From the 1966 South Australian Football Year Book

[Adelaide Hawk]

What a thrashing!

South Australia has administered two severe thrashings to Victoria at Adelaide Oval in recent years - by 64 points last July and by 69 points in 1960. But how many people remember a much headier SA victory in the dying days of World War II?

On that memorable day, August 6 1944, SA beat a Victorian RAAF side by 182 points. This victory does not appear in official records. And more's the pity because it was one of the most overwhelming wins in the history of senior, let alone interstate football.

At the time of the "interstate" match, SA still had a wartime patriotic "combined" competition. However, League football had continued in Melbourne throughout the war and, just before the match in question, had narrowly beaten a Victorian RAAF team on the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

It was this Victorian RAAF side, bristling with big names (including the 1935 Magarey Medallist Jack Cockburn) which came to do battle with SA. But the airmen flew back on one very rough engine. They must have been hit by a Flying Fortress because SA kicked the equivalent of 41 goals to 10, including 17.5 to one goal in the last quarter.

The quarter-by-quarter scores were:
South Australia 4.6 14.12 21.13 38.18 246
Victorian RAAF 3.2 7.2 9.4 10.4 64

The SA team on this astounding day was:-

F: Way, Shaw, Oatey
HF: Langley, Reilly, Bob Hank
C: Nicholls, Pash, L.Cahill
HB: Keane, Ingham, Bottroff
B: Corbett, Haines, McFarlane
1st Ruck: Prose, J.Taylor, Quinn
2nd Ruck: Way, Corbett, Oatey
Res: Fletcher, Potter, Hoskins

SA goalkickers were: Quinn 8, Way 7, Shaw 5, Reilly 4, Hank 3, Oatey 2, Cahill, McFarlane, Prowse.
(There were 6 goals missing from the goalkicker list)

Best Players for SA: Quinn, Hank, Cahill, Taylor, Haines, Reilly, Oatey, Way, Langley, Bottroff, McFarlane.

Some excuses were made on the score that a number of the Victorians were not fully fit. Nevertheless, SA gave a masterly display of unerring footpassing and speed, especially from experts like Bob Quinn, Bob Hank, Laurie Cahill, Jack Oatey and Gil Langley.

By half time SA was nine goals up and the second hald produced "an unprecedented display" of almost perfect play from centre to goal. SA kicked 24.6 to 3.2 in the second half. Neville Way kicked six goals in the last quarter.

[Jimmy]

holy shit....

thats awesome....never heard of that before.