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Ararat premiership memories
I
n the spring of 1986 two outstanding football teams took each other on for a Wimmera Football League premiership at Warracknabeal.
Battling on neutral turf at Anzac Park that day was a superb Ararat outfit led by captain-coach and goal-front spearhead Garry Todd and a ripper Horsham team with polished Peter Light at the helm. Records show in this battle between regional-city heavyweights Ararat prevailed by 23 points. They also reveal the protagonists shared 72 scoring shots in what evolved into an electrifying shoot-out. The final score was Ararat 23.12 (150) to Horsham 20.17 (137). The Ararat club is busy planning to celebrate a 30-year reunion of the Rats involved on that day. The event will be during Ararat’s last home-and-away match, against Dimboola at Alexandra Oval, on August 6. To add spice to the event, organisers have also included a 60-year premiership celebration for a 1956 flag, one of Ararat’s famous four-in-a-row successes involving legendary coach Perc Bushby. Wimmera football folklore suggests the Ararat teams of the 1950s were so good they could match some VFL teams of the time.
CELEBRATION: Ararat 1986 premiership captain-coach Garry Todd, left, and Ararat president and former premiership player and coach David Jennings display a special-edition jumper players will wear on August 6.
In the 1956 climax, Ararat 12.9 (81) beat Minyip 10.8 (68) at Horsham City Oval. Ararat’s four premierships in a row between 1955 to 1958 remained a premiership benchmark in Wimmera league for more than half a century until a dominating Horsham toppled the record in 2007. Ararat club president David Jen-
nings, a 1986 premiership player, said invitations had gone out and four of the five remaining 1956 members planned to attend. “For the 1986 team we have 17 out of the 20 who are also coming and some are travelling from Sydney, Queensland and Tasmania,” he said. “We’ve had a special replica jumper with signatures made for the occasion
which current-day players will wear on the day. “We’ll converge in the community centre at Alexandra Oval about 1.30pm and will auction off the jumpers later in the evening when we gather for a meal. “We’ll recreate a ‘World of Sport’ panel like we did in the old days and have a DVD of the 1986 game going.
It’s going to be good.” Mr Jennings said he remembered little from the 1986 final he played as a 20-yearold, except for the players who were involved and that it was a ‘red-hot’ game. “It was a high-scoring affair and we were fairly well up at three-quarter time before Horsham came home strongly when they swung Kell Duncan into attack. I remember it getting fairly tense in the last quarter,” he said. “Toddy was at full forward and kicked his 100th goal for the season in the grand final.” Mr Jennings said the team included sets of brothers – Chris and Brett Dalkin, Murray and Stuart McKinnis, David and Michael ‘Bunny’ Hosking and Neal and Bruce Vallance. “The beauty of ’86 was that out of the 20 players, 16 had played juniors with Ararat,” he said. Records also show the Rats had players such as Greg Cox, Col Thompson, Mick Spalding, Tony Birrell, Greg Kerr, Craig Somers, Mark Cunningham and Allister Williamson in the team. Peter Light’s Horsham team was also studded with talent with the likes of Graeme Moyle, Andrew Mapleson, Peter Hickmott, Duncan and co leading the Demons charge.
ACROSS THE LEAGUES
Horsham District
dale-Macarthur, Woorndoo-Mortlake v Ararat Eagles at Woorndoo. Last week: SMW Rovers 7.10 (52) d Ararat Eagles 4.10 (34), Moyston-Willaura 16.16 (112) d Caramut 16.13 (109), Penshurst 22.14 (146) d Glenthompson-Dunkeld 6.10 (46), Woorndoo-Mortlake 18.16 (124) d Great Western 14.16 (100), Hawkesdale-Macarthur 11. 12 (78) d Lismore-Derrinallum 12.4 (76), Tatyoon 14.8 (92) d Wickliffe-Lake Bolac 6.11 (47). Ladder: Tatyoon 40, 214.85; Hawkesdale-Macarthur 40, 207.95; Wickliffe-Lake Bolac 40, 150.00; Lismore-Derrinallum 32, 175.15; Penshurst 32, 165.70; Glenthompson-Dunkeld 28, 118.44; Moyston-Willaura 24, 121.39; Woorndoo-Mortlake 24, 83.63; SMW Rovers 12, 50.70; Caramut 8, 52.12; Great Western 8, 43.58; Ararat Eagles 0, 34.52.
Mininera and District
This week: Border Districts v Keith at Goroke, Kingston v Kaniva-Leeor United, Kybybolite v Padthaway, Mundulla v Lucindale, Penola v Bordertown. Naracoorte, bye. Ladder: Penola 40, 70.27; Lucindale 36, 63.00; Bordertown 28, 61.32; Padthaway 28, 54.28; Kybybolite 26, 55.33; Keith 26, 47.50; Mundulla 24, 54.75; Naracoorte 16, 48.14; Border Districts 8, 33.82; Kingston 4, 31.36; Kaniva-Leeor United 4, 30.04.
Wimmera
This week: Ararat v Warrack Eagles, Stawell v Nhill, Dimboola v Horsham Saints, Horsham v Minyip-Murtoa. Ladder: Minyip-Murtoa 44 points, 229.98 percent; Horsham Saints 36, 156.04; Horsham Demons 36, 117.07; Stawell 32, 126.48; Nhill 16, 89.01; Warrack Eagles 16, 76.48; Ararat 8, 68.01; Dimboola 4, 41. Last week: Jeparit-Rainbow 23.14 (152) d Swifts 11.8 (74), Kalkee 34.24 (228) d Natimuk United 2.5 (17), Laharum 11.10 (76) d Harrow-Balmoral 8.9 (57), Edenhope-Apsley 21.20 (146) d Taylors Lake 7.7 (49), Southern Mallee Giants 21.26 (152) d Pimpinio 4.4 (28), Rupanyup 17.15 (117) d Noradjuha-Quantong 8.13 (61). Ladder: Southern Mallee Giants 48, 272.76; Laharum 40, 229.57; Jeparit-Rainbow 40, 217.34; Edenhope-Apsley 36, 145.76; Kalkee 32, 190.97; Harrow-Balmoral 28, 193.32; Taylors Lake 20, 102.18; Swifts 12, 57.79; Pimpinio 12, 50.68; Rupanyup 8, 40.86; Natimuk United 8, 33.91; Noradjuha-Quantong 4, 41.41. This week: Glenthompson-Dunkeld v Lismore-Derrinallum at Dunkeld, SMW Rovers v Wickliffe-Lake Bolac, Moyston-Willaura v Great Western at Moyston, Penshurst v Caramut at Penshurst, Tatyoon v Hawkes-
Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara
Walsgott in state umpire team Horsham College year-10 student and football umpire Jackson Walsgott has won an opportunity to officiate at major school-based football championships in Queensland. The teenager has made a School Sport Victoria state Australian football umpire team officiating at School Sport Australia’s national championships. The championships are at Maroochydore from Page
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July 23 to 30. Jackson is already an experienced and accredited Australian football umpire. His selection process started in April and the final team includes students from across Victoria. School Sport Victoria umpires in the past have gone onto umpire at higher levels of competition, such as the AFL under-16 and under-18 national championships, the Victorian Football League and under-18 TAC Cup. Wednesday, July 13, 2016