Queensland footy forensics have gone through the history books to some of the state’s classic footy finals. Will Springwood and Palm Beach add another epic this weekend?
This Saturday’s Allied Pickfords Cup grand final will hopefully add another classic to Queensland footy history.
In recent decades, Queensland’s community footy competitions have produced games that will be remembered for years to come.
Here is a selection of some of the best, thanks to the guys at Footy Forensics.
1929 – Windsor downed local rivals Mayne in a nail biting encounter.
John Morton wrote this on the thriller:
“A crowd who paid a record gate of £35 saw Windsor win their first senior premiership at Perry Park in 1929. The Eagles, led by Harry O’Callaghan, beat Mayne in that grand final – the great rivalry between the two neighbouring clubs began in this era. Mounted policemen controlled the crowd on that memorable day.”
1947- AFL Queensland Hall of Fame journalist, Col Hoy, wrote this on the classic decider between Windsor and Kedron, which kept everyone’s hearts in their mouths after the final siren blew.
In those days finals were played on Windsor Number One as it was then called. Who will ever forget the Grand Final ‘twixt Windsor and Kedron’ played in a howling wind and Kedron kicked eleven behinds straight in the last quarter. The lad on the skimpy scoreboard (the inimitable Normie) was really kept going, and at the end had Kedron up by a point. Kedron was ecstatic. The team was carried off, Windsor was shattered, the only time the side had been passed was at the end. The home scorers and others were shouting “No, no”. The goal umpires conferred in the centre of the oval. They signalled Normie to switch plates and Windsor had won by a point! Boy, there was nearly a riot. Three carloads of police materialised from nowhere, reminiscent of the Keystone Cops, but apart from verbal abuse between supporters of both clubs, nothing eventuated, but it did look nasty, very nasty at the time. It must be remembered in those days liquor did not control the thinking of the footy fans.
1952 – John Morton on the 1952 GF, between Mayne and Western Districts, with the Tigers creeping over the line by one point.
Mayne followers – and indeed all Queensland football fans – still talk about the 1952 season and in particular the great grand final. Some say it was Queensland football’s finest year. And the Tigers were premiers. They defeated Windsor in the semi-final and met Western Districts in the grand final. Perhaps Mayne were lucky to win by a point but the whole game was such a stirring spectacle that neither players nor spectators heard the bell when first it was rung.
1959 – John Morton on the 1960 GF played between Kedron and Wilston Grange.
Kedron looked beaten at three-quarter time in that memorable grand final (against Wilston-Grange) but in a thrilling last term they snatched victory in the last minute before an excited crowd – the biggest ever to watch a club match in Brisbane.
1977-78 – Western Districts claimed back-to-back flags at the Gabba, each by less than a goal, against Wilston Grange and Windsor-Zillmere.
1981 first semi-final – Morningside kicked an incredible 16.5 (101) in one quarter in a total of 35.18 (228) to claim that semi in sensational circumstances.
1985 preliminary final – Sometimes individual efforts go down in history, regardless of the result of a match, and Glen Goss’s 17 majors for Mayne against Morningside in the ’85 prelim sticks out as one of the best.
1990s – Southport dominated through the 1990s, with four consecutive premierships to finish the decade.
2000s –The last decade has been dominated by the Western Magpies and Palm Beach, with Noosa becoming a major player, with back to back premierships in 2010 and 2011.
For more Queensland footy history, go to the Forensics website:
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Click here for our Facebook gallery of some of the classics.
