THE ADELAIDE Oval may not have been the happiest of hunting grounds for Carlton at club level in recent years, but back in the 1960s and ’70s it was twice the scene of significant history-making moments for the team that never lets you down.
This story has its origins back in 1888 when the Championship of Australia - an Australian Rules football tournament which was first contested between football clubs from the Victorian, South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian football leagues. The Championship was held on three occasions through the 19th century and then from 1907 to 1914 (with the exception of 1912) and every year from 1968 to 1975.
All but two of the Championships were staged in Adelaide, and all of them occurred after the respective league seasons had ended. The 1975 Championship of Australia was the last edition of the competition, with the 1976 NFL Championship replacing the format, albeit for only one year and involving the then VFL clubs.
The record books show that Carlton, as reigning VFL Premier, contested the Championships of 1907, 1908 and 1914 at Adelaide Oval – only to lose to Norwood (by 32 points), West Adelaide (by 29) and Port Adelaide (by 34) respectively.
Not until the drought-breaking VFL Premiership year of 1968 did Carlton – fresh from its Grand Final victory over Essendon with less goals kicked - earn the title of Australian Champion in defeating Sturt by 37 points before an audience of almost 39,000 people at Adelaide Oval.
Two years later, after completing the incredible second half comeback to knock Collingwood over by ten points in the 1970 GF, Carlton once again secured national championship - again at Sturt’s expense - by 45 points in front of almost 38,000 people at the same venue. So easy was that victory that Barassi was quoted saying afterwards: "Graham Kennedy could have coached Carlton today and we still would have won - and you can write that too".
Adrian Gallagher, Carlton’s three-time Premiership rover and club Best and Fairest winner, represented the touring team in both the 1968 and ’70 Championships, as well as the ’72 Championship when Carlton fell one point adrift of North Adelaide.
Reflecting on the 1968 and ’70 triumphs over Sturt on what was then a narrow Adelaide Oval playing strip, Gallagher recalled that the Carlton players were still savouring their League triumphs when they crossed the border.
“Because we hadn’t won a VFL Premiership for more than 20 years, the celebrations in 1968 were substantial and you can imagine what they were like in 1970 - so playing in the championships were the last thing you wanted to do, whereas Sturt’s Grand Finals involved beating us,” Gallagher said.
“At the same time, Sturt had won five SANFL Grand Finals on end under the watch of their coach Jack Oatey and all we heard on arrival that they (the Double Blues) were the greatest team ever – which did pique the interest of the Carlton players.”
Gallagher recalled that Sturt’s adonis ‘Diamond Jim’ Tilbrook was the talk of the town for supposedly being a greater exponent of the great Australian game than Alex Jesaulenko - and remembered how Tilbrook and the Sturt players became the subject of Ron Barassi’s pre-match address.
“‘Barass’ said to us before the game that what we had to do was hit them hard for them to lose interest. As he said it I caught glimpse of the eyes of our backline players Ian Collins, Wes Lofts and Barry Gill, and I thought to myself ‘Sturt’s in trouble’,” Gallagher said.
“Sure enough, ‘Diamond Jim’ was hit up the middle by Barry Gill and Ian Collins finished him off with a silent forearm over the top. Watching Tilbrook stagger and fall was like the Empire State Building going over, and a hush came over Adelaide Oval as he was carried off.”
Of the follow-up Championship match with Sturt in 1970, details are somewhat scarce, though Carlton full-forward Alex Jesaulenko, who that year became the one and only Carlton player to kick the ton, is accredited with a lazy 8.6.
What is known is that Carlton ruckman Peter ‘Percy’ Jones had his number taken for striking Sturt’s Paul Bagshaw, for which Jones was suspended for the first two VFL matches of 1971 despite Gallagher’s best efforts as a witness.
“Perc” had to front up to the Tribunal in Adelaide the morning after the game,” Gallagher said.
“I was readying to go home when I got a call from (Carlton President) George Harris saying ‘You’ve got to come back and give evidence’.
“Not that it matters, as the Tribunal chairman gave ‘Perc’ two weeks and said that ‘player Gallagher’s evidence is to be disregarded”.
Carlton v Sturt, Championship of Australia, Adelaide Oval – Saturday, October 5, 1968
The Carlton team
B: Ian Collins Wes Lofts Ron Stone
HB: Barry Gill Robert Walls Peter McLean
C: Bryan Quirk Neil Chandler Garry Crane
HF: Alex Jesaulenko Bill Bennett Ron Auchettl
F: Dennis Munari Brian Kekovich Peter Jones
Ruck: John Nicholls Sergio Silvagni Adrian Gallagher
Res: Ian Nicholl Vin Waite
Coach: Ron Barassi
Carlton 7.4 9.7 12.12 13.15 (93)
Sturt 2.2 4.10 4.13 6.20 (56)
Goalkickers (Carlton): B. Kekovich 4.2, B. Bennett 3.2, P. Jones 3.1, A. Gallagher 1.4, D. Munari 1.2, B. Quirk 1.1, J. Nicholls 0.2, R. Auchettl 0.1.
Best players (Carlton): Quirk, Jones, Crane, Collins, Kekovich
Carlton v Sturt, Championship of Australia, Adelaide Oval – Saturday, October 3, 1970
The Carlton team for that match is unavailable.
Carlton 5.1 10.7 7.10 11.12 21.13 (139)
Sturt 3.5 6.8 9.14 12.22 (94)
Goalkickers (Carlton): Jesaulenko 8.6, Jackson 3, Hopkins 3, Nicholls 2, Walls 2, Crosswell, Jones, Silvagni
Best Players (Carlton): Gallagher (BOG), Jesaulenko, Robertson, Crosswell, Crane, Nicholls, Waite, McKay
