Leongatha v Wonthaggi: My part in their downfall

PETER ‘Dickie’ Williams practically choked on his Cornflakes when he read in the Sentinel-Times, prior to the recent Gippsland League finale, that Wonthaggi had “never beaten Leongatha” in a grand final.

Of course, the Wonthaggi Blues claimed bragging rights back in 1962 when they beat the red-hot favourites Leongatha at Leongatha on Saturday, September 15, 1962, by 20 points to take out the South Gippsland League Premiership.

The ‘Sentinel’ quickly corrected the oversight, also publishing a quality team photo provided by Williams, with all of the players’ names, but some members of the glorious team of 1962 didn’t see the make-up article online and wanted a replay.

So, with the encouragement of Dickie Williams, and other members of the team, we’ve gone back to the source, coach of the team and pivotal centre half back on the day, Peter McRae.

Peter McRae was one of those talented players from the country, who after enjoying initial success with his own club locally, in this case Dalyston in 1954, ventured to Melbourne to try his luck, but ultimately didn’t enjoy the city lifestyle or lack of support.

Peter went to Footscray in 1955 and in 1956 played 16 games in the seniors including a First Semi Final win against Geelong at the MCG, in front of almost 80,000 fans, to go through to a preliminary final against Collingwood.

“I was lucky enough to break into a side that had only just won the 1954 premiership and still with a lot of those guys in the team,” said Peter this week.

Captain-coached by Charlie Sutton and with the highly-talented young Ted Whitten a leading player, they still had a very good side.

“We beat Carlton at Carlton in the last round of the year to make the finals and went on to win that first final.

“We got up to beat Geelong by a few points and were right up with Collingwood in the Preliminary Final before they went away with it in the second half. But no one was going to beat Melbourne that year, they were just too good.”

Decades later, Peter got the chance to reminisce with the late, great Ron Barassi about those days at a players’ function.

“I went back to Footscray in 1957 which was the year they sacked Charlie Sutton in the middle of the season. We didn’t know much about what was going on, but Charlie came out on the ground at training this night, looking a bit worse for wear and said ‘those players with me can come over to the Rising Sun Hotel’. So, we all went.

“The place was packed out, the beer was flowing but no one said a word about what had just happened. We read about it next morning in the paper that Charlie had been sacked and Ted Whitten had taken over.”

But it wasn’t easy in Melbourne for country recruits, with little pay for playing, and some terrible factory jobs to work at during the week. Peter remembers working in a canning factory for minimum pay, and a couple of other jobs.

“I’d had a gutful of living in Melbourne by then. We got paid bugger all. It was a real battle,” he said.

He came home and played in the 1959 premiership team with Dalyston and was enticed across to coach the Blues a year or so later.

“I wanted to try coaching, but I thought if I went to Wonthaggi I wouldn’t have to play against my brothers,” he said.

The clubs weren’t playing in the same league at the time.

“The Blues paid me pretty well and at 24 years of age, they got my best football.”

Peter can’t recall much about the 1961 season, except to say that he thought the Blues made the finals.

In fact, according to an article in the Wonthaggi Express, by Tom Gannon, Wonthaggi Blues played off in the South Gippsland League grand final against Leongatha in 1961, and despite a strong effort in the second half, ultimately went down by four goals; Leongatha 10.12.72 to Wonthaggi 6.10.46.

Peter McRae played in the ruck and Wonthaggi’s best players included Parker, Huther, Cooke, McRae, Milkins and Allan.

“Supporters walked away disappointed claiming it to be Wonthaggi’s worst performance for the season. The disappointment was compounded by the fact that they had finished the home and away season so strongly,” said Gannon in his report.

The next year, it was different.

“The weather was good that day (at Leongatha in the 1962 grand final) and I could mark the ball, so I put myself at centre half back and Laurie Huther in the ruck. We were the underdogs, but I was marking it pretty well, and kicking it long to Miles Foster at full forward.”

“We did to Leongatha what they did to Wonthaggi in the grand final this year,” said McRae.

Back in the 1960s, Leongatha was also renowned for its fast starts in a game, and for their quick, run-on style of play; but Wonthaggi managed to beat them at their own game, while also dominating in the air to lead by 5.4 to Leongatha’s 2.8 at half time. Three goals to one in the third quarter saw Wonthaggi get it out to a 24-point lead by the last change, to have one hand on the cup.

“Wonthaggi took complete control in the last quarter, but a series of points saved Leongatha from a drubbing,” according to the Wonthaggi Sentinel.

But Leongatha “suddenly came alive” with two goals, one point to give the fans reason to cheer but just when the Wonthaggi defence looked a little rattled, McRae took “a great mark” on the back line and drove it forward for Wonthaggi and the moment was lost.

A downfield free kick allowed McCully to kick a goal and Wonthaggi had won the premiership; Wonthaggi 9.10.64 to Leongatha 5.14.44.

Laurie Huther, named the best ruckman in Wonthaggi Blues’ history (1955-2004), “was brilliant in the ruck” according to a report in the Korumburra Times. Coach Peter McRae engineered the win from centre half back, they said, and Leo Tessari led a winning on-ball unit while Leongatha’s centre half back ‘Dooly’ Brydon and Wonthaggi’s Robbie Allan had a ding-dong at half forward.

Other players named in the best for Wonthaggi included Ray Dobbie “a rock” at full back, Grambeau up forward, Milkins and Robertson supporting Dobbie and McRae in defence, but the paper said it wouldn’t single out any others “for the Blues did not have one passenger on the day”.

There were plenty of familiar names in the best for Leongatha on the day, defender Bill Powell, Jungworth and Fennell up forward, Ron Burrows brilliant on the wing, Ralph Miller on the ball, McKean, Ritchie and Coulter, while Leongatha’s highly regarded coach Rod Cameron also rated a mention.

“We had the wind-up in the Buffalo Hall (in Murray Street) and had a pretty good night,” said McRae.

Married to Val, Peter retains a keen interest in the local sport, initially with his own family, but now with his grandchildren including Kyle Reid, playing for Wonthaggi, Zach Reid, drafted to Essendon in 2020 and Archer Reid, coming off a stellar year with Gippsland Power and likely to get drafted in November.

The five grand final meetings between Leongatha and Wonthaggi include:
• 1931, Leongatha 14.8.92 defeated Wonthaggi Town: 5.10.40.
• 1961, Leongatha 10.12.72 defeated Wonthaggi 6.10.46.
• 1962, Wonthaggi 9.10.64 defeated Leongatha 5.15.45
• 2001, Leongatha 14.8.92 defeated Wonthaggi 12.11.83.
• 2023, Leongatha 14.5.89 defeated Wonthaggi 7.7.49.

The tally is four wins to Leongatha and one win by Wonthaggi, so it’s still 61 years since Wonthaggi has beaten Leongatha in a grand final but what will 2024 bring?

Additional details provided by Glenn Sullivan who compiled ‘Navy Blue and White - the history of Wonthaggi Blues 1950 to 2004’.