EAGLEHAWK fought back from a 15-point three-quarter time deficit to down Golden Square by four points in 1946’s grand final.

It was one of the most tense and exciting play-offs of the immediate pre-war and post-war eras and was rated by the Advertiser scribes of the time as the best they’d seen.
A three-deck heading in the Addy on Monday, September 30th read: Eaglehawk Wins Bendigo League Pennant in Hectic Finish After Giving Golden Square Big Start.
But unlike today when sports stories and interviews are run on the back pages, the grand final wrap and details were placed on Page 4.
Recent centenarian Harold ‘Wicky’ Toma was the Two Blues captain 70 years back and featured in the team list of Hawk better players.
The Square managed just seven goals after half-time whereas Eaglehawk slotted 12.
The opening paragraphs of the Addy grand final story sum up the spirited fightback, albeit in the flowery language of the period.
“Sheer determination and a splendid reserve of stamina enabled Eaglehawk to win this year’s Bendigo Football League pennant.
“At the half-time interval when Golden Square with superior football held a substantial lead, Eaglehawk supporters had every reason to feel disappointed.
“Many of their proved players had hardly been sighted and generally the performance of the Eaglehawk side gave the impression that its opponent would go on to an easy victory.”

BUT Toma wasn’t fazed by his side’s 28-point half-time deficit.
The lead writer for the Addy noted that the Two Blues’ skipper did “not attempt to make one positional change.
“The strategy later paid full dividends as Toma appeared to accept the setbacks as a matter of course and revealed confidence in his side by not attempting to make one positional change.
“This strategy later paid full dividends. When his side settled down Eaglehawk’s usual cohesion swung the game against Golden Square.
“But with a deficiency of 15 points at the start of the last term Eaglehawk still had a stiff obstacle to surmount.
“It gradually wore its opponent down and gained the advantage only a few minutes before the bell.
“Eaglehawk managed to pull through with a four-point lead.”

GOLDEN Square looked a far superior team in the opening half.
The match report stated categorically that the Mustards’ followers Tonn and Rodda were especially effective.
“With his height advantage Tonn rarely failed to get the knockout and Rodda delivered the ball well to his forwards.”
On his wing Organ was “superior to all opponents” so Golden Square drove the ball down Organ’s wing.
And the Hawks continued to deliver the ball to positions where Tonn could take telling marks.
Just before the bell to sound quarter-time Evely was given a penalty free kick on the line to score Eaglehawks’ first six-pointer.
Golden Square bounced back with majors to Lheude and Wilson in the second quarter while centre half-forward Ron McHardy was hard for the Two Blues to stop.
The Hawks faced a huge second half task. They were down by 28 points but seemed to come to life when Chinn wandered away from the centre, scouted nicely to retrieve the ball and drove a left-foot drop kick straight through the big sticks.
And when Evely got the next goal Eaglehawk was playing more purposeful football.
By the last change Square’s lead had been reduced to 15 points and the Addy reported that “spectators were now on their toes with excitement.”

HOWEVER, with 15 minutes left to play in the final quarter Square’s Rohde goaled from a free kick and it appeared as if Eaglehawk’s hopes had gone.
Nonetheless, Hicks was still on top of Square full-back Lapsley and when he drove home his fifth major Eaglehawk was still a chance.
“Eaglehawk’s stamina and strength began to tell,” the Addy scribe wrote.
“Cleverly scouting, Eaglehawk players made openings for Turner and Evely to goal and Square’s lead had suddenly shrunk to four points.
“When R. Daly got through to collect the maximum points from his shot, Eaglehawk’s supporters acclaimed their teams’ first advantage with applause lasting for several minutes.”
Then McHardy goaled for Square to put his side within two points but with Tonn feeling the effects of his four-quarter ruckwork Robinson was strong in defence for the Two Blues.
Minors to A. Daly and James gave Eaglehawk a four-point advantage before all eyes were focussed on Golden Square’s goal as Hargreaves wound his way towards it.
He’d capitalised on a promising advance from wingman Organ but Hargreaves’ snap shot went wide and seconds later the final bell went with the Two Blues four point winners.

Eaglehawk 1.2 2.3 8.7 14.10
Golden Square 3.4 6.7 10.10 13.12
Goalkickers – Eaglehawk: Hicks 6, Evely 3, James 2, Turner, Chinn, R. Daly. Golden Square: McHardy 4, Rohde 2, Williamson 2, Lheude 2, Hargreaves, Wilson and Rodda.
Best --- Eaglehawk: Dumble, Evely, Toma, Kirby, Hicks, A. Daly, Lock, James. Golden Square: Tonn, Organ, Hargreaves, Williamson, McHardy, Rodda and Fisher.
Gate takings: £380.
Before the game Elmore’s Bob Dawson was presented with the Arthur Cook Medal as the BFL’s best and fairest player for 1946.
The medal was presented by Mrs. Cook and the Golden Square and Eaglehawk players lined up in front of the grandstand for the presentation and applaud Dawson.
The BFL secretary Mr E. A. Hains introduced Dawson to Mrs Cook.

A WEEK after the BFL grand final, Kamarooka caused the biggest upset in district footy for the year by downing previously unbeaten Huntly in the Bendigo Football Association grand final.
In the big match played at Canterbury Park Huntly was reduced to 17 fit players during the third quarter because of injuries.
In those days of 70 years back there were only two substitute or interchange players: the 19th and 20th men.
Strangely enough the premiership was Kamarooka’s second successive flag.
“In 1941 it defeated CYMS to take premiership honors and at the conclusion of that season the competition went into recess because of the War until it was revived this year,” the Addy reported.
So strange though it reads the 1941 and 1946 flags were two ‘in succession’ for the northern boys.
Huntly had won every one of its 16 matches during the two home and away rounds of club fixtures followed by victory over Kamarooka in the second semi-final.
The Addy reporters mentioned that Huntly was “unable to cope with Kamarooka’s determined thrusts in the first half.”
“And even though it had a full complement (of players) back on the field in the last quarter Huntly was still unable to parry Kamarooka’s aggressive and speedy play and lost the game by a wide margin,” the Addy reported.

Kamarooka 2.1 5.8 7.11 9.24
Huntly 1.3 1.4 3.12 6.12
Goalkickers -– Kamarooka: R. Grose 5, J. Cail, C. Watts, B. Cail, I. Hay. Huntly: J. Foley 3, W. Foley 2, G. Wells.
Best – Kamarooka: W. Collins, A. Dale, D. Demeo, L. Rankin, Gallagher, R. Grose. Huntly: R. Collins, G. Wells, J. Foley, Rup. Poulter, N. Clay, V. Tucker.
Kamarooka had won its way into the BFA grand final with a hard fought preliminary final win over YCW at the Kennington ground: 10.11 to 8.17.
{Seventy years ago newspapers printed each club’s goals and behinds tallies but no overall final tally.
So even though Kamarooka’s grand final total in today’s terms would be 9.24 (78) no closing score was ever printed.}

Grand final tip: Sandhurst.
Total for 2016: 80. Finals tips: 5 correct out of 5.
Nalder Medal for best afield: Joel Wharton (Sandhurst).
AFL Victoria Medal: Tim Martin (Sandhurst).

By Richard Joens