Opinion Favourite season supporting Port Adelaide

[Ford Fairlane]

Kym Kinnear was knocked out early and went off on a stretcher.

Our old friend Mr Cornes as I recall. Good of Jack Spry to test out the strength of Gra-Gra's hyoid bone at half time

KK didn't return to the field, but I think it was Darrell Cahill who had the injection. Was definitely carrying an injury before half time.

Tim Evans was concussed in a 'clash of heads' with Fred Phillis. Still kicked 7 goals.

And we had lost Carl Fragomeni before the finals.

The youth of that backline was amazing considering - Greg Phillips, Len Warren, Tony Giles, Tony Hannan, Ivan Eckermann ... Peter Woite must have felt like Old Father Time back there

 

[malcheski]

It would have to be 2023 for me.

13 wins in a row is rarer than a premiership so ill take that every day of the week.

Also Kenny getting his well deserved extension, putting the white noise back in its place where it belongs. My only disappoint for '23 would be not actually being a paid up member so I can vote for Abba in the election.

 

[1954]

Ah, thank you 1954, the '77 GF I remember it well. Was it Kim Kinnear who had a painkiller jab at half time to keep him on the park and I think Jack moved Echo from the back pocket to half forward and he kicked a couple of vital goals. We do not see inspirational moves like that these days. For me a stand out feature of the game was that Randal Gerlach took on Wayne Phillis in the ruck and they went at it all game. Did Tony Hannan fly in from Whyalla for that game? I remember in the last quarter Bucky Cunningham had a shot at goal in the scoreboard pocket right on the boundary and I said to fellow watcher, 'if Bucky kicks this we will win'. Bucky threaded it as only Bucky could and we won. I know exactly how you felt as we had been in the wilderness for 12 long years and the next day the Premiership Pennant was stuck behind the bar in the clubhouse. I got a shiver up my spine when it first saw it it was as if the Holy Grail had return to Alberton. Back then we thought 12 years was a long time between drinks but 2024 marks 20 years since we had a flag in senior footy.

Another great Grand Final win was 1994 when Torrens had us on toast in the first quarter until Timmy Ginever had a shot on goal from the Members pocket. Jumped in the air for some impetus and slotted the goal and our comeback had started. Scott Hodges was unbelievable in the last quarter and I think he may have kicked five goals in that quarter.

Of course in my favorite season of 1980 the stand out event was Bruce Abernethy's tackle on Graham Dunstan in the last quarter as Dunstan looked certain to goal and give Norwood a handy break but Abba gave it every thing held on and it was baaaall.

Even further back was the 1965 Grand Final when we won despite the best efforts of one Kenneth George Cunningham. KG gave Sturt every thing that day and in one half of footy we got just four free kicks!!! Sturt back pocket Brenton Adcock had three or four running shots in the last quarter and missed them all and we won by a handfull of points. Adcock tried to make a hero of himself and ****ed it up. It was a good thing we won that day as Sturt went on to win the next five in a row and would have matched our six straight. I watched that game from the terraces in front of the Vic Richardson gates where a multi story grand stand now stands.

More misty water coloured memories of the way we were.

I remember Ivan Eckerman coming back onto the ground wearing a thigh bandage the size of a pillow and kicking some crucial goals, but I'd forgotten that Kinnear had been knocked out early in the game until reading the post by PowerLil.

I can also remember just after the half time siren when Jack Spry grabbed Studley Cornes by the throat, lifted him into the air and didn't let go until the Stud began to turn blue.

At about the same time of Spry v Cornes I remember Russell Ebert chasing after a bay bloke and throwing him to the ground, which is something I had never seen the great man do before, or since!

Edit
Ford beat me to the punch on the Spry v Cornes altercation!

 

[PowerLil]

Our old friend Mr Cornes as I recall. Good of Jack Spry to test out the strength of Gra-Gra's hyoid bone at half time

KK didn't return to the field, but I think it was Darrell Cahill who had the injection. Was definitely carrying an injury before half time.

Tim Evans was concussed in a 'clash of heads' with Fred Phillis. Still kicked 7 goals.

And we had lost Carl Fragomeni before the finals.

The youth of that backline was amazing considering - Greg Phillips, Len Warren, Tony Giles, Tony Hannan, Ivan Eckermann ... Peter Woite must have felt like Old Father Time back there

I had the cassette of the match call. Commentators were Rod McLeod and Brian Lees. Can't remember which one but there was a very loud exclamation during the call then "they're both holding their heads". Phillis the filthy mongrel went down without being touched then ran from full back to full forward holding his head. Weak bastard. Hated the Bays with a passion from them on. Loved that they were our bitch.

 

[longdonkey]

I was lucky enough to see the Evans v Phillis punch up and Bucky Cunningham's checkside goal in front of where I was sitting. My second Grand Final. Don't want to talk about the first one.

 

[foxport]

I was lucky enough to see the Evans v Phillis punch up and Bucky Cunningham's checkside goal in front of where I was sitting. My second Grand Final. Don't want to talk about the first one.

There was no Evans vPhillis punch up,it was just gutless Phillis king hitting Tim in the Northern goal square and running off holding his head. Play was down the other end I remember the glenelg runner coming out to Phillis then about 30 seconds later he did his dirty deed. It was right in my eye line. I was in the concourse behind the goals.

 

[1954]

There was no Evans vPhillis punch up,it was just gutless Phillis king hitting Tim in the Northern goal square and running off holding his head. Play was down the other end I remember the glenelg runner coming out to Phillis then about 30 seconds later he did his dirty deed. It was right in my eye line. I was in the concourse behind the goals.

I was a bit further away on the eastern wing but had a clear view, and from what I saw it was definitely a king hit.

I kept watching them because the two had a wrestle not long after the glenelg runner came out, but they had separated from that altercation and Evans was concentrating on the play further up the ground when Phillis who was standing in front and to Tim's left turned and went wack!

 

[Harlott]

Our old friend Mr Cornes as I recall. Good of Jack Spry to test out the strength of Gra-Gra's hyoid bone at half time

KK didn't return to the field, but I think it was Darrell Cahill who had the injection. Was definitely carrying an injury before half time.

Tim Evans was concussed in a 'clash of heads' with Fred Phillis. Still kicked 7 goals.

And we had lost Carl Fragomeni before the finals.

The youth of that backline was amazing considering - Greg Phillips, Len Warren, Tony Giles, Tony Hannan, Ivan Eckermann ... Peter Woite must have felt like Old Father Time back there

Darren Cahill couldn’t walk after the final siren and was carried around the ground for the celebrations by two teammates.

 

[raptalia]

Neil Balme's younger brother Craig had a punch up with Tim Evans before the siren in the 1984 Grand Final, which we lost! Timmy was not impressed with the younger Balme over that incident and he once told me how much he disliked the guy. Not long after our conversation Port appointed the Craig Balme as a ruck coach. Tim was not impressed with the appointment.

 

[raptalia]

The link below is a brilliant read and listen. I had forgotten that the Reg Beaufoy incident happened in the dying moments of the 1965 Grand Final.
I particularly like Ian Day's dying minutes call of, 'there are about a hundred players on the ball'.

Port Gazette: One Day in October

A grand final in October? It is not unusual for Port Adelaide with 36 of the club's play-offs for premierships falling in October. Michelangelo Rucci looks at the greatest October grand final.

www.portadelaidefc.com.au

There were 62,543 people jammed into the Adelaide Oval that day and I was privileged to be one of them. That would be a record attendance at a Port Adelaide game at the Adelaide Oval. In fact it is probably a record for any Australian Rules game at Adelaide Oval.