Normanby Old Boys

A LOOK AT THE YEAR - 1983
By now we were a very confident football team but never got ahead of ourselves. Having won two premierships in a row, we knew what was required to be successful. Lots of hard work. We had the talent but were determined to be better. We lifted our training intensity even higher. As in previous years, we wouldn't miss training for anything. For some of us, training was just as big a deal as the games themselves. We wouldn't stop ballwork unless we were satisfied we had been as good as possible. We had a lot of set moves that we would practice every night until we were satisfied we had got them right. As mentioned in 1982, we won every trophy on offer and once more made our way into the Grand Final. Once more, Hansens would be our opponents. Now I can tell some people may be starting to feel sorry for Hansens. Don't. In 1983, despite losing to us in the two previous Grand Finals, they still thought themselves to be a superior team to us. Having recruited and kept quite a few star "A" Graders in the previous two seasons, 1983 would see them sign their biggest name to date. A wily ho**er from Eastern Suburbs Tigers named Jeff Ashe who happened to be understudy to Australian ho**er John Lang. Once Lang moved to Sydney, Ashe would become Easts number one ho**er. Coach Johnny Smith somehow lured him to play for Hansens for one season in the middle of his "A" Grade career. After 1983, Jeff would play ho**er for the emerging Ipswich Jets. He was a very good organiser, quick as the wind and a fast striker in the scrums. He didn't mind a scrap either.
Having played the previous finals at Newman Oval, the Metropolitan League decided to host this years finals at their headquarters at Gibson Park, Stafford. As mentioned earlier, Gibson is a four field complex. Field 1 rarely played on as this had the number one cricket pitch on the field. Field 2 was a good ground but field 3 was easily the best with the best surface of the four fields. Field 4 was dry and hard almost completely devoid of grass all season long, was next to Stafford Tannery which stunk all year round but had the best view from the licensed area. You guessed it. The Grand Final would be played on number 4. If you get to watch this game, and we have the disc at the clubhouse, you will be amazed at the billowing dust cloud after every tackle. It was a stinking hot day and like the two previous Grand Finals, the play would go from one end to the other. We opened the scoring with a fine try to backrower Brian Younger after some good lead up work and quick hands. The try wasn't converted and Hansens soon after reduced the deficit to a point with a penalty which were plentiful on this particular afternoon. Midway through the first half, Ashe sliced through our defence for a superb individual try which was converted to give Hansens a 7-3 lead. Soon after would be the first of quite a few punch ups. Our winger Larry Corbo and their centre Andre Lovitt would be the first but not the last to be sent to the sin bin that afternoon. Shortly before halftime, centre Eric Dolzan would score another good team try. Dobbsy would convert to give us an 8-7 lead at halftime. To say we had dry throats would be an understatement. No water was allowed on the field in those days so you had to wait until halftime for a drink. Playing in 30 something degree heat and swallowing dust all afternoon does tend to give you a thirst.
The second half was to be a spiteful and tough half of football. Brian Younger would suffer a serious knee injury early rucking the ball up but still had the courage to get to his feet and play the ball before collapsing to the ground in agony and taking no further part in the game. He was replaced by brother Peter who happened to be our playing coach but wore the reserves jumper to start with the team he wanted. Soon after we would lose Harry Donnelly to the sin bin taking Jeff Ashe with him after the two of them would instigate an all in after antagonising each other all afternoon. While these two were still in the bin, Peter Younger would join them after foolishly taking on Hansen's hardman Stumpy, an uncompromising copper who would blacken Petes eye for our team photo the following week. At this stage we had 11 playing 12. While we were still down two men, Hansens fullback scored a very good try to give them a 10-8 lead. Dobbsy levelled the scores with a penalty soon after. On our next attacking raid, Gary Cooper would calmly slot a field goal from 30 metres out to give us a one point lead with ten minutes remaining. The game was still in the balance when halfback Chris Farley made one of his typical 50-60 metre breaks downfield but lost the ball in a try saving tackle by Hansens fullback Spence. Hansens had the scrum feed but we won it against the head which saw Denis Turner and Gary Cooper combine to take us closer to the line. Harry Donnelly ran from dummy half to twice throw a dummy before offloading a great short ball to Mick Spooner who dived over in the corner and Mick's ensuing cartwheel was something to behold. Dobbsy slotted the conversion from the sideline to give us a winning lead of 16-10 which would be the final score. We had 21 players in jersies that afternoon and only 15 got a run in the game. As had been our custom since the 81 final, after the game, our team bus would deliver us to our training sheds at Gilbert Park where we would get cleaned up and walk up the hill to our clubhouse at Arthur Terrace with our trophy. The thrill of walking into our club as a squad on Grand Final day every year with our supporters all waiting for us is something we will never forget. And you guessed it. Normanby were the big news on channel nine that night.
As a footnote, I would like mention Don Seccombe, Channel Nine's and Brisbane's most respected newsreader of all time. Don loved to come to our 10 to 10 drinks at the Normanby Hotel at season's end. Ren Winders would then drive Don to Mt Coot-tha to read the 6 o'clock news, which he did like the consummate professional he was even with a good load on board, except for one year,....... but that's another story. RIP Secco!

1982 YEAR IN REVIEW
After the success of our breakthrough season of 1981, you may think the pressure would be on to repeat our premiership feat. I can honestly say that confidence and belief in ourselves was the driving force for the season ahead and not any pressure from coach Younger or the club. We were a very close group who socialised and had fun outside of football. We were committed to our training to the point where you almost needed to be in hospital to miss training. Anyone who was injured and couldn't train was still expected to attend training and watch his mates go around. This became the norm for many years at the club. I would rate 1982 and 83 as the most dominant years of our five year reign as Premiers. Both years we won every trophy on offer. The Presidents Cup, The Jack Kuder Memorial Trophy, The Castlemaine Shield, The Minor Premiership and The Premiership. In '82 we were undefeated (20 games) heading into the last fixture against bottom side Ferny Grove at our proud homeground at Gilbert Park. Going through the motions we cruised to a 21-9 lead well into the second half and looked all set for a clean sweep of the 21 rounds. Now Ferny Grove were a mighty tough bunch who spent a fair amount of the game trying to knock our heads off. Sensing these tactics weren't working, they started to throw the ball around. We became powerless to stop them and they got us 22-21 on the bell. It was their Grand Final and bragging rights of knocking off the undefeated Premiers. We weren't knowingly complacent that day, but it was the best thing to happen to us heading into the finals. We swept aside our semi-final opponent to go straight into the Grand Final and waited to see who our opponent would be. They would be Hansen's, again. Not content with their their high profile Grade players from '81, Johnny Smith brought in a very talented halfback from Valleys and a speedy winger from Norths to deal with us. The game was played at Newman Oval again and coach Younger didn't need to ask last years question of who has played in a Grand Final. Regardless of the work put in all year, the one constant of every Grand Final I played was that I felt spent after ten minutes of the first half. This is due to a combination of Adrenaline and nervous energy which some people deal with and come out the other side, and some don't. Our supreme fitness at the end of all of our Grand Finals was telling every year.
This game was the fastest football match I can remember playing in for Normanby. The scoreline of 22-10 would suggest it was a comfortable win but it was anything but. Both teams attacked from start to finish without let up. The game went from one end of the field to the other and only great defence from both teams prevented a blowout of the scores. By halftime we were leading 10-3 (three point tries in those days and fair dinkum energy sapping scrums). Larry Corbo and Doug Tester scored first half tries with ever reliable Ian Dobbs landing both conversions. The second half was more of the same with exhilarating attack and backs to the wall defence. Glen Mays and Doug Tester would score our two second half tries with Dobbsy adding the extra's. The thrill of the win was no less than the year before and to see the elation on our supporters faces was something we were very proud of. We weren't just playing for us but the whole club. Another big week was to follow with Sunday night celebrations at the club, 10-10 at the Normanby Hotel on the Monday and several more days of drinking and reliving memories. Oh, I almost forgot, we were the lead story on Nine's 6 o'clock news sports segment again.
Normanby 22 (Doug Tester 2, Larry Corbo, Glen Mays tries, Ian Dobbs 5 goals) def Hansens 10.

A LOOK AT THE 1981 SEASON
The 81 season saw us move to Gilbert Park, Red Hill from Jubilee Oval at Bardon. Jubilee was a cricket ground with no rugby league line markings and only one light which made ball work very interesting. The move to Gilbert Park was engineered by President Jack Bastin who would be at the helm of the club over the next five years and was backed by a strong committee. As Wests Juniors had the lease on Gilbert Park, a strong link was formed with Darryl Laine and his committee over the next decade. I have no doubt the new facilities at Gilbert Park played a role in the success that was to come. The Broncos still enjoy a great training facility today.
Still, despite less than desirable training facilities, we made the semi's in 1980 under the coaching of Bill Roderick but were knocked out by SGIO in the first week of the finals. Bill made sure we were fit, flogging us relentlessly with the help of Wests conditioner Happy Lawrence. Bills favourite description of us was "Bleedin Fairies" which only a Welshman could get away with. Every night before training he would send us off on a road run up Coopers Camp Road, along Waterworks, down and up Jubilee Terrace and then back down Coopers Camp to the field. As mentioned earlier, some Samford boys had come over that season and we had quite a mix of talent to work with. We were playing in the Metropolitan League which was the biggest and strongest in Brisbane next to the BRL. Other leagues operating then were Commercial, Sub Districts (second division) Public Service and Church leagues. Lots of football going on. The Metropolitan League headquarters was at Gibson Park, Stafford with four fields in use every Sunday with up to twelve games played during the day. 1981 was Peter Younger's first year as coach. He would coach us for three years and win three premierships. Some record. The Metropolitan League would grow over the next couple of years to field almost sixty teams in A1, A2, Reserve, B & C grades. Normanby always prided itself on being in the strongest grade, the A1.
The 1981 Grand Final was played at Newman Oval at Albion which was at the time the home ground of the famous Valleys Club (now Alan Border Oval). We were to play Hansens who were the favourites for the title. We would meet them in three grand finals in a row between 81 and 83. On paper they were clearly the favourites, boasting several Brothers First Grade players and former Brisbane and Queensland halfback Johnny Smith as coach. People say you have to lose a grand final to win one. While we were nervously getting changed in the sheds, coach Younger asked how many of us had played in a grand final before. It was pretty quiet. Still, we were happy to be there and knew we would give a good account of ourselves. Hansens scored first but we hit back with two tries. The first after some good hands through the backs. And the game was sealed by a try from dummy half with ten to go. The game was very open with both sides attacking from the start but it was our defence in the second half that got us home and would be our strength over the following four premierships. As you can imagine the clubhouse was the place to be that night and the Normanby Hotel the next day for the 10 to 10 celebrations. I have purposely not mentioned players names from the game as we were all in it together and never thought of ourselves as individuals which would show through in the years to follow. This was just one of the traits brought to the club by Peter Younger. There were many outstanding performances that Sunday afternoon. Doug Lulham our great masseur who was helped by Jimmy Johnson to get us massaged and ready before the game and strappers John Taplin and Tony Spencer who looked after us during the game. They had plenty to do as it was pretty rugged and at times a bit heated. Highlights of our win would take top billing over the BRL on channel Nine's sport segment that night as Normanby stalwart Ren Winders was Nines news editor. Ren always organised a channel Nine cameraman to shoot our Grand Finals. We would get top billing on the six o' clock news for a few years to come. Next 1982...........

Murray Lafferty recovering in the RBH.... :)