1964 premiers to 1965 also rans. Saints thrash Dees

[saynta]

Melbourne were premiers in 1964 and undefeated in 1965 when they played the Saints. Unbackable favourites.

I flew over from Tassie for the match and remember Howell and Murray trading places at full forward and full back.

We thrashed the pricks and started off their consignment to the wilderness for the next half century.

Here is a report of the match,


From the Archives, 1965: Melbourne’s armour pierced by Saints
By Percy Beames

First published in The Age on June 15, 1965

MELBOURNE’S ARMOUR PIERCED BY SAINTS

M.C.G. thrashing
St Kilda defeats Melbourne in the 1965 Queen’s Birthday match.

St Kilda’s sensational win yesterday to end Melbourne’s run of eight consecutive victories was the first practical proof that the League leaders can be beaten for this season’s premiership.

The Demons were ruthlessly taken apart and given an almost unbelievable 61-point thrashing by a St Kilda side that produced its best brand of teamwork for years.

Stunned Melbourne officials agreed after the match it was the worst debacle the club had suffered since its rise to power in 1955.

The upset, the biggest for the season, was watched and enjoyed by a crowd of 72,114.


Before yesterday’s boil over at the M.C.G., Melbourne’s prospects of another premiership were very high.

In the previous round the Demons had met and overcome a challenge from Carlton with teamwork that had the earmarks of a premiership side.

Soft spots

After that win it seemed that all Melbourne had to do to win the flag was to get its players in the right frame of mind for the job.

But after yesterday this feeling no longer exists. The Demons know they have soft spots that can be opened up and exploited if the right kind of pressure is applied by a top class opponent.
An ecstatic Darrell Baldock (left) bursts into song after leading St Kilda to its victory over Melbourne.


St Kilda turned out to be that type of opponent yesterday, and it turned on a sustained brand of high class football that wins premierships.

Coach Alan Jeans masterminded the moves and tactics that transformed St Kilda from a good, workmanlike combination into a greatly improved football power.

Jeans realised that to be Melbourne, St Kilda would have to cover the Demons’ strengths and take advantage of their doubtful spots. He went to the trouble of studying reports of every game Melbourne has played in this season.

From them he convinced himself that the real forces behind Melbourne’s success were its half-back line, the centre line and the rovers.

Jeans set out to match these strengths. Even before Ian Stewart dropped out of the game because of influenza, Daryl Griffiths was marked down to play against “Hassa” Mann, and it was confidently thought that wingman Ross Oakley would do a good job against either Brian Dixon or Tony Anderson.

Oakley, Griffiths and last minute replacement, wingman Bruce McMaster-Smith won well, and this made it easy for St Kilda to take full advantage of the ruck supremacy of Carl Ditterich and Alan Morrow had all day.

To overcome the tough Melbourne half-back line, Jeans had Ian Cooper slipping in and out of the ruck in brief runs, and Darrel Baldrock was allowed to roam to all party of the forward line.

For added forward mobility, Jeans placed Verdun Howell at full-forward, and the St Kilda attack wore its best appearance for the season.

The Saints also studied a film of the 1958 grand final when Melbourne was beaten for the premiership by Collingwood.

Second now

While yesterday’s win was a great achievement and result for St Kilda, it was not a good result for teams inside and just outside the top four.

Sides like Geelong, Carlton, Richmond, Collingwood, South Melbourne and Essendon had been hoping to make up ground on St Kilda, but instead the Saints moved into second place, ahead of Geelong on percentage.

Melbourne, after seeing its rucks thrashed again will have to think seriously about revising its plan using Graeme Wise as its main ruck source all day.

The Demons were badly outmarked all over the ground, and the cause of this can be traced back to its lack of big men.

Melbourne’s second big worry was the failure of its attack, particularly the half forwards. Four were used on the day – Barry Vagg, John Lord, Graeme Jacobs and Stan Alves – and they were mostly unsighted."


Saints went on to play in the grand final that year. Melbourne never recovered and finished 7th.

[Trev from the Bush]

Ah Saynta. The great turning point for both clubs, the Saints ascended to Heaven and the Demons descended to Hell after that game. Much more to that game than Percy Beames report; Bob Murray's performance, Ian Cooper's screamer over Hugh Bromell, etc. The big story came a week later when Melbourne sacked coach Norm Smith.

[samuraisaint]

Thanks for that one Saynta.
By the way - Fun Fact: since the 2006 Elimination Final, Melbourne have beaten us exactly once at the MCG!

[samuraisaint]

Ah Saynta. The great turning point for both clubs, the Saints ascended to Heaven and the Demons descended to Hell after that game. Much more to that game than Percy Beames report; Bob Murray's performance, Ian Cooper's screamer over Hugh Bromell, etc. The big story came a week later when Melbourne sacked coach Norm Smith.

There was also a turning point at another silvertail establishment foundation club twelve months before in 1964 when St Kilda beat Carlton comfortably at Princes Park and several of the Blues' powerbrokers planned a coup and brought in a new broom, president and coach.

[Trev from the Bush]

Ah Saynta. The great turning point for both clubs, the Saints ascended to Heaven and the Demons descended to Hell after that game. Much more to that game than Percy Beames report; Bob Murray's performance, Ian Cooper's screamer over Hugh Bromell, etc. The big story came a week later when Melbourne sacked coach Norm Smith.

There was also a turning point at another silvertail establishment foundation club twelve months before in 1964 when St Kilda beat Carlton comfortably at Princes Park and several of the Blues' powerbrokers planned a coup and brought in a new broom, president and coach.

Turned out pretty well for the Blues. Took us more than thirty years to beat them again at Princes Park.