1978 GF: Sturt vs Norwood

[Jimmy]

i know this is going to kill me and the rest of us sturt fans but its in the past now and i was only a few years away from being thought of...however, my dad went and after the game, he walked, alone, from FP to cheltenham cemetary to yell at his dad

so, same goes...thoughts and feelings?

when i was told about it, read up on it and saw highlights...it hurt me like i was there

[godoubleblues]

mate, I was there
still to this day it is the single worst game I have been to in terms of result, 1 lousy point
I was behind the northern goals and as the siren went there were Sturt supporters crying
I was tougher than that (I was a manly 14 )

but after the game my dad said to me that there is always next season son, little did he know he would be saying it another 23 times

[Adelaide Hawk]

Ah, the 1978 GF, what a classic. If you look at both sides on paper in retrospect you'd probably wonder how Sturt even got close. If you compare the two sides individually, Norwood had more big name players. However, the truth is in 1978 Sturt were the dominant team all season, except for the final quarter of the game that mattered most. Norwood had recruited well and had gradually improved as the season progressed. What a spectacular game it was.

Sturt got off to a good start and held sway for the first 3 quarters, Bruce Winter best on ground in his final game for Sturt before transferring to Norwood the following year. Norwood went into the final term 29 points down but the first 15 minutes of the quarter was all Norwood with an avalanche of goals. Import Brian Adamson booted 5 goals at CHF for the Redlegs.

John Wynne goaled to give Norwood the lead half way into the quarter and then it was a titanic struggle after that, desperate intense football. Finally Burgan goaled for Sturt to give then back the lead and it looked as though maybe Sturt would steady. However, Norwood had plenty in the tank and continued to attack. Gallagher took a throw in and snapped for goal, the ball was kicked straight back at him. There has always been controversy as to whether he marked the ball but it was paid, and Gallagher peeled of a goal from 30 metres out in the left pocket to give Norwood a 4 point lead.

Sturt came back at Norwood who tried to bottle up play across the half back line as Sturt snapped at goal desperately. Shots from Sims, Bagshaw and Davies all registered behinds. Mutton broke clear from 40 metres and went to kick for goal. I was right behind the kick and it appeared to be headed goalward when Danny Jenkins appeared from nowhere to smother the kick. For the first time I honestly began to feel we could win the game, I kept thinking Sturt would find a way to win.

I never heard the siren, I saw Sturt kick the ball towards Burgan at CHF who couldn't grab the mark, next minute I saw Terry Von Bertouch throw his arms in the air and Michael Taylor leaping around thumping his fist into the air and I realised we had won it.

It is so cliche, but neither side deserved to lose that game. Sturt would have been worthy premiers in view of their super season. However, it was Norwood in their centenary year who ran out premiers. Certainly one of the most exciting finishes I have ever witnessed and totally relieved that it fell our way.

[am Bays]

Ws at the Cowell show listening to it my Grandfatehrs car. My mothers side were all mad (mad being the opperative word) Port supporters and they were all barracking for Sturt as Norwood beat them the week before.

Can still recall listening on the radio as we pulled out of the show to go home and the siren sounded.... my brother a sturt supporter was not a happy five year old...

[Magpiespower]

14.26

Have heard from other Bluebaggers that a succession plan was in place for Halbert to take over from Oatey in '79.

But the loss in the '78 GF put the kybosh on that as Oatey chased another flag.

And Halbert went to Glenelg instead.

[northernblue]

Yes, I've heard that to about Oatey's position.
Little did we know that it would comeback and haunts us 10 years later.

I was there, a terrible end to a great season. It was nice of Foster (the umpire) to admit
later that he was wrong in giving Gallagher the mark that put norwood back in front, but we wasted so many chances!

[Jimmy]

interesting read....sorry i brought it up fellow blue bloods

[godoubleblues]

interesting read....sorry i brought it up fellow blue bloods

thats cool mate, it is supposed to be good therapy to talk about things

[rd]

I was at the game - it took me 25 years afterwards to sit down and seriously study the match on video. At qtr time Sturt should have been 9.5 instead of 5.9 - game over as it would have been an 8 goal lead - the shots that Sturt missed in that first qtr...In the 3rd qtr Bagshaw does the most beautiful drop kick pass to a team mate (Davies I think). Everyone talks about the Des Foster decision which was atrocious but the goal umpire at the Nwd end in that last qtr was the true villian. Gallagher kicks the opening "goal" of the last qtr which is claimed to be a point by many Sturt players. Then - about midway thru the last qtr Adamson kicks the ball from the SE pocket towards goals - the ball goes across goals and towards the other pocket but the goal umpire decides a point has been scored. Add in the fact that Sturt didn't use the interchange bench at all on a warm day until the last minutes of the game and you can see how Sturt supporters are still haunted by the game!

[Pseudo]

Add in the fact that Sturt didn't use the interchange bench at all on a warm day until the last minutes of the game and you can see how Sturt supporters are still haunted by the game!

mindboggling - surely a coaching error by the great Jack.

At least Johnny Wynne got some use out of the Sturt interchange bench

[JK]

AH, thats post certainly gets the hairs standing up on the back of the neck!!

I've posted my version of the day on the Norwood Forum previously, so apologies if it's a double-up for anyone ... As a young 6 year old kid my old man had been steadily teaching me about the names Wynne, Woodcock, Taylor and co., but I didn't have too much interest in footy at that stage - certainly not enough to keep me from playing out in the street with the kids!

I headed into the house for some reason around about the start of the game and noticed the OM sitting on the couch with a tinny (unusal for him), and inquired as to what he was watching "Norwood are playing in the Grand Final today, but they don't stand a chance" was the reply ... So off I took to rejoin the kids in the street!

Next I returned it was about halftime and the OM was slumped in the chair with about an empty 6-pack worth in front of him ... "Whats happening now Dad?" ... The reply: "About what I expected mate".

Anyway, it was this last time out playing in the street that I heard what were either screams or shouting from inside so I raced inside and noticed tins of beer strewn across the table and partially full bottle of scotch (not unusual for him) and my old man was going freaking nuts ... Actually scared the crap outta me so I went back outside .. Over the next few weeks or months the merchandise started coming in, the T-Shirt (which I swear he wore until it wasn't a T-Shirt anymore) the Port etc .. He even made my sister do him up the "We are the Champions" banner in Hobbytext (sp??)!!

Having seen the video of the game a squillion times, I can still understand his excitement ...

[am Bays]

Great post CP really catches the emotion about what a GF means to true supporters...

I might have to crack open the 86 GF tonight...

[Adelaide Hawk]

Add in the fact that Sturt didn't use the interchange bench at all on a warm day until the last minutes of the game and you can see how Sturt supporters are still haunted by the game!

Far be it for me to even think about criticising the great man, but I also thought Jack Oatey erred in shifting the (then) B.O.G. Bruce Winter from CHF to FF and moving Bagshaw out to CHF to get him into the game.

[rd]

I've just remembered that Davies played a blinder of a first half before hurting his shoulder and consequently spending most of the 3rd qtr in the forward pocket. Perhaps he should have been rested on the bench and had his shoulder attended to and then brought back on for the last qtr. But Sturt wanted Nwd to think that Davies was just resting up getting ready for a final qtr blitz. Sturt players were a tired bunch at 3/4 time and Nwd knew that Sturt were "cherry ripe" to get run over. The combination of injuries, goal and field umpiring decisions and Sturt's poor decision making makes the 2nd half of the game still a nightmare 27 years later....

[Adelaide Hawk]

1978 was a wonderful year for me as it was the only time in history both Norwood and Hawthorn won the flag in the same year. Who remembers that both runners-up, Sturt and North Melbourne, won their respective 2nd Semi Finals, and then they played each other in a trial game during Preliminary Final week? The reason being that they didn't want to play a GF having played only 1 game in 4 weeks. It backfired and nobody has ever tried it since.

[Leaping Lindner]

1978 was a wonderful year for me as it was the only time in history both Norwood and Hawthorn won the flag in the same year. Who remembers that both runners-up, Sturt and North Melbourne, won their respective 2nd Semi Finals, and then they played each other in a trial game during Preliminary Final week? It backfired and nobody has ever tried it since.

Reckon it was the first week of the finals. I seem to recall being at Adelaide Oval with about 20 other people to watch the Reserves elimination final as the North Melb vs Sturt game was played at Footy Park before Port vs Torrens and meant the reserves was moved there.

[Adelaide Hawk]

1978 was a wonderful year for me as it was the only time in history both Norwood and Hawthorn won the flag in the same year. Who remembers that both runners-up, Sturt and North Melbourne, won their respective 2nd Semi Finals, and then they played each other in a trial game during Preliminary Final week? It backfired and nobody has ever tried it since.

Reckon it was the first week of the finals. I seem to recall being at Adelaide Oval with about 20 other people to watch the Reserves elimination final as the North Melb vs Sturt game was played at Footy Park before Port vs Torrens and meant the reserves was moved there.

Now that you mention it, I think you are correct. I knew it was something like that.

[spell_check]

I did have the quarter by quarter scores of that game, but for some reason now I just have the scorers.

N.Melb. 20.12 (132)
Sturt 11.10 (76)

N.Melb. Blight 11.0, Icke 2.1, Tanner, Cassin 1.2, Alves, McCann 1.1, Davis, Huppatz, Nettlefold 1.0, Sutton, Burns 0.1, Rushed 0.3.
Sturt Winter 2.2, Bagshaw, Barton 2.0, Klomp 1.4, Sims, Mutton 1.1, Davies, Hargraves 1.0, Heinrich, Burgan 0.1.

Dad recalls that game well, Blight had 3 opponents on him at one stage and he beat them all.

[Mr66]

1978 was a wonderful year for me as it was the only time in history both Norwood and Hawthorn won the flag in the same year. Who remembers that both runners-up, Sturt and North Melbourne, won their respective 2nd Semi Finals, and then they played each other in a trial game during Preliminary Final week? The reason being that they didn't want to play a GF having played only 1 game in 4 weeks. It backfired and nobody has ever tried it since.

1978 VFL 2ND Semi Final,Hawthorn 12.15.87 - North Melbourne 10.13.73
And they played each other during the first week of the finals, as the
curtain raiser to the Port/WT Elimination final.

[Adelaide Hawk]

I did have the quarter by quarter scores of that game, but for some reason now I just have the scorers.

NTH MELB 6-2 9-5 16-9 20-12 (132)
STURT 3-3 7-7 10-8 11-10 (76)

Report from the match read: "Gary Hardeman, testing his injured ankle, the Victorian recruit suffered minor concussion early in the game but Sturt officials said he would be available next week" Wrong. He missed both the 2nd Semi and Grand Finals.

Another report recorded: "Sturt will definitely benefit from the run, but all the Blues officials would say was that was the purpose of the match was achieved". Hmmmm.

Most of us tend to recall Sturt were red hot favourites for this match, certainly I did. However, I found the following predictions:

Daryl Hicks: STURT "Only narrowly and the chance of a draw"
Neville Roberts: STURT "Norwood cannot control Rick Davies"
Bob Loveday: NORWOOD "Chance for a flag in their centenary year will be a big enough spur"
Frank Stemper: STURT "More consistent and they combine better as a team"
Andy Porplycia: STURT "They have a good belnd of experience and young players"
Brian Cunningham: NORWOOD "It will be Mike Taylor and his men who will drink from the T.S.Hill Cup".