1971
Premiers Played 19 Won 16 Lost 3
Season 1971 saw Peter Gilbert re appointed as Playing Coach and the appointment of Ivan Cross as President and Ken Haines as Secretary.
David Kurtz, Doug Thompson, Bob O’Shaughnessy were recruited and Chis Allen returned from Sturt to bolster, an already strong playing list, however Bob Bowering, Adrian Daniel, Andrew McKinnon, Neville and Ross Wirth were lost to the club.
During the first fourteen matches of the season, the only blemish was an eight point loss to Goolwa. Most of these victories were by big margins, with the only close game being a seven point win over Mt Compass in round three.
Two late season losses to Mt Compass and then Myponga quickly refocussed the club but, rather strangely, these losses occurred either side of a 97 point thrashing of Goolwa who loomed as a real premiership aspirant.
Goolwa finished on top of the ladder at the conclusion of the minor round, with Strathalbyn a close second, having won fourteen matches and losing three.
In the Second Semi Final an inaccurate Strathalbyn were victorious by 18 points.
Goolwa defeated Mt Compass in the Preliminary Final but Strathalbyn again comfortably defeated Goolwa in the Grand Final by 38 points, led by the ruck dominance of Peter Gilbert and Chris Allen.
Strathalbyn 4-4 7-7 7-12 14-16 = 100
Goolwa 2-3 4-5 5-6 8-14 = 62
Goal Scorers SFC :- David Harley 4, Perry Jones 3, Peter Gilbert, Trevor Heinrich 2, Chris Allen, David Kurtz, Bob Booth each 1
Best Players SFC :- Fred Megaw, Chris Allen, David Kurtz, Peter Gilbert, Brian Harley, David Harley, Robert Westley, Bryan Wagenknecht, Bob O’Shaughnessy and Peter Faddy.
A Grade Premiership Team :-
Peter Gilbert (Captain Coach), Chris Allen, Fraser Davidson, Alan Dodd, Noel Elliott, Peter Faddy, Brian Harley, David Harley, Trevor Heinrich, Perry Jones, David Kurtz, Fred Megaw, Bob O’Shaughnessy, Neville Rowe, Geoff Slade, Bryan Wagenknecht, Robert Westley(Vice Captain), Eric Wirth.
Reserves :- Bob Booth , Doug Thompson
The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-
Trevor Heinrich, Perry Jones, Robert Westley (each 19), Chris Allen, Alan Dodd, Peter Faddy, Peter Gilbert, David Kurtz, Fred Megaw, Geoff Slade, Eric Wirth (18), David Harley, Bob O’Shaughnessy (16), Noel Elliott, Neville Rowe (15), Phillip Pethick, Bryan Wagenknecht (13), Bob Booth (12), Fraser Davidson, Allen Sorrell (11), Brian Harley, Vince McCabe (10).
32 players for the season.
The Strathalbyn Reserves finished second at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing five. They were defeated by Yankalilla in the Second Semi comfortably by 52 points but regrouped to score a nine point Preliminary Final win over an inaccurate Mt Compass.
They again lost to Yankalilla in the Grand Final in a tight contest by 16 points which was a significant improvement on their previous encounter.
Yankalilla 2-0 3-0 6-3 9-3 = 57
Strathalbyn 2-2 3-4 5-4 6-5 = 41
Goal Scorers SFC :- Paul Kerslake, Greg Cotton, Phil Pethick, Vin McCabe, Robert Hancock, Allen Sorrell 1.
Best Players SFC :- Gary Heading, Greg Cotton, Richard Gemmell, Peter Blaser, Dennis Hart, Allan Dunn, Paul Kerslake.
The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning 15 matches, drawing one and losing one.
They scored a convincing 34 point win over Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final and went into the Grand Final as firm favourites.
Goolwa had won their way into the Grand Final from the First Semi Final but a slow start cost Strathalbyn dearly, eventually losing by nine points.
Goolwa 3-2 4-2 6-2 7-3 = 45
Strathalbyn 1-2 2-3 3-6 5-6 = 36
Goal Scorers SFC :- Russell Hagger 2, Ashley Golding, Jason Schofield, Kevin Wray 1.
Best Players SFC :- Alan Bell, Ron Williams, Michael McCabe, Raymond Moyle, Peter Crouch, Ashley Golding.
Roger Goldfinch, quite incredibly, polled votes in every Senior Colt match for the season to win the GSFL Dunn Memorial Trophy.
The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished top at the end of the minor round, winning every match but, due to a lost player registration, had two premiership points deducted.
They scored a 48 point victory over Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final and repeated the result in the Grand Final with scores in both matches remarkably similar.
This was their third Premiership in a row.
Strathalbyn 2-1 4-2 5-5 8-7 = 55
Yankalilla 1-1 2-1 2-1 2-1 = 13
Goal Scorers SFC :- Graeme Vivian 4, Randall Pitt, John Vaninetti, Roger Weckert, Nick Weckert 1.
Best Players SFC :- Randall Pitt, Michael Catford, Glen Rayner, John Vaninetti, Graeme Vivian, Roger Weckert, Robbie Elliott
Graeme Vivian won the GSFL Junior Colt Goal Scoring with 89 goals for the season, an incredible achievement considering the limited game time allocated to this grade.
The Strathalbyn Football Club also again won the Mobil Trophy for the most successful GSFL club for the season.
Late in the season a letter to the Editor of the Southern Argus appeared, in which the correspondent signed ” a supporter and an official” taking the Argus football writer to task over his comments and match descriptions during the season.
Lance Watson (the Argus football writer) took exception to many of the accusations contained in the letter and responded rather vigorously in the following edition.
The SFC then wrote a letter disassociating themselves from the original correspondence which bought the matter to a conclusion.
1972
Second Played 19 Won 12 Lost 5 Drawn 2
Peter Gilbert was again appointed as Playing Coach for 1972 and with the arrival of John Wills, Ray Schied and Trevor Berriman there was expectation of another successful year.
Secretary Ken Haines was temporarily transferred to Leigh Creek with his employment as the season got underway and Murray Greenfield accepted the role in his absence.
The SFC was off to a good start with six wins and a draw from the first seven matches but it was soon obvious that Victor Harbour were the team to beat.
In round three Strathalbyn defeated Myponga by seventeen points at Myponga, this being the first victory at that ground since Myponga joined the GSFL in 1967.
In the drawn game against Encounter Bay in round four, it was only the Bays inaccurate kicking that kept Strathalbyn in the match and a last second kick at goal by Encounter Bay fell just short.
With losses to Myponga, Victor Harbour and Mt Compass over the next five matches followed by another draw with Yankalilla, SFC were struggling to hold on to the double chance in the finals.
At the end of the minor round Victor Harbour led the way, with Strathalbyn second on percentage, winning eleven matches, drawing two and losing four.
To the surprise of most, in a nail biter, Strathalbyn held on to win the Second Semi Final against Victor Harbour by two points.
In the Grand Final, Victor Harbour asserted their authority and won comprehensively by 54 points.
Victor Harbour 4-1 7-8 11-10 15-11 = 101
Strathalbyn 0-2 2-5 3-8 6-11 = 47
Goal Scorers SFC :- Eric Wirth, Peter Gilbert, Perry Jones, Ray Schied, Greg Cotton, Alan Dodd 1.
Best Players SFC :- Brian Harley, Chris Allen, Trevor Berriman, Geoff Slade, Peter Gilbert, David Kurtz.
The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-
Brian Harley, David Kurtz, Geoff Slade (each 19), Perry Jones, Doug Thompson, John Wills, Ray Schied (18), Peter Gilbert (17), Alan Dodd, Robert Westley (16), Greg Cotton, Eric Wirth (15), David Harley, Bryan Wagenknecht (14), Fred Megaw, Phillip Pethick (13), Noel Elliott, Dennis Hart, Trevor Berriman (12), Ashley Golding, Trevor Jacobs (10).
40 players for the season.
Long time SFC Patron, Mr. Wally Gilbert passed away on the 8th May 1972 and former player and SFC trainer Mr. Dan Vaughan also passed away on the 29th of September.
The Strathalbyn Reserves finished third at the end of the minor round winning fourteen matches and losing three.
They defeated Encounter Bay by eight points in the First Semi Final and then scored a decisive 38 point victory over Myponga in the Preliminary Final.
Their nemesis in Grand Finals, Yankalilla yet again won convincingly in the Grand Final built on a great first quarter.
Yankalilla 5-4 8-6 11-10 13-10 = 88
Strathalbyn 1-0 2-0 2-1 5-4 = 34
Goal Scorers SFC :- Phil Pethick, Ashley Golding 2, Ron Williams 1.
Best Players SFC :- Allen Sorrell, Peter Blaser, Ashley Golding, Phil Pethick, Dennis Hart.
Allan Dunn played his 200th game for the SFC on the 22nd April against Myponga.
The Strathalbyn Senior Colts were undefeated all season and thrashed Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final by 111 points and again overwhelmed Yankalilla to win the Grand Final decisively.
Strathalbyn 3-5 5-9 10-11 12-13 = 85
Yankalilla 0-0 0-0 1-0 1-1 = 7
Goal Scores SFC :- Roger Weckert 3, Peter Crouch 2, Max Bell, Russell Hagger, Raymond Moyle, David Oke, Randall Pitt, Glen Rayner, Kevin Wray 1.
Best Players SFC :- Max Bell, Raymond Moyle, Evan Pitt, Michael Catford, Robert Pitt, Randall Pitt, Roger Weckert.
Russell Hagger won the GSFL Senior Colt Goal Scoring with 78 goals for the season.
The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning twelve matches and losing five but lost to Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final by nine points.
They played well to defeat Encounter Bay in the Preliminary Final by thirty points but were no match for Yankalilla in the Grand Final
Yankalilla 0-0 2-0 4-0 5-1 = 31
Strathalbyn 1-1 1-1 1-1 1-1 = 13
Goal Scorer SFC :- Warwick Rayner 1.
Best Players SFC :- Peter Simounds, Michael Newton, Alistair Wray, Rob Fowler, Greg Tucker, Robbie Elliott, Warwick Rayner.
The SFC again won the T & G Trophy for the most successful club in the GSFL in 1972.
1973
Second Played 20 Won 12 Lost 8
Jim Fisher was appointed as Playing Coach but with the loss of David Kurtz, John Wills and Greg Cotton, the SFC did not have the player depth of previous years.
In a most controversial move, Port Elliot had appointed former West Adelaide player Trevor Hughes as coach and he bought a number of ex West Adelaide players with him.
As a result they were virtually unbeatable, and at the end of the minor round were four wins clear, on top.
Strathalbyn won their first three matches of the season but in round four, Port Elliot defeated Strathalbyn by 102 points, inflicting on the SFC its greatest defeat since joining the GSFL.
On the 30th June, twins Brian and David Harley celebrated their 100th game for SFC with a victory over Goolwa at Strathalbyn.
A fifth round loss to Myponga was followed by four victories, which saw Strathalbyn well placed at the end of the first round of the home and away season.
Inconsistency in the second half of the season ensured that they were never able to build momentum, winning ten matches and losing seven games during the minor round but finishing third.
The SFC met Yankalilla in the First Semi Final and built a 35 point lead by three quarter time but only just hung on to win by a mere five points.
Robert “Ox” Westley played his 250th game for SFC in the First Semi Final against Yankalilla on the 2nd of September.
In the Preliminary Final against Victor Harbour, they played their best football of the year in scoring a twenty point victory to again reach the Grand Final.
However they were no match for Port Elliot in the Grand Final, being 31 points down at quarter time and eventually losing by 57 points.
Port Elliot 6-2 9-5 13-7 16-12 = 108
Strathalbyn 1-1 3-3 6-6 7-9 = 51
Goal Scorers SFC :- Chris Allen 2, Max Bell, Peter Gilbert, David Harley, Perry Jones, Ray Schied 1
Best Players SFC :- Chris Allen, Trevor Berriman, Brian Harley, Noel Elliott, Alan Dodd, Peter Neale, Peter Gilbert.
Although Pt Elliot won a premiership through this means of “cheque book football”, it ultimately bought about the demise of the club, having to later amalgamate with Goolwa and should serve as a warning to clubs who over indulge in this practice.
The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-
Chris Allen, Perry Jones (each 20), Alan Bell, Max Bell, Trevor Berriman, Noel Elliott, Brian Harley, Trevor Heinrich, Andrew McKinnon, Ray Schied (19), Jim Fisher, Doug Thompson (18), Fraser Davidson (16), Alan Dodd, Jeff Harman, Peter Neale (15), Robert Westley (14), Peter Blaser, Peter Gilbert, David Harley, Phillip Pethick (12), Ashley Golding (10).
37 players for the season.
The SFC Reserves finished fourth at the end of the minor round, winning eight matches and losing nine and were eliminated in the First Semi Final by Victor Harbour by 38 points in a lacklustre performance.
At the SFC Annual Trophy Presentation night, former Glenelg player Mr. Stan Wickham was a most entertaining Guest Speaker, and his football stories and good humour were greatly appreciated by all in attendance.
The SFC Senior Colts were undefeated for the season, winning all sixteen minor round matches. They thrashed Myponga to win the Second Semi Final by 85 points and repeated the dose in the Grand Final to win the Premiership for the second year in succession.
Strathalbyn 4-2 6-4 10-4 15-6 = 96
Myponga 0-1 1-1 1-2 2-4 = 16
Goal Scorers SFC :- Russell Hagger 7, Kevin Wray 6, Randall Pitt, Graeme Vivian 1.
Best Players SFC :- Roger Weckert, Randall Pitt, Stephen Weckert, Adrian McMurtrie, Kevin Wray, Michael Catford, Graeme Vivian, Russell Hagger.
Kevin Wray performed brilliantly throughout the year and scored his 100th goal for the season during the Grand Final while Russell Hagger scored 83 goals for the season.
During the season the SFC Senior Colts scored a total of 258 goals 203 points to their opposition total of 30 goals 42 points, an absolute domination.
The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just one.
They were too strong for Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final, winning by 45 points and again won the Premiership by defeating Yankalilla in the Grand Final.
Strathalbyn 0-2 2-2 2-2 4-2 = 26
Yankalilla 0-0 0-0 1-0 2-0 = 12
Goal Scorers SFC :- Peter Graney 2, Chris Pethick, Brenton Peek 1.
Best Players SFC :- Warwick Rayner, Peter Graney, Kym Thyer, Fred Brazzalotto, Alistair Wray, Kym Grosvenor, Brenton Peek.
Strathalbyn again won the T & G Trophy as the most successful club in the GSFL for season 1973, this was their third consecutive success.
During the season at a committee meeting held on the 6th of May, a sub committee was formed to investigate building a SFC clubroom facility.
On the 25th of June a Special General Meeting was called to update the membership on the committee proposal and developments, with the club members being offered the opportunity to purchase debentures as a means of financing the venture.
Luke warm interest was forthcoming from the meeting and, as in the past, this tale of good intent was again shelved for another day.
1974
Fifth Played 17 Won 7 Lost 10
Season 1974 began poorly, with difficulty in forming a quorum to get the AGM underway (only 29 were in attendance) and no applicants for the coaching position.
This was indicative of difficult times ahead for the club.
Peter Gilbert again took on the role of Playing Captain Coach but, with the ever increasing demands of his expanding transport business, he had difficulty in finding the time demanded of coaching.
Strathalbyn were to lose the first four matches before tasting success. Alternate victories including a good win over the strong Myponga team helped to restore confidence but successive narrow losses to Encounter Bay and Yankalilla ensured that, for only the second time since joining the GSFL, they would miss the finals.
They finished the season with two conclusive victories, a 75 point thrashing of Port Elliot and a 98 point demolition of Victor Harbour which gave promise of improved fortunes into the future.
They eventually finished fifth, winning just seven matches and losing ten.
The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-
Noel Elliott, Andrew McKinnon, Peter Neale, Doug Thompson (each 17), Chris Allen, Alan Bell, Ray Schied, Ian Wilmott (16), Max Bell, Trevor Heinrich (15), Trevor Berriman, Peter Crouch, Ashley Evans, Peter Gilbert (14), Perry Jones (13), Peter Blaser, Roger Goldfinch (11), Ron Williams (10).
39 players for the season.
The Strathalbyn Reserves similarly struggled with a shortage of players, eventually winning nine matches and losing eight to also finish fifth.
Allen Sorrell played his 200th game for the SFC on the 10th of August against Goolwa.
The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning 15 matches and losing just two.
They lost to Encounter Bay by four points in the Second Semi Final but recorded a convincing 43 point win over Goolwa in the Preliminary Final.
They narrowly defeated Encounter Bay in the Grand Final by just three points in a low scoring affair to win their third successive Premiership.
Strathalbyn 0-2 0-2 2-4 3-4 = 22
Encounter Bay 0-2 1-6 2-6 2-7 = 19
Goal Scorers SFC :- Allan Lee, Graeme Vivian, Noel Hendy 1.
Best Players SFC :- Michael Catford, Graeme Vivian, Roger Weckert, Peter Simounds, Adrian McMurtrie.
Roger Weckert played an outstanding season and won the GSFL Senior Colts Best and Fairest award.
The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished second at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just one.
They defeated Encounter Bay by seven points in the Second Semi Final but were unable to reproduce that effort when they met again in the Grand Final but were well beaten by Encounter Bay.
Encounter Bay 1-1 2-4 2-7 3-10 = 28
Strathalbyn 0-1 0-2 0-2 0-2 = 2
Goal Scorers SFC :- Nil
Best Players SFC :- Chris Pethick, Alistair Wray, Robbie Elliott, Mitchell Pope.
1975
Third Played 19 Won 14 Lost 5
The season began with a degree of optimism, as former Jervois player Peter Jaensch was appointed as Playing Captain Coach and Ken Haines was elected as President, and at age 32, became the youngest ever to hold that position with the SFC.
Strathalbyn lost to Mt Compass in the first match of the season by 24 points but with Peter Jaensch leading the way and well supported by Roger Goldfinch, Kevin Wray and Peter Gilbert, Strathalbyn went on to win their next six matches.
Goolwa were the pace setters and they defeated Strathalbyn by 31 points in round eight to bring that run to an end.
Strathalbyn won their following five games before a suffering a surprise seven point loss again to Mt Compass.
Unfortunately, late in the season a rift developed between a small group of players and the coach, which had a detrimental effect on playing results.
Strathalbyn finished second at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing three.
They were well beaten in the Second Semi Final by Goolwa by 35 points with worse to follow.
On Preliminary Final day, the Strathalbyn Senior Colts and then the Reserves were both eliminated.
The A Grade played well until the final term but then faded to be also eliminated by Victor Harbour.
Roger Goldfinch played outstanding football during the season and scored 23 votes in the Mail Medal equal with Mike Rabbitt from Goolwa but was beaten on a countback.
A well warranted retrospective Mail Medal was awarded to Roger in 2007.
Trevor Heinrich played his 200th game for SFC on the 9th of August against Goolwa.
The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season:-
Alan Bell, Peter Blaser, Roger Goldfinch (19), Chis Allen, Peter Jaensch, Andrew McKinnon, Roger Weckert, Kevin Wray (18), Peter Gilbert, Tim Harrison (17), Peter Crouch, Trevor Heinrich (16), Greg Collins, Noel Elliott, David Harley, Randall Pitt (15), Graeme Vivian, Ian Wilmott (14), Trevor Berriman, Russell Hagger (10).
35 players for the season.
The Strathalbyn Reserves finished second, winning fifteen matches and losing two during the season.
They lost the Second Semi Final to Myponga by just two points and were unluckily eliminated by Goolwa by six points in the Preliminary Final.
Scoring nine goals and seventeen points in the Preliminary Final did little to help their cause.Perry Jones played his 200th game for the SFC on the 10th of May against Yankalilla.
The Strathalbyn Senior Colts also finished third, winning ten matches and losing seven for the year.
They defeated Encounter Bay by ten points in the First Semi Final but lost to Yankalilla by 42 points in the Preliminary Final.
History would later to show that 1975 was the only season between 1971 and 1985 that the SFC Senior Colts were not to play off in the Grand Final of that grade.
In that period of fifteen years, Strathalbyn played in fourteen Grand Finals for twelve Premierships and losing just two.
An incredible achievement, quite possibly unmatched in Australian Rules Football anywhere!
The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished top at the end of the minor round, winning all but one match.
They were beaten in the Second Semi Final by Myponga by thirteen points but went on to defeat Yankalilla by thirty points in the Preliminary Final.
They easily defeated Myponga in the Grand Final by 35 points to win the Premiership.
Strathalbyn 1-1 4-2 5-2 6-3 = 39
Myponga 0-0 0-1 0-2 0-4 = 4
Goal Scorers SFC :- David Putland 2, David Berry, Rob Clark, Mark Clayton, Brenton Shapter 1.
Best Players SFC :- Brett Sayer, Craig Lamshed, Nick Weckert, George Matthews, David Putland, Mark Clayton, Michael Franklin, David Berry
1976
Fifth Played 17 Won 6 Lost 11
The significant success that the Strathalbyn Football Club enjoyed through the late 1950’s and the 1960’s had masked a number of major issues that faced the club.
Back in 1958, when Strathalbyn were affiliated in the Hills Central Association, the HCA had advised the club that no further finals matches would be played at Strathalbyn until the playing surface and dressing sheds were improved.
Again in 1963, when Strathalbyn applied to join the GSFL, it was accepted into that league on the proviso that the grounds and facilities would be improved.
The SFC rented the oval from the Strathalbyn Agricultural Society for the duration of the football season and thus was responsible for the ground maintenance, watering and mowing during the season, albeit with very basic facilities.
Almost entirely, this responsibility fell to Perry Jones for a great many years.
The major issues of inadequate change room and shower facilities, together with the primitive building from which the Ladies Auxiliary catered for supporters, had long been largely ignored.
In reality, the SFC had fallen well behind the expectation and needs of its players, supporters and the town community.
Premiership photographs, memorabilia and pennants hung on walls of the local hotels and even in private residences.
The Strathalbyn Football Club demanded a Spiritual Home!
Government departments were now entering the era of centralised operational centres and the Education Department and Stock Agencies were in the process of slowing or ceasing their annual staff transfers.
Reduced staff turnovers, together with the poor facilities on offer, made recruitment of new players to the SFC quite difficult.
With all this weighing heavily upon the club, the last thing needed was another major issue, which was, however, not long in arriving.
The AGM was advertised to be held on 12th November 1975 and only 22 members turned up.
The SFC Constitution stated a requirement of 30 members be present for the conduct of the AGM, hence the meeting was abandoned and readvertised to be held two weeks later.
At the second attempt , again insufficient members attended, and it was agreed to conduct a third attempt on 10th December and that President Ken Haines would draft and distribute a letter to the SFC membership appealing for their support and attendance at that meeting.
At the third attempt, there was only 28 in attendance and several of the members quickly did the rounds of the local hotels and found a couple of starters which allowed the AGM to proceed. One of these recruits was a little inebriated and caused great mirth when he gave apologies for Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Jack Brabham and tennis player Ken Rosewall prior to being evicted by his father.
Having insufficient nominations to fill all of the vacant committee positions and having no coaching applicant, highlighted the plight of the club.
Eventually, all vacant committee positions were filled and former great player and club stalwart Fred Megaw, accepted the challenge of coaching the SFC for the season with Peter Blaser as Assistant Coach.
Not unexpectedly, the club struggled, with barely enough players to fill both of the senior teams and lost their first four matches.
The players rallied and were to win their next three games but they were unable to sustain this and lost the following five games which saw them out of finals contention.
Given all of the off field difficulties and issues, Fred Megaw and his playing group did well to win six games for the season.
During the season, Willunga made an approach to join the GSFL and offered to sell their current guernseys to SFC.
Their approach was accepted by the GSFL, however the Southern League altered their constitution making it necessary for a club to give twelve months notice of their intent to depart the Southern League.
Willunga appealed to the SANFL over this matter but it was dismissed and they were to remain in the Southern League until 1985.
At the SFC Annual Presentation dinner, Hawthorn Premiership Captain Don Scott and outstanding North Adelaide and Hawthorn defender Bohdan Jaworskyj were entertaining guest speakers and earlier in the day conducted a coaching clinic for the Strathalbyn Colts players.
The SFC called an urgent meeting with the Strathalbyn Show Society at the conclusion of the season re the poor facilities and condition of the oval, but little improvement was forthcoming.
The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-
Chris Allen, Alan Bell, Max Bell, Russell Hagger, Tim Harrison, Phil Jenner, Glen Rayner (each 17), Noel Elliott (16), Greg Collins, Andrew McKinnon, Ray Schied, Ian Wilmott, Ron Williams (15), Graeme Vivian, Stefan Matthews (14), Peter Crouch (13), Steve Redden (11), Trevor Heinrich (10).
40 players for the season
The SFC Reserves, unexpectedly, had quite a successful season, finishing in first position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches, drawing one and losing three.
They lost to Yankalilla in the Second Semi Final by 21 points and were eliminated by Goolwa in the Preliminary Final by twelve points in a very disappointing conclusion to the season.
The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished on top at the end of the minor round, winning sixteen matches and losing just one.
In the Second Semi Final they defeated Yankalilla by 49 points and then won the Premiership convincingly defeating Yankalilla again in the Grand Final by 37 points.
Strathalbyn 3-3 4-5 6-7 7-13 = 55
Yankalilla 0-0 1-0 3-0 3-0 = 18
Goal Scorers SFC :- Greg Tucker, Alistair Wray 2, Kym Thyer, Peter Hall, Allan Lee 1.
Best Players SFC :- Darren Maxwell, Peter Graney, Jim Honeychurch, Robbie Elliott, Kym Thyer, Greg Tucker, Fred Brazzalotto.
The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished top at the end of the minor round, winning all but one match.
They convincingly defeated Myponga to win the Second Semi Final by 49 points and won their second successive Premiership, thrashing Victor Harbour in the Grand Final by 53 points..
Strathalbyn 2-1 5-3 6-4 8-6 = 54
Victor Harbour 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 = 1
Goal Scores SFC :- George Matthews 4, Brenton Shapter, Michael Franklin, Steve Murfitt, Daryl Phillips 1.
Best Players SFC :- Gary Gutteridge, Daryl Phillips, Doug Thompson, David Putland, Michael Franklin, Brett Sayer.
Strathalbyn were again successful in winning the T & G Trophy.
President, Ken Haines, was acutely aware that significant change for the Strathalbyn Football Club must occur, and quickly, or the events of 1976 would recur with disastrous results.
Future Planning
With season 1976 underway, albeit under difficult and trying circumstances, an indepth audit and review of the entire Strathalbyn Football Club was conducted.
Meetings and discussions with each of the SFC sub committees took place at the earliest opportunity, highlighting the many issues that required to be addressed.
The Ladies Auxiliary was well managed, organised and conducted.
Over the years they had been the financial strength of the club, facilitating the purchase of new sets of guernseys, footballs and First Aid requirements as needed.
They had established a sound financial base over the years and were supportive of putting their finances towards acquiring better facilities for the club if this were possible.
The Colts Committee likewise, was well run although somewhat insular.
They had no financial aspect and were totally dependant on the General Committee for financial and equipment requirements but were receptive to the possibility of appointing a Colts Committee Treasurer, retaining the Colts membership subscriptions and conducting events to generate sufficient finance to conduct their year’s affairs.
There were also several members of this committee whose expertise may be better utilised by being appointed to the General Committee.
The Social Committee was rather unstructured and operated as the social arm of the club rather than a revenue raising aspect of the club.
The General Committee comprised of a group of hard workers for the SFC most of whom had task specific roles but cohesiveness and forward planning were sadly lacking.
The club basically worked within the constraints of the collection of sufficient finances from membership subscriptions and donations to cover the season’s operational expenses and, as such, there was never any prospect of establishing financial reserves for future planning.
Overall club membership had decreased marginally over each of the previous five years and communication between the various committees was unstructured and irregular.
From all this, it became obvious that the General Committee must provide the leadership, direction setting, forward planning and cohesiveness dedicated to the success of the SFC.
Financial and budgetary controls needed to be implemented with the aim of establishing a financial reserve for future projects and overall membership increased and intra club communication improved.
The creation of an improved Strathalbyn Football Club image and profile within the general community of the town was also an imperative.
The first step in implementing or achieving any of this would occur at the SFC Annual General Meeting to be held on 26th November 1976, with the recruitment of Brian Holdsworth, John Lamshed, Reg Norton, Les Peek and Robert Westley to the General Committee, providing further support to existing committee members Hartley Weckert, George McFee, Ron Catford, Roy Hagger and Ken Haines.
1977
Third Played 19 Won 11 Lost 8
The SFC Committee were mindful that, while off field planning for the future was of paramount importance to the future of the club, it was also essential that the club remain competitive on the field to ensure retention of players and members.
The coaching position was advertised and it was resolved that Stefan Matthews was appointed as A Grade Playing Captain Coach and Fred Megaw be appointed as Reserves Captain Coach and this arrangement worked well.
Stefan Matthews had come through the junior grades at SFC and had played two seasons with West Torrens Reserves in the SANFL.
The qualification age for the Colts competitions were changed to become Senior Colts as Under 17 and Junior Colts as Under 14 year competitions for season 1977.
Strathalbyn opened the season with a strong win over Myponga but suffered a setback in losing their next four games although the losing margins against Mt Compass and Encounter Bay were two and six points respectively.
With steady improvement, wins over Encounter Bay, Myponga and Mt Compass in midseason stabilised the club and they came home strongly, winning six of the last seven matches.
They were third on the table at the end of the minor round, winning ten matches and losing seven.
They scored a solid nineteen point win over Yankalilla in the First Semi Final but were to lose to Mt Compass in the Preliminary Final by 21 points.
On reflection, it had been an on field season of promise and, coupled with off field plans being developed for new clubrooms, the SFC future was looking significantly brighter.
On 11th September a sub committee comprising of Ken Haines (Chair), John Lamshed, Reg Norton and John Carrangis was formed to investigate the building of clubrooms for SFC, with a plan to be ready for presentation to the AGM.
They wasted no time in pushing ahead, with floor plans being drawn up, meetings with the Agricultural Show Society and Strathalbyn District Council soon conducted and the confirmation of the availability of a loan from the Commonwealth Bank.
Although numerous obstacles were confronted, each of these was worked through and a definite action plan was ready for the November AGM.
The A Grade Jones Medal resulted in a tie between Peter Gilbert and Max Bell with 41 votes each but was awarded to Gilbert on a countback.
A retrospective Jones medal was belatedly presented to Max Bell at a SFC 1968 Premiership reunion in 2018.
Former player and SFC Life Member Mr. Glen Joy passed away on the 29th of August, the Senior Colts Best and Fairest award “The Evergreen Glen Trophy” is named in his honour.
The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-
Alan Bell, Max Bell, Toby Jay, Phil Jenner, Randall Pitt, Glen Rayner, Graeme Vivian, Roger Weckert (each 19), Chris Allen (18), Peter Gilbert (17), Peter Simounds, Stephen Weckert, Ron Williams (16), Kevin Wray (15), Peter Pinkerton , Ian Wilmott (13), Tim Harrison (12), Noel Elliott (11).
40 players for the season.
The Strathalbyn Reserves had responded well to Fred Megaw”s coaching and leadership, and supported by veterans Allan Dunn, Trevor Heinrich, Perry Jones and Allen Sorrell, they performed well all season.
They finished in second position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing four, including three of their last four games.
They defeated Myponga by 38 points in the Second Semi Final and went on to win their first Premiership since 1965 by again defeating Myponga in the Grand Final by 22 points.
Strathalbyn 3-6 5-6 8-12 9-12 = 66
Myponga 1-1 3-4 4-4 6-8 = 44
Goal Scorers SFC :- Michael Newton 6, Peter Hendy , Perry Jones, Greg Tucker each 1.
Best Players SFC :- Dennis Hart, Greg Tucker, Michael Newton, Allan Lee, Peter Hendy.
During the season Allan Dunn reached the milestone of 300 games for the club on 20th August against Victor Harbour, with Allen Sorrell and Perry Jones reaching 250 games on the 25th of June against Goolwa and on the 23rd of July against Encounter Bay, respectively.
Robert “Ox” Westley played his 273rd and last match for SFC during the year after a magnificent career.
Collectively, Dunn, Heinrich, Jones, Megaw, Sorrell and Westleyl played 1,969 games for Strathalbyn, an incredible achievement.
The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning all 17 of their matches
They won the Second Semi Final easily and completed an unbeaten season, comfortably defeating Encounter Bay in the Grand Final.
Strathalbyn 3-1 4-2 6-8 8-9 = 57
Encounter Bay 0-0 1-3 1-5 2-6 = 18
Goal Scorers SFC :- Nick Weckert 4, Robbie Elliott, Michael Franklin, Paul Pike, David Putland 1.
Best Players SFC :- David Putland, Robbie Elliott, Alistair Wray, Daryl Phillips, Nick Weckert.
The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished the season in second position at the end of the minor round, winning fourteen matches and losing three
They lost to Victor Harbour in the Second Semi Final and met Myponga in the Preliminary Final on Saturday the 10th of September.
In an exciting conclusion to the game, an inaccurate Strathalbyn scored 4 goals 6 points to draw with Myponga 5 goals 0 points.
The Extra Time rule did not apply in those times and the match was replayed the following day with Strathalbyn prevailing 4 goals 4 points to 4 goals 1 point.
A weary Strathalbyn Junior Colts performed creditably in the Grand Final before suffering a 10 point loss to Victor Harbour.
Victor Harbour 0-0 2-4 2-4 4-4 = 28
Strathalbyn 1-0 1-0 3-0 3-0 = 18
Goal Scorers SFC :- James Martin 2, Simon Maxwell 1.
Best Players SFC :- James Martin, Greg Pike, David Clayton, Bradley Saunders, Simon Maxwell.
Strathalbyn again won the T & G Trophy as the most successful club across all four grades.
On the 19th of March a 25 year reunion of the SFC A Grade and Reserves 1952 premierships was held, with the 1952 players presenting the present day players with their guernseys for the upcoming season.
1978
Sixth Played 16 Won 6 Lost 10
At the AGM, membership approval to proceed with the proposed clubroom was forthcoming, with John Lamshed and Ken Haines empowered to manage the project.
The necessary bank loan had been approved by the Commonwealth Bank and the SFC committee members would act as bank loan guarantors.
SFC Life Membership qualifications were changed to read 200 games service as a player, 15 years service as an official or extraordinary service as considered.
On the 29th of January, the day of the major working bee for laying the foundations of the new clubrooms, the club was stunned to learn of the drowning in a boating accident in the Coorong, of club stalwart, former player, Club Secretary and Life Member, Mr. Colin Fairweather.
Stefan Matthews was reappointed as Playing Captain Coach of both A and B grades and, after a solid pre season, the season began with high hopes but a heavy loss to Encounter Bay by 48 points in the opening game was a major setback.
Three consecutive wins seemed to get things back on track, until an eight goal loss to Langhorne Creek which was a reality check for the team.
This first meeting of these neighbouring clubs attracted a record minor round attendance at the Strathalbyn oval.
Strathalbyn lost their next four games before two good wins over Yankalilla and Port Elliot.
An ever increasing injury list put paid to any finals aspirations and Strathalbyn was to lose four of its last five matches.
Late in the season, when it was obvious that Strathalbyn would not participate in the finals, Peter Gilbert was given a clearance to play out the remainder of the season with Macclesfield in the Hills League.
His legendary father, Ron Gilbert, had a long playing career at Macclesfield and was a Life Member there and Peter wished to have a season there before returning to Strathalbyn for the Centenary year of the SFC.
The committee decision did not sit well with a number of SFC players and supporters and, unfortunately for the Macclesfield Football Club, did not result in a Premiership.
In the final match of the year against Victor Harbour, only 32 SFC senior players were available and several Senior Colts were called upon and Stefan Matthews, Allen Sorrell, Allan Bell, Kurt Kube, Jason Schofield and John Gladys all played in both Reserves and A grade teams that day.
Trevor Heinrich played his 250th game for SFC on 8th July against Yankalilla.
During the season, Peter Hendy was the SFC nomination in the Goolwa Gift.
He narrowly won the event and promptly donated his $50 prize money to the SFC Buy a Brick campaign which was conducted to raise funds for furnishings to the now rapidly progressing clubrooms.
Langhorne Creek had joined the GSFL in this season and went on to ultimately win the Premiership, establishing a great neighbourly rivalry with SFC which continues to the present time.
The Interchange Rule was introduced for A Grade only, for season 1978.
On the 6th of July, the Strathalbyn Agricultural Show Society passed a motion to agree to sell the Showgrounds to the Strathalbyn District Council and have the grounds administered by an Oval Controlling Committee chaired by a local Councillor.
This occurred following heavy lobbying of Mr. Bob Kelly and SFC President, Ken Haines and committee man John Lamshed.
The Strathalbyn A Grade finished the season in sixth position, winning six matches and losing ten.
The following played 10 or more Senior matches for the season :-
Alan Bell, John Lindsay, Glenn Rayner, Kym Thyer, Kevin Wray, Roger Weckert (each 16), Chris Cordwell, Phil Jenner, Graeme Vivian (15), Denis Bronca, Peter Hendy (13), Noel Elliott (12), Peter Gilbert, Peter Overall (10).
44 players for the season.
The Strathalbyn Reserves finished in sixth position with eight wins and eight losses.
Fred Megaw played his 282nd and last game for the SFC on the 10th of June against Goolwa, bringing a magnificent playing career to an end.
The Strathalbyn Senior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning fifteen matches and losing just one
The Senior Colts season became a week out of synchronism with the other three grades following a draw in the First Semi Final which was replayed the following Saturday.
Strathalbyn, to everyone’s surprise, lost the Second Semi Final to Victor Harbour by fifteen points.
They bounced back with a solid 27 point victory over Yankalilla in the Preliminary Final and won their third successive Premiership with a narrow victory over Victor Harbour in the Grand Final played a week after the other grade Grand Finals were completed.
Strathalbyn 1-2 2-4 5-5 6-8 = 44
Victor Harbour 1-5 1-6 1-7 4-8 = 32
Goal Scorers SFC :- David Putland 3, Clive Berry, Steve Heading, Nick Weckert 1.
Best Players SFC :- Gary Gutteridge, Clive Berry, David Putland, Craig Lamshed, Doug Thompson, Nick Weckert, Peter Hall, David Garwood.
Outstanding Junior Colt player Craig Lamshed, was promoted to play in the Senior Colt Grand Final team as a result of that Grand Final being played a week later and, thus, was a dual premiership winner for the season.
The Strathalbyn Junior Colts finished in top position at the end of the minor round, winning thirteen matches and losing three.
They scored a crushing 70 point victory over Victor Harbour in the Second Semi Final but had to work much harder to defeat them again in the Grand Final.
Strathalbyn 3-2 3-3 6-4 6-5 = 41
Victor Harbour 0-0 1-0 1-0 2-0 = 12
Goal Scorers SFC :- Rob Clark 3, Greg Pike 2, Craig Lamshed 1.
Best Players SFC :- Greg Pike, Craig Lamshed, Adrian Phillips, James Martin, Rob Clark, Clive Berry.
This was the Strathalbyn Junior Colts third successive Premiership and they had contested the last ten Grand Finals for seven Premierships, a truly remarkable achievement.
On the 31st of March a Special General Meeting was called seeking SFC membership approval of the upgraded SFC Constitution which was necessary to comply with the South Australian Licencing Court requirements for the procurement of a Liquor Licence for the new clubrooms.
This approval was forthcoming and the Licencing Court duly approved the SFC application which was presented by Solicitor Mr. Allan Colton supported by SFC Secretary, Les Peek.
Strathalbyn Football Club achieved a remarkable feat when Kevin Wray won the A Grade Mail Medal, Nick Weckert won the GSFL Senior Colt Best and Fairest Award and Craig Lamshed won the GSFL Junior Colt Best and Fairest Award.
Former Sturt and South Australian Captain, Mr. John Halbert, was guest speaker at the SFC Annual Presentation night.