THE PREMIERSHIPS

1934

Glenelg Football Club won its first premiership in 1934. The following match report is extracted from "The Advertiser".

GLENELG 1934 PREMIERS

WINS THRILLING MATCH BY NINE POINTS

Port Adelaide Unable To Match Glenelg's Great Pace
TEAMS LEVEL IN LAST QUARTER

BY ROVER
Setting the pace from the start, giving Port Adelaide little chance to drop into the machine-like system which had established is as firm favorite for the 1934 title, and beating off a strong challenge in the last few minutes, Glenelg brilliantly won by nine points the League grand Final and the premiership, at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

It was one of the most thrilling matches in the memory of any of the 30,045 people who witnessed it. Fought at a killing pace, the players were forced to endure a more grueling contest than they had probably ever experienced. Having set the speed, Glenelg maintained it in astonishing fashion, clapping on even greater pace when challenged by Port Adelaide, whose efforts to produce the cool, systematic football which had been a feature of its play in earlier matches, were obviously upset by the dash and verve of the opposition.
A remarkable feature of the match, and indicative of the determination of the winning team, any Port goal would immediately be answered by a similar score 'by Glenelg. By this means not only did Glenelg hold a slender lead practically throughout the game, but it caused Port Adelaide's early sang-froid to give way to concern, and finally to panic in the closing stages, when with the last few minutes ticking away its fiercest efforts could not bring the goal which would give it the lead. The teams were level a few minutes before the finish, and for a few seconds Port seemed to have the grip of the game for which it had striven for more than three quarters, but before freak marking by Johnstone and another surge of fierce determination by the Glenclg team generally, Port quailed, and was beaten.
The progressive scores are an excellent indication of the game. Glenelg's speed and new-found pugnacity is reflected in the fact that Port Adelaide, after scoring the first goal of the day did not thereafter hold the lead at any stage, though on several occasions it drew to within striking distance, only to see Glenelg scoot away again. Half-way through the first quarter the scores were level at 2.2. but Glenelg drew away to a lead of three goals shortly after the second quarter began, and after exciting goal for goal exchanges, increased its advantage to more than four goals shortly before half time.
It was at this stage that Port Adelaide threw away, by laxity in kicking in the forward-lines, a golden opportunity to at least overhaul Glenelg. Its last five kicks at goal before half time and its first one on the resumption brought points-six behinds in a disappointing row. Glenelg's reply was to take its score from 9.8 to 13.8 in four scoring shots. Port was left apparently hopelessly behind, and it entered the last quarter with a deficit of nearly three goals.

Port's Challenge

Two goals early in the fourth term brought the crowd to its feet, the scores then being-Port Adelaide 13.17, Glenelg 16. 1 0 - a difference of only five points - but as it- happened throughout the match, Glenelg responded fiercely, a goal and two behinds putting the scores out of touch again.
Johnston, who was playing magnificently in the view of the fact that he had an injured leg, rose to great heights, literally and metaphorically, dominating the ruck and knocking the ball into open spaces with powerful punches.
Excitement was intense as Port fought to regain a challenging position. McFarlane, brought into the side from the University team in Amateur League, marked brilliantly in the Port half-back line, and, with defeat staring them in the face, every Port player summoned reserves of energy he did not know he possessed, to beat back Glenelg attacks and to get the ball forward.
Dermody's dashing play at centre wing-he literally ran himself into the ground in his lion-hearted effort-was ultimately rewarded by a goal from Prideaux. Twice repelled, Port again sent in by Dermody, scored another goal by Quinn. This made the scores level.
The tenseness of the excitement was almost painful as the ball was bounced in midfield. Goldsworthy, who at centre half-forward had been a leading figure in the Glenelg side throughout the match, came out almost to centre to get the ball and from him it flashed from man to man until Johnston-playing a match-winning quarter-soared feet above the pack in the goal mouth to mark and kick the goal which restored the lead to Glenelg. The crowd, definitely pro-Glenelg, was hysterically delighted when Owens capped another goal.
The players of both sides were palpably exhausted. Physically "done," the nervous tension kept them on their toes, and it was not at all surprising that frayed tempers found an outlet in two or three outbursts of "temperament" on the part of disappointed Port Adelaide players. This display of feeling, however, played havoc with the side's prospects, for by that time Quinn had scored another goal for Port, making the difference on six points, but Port had come to the end of its tether, and Glenelg made the game safe by scoring behinds, the first of which was as good as a goal to it.

Strain On Players

Immediately the bell rang. Players all but collapsed in several parts of the ground. Dermody was "all in," and so were many players of both sides as they limped painfully off the ground. The gateman found difficulty in, restraining the crowd from rushing on to ground to lionise the Glenelg players. Bruce McGregor (coach of Glenelg) was beside himself with excitement, and, pouncing upon Colyer (Glenelg rover), carried him in his arms, delightfully hugging him. Other players, as much for the additional support, as felicitation, walked with arms about each other from the ground.

Scores:-
Glenelg 5.4 10.8 15.10 18.15 (123)
Port 3.4 6.13 11.17 16.18 (114)
Goals-Glenelg: Goldsworthy 4.2, Owens 3.3, Colyer, Johnston, Bergin 2. 1, Percy 1.5, Link 1. 3, Leak 1. One behind was knock.
Port-Quinn 5.2, Hollingworth 4.7, Prideaux 4.2, Hender 2. 1, Re 1. 1. Yates, Ween 0.2, Hooper 0. 1. and one of Prideaux's kicks the goalpost.
Attendance: 30, 045.
Umpire L.C. Thomas.

Goldsworthy's Marking

When it entered the major round, Glenelg was not generally regarded as a high marking team, but it has not been beaten in the air in any of its three matches. On Saturday Goldsworthy was one of the principal match winning factors at centre half-forward. His marking and kicking was always a source of danger to Port Adelaide. Colyer and Link were amazingly fast rovers, and their dashes with the ball were probably more demoralising to Port than anything else. Sallis, while not so completely in command as in the previous match, was centre, and Leak, Shakes and Hill, supplemented the pace and dash of the two rovers already mentioned.
Johnston reserved his best efforts for the critical stage in the last quarter. His freak one-handed mark at half-back stopped a threaten breakaway by Port Adelaide and he clinched the game for his side with his mark in the goalmouth at the other end a few minutes later. Whittaker, Brock, James and Birrell were stout defenders, and Bergin a brilliant half-forward flanker. Percy and Hale marked strongly and rucked vigorously respectively.

Footballers Reported

Arising from incidents which occurred in the last quarter of the grand final football match at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday, three Port Adelaide players are to be charged before the League Commissioners (Messrs. T.S. O'Halloran, K.C. E. Millhouse and J.J. Woods). A. Reval, for having, it is alleged, hacked Bergin and Hale, is to be called upon to answer charges laid by L.C. Thomas (field umpire), S.A.D. Hill (boundary) and J.F.S. Monten (goal).
C.Wightman, on reports to be made by Thomas, Hill, Monten and G.Russ (boundary), will answer a charge of having thrown the ball away. K.Obst for having, it is alleged, thrown the ball at the field umpire, is to be reported by be the field umpire, both boundary umpires and Monten (goal).

Major Round Results
I st Semi-final, Sept, 15 ... Sturt 14.15 (99) d Torrens 12.14 (86). Attendance: 19,132. Umpire: S.A.D. Hill.
2nd Semi final, Sept, 22 ... Port 23.21 (159) d Glenelg 13.16 (94), Attendance: 24,934. Umpire L.C. Thomas.
Preliminary Final, Sept, 29 ... Glenelg 12.11 (83) d Sturt 9.16 (70) Attendance: 17,28 1. Umpire: L.C. Thomas.

1934 PREMIERSHIP TABLE
Team	P	W	L	0	F	A	Pts	%

GLENELG	20	12	7	1	2118	2047	25	50.85

PORT	19	11	7	1	2189	1798	23	54.90

STURT	19	11	8	0	1793	1752	22	50.57

TORRENS	18	10	8	0	1636	1608	20	50.43

North	17	9	7	1	1855	1605	19	53.61

West	17	8	8	1	1755	1727	17	50-50

Norwood	17	5	12	0	1612	1920	10	45.64

South	17	4	13	0	1626	2127	8	43.32