South Adelaide circa 1979-1984

[Hondo]

I don't have the stats in front of me but I was interested in our recollections of South Adelaide circa 1979-1984. Did they under-achieve given that they made the finals in (IIRC) 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1984? I recall some great players but possibly they lacked key forwards. On their day they could be brilliant but they seemed to fall over in finals except for 1979. I recall one day they kicked 39 goals v Woodville at Footy Park.

My recollection is:

1979 - lost GF to Port
1981 - lost QF to Port and then 1st SF to Norwood
1983 - lost EF to North
1984 - lost EF to Norwood

Did they make the most of the talent they had? They were some very strong teams competing with them in that era.

[robranisgod]

I don't have the stats in front of me but I was interested in our recollections of South Adelaide circa 1979-1984. Did they under-achieve given that they made the finals in (IIRC) 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1984? I recall some great players but possibly they lacked key forwards. On their day they could be brilliant but they seemed to fall over in finals except for 1979. I recall one day they kicked 39 goals v Woodville at Footy Park.

My recollection is:

1979 - lost GF to Port
1981 - lost QF to Port and then 1st SF to Norwood
1983 - lost EF to North
1984 - lost EF to Norwood

Did they make the most of the talent they had? They were some very strong teams competing with them in that era.

Schneebichler in particular and Linke weren't bad key forwards. I thought the style of play was their biggest problem. They played very much a possession game, chipping the ball around. It seemed a style that Bunton had used with great success in Perth but never seemed as successful here. Even when Cornes coached them in 1983-84 they still seemed to chip the ball a lot.

Under Bunton they would invariably beat the poor sides (of which we were one) but only had minimal success against the better sides, Port in particular.

These were only my perceptions, but that's how I saw them anyway.

[GWW]

That game against Port when Harris kicked that long goal to win it would be one of their finest wins of the last 30 years. Presumably was 83 or 84.

They did have some good players in this period from memory - Schneebichler, Brooksby x 2, Naley, Mousley, Hateley, Butler, Linke, Slattery, Baynes, Harradine.

[am Bays]

IIRC they came 4th in 77, beating Norwood in the Elimination final. As GWW said that era 1977 to 1984 they were pretty much flat track bullies, could beat the lesser teams consistantly but against the big four - struggled pretty much.

[dedja]

No, I don't think they under achieved ... but I must say the '79 GF was one of the most dreary, boring and wettest GFs I've been to.

Lucky they didn't have the current AFL deliberate out of bounds rule because Greg Phillips would have given away 30 frees that day.

[am Bays]

Agreed Dedja, when you look at the GFs from that period 1977 to 1984 only two other teams apart from the big four of that era made GFs South and West. If you look at Souths history they probably over-achieved in that period.

[baggy8]

South certainly underachieved in 1984. After Rd 19, they were 3rd, just one game behind top, had the best %age, and IMO were the best team in the league at that time. Then for some reason they went a little off the boil, didn't win another game and finished 5th. They beat all the other top sides (PA, Glg, CD) incl. Port twice, but losses to non-finalists North and West didn't help them. (Norwood weren't a top side until September.) Add the Kappler brothers to the list of outstanding players.

[McAlmanac]

That game against Port when Harris kicked that long goal to win it would be one of their finest wins of the last 30 years. Presumably was 83 or 84.

They did have some good players in this period from memory - Schneebichler, Brooksby x 2, Naley, Mousley, Hateley, Butler, Linke, Slattery, Baynes, Harradine.

Was standing behind the goals when he dobbed that. One of the great kicks.

Add Eddie Fry, Robert Doyle and Stewie Palmer. Not sure Paul Harradine was a top line player, booming kick notwithstanding.