Who can remember this great game between Western Suburbs and the star
studded
St George. Were you there? I was and so was the 'web master'. I
went
to school at Marist Brothers Kogarah right in the heart of Dragon
country
so it was a chance to catch up with a few schoolmates who followed
Saints.
A kid I played football with at Arncliffe Scots was the St George ball
boy. It was played at Kogarah Oval on the 14 July 1968 on a cold but
fine
Sunday afternoon. Saints had 8 internationals playing for them that
day.
Also 2 players who made history that year. Stan Gordon the winger
scored 28 tries in 1968 making him the leading try scorer and Dennis
Preston
who beat Graeme Langlands to become Saints leading points scorer for
1968.
West’s had beaten St George in the first round, which was played at
Lidcombe
Oval on 24 th April. The score that night was also in the Magpies favor
22 – 6 but that is another What a Game!!
The West’s team was not per program they had 2 of their in form players
out with injury’s Jim Cody and Rod Smith. Johnny Baker and Johnny
Armstrong replaced them. This was Johnny Bakers first run in First
Grade
since he had come down from the Lithgow area. West’s had a few
rookies
playing in this game. Tim Murphy at the age of 19 was playing only his
second game in the top grade and also aged 19 Big Steve Winter had only
played a few games since he had come from sunny Tamworth and lets not
forget
the old hard heads like Ken Stonestreet, Alan Allison and Dave Barsley.
One of my favorite players made quite an impact in this game as he did
most weeks…. Mick Alchin. He scored a classic wingers try plus his
defense
was punishing to say the least. Speaking of big tackles I have just
looked
at the video of the game ( tenth time I think) just now and I saw Alan
Allison almost knock Johnny Raper onto the Princess Highway at
Carlton.
'Mad Mick'
Alchin..legend!
Anyway lets get on with the game…. West’s were at the southern
end
of Jubilee Oval and Saints were defending the Rockdale end. Saints kick
off straight to Mick Alchin…for some reason they did this 10 or 12
times
during the game. West’s scored first with a long-range penalty
taken
by Fred Ford who almost kicked it on to the car park of the recently
opened
Rockdale Plaza. Then Barry Glasgow the boy from Tullibigeal landed a
40-yard
field goal. West’s 4 Saints 0. West’s defence is rock solid….. some
extra
strong tackles by John Elford helped keep Saints out. Then after many
sets
of 4 tackles Graeme Bowen goes over next to the posts, Dennis Preston
converts
and it's now Saints 7 West’s 4. Are the 'webmaster' and I worried - a
big
NO. Steve Winter receives a caution for telling the Touch Judge
that
perhaps he should go to Gibb and Beman on Monday. Dennis Preston
has got his kicking boots on today Saints 9 West’s 4. West’s keep
attacking
and at last Mr. Laurie Bruyeres gives West’s a well-deserved free kick.
A. Ford kicks one more.
Laurie Bruyeres
|
Laurie Bruyeres and Tony
|
Half Time score
Saints 9
West’s 6.
In the second half, West’s come out firing on all cylinders…Tony Ford
lands
2 more penalties and the score is 10 –9 in the Magpies way. Mick Alchin
slips a Saints player a shot to the head and old radar boot Preston
makes
it Saints 11 West’s 10. Then it happened...I don’t know what but it
did.
West scored 3 unanswered tries.
Try number one went
like
this….Murphy passes to Baker on the St George side of half way Baker
then
slips it inside to Glasgow who brilliantly draws 2 defenders and passes
the ball to Alchin who runs 20 yards to score. Tony Ford misses one and
the score is West’s 13 Saints 11.
Second try…
Langlands kicks
to Alchin he catches the ball 10 yards out from his line takes the
tackle
then after many passes Tim Murphy passes what they now call a flat pass
to Steve Winter who scores near the posts.This was to be Steve’s only
try
in first grade for West’s over the next 5 years. Ford puts the ball
between
the posts and onto Jubilee Avenue. Now it is West’s 18 - Saints
11.
Try number 3….this
try was
the one that broke Saints and also the best try seen at Kogarah Oval
for
many years. Langland’s kicks from the restart of play to yes that’s
right
Alchin who, with much skill, stops it from going into touch and takes
the
tackle. Armstrong is dummy half passes the ball to Allison who is
tackled.
Baker at dummy half passes to Armstrong he runs straight and hard nice
pass to Alchin who accelerates down the right wing beats 2 tackles
makes
20 yards basketballs it inside to Barry Bryant who quickly passes it to
Ken Stonestreet who passes it back inside to Bryant who looks for
support
sees the ex threequarter Johnny Armstrong looming on his inside..
passes
to him… Armstrong puts the foot down and scores adjacent to the
uprights.
Ford then converts. It's West’s 23 - Saints 11 and the game is as
good as over. Big smiles all round on the hill. West’s won plenty of
good
ball from the scrums thanks to a great front row and a first rate
hooker
named Ken “Nebo” Stonestreet. Ken played for N.S.W in1969 and scored a
try in that match to boot.
Ken Stonestreet
West’s had one more
try to score
a simply wrap round between Bruce Beer and rookie lock John Baker.
Final
score West’s 28 - St George 19. This was only the second time in
14 seasons that Saints had been beaten on their home ground the first
time
was West’s in 1966 when they beat Saints 12 to 9. Also the crowd
of 16,205 was the second biggest ever at Kogarah Oval.
As luck would have
it I ran
into two mates from school after the game and I heard their usual
excuses
why the Mighty St George had lost. It was a good day to be a young
Magpie
fan. If you have any memories of this day please send me an email or
perhaps
you would like to nominate another What a Game from the Kelly
Kids
era.
Anyone recall that familiar cry from the
hill?
(76k .wav file)
Daily Telegraph
15th July, 1968
13 POINTS IN
FIVE MINUTES
Wests
Rampage over the
Saints
By Ian
Heads
Western
Suburbs Rugby
Leaque-team, studded with locally produced youngsters, yesterday
thrashed
St. George 28-19 at Kogarah Oval.
A crowd
of 16,205 - the
second biggest ever at Kogarah Oval saw West's turn on a fantastic
second
half try scoring spree. In five minutes West's rattled up 13 points
from
three superb tries and two goals through a bewildered St. George
defense.
This burst carried them from an 11-10 deficit to a 23-11 lead and it
demoralized
St. George. St. George had never before been on the wrong end of such a
scoring spree West's supporters screamed themselves hoarse hoarse as
first
winner Mick Alchin. then forwards Steve Winter and John Armstrong raced
over for tries between the 22nd and 27th minutes of the second-half.
"They
were . just too good: they played too well," commented St. George
captain
Johnny Raper after the match. West's Indeed were far too good once they
took charge in the second-half
Two wins
St.
George must be
glad West's, now on 16 points, have almost certainly frittered away too
many chances to make the semi-finals. But West's will bow out with two
memorable victories over St. George. They had defeated St. George 22-6
in the first round. Yesterday's defeat was only St.George's second on
their
home ground in 14 seasons - the other was against West's in 1966. After
yesterday's performance West's no doubt are the 'best-worst' team in
the
competition. On their day they are capable of toppling any side
in
the competition. "Its unreal.. what would you do with them?" coach Noel
Kelly said in the dressing room after yesterday's match. Kelly has had
to contend with hot and cold performances throughout the season
But
yesterday's performance as in the first round against St.George was one
of West's, "hottest." Yesterday's win was built around the youngsters
in
the side.
Prospects
Young
five-eighth
Tim Murphy, centre Barry Glasgow, prop Steve Winter, full-back Tony
Ford
and second-rower Barry Bryant were the stars. Murphy and Winter both
19-year-old
rookies are great prospects.
Murphy
playing only
his second grade game, wrought havoc with the St. George defence in the
second-half. He had a hand in all three of West's' superb tries in the
second-half scoring spree. Yesterday' s game revealed how much St.
George
need half-back Billy Smith. Smith could not play be cause of injuries.
The blanket cover he provides around the ruck was sadly missing. Lock
Johnny
Raper did everything the could in attack and defence to get the team
firing
but the old St.George spirit was not there. St.George looked a shade
the
better side in the first-half and led 9-6 at the break after a smart
try
by second-rower Graharn Rowen set up by five-eighth Tony Branson. But
they
fell away in the second-balf. particularly in defence. West's last try
by lock John Baker was one of the easiest scored against St. George in
recent years. Nippy half-back Bruce Beer slipped around "the open side
of a scrum and passed to Baker who raced through a feeble defence.
Western Suburbs 28:
St. George:19 |
|
*******