport' newspaper, and quoted by John Wood in an article in The South Adelaide Football Club 1990 Yearbook, page 23. Return to Main Text
11. Celebrating 100 Years of Tradition by Jack Lee, page 104. Return to Main Text
12. The Vic Richardson Story by V.Y.Richardson, page 170. Return to Main Text
13. Whimpress, op cit., page 154. Return to Main Text
14. This claim, made in an article in 'the SA Footballer' of 30/6/23, page 33, appears not to have been without justification, for "after having decisively beaten Garden (presumably Jack, Essendon wingman of the early 1920s) in the interstate match in Melbourne, capable Victorian critics hailed him as the champion of the year. This exalted opinion was supplemented by those who witnessed the two Carnival matches in WA in 1921". Return to Main Text
15. 'SANFL Football Budget', 14/9/35, page 3. Return to Main Text
16. 'SANFL Football Budget', 2/10/82, page 55. Return to Main Text
17. See 'SANFL Football Budget', 11/6/38, page 5. Return to Main Text
18. 'SANFL Football Budget', 30/7/38, page 5. Return to Main Text
19. See Champions Of Australia by Max Sayer, page 22. Return to Main Text
20. The Pash Papers: Australian Rules Football in South Australia 1950-1964 by Jeff Pash, page 38. Return to Main Text
