The 1979 season - quirks

[Interceptor]

However I believe Norwood should have beaten us in at least one of the prelims of 87 or 88. Whether you would have beaten North and Port respectively I don't know but having come from the elimination finals of both those years I'm not sure you can say were in the best two teams of those years.

In '87 I have a recollection of a wet 2nd Semi against North, where we were right in the game, but lost in a tight contest.
Any momentum we had at that point was lost and the result was another Prelim final loss.

In '88 we had horror finals series with key players in Kelly and Macca out suspended and injured respectively and that just killed us.

[robranosgod]

However I believe Norwood should have beaten us in at least one of the prelims of 87 or 88. Whether you would have beaten North and Port respectively I don't know but having come from the elimination finals of both those years I'm not sure you can say were in the best two teams of those years.

In '87 I have a recollection of a wet 2nd Semi against North, where we were right in the game, but lost in a tight contest.
Any momentum we had at that point was lost and the result was another Prelim final loss.

In '88 we had horror finals series with key players in Kelly and Macca out suspended and injured respectively and that just killed us.

In 1987 North played Norwood 4 times and beat them each time, in the minor round every game was quite easy and it was only when the rain came in the second semi that Norwood got anywhere near North at all. Norwood got to within 8 points early in the last quarter but Darel Hart and Darren Jarman goaled and North won by 20 points.

[Adelaide Hawk]

In 1987 North played Norwood 4 times and beat them each time, in the minor round every game was quite easy and it was only when the rain came in the second semi that Norwood got anywhere near North at all. Norwood got to within 8 points early in the last quarter but Darel Hart and Darren Jarman goaled and North won by 20 points.

Yes, that 11 point thrashing you handed out in round 12 at the Parade after trailing all day was extremely "comfortable". The only comfort North supporters felt that day was the car ride home

Certainly not denying North had the wood on Norwood in 1987, and were clearly the superior team ... just setting the story straight.

[Magpiespower]

However I believe Norwood should have beaten us in at least one of the prelims of 87 or 88.

Went to that game as a 'neutral'.

IIRC, Aish missed a sitter from about 15m out late in the final term which would've leveled the scores.

He missed, leaving the Legs down by five points with the clock ticking.

At the time, I thought it was justice for Aish kicking five goals sitting at full-forward with a broken hand in the QF the year before...

[nickname]

Another quirk of the 1979 season (forgive me for returning to the topic) was that Westies finished last with 7 wins and a draw, which I believe is still the record highest number of premiership points attained by a wooden spooner.
Amazing to finish last and only miss the five by two and a half wins. We finished 5th with just 8 wins in 2004.

[am Bays]

Another quirk of the 1979 season (forgive me for returning to the topic) was that Westies finished last with 7 wins and a draw, which I believe is still the record highest number of premiership points attained by a wooden spooner.
Amazing to finish last and only miss the five by two and a half wins. We finished 5th with just 8 wins in 2004.

Gee Spelly what did Centrals finish on top with? Mathmatically with the bottom five so close to the 5th placed team the top 3 couldn't have had as many wins as say Port in 1980?

IIRC Glenelg may have been the last team to beat Port that year as I recall we had a win at Footy park in either Rd 20 or 21. Once again Spelly, we need your help.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Another quirk of the 1979 season (forgive me for returning to the topic) was that Westies finished last with 7 wins and a draw, which I believe is still the record highest number of premiership points attained by a wooden spooner.
Amazing to finish last and only miss the five by two and a half wins. We finished 5th with just 8 wins in 2004.

And the 2 bottom teams in 1979 played in the Grand Final 4 years later.

[spell_check]

Another quirk of the 1979 season (forgive me for returning to the topic) was that Westies finished last with 7 wins and a draw, which I believe is still the record highest number of premiership points attained by a wooden spooner.
Amazing to finish last and only miss the five by two and a half wins. We finished 5th with just 8 wins in 2004.

Gee Spelly what did Centrals finish on top with? Mathmatically with the bottom five so close to the 5th placed team the top 3 couldn't have had as many wins as say Port in 1980?

IIRC Glenelg may have been the last team to beat Port that year as I recall we had a win at Footy park in either Rd 20 or 21. Once again Spelly, we need your help.

15 wins 6 losses and a draw. Percentage was 52.13.

5 clubs were at the top of the ladder at some stage:
Glenelg: Rd 1-2
Central: Rd 3; 17-22
Torrens: Rd 4
South: Rd 5-14
Port: Rd 15-16

When Central took top spot in Rd 17, % was just 50.50.

And it was Round 22 Glenelg beat Port.

[spell_check]

Another quirk of the 1979 season (forgive me for returning to the topic) was that Westies finished last with 7 wins and a draw, which I believe is still the record highest number of premiership points attained by a wooden spooner.
Amazing to finish last and only miss the five by two and a half wins. We finished 5th with just 8 wins in 2004.

It is, and West also had the third best attack that season.

[am Bays]

And it was Round 22 Glenelg beat Port.

So we were the last team to beat Port that year....

<edit> 1979 was the year I saw my first league game, Port V Glenelg at Alberton - we lost, and so a pattern began to form in my life..... *sigh*

[Harry the Horse]

I would also venture to say history may have told a different story had Cornesy not gone to North Melbourne in 1979.
He returned mid-season, tail between legs and promptly dominated the competition, finishing with (from memory only) 20 odd Magarey Medal votes from about 10 or 11 games.

Had he stayed:

1) He wouldn't be the butt of as many Victorian jokes as he is
2) Would have held the Glenelg captaincy into the 80s which he forfeited when he left.
3) Glenelg would have played finals and given the evenness of the league, probably finished top three.
4) Might have even pushed John Duckworth for the Medal.

[am Bays]

IIRC didn't we slip to last (on percentage) the week before he came back, HTH?

i was shattered when he left, but it was a belated birthday present (about two weeks after it) for me when he returned....

[Adelaide Hawk]

IIRC didn't we slip to last (on percentage) the week before he came back, HTH?

i was shattered when he left, but it was a belated birthday present (about two weeks after it) for me when he returned....

Actually, Glenelg slipped down the ladder in the 2nd half of the season.

Round by round:

1, 1, 3, 5, 3, 6, 8, 8, 8, 6, 7, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 9, 9, 8, 7.

[am Bays]

IIRC didn't we slip to last (on percentage) the week before he came back, HTH?

i was shattered when he left, but it was a belated birthday present (about two weeks after it) for me when he returned....

Actually, Glenelg slipped down the ladder in the 2nd half of the season.

Round by round:

1, 1, 3, 5, 3, 6, 8, 8, 8, 6, 7, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 9, 9, 8, 7.

Yeah I think we slipped to last on a Saturday but West had a Sunday game they lost so we went back to 9th.

My recollection of the season was we shout out of the blocks, fell in a hole in May and June, (maybe my first time watching the side jinxed them) Cornes came back and whilst we didn't start to win again immediately we at least started to compete. I mean FFS we got beated by Woodville and that just didn't happen in my short time (up to that point in time) watching the Bays...

In the last 3rd of teh season we started to get more Ws than Ls but because of the topsy turvey nature of the season teams around us started to win to so whilst we imprved our ladder position didn't change until the last few weeks.

I'm going on the ecollections of an 8 yo who had been uprooted to the top end of Australia and was a) gutted that we had left SA and b) that the Bays were losing. In other words AH I bow to your better knowledge of the season as I am merely going on a childs memory of 1979.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Actually, Glenelg's 2nd half was slightly better than their 1st on a win/loss ratio. Certainly they improved their performances. Maybe it's another of those "quirks" that although they started winning, they slipped lower on the ladder.

1st half: W W L L W L L L D W L (4 wins, 1 draw)
2nd half: L L L W L W L L W W W (5 wins)

[Harry the Horse]

Given that we missed the finals but one point and percentage, I'm sticking to my guns that we would have made them, had Cornesy not left.

Certainly impressed by the stats you guys have reeled out though and no question, it was one of the greatest SANFL seasons in history ... bar the premier and indeed the horrible grand final.

[Harry the Horse]

A few more observations from 1979:

Woodville was fifth with 10-8 after round 18, two wins and percentage clear of sixth placed Sturt. The Peckers then lost their last four minor round games but still made the finals!

West Torrens occupied every position on the ladder throughout the season except third.

Norwood had the best percentage (54.33%) at the end of the minor round despite finishing fourth with 11-11.

The most one-sided game was Norwood's 111-point defeat of Torrens at Football Park in round 10, just seven weeks after Torrens won at The Parade by three points and indeed nine weeks before the Eagles beat the Redlegs by 57 points at Thebarton.

Despite the apparently "close" season, the smallest margin in a final was 13 points in the Preliminary Final.

As someone has already raised though, perhaps the most bizarre stat is the eventual premier, Port, finishing bottom of the Magarey Medal tally with 90 votes.

Norwood was top with 145 while wooden spooner West was equal fifth with 112.

[Adelaide Hawk]

The most one-sided game was Norwood's 111-point defeat of Torrens at Football Park in round 10, just seven weeks after Torrens won at The Parade by three points and indeed nine weeks before the Eagles beat the Redlegs by 57 points at Thebarton.

That pretty much sums up Norwood's 1979. 4th spot may not sound too bad, but 1979 was a totally unacceptable season from a Norwood point of view, considering the talent we had in our squad that season.

The other "unbelievable" happening in 1979 was Phil Gallagher's report against South Adelaide and subsequent 4 match suspension. For a pure ball player with no physical aggression in his game whatsoever, the penalty seemed somewhat excessive.

Individual milestones for Norwood were Rodney Pope playing his 300th SANFL game (only the 5th player to achieve this) in round 5. We lost to North Adelaide at the Parade, celebrating in style

Roger Woodcock became only the 5th player to reach 200 games and only the 2nd player to reach 500 goals for Norwood.

[JK]

Roger Woodcock became only the 5th player to reach 200 games and only the 2nd player to reach 500 goals for Norwood.

Must have kicked a few that season and/or 1980, because he cracked the 600 in 1981 IIRC?

[Adelaide Hawk]

Roger Woodcock became only the 5th player to reach 200 games and only the 2nd player to reach 500 goals for Norwood.

Must have kicked a few that season and/or 1980, because he cracked the 600 in 1981 IIRC?

Actually, Woody didn't kick many by his standards in 1979, only 30 from 27 games. However, in 1980 he was named Vice Captain because of the injury to Neil Button and kicked 62 goals in 24 games. In his final season, 1981, he kicked 32 goals in 17 games. His 600th goal was against Glenelg in round 20.

Neville Roberts came to the club the following season, and I've often tried to imagine the Norwood forward line with both those players