By Sean Cusick
At the dominant South Gambier club, every player is still paid the same, Sean Cusick writes
IN 1990, the South Gambier Football Club appeared on the verge of breakdown. The Demons, a foundation team of the Western Border League in 1964, couldn't win a game let alone challenge for their first premiership since the mid-'70s.
The Demons lived and died by an unwavering law - that every player, barring coaches, is paid exactly the same. Opposition clubs chasing glory were free to entice established stars, even former professionals entering their twilight, with outrageous amounts of money. But South was determined to stick to its guns, continuing to pay players just as it had always done - $60 for a win, and $20 for a loss.
Bordering on broke and subject to a merger pitch with West Gambier, the club was dealt another blow when its decision to lure a high-profile coach in ex-Footscray forward Shane Loveless backfired. The Demons needed salvation, and it was going to have to be achieved on a budget.
Searching for a replacement coach mid-season, they turned to Peter Sims, a former South defender who'd been cutting his coaching teeth in the smaller Mid-South Eastern League. Sims immediately impressed the committee by establishing a focus on discipline and respect to the dishevelled club.
"When he came back here, he couldn't believe what he saw," recalls club secretary Bob Attiwill. "The first Thursday night he took, he walked in to read the team and there was literally no one in here. He was reading to a blank wall."
"We were in a bad state," Sims remembers. "I think the first night I took training we had 17 people on the track. I asked where all the players were, and I was told they would all 'turn up on Saturday for a kick'. The first thing I did was tell the 17 blokes that had bothered to turn up that they were playing A-grade. I got some funny looks, as three of them were older than me (Sims was 32 at the time), and four of them were worried-looking kids.
"A couple of young fellas said 'Mr Sims, I don't know if we're ready for A-grade'. To which I replied, 'Well, you're all good enough to be here at training, so you're all good enough to play'."
Sims introduced a number of rules with the intention of building not only a winning team, but a quality group of characters. Suddenly, you couldn't play unless you trained. The youngsters were taught to not only respect the jumper, but also every aspect of the hard-working, blue-collar club. Cockiness was not tolerated. "We never asked any drop-kicks to get out of the place," laughs Sims. "But the very few that we had soon got the picture and moved along on their own accord."
Knowing that he had no bargaining power due to the club's staunch salary policy, Sims instead recruited a half-dozen of the best kids he'd observed in the bush leagues.
Mick Ryan, nine-time South premiership hero and current playing coach, came to the club in Sims' second year as a big, burly country kid. While he was talented, he had just as much a reputation for drinking the most schooners as he did for his ruck work.
"Oh yeah, he was big on discipline," Ryan chuckles. "I probably wasn't the most disciplined of blokes when I got to South, but he soon irons that out of you. If you want to play football for Peter, you can't be too rusty around the edges."
No one could ever have predicted just how quickly Sims, known as "Speed" (due to his lack thereof in his playing days), would transform their club into a powerhouse. After winning four games in that first season, the Demons improved to six wins the following year. Then, like a bolt from the blue, they claimed the flag in '92. "I think we had about 14 players that were 21 and under," Sims recalls. "We were playing against a much tougher and more seasoned Casterton team.
"I think they paid out about $130,000 to put their team on the ground, and they were a really strong outfit that had played in the last two grand finals. In comparison, I think we paid about $27,000."
Once his 'baby Demons' had got a taste for victory, there was no stopping them. South would go on to win a staggering nine premierships in 14 years - including five consecutive flags between '96 and 2000 - all without compromising its values of financial equality. Even when Sims retired in '99, the club continued to dominate.
"We don't like to advertise it, and some people scoff at it and think we're making the whole thing up," says Attiwill on the equal payment rule. "But it's the absolute truth. We've had blokes play for us since '91, and have played in every premiership since, but have never been paid more than the standard fee. And that's why we stayed up for so long, because we didn't favour any big recruits we brought in.
"The day that we do break that rule, is the day I walk out the door," states Attiwill, who has been on the committee for over 30 years. "A lot of blokes have done the right thing by the club, sticking with us when offered big money elsewhere. It's a real bond - everyone is treated the same."
Ryan is the perfect example of the clubman that the Demons pride themselves on. Now entering his 17th season at the club, the 15-time inter-league representative has had no shortage of lucrative offers thrown his way. "I've been here half my life, and I've been fortunate to play in nine premierships," Ryan beams. "Plus, I've been able to spend it with my best mates, blokes who have played in eight, seven and six flags of their own.
"I must admit I do have to pinch myself sometimes. Especially now, when you're older, you realise you had a pretty bloody good ride.
"I had a pretty wise man once tell me to concentrate on my own business, and not worry about chasing money on a footy field. Once money starts getting involved, you're not going to enjoy it as much."
Sims proved to be an excellent judge of character, as the group of country kids he brought with him proved a raging success. "He didn't go after any stars, just good young blokes, because we didn't have the bargaining power," Attiwill explains. "All we could offer them was the standard fee and a fair go.
"Peter did a lot of recruiting out of that minor league, about half-a-dozen lads who were 18-20 years of age at the time," says club president Leigh Patzel. "Somehow, they all turned out to be bloody fabulous footballers. I'd say they all went on to play at least 100 games."
South yesterday hosted Hamilton in a rematch of their famous tied grand final of 1982. But win, lose or draw, one thing remains certain. The men from South will give their all and never ask for a penny more than their comrade standing next to them.
SOUTH GAMBIER FOOTBALL CLUB
FOUNDED 1926
COMPETITION Western Border Football League
GUERNSEY Red with white vertical stripes, red Demon symbol inside white diamond
NICKNAME The Demons
HOME GROUND Blue Lake Sports Park
PREMIERSHIPS
1927, '33 (South East Football Association), '49 (Mount Gambier and District Football League), '51
(South East and Border Football League), '74, '92, '94, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000, '02, '05 (Western Border)
| WESTERN BORDER FOOTBALL LEAGUE IN 2006 | RECENT WBFL PREMIERS |
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Casterton
East Gambier
Hamilton
Hamilton Imperials
Heywood
Millicent
North Gambier
Portland
South Gambier
West Gambier
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2006 Portland
2005 South Gambier
2004 Hamilton
2003 Portland
2002 South Gambier
2001 Hamilton Imperials
2000 South Gambier
1999 South Gambier
1998 South Gambier
1997 South Gambier
1996 South Gambier
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FAMOUS SOUTH GAMBIER EXPORTS
Max James
VFL CAREER
South Melbourne/Sydney, 1978-82
GAMES: 55 GOALS: 58
A lean six-footer with a huge leap, James was signed to South Melbourne at the ripe age of 26 as a centre half- /full-forward. He was especially good overhead and was a beautiful kick, and showed glimpses of his best in attack before injuries took their toll. Interestingly, in his glittering career with Port Adelaide in the SANFL, he played with distinction both at full-forward and full-back, representing the state. His son, Heath, who was taken by the Swans under the father-son rule, played 18 games before also succumbing to persistent injuries. Currently on the Port Power board.
Robin McKinnon
SANFL CAREER: West Adelaide
GAMES: 260 GOALS: 91
McKinnon caught the eye of VFL recruiters as a super-fit centreman who was strong overhead. He was selected in the inaugural 1982 national draft by Hawthorn with pick 52 - interestingly, three selections before another SANFL star, Darren Jarman - but the country boy decided against moving to Victoria. A fierce competitor with supreme endurance, McKinnon went on to become a West Adelaide champion and life member of the SANFL. State representative.