BRENDAN Hartney was always destined to play for Sandhurst and follow in the footsteps of his late father, Leo.Leo Hartney not only donned the maroon and blue colors, but when his playing days were over was a faithful servant of the club serving for a period as chairman of selectors.
Brendan’s playing days with the Dragons started when he was 17 and 225 games later he pulled the pin on a distinguished career.
He was a shining light as far as club loyalty and on-field courage were concerned. Not only did Brendan lead Sandhurst in the late 1980s and into the 1990s he was the skipper of Bendigo’s successful VCFL Division 1 country championship-winning team in 1989.
He remains a revered Dragon. Finishing on top in the Leo McPherson Medal count as club fairest and best in 1979-80, before five seasons with Carlton in the early 1980s, was just the start of a medal-winning spree.
He played 32 senior VFL games with the Princes Park Blues between 1981 and 1985.
Hartney then took out the Dragons’ club McPherson Medal from 1986-89 consecutively with an astounding seventh trophy added in 1993.
In between he was adjudged fairest and best in the BFL in both 1987 (29 votes) and again in 1989 (31 votes) to join a small, elite band of players to have won the time-honoured Michelsen Medal twice.
There are just six, elite players who have won two Michelsen Medals.
One of my most enduring BFL memories is of Hartney opposed to outstanding Eaglehawk key position player Robert O’Connell. The Advertiser photographers of the day would regularly focus on the absorbing battle between the two BFL stars whenever they were pitted against each other.
Their marking duels were just riveting, and an object lesson for the younger players of both clubs.
Brendan started as a ruck-rover --- a term never used these days when “midfielders” and “on-ballers” are the buzz words --- before cementing his place in BFL history as an unrelenting defender.
Regularly conceding height to opposing key forwards, centre half-back seemed Hartney’s natural position. His courage in gathering the loose ball and his uncanny ability to read the play set him aside from his peers.
And he loved inter-league footy. Hartney played more than 20 games for the Blue and Golds with the combination of himself as captain and the late Neville Strauch as coach the cornerstone of Bendigo’s country championships campaigns.
The BFL representative made the Division 1 grand final in three, consecutive seasons two decades back: in 1988, 1989 and again in 1990.
The bitter disappointment of losing the Division 1 grand final to Geelong in the 1988 play-off at East Geelong was wiped away 12 months later.
Hartney was carried shoulder-high off the QEO in mid-1989 as the Blue and Golds earned their revenge on the GFL, winning 15.10 (100) to Geelong’s 9.5 (59).
It was Bendigo’s first Division 1 country title since 1972 and was so momentous the BFL board of management hosted a special commemorative dinner to celebrate the achievement.
The path to that 1989 VCFL grand final was memorable enough in itself. Bendigo made the dreaded road trip to Ovens and Murray territory for the semi-final and prevailed: 10.10 (70) to 7.12 (54).
It was Bendigo’s first ever win over the O and M on one of their northern Victorian grounds. An even sweeter victory for Hartney and his teammates was to come a few weeks later that ’89 season with the grand final success over the GFL.
Apart from his senior coaching stint in 1988, Hartney has also served as club runner and a selector. These days it’s a family affair at Sandhurst home games with Brendan on deck as a Dragon senior selector.
Twenty-year-old son Tom has been a key member of the Dragons’ senior backline while in 2009 younger son Pat (19), who has graduated from the under-18s, lined up in the Sandhurst reserves.
Chopper White’s reserves, with Pat Hartney in the side, bowed out to Kangaroo Flat in last weekend’s reserves first semi-final.
Tom Hartney can glean some valuable advice from his father whenever Sandhurst takes on Eaglehawk.
With Derrick Filo still running around in the Eaglehawk forward line --- Brendan used to match up with Filo when the evergreen stalwart was at Castlemaine –-- the dual Michelsen Medallist is able to pass on tips to his son.
“Run him around a lot,” was his succinct advice when the youngster first lined up on the wily Borough veteran.
Brendan Hartney was inducted into the Bendigo Football League Hall Of Fame in August 1996. I rate him in the 10 best BFL players I’ve been privileged to watch in a 30-year career broadcasting and writing about local footy.
AND so onto this weekend’s 2009 preliminary final, with the Gisborne line-up joining players from six other clubs watching on.
The South-Square match-up in last Saturday night’s second semi-final, with the winner progressing straight to the grand final, rated as one of the most eagerly awaited September BFL clashes for years.
But it didn’t live up to all the pre-match hype. The Bloods were belted, with a last quarter flurry of seven of the last eight goals just adding a little respectability to the final scoreline.
Admittedly South had managed to close the gap to 16 points in the second term with Brady Childs productive in attack. But the margin ballooned again when Square forwards Michael Bateman and Christian Carter goaled in the second term.
The second semi was well and truly over by three-quarter tome with the Bulldogs more than 10 goals up.
But I can’t believe the Bloods finished on top of the ladder for no reason. Just two losses for the season --- admittedly one of them against the Flat at the QEO -- doesn’t suggest to me that the Red and Whites will exit the finals in straight sets.
Richard’s tip for the preliminary final: South Bendigo by 27 points. Progress tally: 77.
By Richard Jones
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