BIG GINGER KICK
SMOOTH SPICED RUM NEW
GRAND MEMORIES BY PETER CORNWALL
Remembering and catching up with past greats and reliving glories of years gone by are crucial to a club’s traditions and culture. So it made for a wonderful night of stories and reminiscing when West Adelaide celebrated its unforgettable 1983 premiership. The 40th anniversary dinner, on Friday, July 7, rekindled the Bloods’ proud history and was a pointer to future successes as those fortunate to have been a part of it revived the glory days of SANFL in the 1980s – and one of our competition’s great sides. West beat Sturt by 34 points in the ’83 grand final to climax a year of wonderful attacking football and high scoring. Under the coaching of Neil ‘King’ Kerley, who sadly passed away last June, aged 88, the Bloods booted 21.16 (142) in the grand final. But, incredibly, that was below their average score for the season – 146 points. Super-skilled premiership star Peter Meuret wowed the sellout crowd and seemed amazed himself going through the goalkicking stats of this remarkable side in a stellar season. High-flying Roger Luders led the way, becoming the first and only West player to kick 100 goals in a season, although it says something of the depth in the side to consider he finished ninth in the best-and-fairest award, won by ruck great Mark Mickan. Luders kicked 109 goals, while next for the Bloods was spectacular centre half-forward Bruce Lindner, who bagged 77. Mike Smith kicked 56, Geoff Morris 49 and bustling rovers Bernie Conlen, who finished runner-up in the Magarey Medal, and Leon Grosser each booted 48 goals. Meuret laughed Kerley didn’t mind what the opposition kicked “as long as we score more”. And they did. West kicked 29 goals in three games that season, against North the Bloods booted 30 and against
Forty years after they made names for themselves as West Adelaide premiership players, these Bloods greats were together again for a reunion dinner.
Peter Meuret wows the crowd at the 1983 Premiership Reunion dinner at West Adelaide Football Club.
Woodville they kicked 34.17 (221). Everyone at the dinner agreed it was fun watching footy back then. While there were some greats in the side wonderfully led by courageous skipper Ian Borchard, Lindner believed the whole was greater than the sum of its parts with Kerls’ side because of the team-first ethos and remarkable bond shared between players, staff and volunteers. It was pretty clear on a great night just how unshakeable that bond is. On Pages 10-11, in his Electrifying 80s series, Dion Hayman looks back at the 1983 grand final, revealing a Bloods hero almost didn’t play. sanfl.com.au
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