Start of a golden era
• Back L-R: P Wardlaw, L Lette, R Hall, K Lette, J Leitch, R Knight, L Styles, J Dekkers, B Wilson (Captain-Coach), L Ranson and M Taylor. Front L-R: M Crichton, B Burns, D Partridge, G Lethborg, G Millwood, D Krushka, B Shearer, S Gillies and S Nichols.
By Peter Fish
April 29, 2020
NTFA football appears unlikely to proceed in 2020 as the coronavirus sweeps the world, and many Scottsdale players and supporters can do little but reminisce about past glories.
Fifty years ago in 1970, Scottsdale achieved its fourth NTFA premiership setting the club up for the most successful decade in its history.
A year earlier the club appointed former Essendon (VFL) and Brunswick (VFA) player Bob Wilson as coach, a decision the club would not regret.
Wilson went on to become the club’s most successful and longest serving senior coach.
Wilson moulded a team of mostly locally born players and they began the season slowly. But by Round 5 they had moved into second position on the ladder behind 1969 premiers Launceston.
The average age of the team was just 21 and young players included 18 year olds Lance Styles, Barry Shearer, Stephen Nichols and Danny Hall. Styles later went to Carlton while Hall and Nichols carved out stellar careers with the Magpies both as a player and coach.
Mick Taylor had returned to the club after seasons with Devonport and City-South, while both Ken Lette and Ron Hall had been members of the club’s first premiership in 1964.
In May Wilson enticed former Brunswick team mate Bill Burns to the club. Burns was to stay for a number of years and became a popular player with supporters although he delighted in frustrating opposing supporters especially those from North Launceston.
In the interstate match at North Hobart in June of 1970, Ron Hall and Lance Styles were part of the Tasmanian team which defeated Western Australia coached by the legendary “Polly” Farmer.
Meanwhile the Magpies were now on top of the ladder after four consecutive victories but in August they dropped matches to Launceston and City-South.
While the reserves team were not going to make finals, full forward Peter Simmons topped the goalkicking with 65. Simmo booted at least one goal in every match!
In the second semi-final Scottsdale comfortably defeated Launceston 15.17 to 8.7, winning both the brawl in the second quarter and the match. The Examiner reported that once Ron Hall was moved to centre half-forward the Magpies blossomed.
Jim Leitch was best afield, while Nichols took the eye of a Melbourne recruiter with his performance.
However it was a bitter sweet memory for Bob Taylor who copped a one match suspension and missed out on the grand final.
Launceston, coached by former Scottsdale player Bruce Armstrong, beat City-South in the preliminary final and met Scottsdale in front of a crowd of 10,000 people at York Park on September 19th.
The teams had only met once in a grand final – in 1968 when the Magpies ended Launceston’s hopes of winning its first flag for 17 years.
The Examiner’s footy scribe “Rattler” Summers tipped Scottsdale. Ïf you want to watch some dinky-die grapple and grunt stuff, get out to York Park and see Scottsdale throw Launceston to the canvas for the grand final pennant,” he wrote.
And Bob Wilson’s team took complete control of the game booting six goals in the opening quarter while restricting Launceston to just three points.
The final scores were: Scottsdale 18.16 (124) to 14.15 (99).
It was Scottsdale’s fourth premiership in the past seven years.
However they found Clarence too good in the state preliminary final going down 19.6 (120) to 14.7 (91). Full forwards Terry Mayne and Mick Taylor stole the limelight both kicking seven goals.
The team:
Backs: D Krushka, L Lette, J Dekkers
H Backs: B Shearer, G Millwood, M Crichton
Centres: J Leitch, G Lethborg, R Knight
H Forwards: R Hall, P Wardlaw, S Nichols
Forwards: K Lette, M Taylor, W Burns
Rucks: L Styles, R Wilson, S Gillies
Reserves: L Ranson, D Partridge
Emerg: T Poole, D Hall, R McWatters, D Wardlaw
NTFA Grand Final Scores:
Scottsdale 18.16 (124) d Launceston 14.15 (99)
Goals: Scottsdale - K Lette 4, R Hall 4, S Nichols 3, B Burns 3, m Taylor 2, S Gillies, R Knight
Launceston – B Tuthill 7, T West 3, B Armstrong 2, M Sutcliffe, G Davis
Best: Scottsdale – R Hall, R Wilson, G Millwood, J Leitch, J Dekkers, S Gillies, D Krushka
Launceston – B Tuthill, K Coates, W Rowbottom, D Woodforde, P Walsh, R Thomas