Sturt vs Eagles 1st Semi Final Review

[dedja]

I usually can't remember what I did 5 mins ago let alone 19 years ago!

[bayman]

Off the original topic (but then, I think we have been for a while now...) but, out of West Torrens and Woodville, who do you feel gained/lost the most out of the merger? You play at Woodville, you're called the Eagles, you have a mix of both teams colours, many of the old timers refer to you as Torrens... I'm not really old enough to remember the SANFL pre-merge...

Ahhh, Clarrie I remember the merge well. (Guess Im a little older than yourself!!)
I was at the last Torrens v's Woodvillie game. My old man was an avid West Torrens supporter. I still have the certificate of attendence somewhere in the shed. The game was played at Woodville in 1990 or 1991 (memory fades with age).
Too me, Woodvillie gained from a personal perspective.
Good days

didn't the umpire give scruff hanna a free in the goal square with no one near him because of his injury etc

[Columbo]

didn't the umpire give scruff hanna a free in the goal square with no one near him because of his injury etc

Would probably go down as the worst free of all time!!!...but at the time no one really cared!! Think Ian Dettman may have been the one who the free was paid against. Still remember that "incident" like it happened yesterday, was sitting right behind the goals.

[robranosgod]

Off the original topic (but then, I think we have been for a while now...) but, out of West Torrens and Woodville, who do you feel gained/lost the most out of the merger? You play at Woodville, you're called the Eagles, you have a mix of both teams colours, many of the old timers refer to you as Torrens... I'm not really old enough to remember the SANFL pre-merge...

Ahhh, Clarrie I remember the merge well. (Guess Im a little older than yourself!!)
I was at the last Torrens v's Woodvillie game. My old man was an avid West Torrens supporter. I still have the certificate of attendence somewhere in the shed. The game was played at Woodville in 1990 or 1991 (memory fades with age).
Too me, Woodvillie gained from a personal perspective.
Good days

I thought that Woodville were played for absolute suckers. They could have survived in their own right, they had cash, Torrens were bankrupt. Yet their nickname is the Eagles, everyone still refers to the team as Torrens, their guernsey looks like Torrens, they even sing the Eagles song, allbeit with different words. Torrens had already left Thebby Oval when the merge came, so the use of Woodville as a home ground was of little consequence.

Given the changing face of SANFL footy in 1990, I wonder if Torrens had hung out for six months, they would have survived given the injection of money from the Crows.

I hate the very idea of mergers. When North contemplated taking over Sturt in 1995, I led the charge against the merge. 100 years down the drain for a few bucks.

[Pseudo]

I thought that Woodville were played for absolute suckers. They could have survived in their own right, they had cash, Torrens were bankrupt. Yet their nickname is the Eagles, everyone still refers to the team as Torrens, their guernsey looks like Torrens, they even sing the Eagles song, allbeit with different words. Torrens had already left Thebby Oval when the merge came, so the use of Woodville as a home ground was of little consequence.

Given the changing face of SANFL footy in 1990, I wonder if Torrens had hung out for six months, they would have survived given the injection of money from the Crows.

I hate the very idea of mergers. When North contemplated taking over Sturt in 1995, I led the charge against the merge. 100 years down the drain for a few bucks.

Quite coincidentally I came across the following image on a different site, shortly after reading your comments above, and thought it apropos to the conversation:

[SABRE]

Now that's humping !

[PhilH]

Last game was at Adelaide Oval.

From a Woodville perspective I wonder given we already had the smallest supporter base in the league and were based in the Crows backyard what crowds we would get if we had not of merged, could have seen a lot of sub 1,000 games.

Would that level of support have been enough to sustain the club in the future.


I've was a Woodville fan for 14 seasons and have been an Eagles fan for 19 seasons. I think the merger combined the best of both. Look at it in reverse, the West Torrens Woodville Warriors playing in a mainly green and gold jumper out of Thebarton. Not as good a fit.

For mine the merger was almost two decades ago, looking back that far now achieves little that is positive.
If ex Warrior and Torrens fans are not aboard by now after 2 premierships and constant winning efforts (especially relative to both clubs prior to 1991) then they never will be.
From a support growth viewpoint its about engaging the local community, especially the kids and building a new fan base for decades to come.

[whufc]

Last game was at Adelaide Oval.

From a Woodville perspective I wonder given we already had the smallest supporter base in the league and were based in the Crows backyard what crowds we would get if we had not of merged, could have seen a lot of sub 1,000 games.

Would that level of support have been enough to sustain the club in the future.


I've was a Woodville fan for 14 seasons and have been an Eagles fan for 19 seasons. I think the merger combined the best of both. Look at it in reverse, the West Torrens Woodville Warriors playing in a mainly green and gold jumper out of Thebarton. Not as good a fit.

For mine the merger was almost two decades ago, looking back that far now achieves little that is positive.
If ex Warrior and Torrens fans are not aboard by now after 2 premierships and constant winning efforts (especially relative to both clubs prior to 1991) then they never will be.
From a support growth viewpoint its about engaging the local community, especially the kids and building a new fan base for decades to come.

Maybe this will come with the next generation of 20-30 year olds who don't have a clue or really know about the merger, there will be no preconception about how good the days were when there was Woodville and West Torrens. Maybe then they will embrace the EAGLES as one club.

[am Bays]

Up to the rest of us to make sure our kids and grandkids are aware of the history so the term "hybrids", "Woodville got shafted*" and "LPRs" never dies out....

[cd]

Hear hear Phil

We have league players who werent born at the time of the merger.

Prior to the merger people like Phil and I had never been able to go to a grand final and support our team let alone enjoy a premiership - we did collect spoons though

In the last 19 years I have been to 7 GFs wearing my colours and have had the highs of premiership success twice and NEVER having a wooden spoon!

We are looking forward with great enthusiasm and continuing to build on success on and off the field as one club - the WWTFC.

Col D
(personal post only)

( love the envy of others - perhaps you'd all like to reduce your dividends so we get 2? )

[PhilH]

"how good the days were when there was Woodville and West Torrens"

Trust me they were about as "good" as what South are going through now.(with 2006 being the one off miracle year aka 1986 for Woodville) .. .. it was only "good" for opposition supporters who enjoyed some easy wins and avoiding the wooden spoon

[ferret]

West Torrens got shafted when Woodville were admitted to the league in 1964.

[holden78]

Now thats the truth ! And didnt the other clubs take advantage of weakening West Torrens .

West Torrens got shafted when Woodville were admitted to the league in 1964.

[spell_check]

"how good the days were when there was Woodville and West Torrens"

Trust me they were about as "good" as what South are going through now.(with 2006 being the one off miracle year aka 1986 for Woodville) .. .. it was only "good" for opposition supporters who enjoyed some easy wins and avoiding the wooden spoon

And what is probably a thing that people miss, those easy wins. But there is always club at the bottom of the ladder and provided your team is near the top they can still be those "easy wins". Even though there isn't actually such a match to come out and do it* half arsed.

[Mickyj]

Hear hear Phil

We have league players who werent born at the time of the merger.

Prior to the merger people like Phil and I had never been able to go to a grand final and support our team let alone enjoy a premiership - we did collect spoons though

In the last 19 years I have been to 7 GFs wearing my colours and have had the highs of premiership success twice and NEVER having a wooden spoon!

We are looking forward with great enthusiasm and continuing to build on success on and off the field as one club - the WWTFC.

Col D
(personal post only)

( love the envy of others - perhaps you'd all like to reduce your dividends so we get 2? )

I agree with CD

[Mickyj]

West Torrens got shafted when Woodville were admitted to the league in 1964.

I will also agree with ferret

[Mickyj]

I thought that Woodville were played for absolute suckers. They could have survived in their own right, they had cash, Torrens were bankrupt. Yet their nickname is the Eagles, everyone still refers to the team as Torrens, their guernsey looks like Torrens, they even sing the Eagles song, allbeit with different words. Torrens had already left Thebby Oval when the merge came, so the use of Woodville as a home ground was of little consequence.

Given the changing face of SANFL footy in 1990, I wonder if Torrens had hung out for six months, they would have survived given the injection of money from the Crows.

I hate the very idea of mergers. When North contemplated taking over Sturt in 1995, I led the charge against the merge. 100 years down the drain for a few bucks.

Gee mate other than being told my club is two teams .The other thing that I hate is other teams fans who tell me the jumper is more Torrens than woodville .The three colours are on both jumpers .
My biggest problem with people who complain is that they cant come up with something better . We wear yellow and that old prune(he coached the bays ) on AA whines.we wear blue its to much like torrens we wear yellow its shocking .
Seeing you follow a team(I assume North) who's away jumper is an absolute disgrace why not come up with a better jumper combining all three colours of the club!!

Now your two team argument doesn't stand up any more .As no current player was playing league back then . Perhaps many may have been in nappies back in the merger days.

[ferret]

What about the rubbish the SANFL did to West Torrens by halving their zone in the west and giving WT a remote area in Tea Tree Gully. Also WT had a dislocated country area in Whyalla. At the time Whyalla was booming, what teenager would give up a good job (BHP) in Whyalla to come down to Adelaide to play and have uncertainty about a job. While several Adelaide clubs had dislocated country zones at least four clubs had suburban and country zones that run into each other, where's the equity in this? Also, former WT players from the Tea Tree Gully area who have boys that might play SANFL on the father son rule would be reluctant to play for the Eagles as their mates play for the current zone they live in and want to play with them, plus distance to travel is a big problem.

[PhilH]

History comes with 100% hindsight.
From what I read the intention of Woodville coming in was more to curb Ports recent domination in the 1950's
There is no doubt it ended up being very detrimental to West Torrens and Woodville never had the area or supporter base to become consistently competitive.
In the 1960's Draw a north /south line from Prospect to Unley and between Grand Junction Road and the Hills you had eight clubs in the Western half (North, Port, Woodville, Torrens, West, Glenelg, South & Sturt)
Yes some of the past zoning was interesting, just ask South Adelaide who had a zone out Elizabeth way prior to the Bulldogs entry.
With hindsight would Torrens have been better off moving to Modbury and grow as suburbs like Golden Grove came into being.
Of couse that would have been a massive disclocation and probably some tough years with poor facilities ie South moving to Noarlunga.
I guess they had the worst timing to be in financial strife, when there was the biggest change in SA Football history, an entry to
Even with one less team in the west the bloods and eagles have lower than average attendances, imagine what that would be like now in a 10 team comp, especially now with two AFL clubs located in the same region.