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VICTORIA'S LAST MINUTE VICTORY
S.A. Loses Match But
Wins Prestige
By HARRY KNEEBONE
If proof were needed that the disparity in football strength
in Victoria's favor has been psychological rather than physi-<*>
cal, South Australia's performance in the interstate match at
Adelaide Oval on Saturday provided it.
While it was fighting to build up a lead it looked a faster, better side
than Victoria. Immediately it had the game apparently won, it relaxed
its fierce determination. Victoria drew level with two minutes to go and
won with a goal kicked 30 seconds before the bell.
It was a triumph for stamina;
and the wOl-to-win. but in de-!
feat South Australia yon morel
admiration, respect and pres-j
tige than it did in defeating!
Western Australia a few weeks i
ago. |
It was the 1946 Carlton game I
fill over again. In that match |
South Australia threw qi^alms.'
caution and inferiority com-;
plexes to the wind in the second
half to swamp the opposition
?Kith speed determinedly ap-J
plied. A few minutes before the!
end it led by four goals.
'That's that!" the South Aus
tralians thought and uncons
ciously relaxed the tension
which had driven them so far.
Victoria kicked those four goals!
In about as many minutes to
draw the match. I
The same thing happened on i
Saturday.
Ten minutes before the end{
South Australia was three goals
in front and playing every bit
as well as Victoria. Yet again it
experienced the disappointment
of seeing the. victory it appar
ently held in its grasp snatched
away from it.
Having lost the incentive, it
Hughes, and expressed the
opinion that, if South Australia
'went on with that style of play
jit vrould fare much better than
lit had in interstate, football.
| "You had this one in the bag,"
Ihe said.
! Even the crowd seemed to ab
jsorb the new win-at-any-cost
spirit. As McKenzie (who bad
marked a hasty and short clear
ing lack from a bard-pressed
tSonlh Australia defender) be-
Igan his run-in to kick the win
liiing goal, the crowd hooted,
i There was no reason for it, ex
icept frank partisan bias and the
ibitterriess of disappointment.
To the Victorians it meant
.nothing; they are used to it. To
surprised Sonlh Australians it
{was a revelation. There's a new
and fiercer' spirit in football
here.
?lost the initiative and once hay
;ing lost that it could not regain
it. The thrill and tension or the
fight anaesthetises players.
! They are not conscious of aches
|and pains and exhaustion.
Once the fine fervor is allowed
Ito evaporate it cannot readily
|be recaptured.
; Victoria caught South Aus
tralia back on its heels and
I made the most of the chance.
It had everything to gain and
! nothing to lose and that re
alisation fired the spark which
won it a stirring victor}-.
"Just *ike a club match back
home." excitedly remarked a
member of the Victorian party,
after his impromptu dance of
I victory when the bell sounded.
| "That's the way our league
1 matches are played." said Vie-
Itorian State coach "Checker"
Selectors Justified
The g&ice itself was a complete
Justification of the principles of team
building followed by the Stale selec
tors (Messrs. C. L. Stoea. W. H. Jack
son and J. Hume), and or the ap
pointment of Bruce McGregor as
coach. Even more important than
that, it ?as proof, provided by the
players themselves, that they can
play the type of game which nil] dis
pel the patronising outlook of Vic
torians on interstate matches.
Usually In recent years South Aus
tralia has played a timid second
fiddle to Victoria in rude. On Satur
day it had no Hoirell or Graham to
contend with and at no time was Vic
toria allowed to dominate the bounces
and tbrows-in. although its followers
stUl shoved the opposition points in
that phase of the game.
The selectors' experiment in having
a fifth ruckman—he actually was
used as a rover or loose man when
on the ball—at half-forward, worked
well. So did the ventnre of placing
Bob Hank at centre wing, though he
roamed far from that position at
times and was remiss (as were others)
in not close-check ins his opponent In
those last few vital minutes.
Not one of the selectors' "experi
ments" failed. If there wax a
failure it was' in tie ranks of the
"certainties."
The story of the match I have re
lated already. It was packed into
those last 10 minutes. Before that
South Australia, apart from ft brief
Victorian lead of 2.1 to 1.0 in the
first quarter, bad led throughout.
Victoria however, was never so far
behind that South Australia could
afford to relax.
When, in Lhe second quarter, Me
hafley kicked his third goal sfter
brilliant handball exchanges ini
tiated ana directed by Way w cento
half-forward. South Australia went
on triumphantly to lead by S£ to 4.6.
." Victoria, marking the .ball with
deadly certainty and. revelling in what
the South Australians considered were
appallingly muddy -conditions, drew
to within a couple of soak after half
time, but the come team fought back
with reassuring spirit.
It led by 13.8 to 9.7—25 points, its
longest lead of the match—at one
stage of the third, quarter.
When Morris and Garby kicked
goals at the'startT of the last tern?, re
ducing the margin to only five points.
South Australia found the speed and
strenftifc to aosmr tfre challenge witlj
two goals and ? behind in a series
i of attacks.
i That set the stage for Victoria's
J fifht ing finish. Scores:—
; First <jU?rt**r ,
South Australia. 4.1 125>; Victoria.
?iza-n*)*- 11" : ????*? ;.:-' "-" "
Half-tune
1 South Australia. 10.6 (661: Vie-
Itoria. 6.6 <42i.
I Third quarter
j South Australia, 13.8 (8EI: Vic
?toria. 10.9 <69>.
FINAL
'VICTORIA. 16 p>al a 10 behind*
(106 pts.l.
I SOUTH ArSTKAMA, 15 goals in
. behind* <100 pts.).
Goalkickers:—Victoria — Coleman.
4.1; Hutchison. 3.4; Garby. 3.0: Mc-
Kenzie 2.1: Wilson and Ross, each
1.2: Morris and Morrow, each 1.0.
. South Australia—Uebafiey. 4.1:
Agars, 33: Phillips. 2.1; Coverlid. 2.0:
Way. 1.2: Dalwood. 1.1: Ray-Hank
and Crabb, each 1.0; Olds, 6.1;
rushed. 0.1. * .
Safe Marking
Morris played an almost flawless
game for Victoria. Moat valuable to
his side was his brilliant vet certain
marking between hi? team's*. liaU
bacfc and centre lines. Re turned
back many South Australian attacks
in that manner and position, and, in
addition, placed his dot charac
teristically intelligent and efficient
game in nick.
Wilson, the other Richmond player
in the ski?, was an indefaiigible
rover. Smaller than tile usual run
of Victorian rovers he nevertheless
played with the same determination
and still his predecessor? have made
famou.'. Hutchison completed a bril
liant pair.
Pox iwingl. MrKenZK' (ha!f-for
wardi. Sutton iback pocket i. Hocking
snd Rule irucki. Coteman tgUnrpses
ol his sensational leaping power at
the goalfronti. G?rbv (who went on
in be second half and played <lash
-I',!/ in attack). Henfry (centre,
especially in the last Quarter i. Ross
irucki Flannagan (half-forward).
Nlcho'Js < half-back >. and Dynon
?Half—forward) also were prominent.
To single out South Australian
players for special mention wfien the
credi: for the team's satisfactory
showing was shared by the side as a
whole, is to court Invidious distinc
tions.
Because be war asked to take over
an unaccustomed position—at centre
wing—attention was focused on Bob
Bank. Be gave further proof of his
ability by giving a skilful and dash
ing exhibition. H?. with Deane|,
(centre) in the first half: Way at r
centre half-fsrward: Phillips on a 1
Dank ol the outer attack line, and
Russell in a back pocket, completed
a chain on which most of the team's
eCorts bung.
Way's fine effort was an Important I
factor. His virility and quick-witted t
exploitation of "play-on" oaportu- j
nitres enabled the side to^ttscki
straight down the ground with a |
better than even chance ol success.
Russell's errorless exhibition of {
back -pocket play; Tjeane's brilliance ?
at centre: Marriott's solid defence in
tile second half: Phillip's mobility and
skill on a half-forward flank and the
fiery purposefulness of Tilley on the
ball and in defence were other emi-|
nentlr satisfactory features of South I
Australia's showing.
Others to play well were Coverlid
iniclcl. Schumann (half-back). Me
baffey (rovingi. Crabb (ruck). Asars
<*ttack and ruck).
McKay fulfilled his goalkeeping
duties well. Anybody would have
settled for six goals by Coleman. He
kicked onlr four.
Even if some of his interpretations
did not earn liie wb<ile-he&rted ap
plaure of the visiting players (judging
by their attitudes of .surprise and <iis
belieli the umpiring of K. L. Aplin.
bt- South Australian standards, was
ope of the many pleasing features of
the match. Be allowed just the right
ajnnunt 4>f elasticity m itis tnterpreui
tions and yet was consistent.
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