BFL finals close as 1926 season winds up
Just as the finals loomed closer during the 1926 season power club Sandhurst warmed up for the big games ahead with a convincing late season win.
The Maroons downed arch-rivals South Bendigo at the Upper Reserve (later known as the QEO).
Also on the winner’s list close to a century ago --- 98 years, to be exact --- Castlemaine downed Eaglehawk by 34 points at Canterbury Park while Echuca snuk home in a close one over arch-rivals Rochester by less than a goal.
That match ended in near darkness, so even though it was late August the timekeepers mustn’t have been keeping very close eyes on the time clock.
And as was the custom back-in-the-day the BFL Football Follower record included a weekly update on the then VFL.
There was just a Top Four all those years ago with Collingwood, Geelong, Melbourne and Carlton occupying the leading ladder positions.
Battling with Carlton for fourth spot and the last place before the 1926 finals started were Essendon, Richmond and South Melbourne which, of course, now plays as the Sydney Swans in the AFL.
They’ve retained the traditional red and white colours, but no longer sport the striking red V on the front of the guernsey.
But back to the BFL’s 1926 season late in the action.
Castlemaine booted 6.5 to 1.0 in the opening term against the Hurst Maroons in the concluding home-and-away fixture.
And although the Maroons got within four points late in the piece the Magpies held on for victory by less than a goal and finished the ’26 season in second position.
It wasn’t over when the final bell sounded, however.
The central umpire indicated he was reporting the Maine for providing inappropriate change-room facilities and added to his paperwork by reporting a Castlemaine official for “using insulting language “ towards him.
Fortunately for Castlemaine with the finals only a week away no fines --- or more importantly, no suspensions --- resulted from the field umpire’s allegations.
The Maroons, meanwhile, beat Eaglehawk in the second last round before losing to the Maine as noted above.
They had the BFL’s leading goalkicker for 1926 in Percy Forbes who nailed 70 majors.
He’d booted 10 goals in the penultimate home-and-away round against Eaglehawk but Forbes’ feat was almost overshadowed by the central umpire’s performance.
He handed out an amazing, for the times and possibly for all time, 154 free kicks: 88 to the Hawks and 66 to Sandhurst.
And just for the record, here are the 1926 grand final scores --- BFL: Castlemaine 13.18 (96) def. S’hurst 8.16 (64). VFL: Melbourne 17.17 (119) def. Collingwood 9.8 (62).
The loss must have spurred the Victoria Park Magpies on because they won the next four flags in-a-row, 1927-1930: four consecutive premierships still the VFL/AFL record.
Three-in-a-row over the hapless Richmond Tigers and the fourth, in 1930, over Geelong.
The Kardinia Park boys re-bounded to win the 1931 flag with the Punt Road Tigers again finishing runner-up for the fourth time in five seasons.
And of course in Bendigo Sandhurst went on a run of six, consecutive flag-winning seasons: 1929 to 1934.
That 1926 BFL grand final drew the greatest crowd ever to watch a Bendigo footy match: 16,000 people.
It’s fair to say none of them realised that, despite the loss, Sandhurst would go on to dominate Bendigo footy for the next decade like no other club has done, before or since, with six, consecutive flags.
Golden Square got very close with five premierships in a row --- 2009 to 2013 --- but wasn’t a contender in the 2014 grannie.
Fast forward eight decades and with just one home-and-away round to play in 2004 there was a top-of-the-table BFNL clash set for Rd.18.
Golden Square was set to battle it out with Gisborne in a Battle of the Top Two at Wade Street, although the home side trailed the Graveyard Dogs by four, clear games: 16 premiership points..
Maryborough (4th) would host third-placed Sandhurst at Princes Park in the second top game in the final round that season.
Fifth-placed South was ready to battle it out with Eaglehawk (6th) but the two Blues were too far back on the ladder to claim a finals berth with victory.
And as we’ll see below Castlemaine (7th) was hosting wooden spooners Kyneton in a big reunion day marking celebrations of the Camp Reserve Pies’ 1952 and 1992 flag-winning sides.
2004 ladder: Gisborne 64 prem. pts; G. Square 121.9% 48; Sandhurst 109.9% 48; Maryborough 44; South Bendigo 40.
Then followed: Eaglehawk 91.1% 28; Castlemaine 83.4% 28; Kang. Flat 24; Kyneton 16.
The Ron Best goalkicking table with one round to go: Steven Reaper (Gis) 61, Steven Oliver (C’maine) 49, Marc Cassidy (M’borough) 49, David McCormick (Sth. Bgo) 46.
Top Four on netball A grade ladder: Sandhurst 11 wins, 2 losses, 4 byes, 60 prem. points; Kang. Flat 10-4-3 52 pts; M’borough 9-4-4 52 pts; Golden Square 9-5-3 48 pts.
Progressive A grade top goal shooters: Meredith Strachan (S’hust) 253; Jody Richards (G. Square) 234; Alyssa Whelan (Kang. Flat) 215; Michelle Atherton (Kang. Flat) 192 and Shelley Cail (S’hurst) 191.
Also vitally important on that Rd. 18 day 22 seasons back Castlemaine was holding a premiership reunion of its great 1952 and 1992 premiership sides.
The Pies were at home on the Camp Reserve to old rivals Kyneton.
The Maine was quite successful in its first stint in the BFL in the 1920s and 1930s winning the flag in 1926 in just its second season.
They also played off in the 1927, 1928, and 1934 BFL grand finals losing to Sandhurst in ’27 and ’34 and to Echuca in a thriller in 1928: 11.9 (75) to 10.10 (70).
But they had to temporarily leave the footy world in 1938 with WW2 looming and then returned --- a little bit later than some BFL clubs --- in 1949.
“Aggressive and clever recruiting saw Hawthorn champion Wally Culpitt recruited as playing coach and with a fantastic team of locals the Maine went all the way in 1952,” the Maine reunion release stated.
The Magpies downed Sandhurst with key defenders Ron McKnight and Alan Perry restricting the Maroons to just nine goals wth the final scores: Castlemaine 15.9 (99), Sandhurst 9.16 (70).
In 1992, much closer to the present day, the Maine downed Golden Square in that grand final, regarded by many local footy pundits as the greatest Big Dance in recent memory.
Square led by three-goals at half-time but the Magpies responded with a 5.3 to 2.2 third quarter to throw the game wide open.
Led by best afield and Nalder Medallist Simon Jorgensen, who collected a match-inspiring 12 last term possessions, the Pies held on and took out the Bendigo Advertiser Cup by five points: 14.13 (97) to Square 14.8 (92).
It marked a great day for the Jefferies family as Dad, the late Jack Jefferies, played in the ’52 flag-winning side and son John ‘Chicka’ Jefferies was a key member of the 1992 flag-winning team.
