1981 SANFL season

[Booney]

Just had occasion to look at the 1981 SANFL GF ( ) and looked further into the year, what a season that was!

Glenelg 19 wins and 3 losses - 38 points
Port 15 and 7 30 points
South 15 and 7 30 points
Norwood 13 8 and 1 27 points
West Adelaide 11 10 and 1 23 points

Sturt 11 10 and 1 23 points
Centrals 11 and 11 22 points
North 7 and 15 14 points
Torrens 3 18 and 1 7 points
Woodville 3 and 19 6 points

Sturt and Centrals both with 11 wins from 22 games missed finals.

In round 3,5,7,9 and 16 all 10 sides kicked 10 goals or more.

In the last round scores were :

Port 119
def
Norwood 73

Sturt 146
def
Glenelg 133

Centrals 173
def
Woodville 118

West 134
def
South 83

Torrens 158
def
North 121

Scores of 118,121 and 133 weren't enough to win!

Westies lose the elimination to Norwood 163 to 130, 20.10 and you lose the elimination.

Port kick 130 points in the qualy, 147 in the 2nd semi and beat the Bays 95 to 41 in the GF.

In the 220 minor round games on 33 occasions sides scored 100 points or more and lost.

What was it with 1981?

@spell_check where does this rank on the highest scoring seasons in the SANFL?

[am Bays]

Yeah thanks for bringing this year up w@nker....

I was at the Adelaide oval game (Bays v Sturt) being down for the school holidays from the back blocks of the NT. Sturt had a nine goal last qtr to Pinch that game

We had lost the week before to Norwood

We then proceeded to L W L for the finals.

ranks up there with another year that has been erased from my Calendar.....

[Spargo]

This was the year my Dad started taking me to the football.
Although only being 6 years old at the time, I can still clearly remember being at the 1981 Preliminary Final against Norwood.
It rained all day, I can even recall where we stood (no seats in the outer at Footy Pk until ‘82) and some of things yelled out in crowd during the match...

[Booney]

Good times, hey lads?

[Booney]

Sturt had a nine goal last qtr to Pinch that game

9.1 to 4.2, actually.

[am Bays]

Good times, hey lads?

Where do we report posts for unsolicited abuse???

Yeah I learnt a bit at Adelaide oval that day on football banter and chants....

Whose your father, whose your father.....

[mal]

The 1981 finals all played at Football Park

NW 25-13
WA 20-10

PA 18-22
SA 12-17

SA 6-14
NW 19-19

GL 13-15
PA 22-15

GL 12-14
NW 4-7

GL 6-8
PA 14-11

The closest margin was the 33 points NW V WA Elimination Final
It was high scores back then
The wooden spooners were Woodville, who won 3 games, yet averaged 82 points per game

[spell_check]

@spell_check where does this rank on the highest scoring seasons in the SANFL?

By points 10th; by scoring shots 12th

[FlyingHigh]

Must have been a helluva last round.
Port and Norwood playing for a double-chance
Fifth spot all up for grabs between Centrals, West and Sturt, the latter beating the top two teams.
Can anyone remember much about South's season that year? Looks like another coulda been year for South from around that era.

[robranisgod]

Must have been a helluva last round.
Port and Norwood playing for a double-chance
Fifth spot all up for grabs between Centrals, West and Sturt, the latter beating the top two teams.
Can anyone remember much about South's season that year? Looks like another coulda been year for South from around that era.

For most of the year Glenelg were favourite only to fall in a hole late, then win the preliminary final and get thrashed in the Grand Final.

South were the second best side early in the season but there was always a criticism that they were too negative and defensive which contradicts the fact that there were so many high scores that season. Haydn Bunton employed taggers which was unusual in those times. South only had one win against the other 3 sides who finished in the top four and suffered some thrashings against these sides, Glenelg, Port and Norwood.

South's only win against the top sides was when they beat Port by 8 points in Round 9. This loss to South gave Port an incredible 4 wins 5 losses record at that stage of the season. In fact, North Adelaide who finished 8th had thrashed Port at Alberton by 50 points the week before and a lot of experts predicted then that Port would miss the five let alone win the flag,

In the Bunton era the only year that really South were a realistic flag chance was 1979. Once again many fine judges think that the weather cost South the flag that year. I certainly know one opposition coach who was of that opinion.

[JK]

I was at the VFL Grand Final the day of the Preliminary Final. My old man and myself were both hanging to know what had happened at Footy Park, but there were no mobile phones or internet in the day, and Vic Radio didn't give a rats about any other footy comp. Late in the evening before the flight back home we eventually heard the scores read out on radio. WTF, we only kicked 4 goals??

According to media reports and those in attendance, The Bays ended up with a 6 goal gale for the best part of 3/4's (not suggesting they weren't better than us that season anyway). Given we'd accounted for them late in the season and had come from the Elimination to the GF the previous year, we'd been quietly confident of doing it again.

As a young Collingwood/Norwood supporter it was a brutal day (although the VFL GF was a highlight I'll never forget irrespective of the result).

[robranisgod]

I was at the VFL Grand Final the day of the Preliminary Final. My old man and myself were both hanging to know what had happened at Footy Park, but there were no mobile phones or internet in the day, and Vic Radio didn't give a rats about any other footy comp. Late in the evening before the flight back home we eventually heard the scores read out on radio. WTF, we only kicked 4 goals??

According to media reports and those in attendance, The Bays ended up with a 6 goal gale for the best part of 3/4's (not suggesting they weren't better than us that season anyway). Given we'd accounted for them late in the season and had come from the Elimination to the GF the previous year, we'd been quietly confident of doing it again.

As a young Collingwood/Norwood supporter it was a brutal day (although the VFL GF was a highlight I'll never forget irrespective of the result).

I was goimg to post something similar. I too was at the VFL Grand Final. I obviously wasn't hanging on the result of the SANFL but I was with the brother of a prominent SAFOOTY poster who was also an almost norMAL Norwood supporter. He was distressed when he heard the result, Norwood were favourite, but every media report and report I heard from those who went to the Preliminary Final was that the game was won at the toss. That's not to say that Glenelg weren't the better side, it is just what used to happen at Footy Park in September. Sides sometimes kicked with a gale for 3 quarters.
Glenelg suffered similarly in the 1974 Grand Final where the gale turned around during the game.

[Spargo]

I was at the VFL Grand Final the day of the Preliminary Final. My old man and myself were both hanging to know what had happened at Footy Park, but there were no mobile phones or internet in the day, and Vic Radio didn't give a rats about any other footy comp. Late in the evening before the flight back home we eventually heard the scores read out on radio. WTF, we only kicked 4 goals??

According to media reports and those in attendance, The Bays ended up with a 6 goal gale for the best part of 3/4's (not suggesting they weren't better than us that season anyway). Given we'd accounted for them late in the season and had come from the Elimination to the GF the previous year, we'd been quietly confident of doing it again.

As a young Collingwood/Norwood supporter it was a brutal day (although the VFL GF was a highlight I'll never forget irrespective of the result).

I was goimg to post something similar. I too was at the VFL Grand Final. I obviously wasn't hanging on the result of the SANFL but I was with the brother of a prominent SAFOOTY poster who was also an almost norMAL Norwood supporter. He was distressed when he heard the result, Norwood were favourite, but every media report and report I heard from those who went to the Preliminary Final was that the game was won at the toss. That's not to say that Glenelg weren't the better side, it is just what used to happen at Footy Park in September. Sides sometimes kicked with a gale for 3 quarters.
Glenelg suffered similarly in the 1974 Grand Final where the gale turned around during the game.

And again in the 1990 Grand Final.

[Booney]

I was at the VFL Grand Final the day of the Preliminary Final. My old man and myself were both hanging to know what had happened at Footy Park, but there were no mobile phones or internet in the day, and Vic Radio didn't give a rats about any other footy comp. Late in the evening before the flight back home we eventually heard the scores read out on radio. WTF, we only kicked 4 goals??

According to media reports and those in attendance, The Bays ended up with a 6 goal gale for the best part of 3/4's (not suggesting they weren't better than us that season anyway). Given we'd accounted for them late in the season and had come from the Elimination to the GF the previous year, we'd been quietly confident of doing it again.

As a young Collingwood/Norwood supporter it was a brutal day (although the VFL GF was a highlight I'll never forget irrespective of the result).

I was goimg to post something similar. I too was at the VFL Grand Final. I obviously wasn't hanging on the result of the SANFL but I was with the brother of a prominent SAFOOTY poster who was also an almost norMAL Norwood supporter. He was distressed when he heard the result, Norwood were favourite, but every media report and report I heard from those who went to the Preliminary Final was that the game was won at the toss. That's not to say that Glenelg weren't the better side, it is just what used to happen at Footy Park in September. Sides sometimes kicked with a gale for 3 quarters.
Glenelg suffered similarly in the 1974 Grand Final where the gale turned around during the game.

And again in the 1990 Grand Final.

When the storm blew in?

[Spargo]

Port kicked with breeze in the first qtr & it swung around at qtr time.
Thus we kicked into it for 3 qtrs. Did it make a difference in the result? Possibly.
Still, Glenelg had enough talent & the week off after winning the 2nd semi but still fell short - again.

[Rik E Boy]

We should have a poll, which dominant season hurts most. Excluding AFL naturally.

Glenelg would feature pretty promintently, as would Sturt for 78. Norwood nearly bottled it in 97 but reversed their second semi result. But Norwood last year would feature as well. Sturt in 98 worth a yodel as well as teams that should have won but didn't. Port 84?

As for high scoring the next year was pretty huge as well.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Good times, hey lads?

You evil, evil man.

regards,

REB

[Magellan]

We should have a poll, which dominant season hurts most. Excluding AFL naturally.

Glenelg would feature pretty promintently, as would Sturt for 78. Norwood nearly bottled it in 97 but reversed their second semi result. But Norwood last year would feature as well. Sturt in 98 worth a yodel as well as teams that should have won but didn't. Port 84?

As for high scoring the next year was pretty huge as well.

regards,

REB

North 1986.

[FlyingHigh]

Eagles 1994 would be in the running.
And 2000, 2015 & 2016 would be solid eachway bets

[Spargo]

We should have a poll, which dominant season hurts most. Excluding AFL naturally.

Glenelg would feature pretty promintently, as would Sturt for 78. Norwood nearly bottled it in 97 but reversed their second semi result. But Norwood last year would feature as well. Sturt in 98 worth a yodel as well as teams that should have won but didn't. Port 84?

As for high scoring the next year was pretty huge as well.

regards,

REB

North 1986.

Maybe.
I know North finished 3 games clear minor premiers but Glenelg had the best form heading into the finals winning 10 of the last 13 (after starting 3 & 6)