PLAYING fast, clever and non-stop football Golden Square made Eaglehawk look like a second-rate team in the League grand final on Saturday.

So read the lead paragraph in the Bendigo Advertiser of Monday, September 10th 1945.

“After the opening quarter Eaglehawk was soundly beaten on the ground and in the air by the dashing play of their opponents who seemed to be yards faster.

“Little fault could be found with Eaglehawk within the first 25 minutes, but from then on Golden Square’s superiority enabled the team to gain an easy victory,” the match report’s opening paragraphs read.

The Square had a multi-pronged forward line with Carl Rohde and Stan Bynon booting 17 goals between them – an even 10 to the brilliant Rohde and seven from Bynon’s boot.

Interestingly in the newspaper style of the day 70 years ago, players’ Christian names were scarcely used. Captions and headshots had just surnames and an initial under the pix.
I had to ask Square guru Arthur Doye during the Round 18 game at MyJet Oval for Christian names of players who starred 70 years ago.

And of course BFNL Hall of Famer Ron ‘Hank’ McHardy, now in his 90s, remembered them all as if was just the other year. He’s still a regular attendee at Square home games, along with Alan Cowling who also remembers the ’45 granny and vividly recalls Hank’s career.

AND so let’s look at the big game as reported in the Advertiser on that September Monday 70 years ago.
‘Overtaut nerves’ caused opportunities in front of goal early on to be missed, the scribe noted. “Both teams were going at top speed in the early part of the first quarter before greater coolness allowed Bynon to score Golden Square’s first goal from a mark in direct line.
“Moving along with a little better unison than it had displayed earlier Eaglehawk drew level with a goal from R. Grose.
“It did not take long for the Golden Square captain Hargreaves to detect the weak links in his opponents’ make-up and it was through these he directed most of the attacks.”
Eaglehawk scored a second goal --- after some poor misses from Square --- when P. Crawford scored from an acute angle.
Fisher restored Golden Square’s control with a goal. Then play was ‘held up for several minutes’ while the football was being retrieved from the baths adjacent to the Upper Reserve.
No brand new footies available from the change rooms in the tight financial times straight after the war.
Bynon assured Golden Square of a six-point lead at the first change when he ‘flashed across the front of goal’ and demonstrated his elusive qualities with his second.

GOLDEN Square virtually stamped their name on the premiership cup with a scintillating second quarter, adding 8.8 to three straight goals.
“Assisted by the breeze Golden Square made constant bombardment of its opponent’s goal. Attacks came from all angles.
“Rohde was too clever and fast for his Eaglehawk opponents and broke through for two smart goals.
“Some of Eaglehawk’s usual star men had hardly been sighted. Square had at least half-a-dozen players who were sharing in the following and they were able to maintain a pace with which Eaglehawk could not cope.”
Two Blue defender Robinson foiled a marking attempt by Rohde but it only allowed Bynon to sneak in for his third goal after spectacular ground play.
Rohde and Bunny Hargreaves goaled midway through the quarter and after R. Grose had replied for Eaglehawk Bynon and Rohde slipped in for further Square goals to more than double Eaglehawk’s total score at half-time.
But the Addy reported noted that for “about seven minutes” at the start of the third quarter Eaglehawk battled valiantly to wipe off some of the deficit.
Although they added a couple of goals Rohde took his total to five majors before a new ball was required. The old one had been punctured.

THE lead was 76 points at three-quarter time with Golden Square continuing “at a merry pace” and encountering little serious opposition as the grand final wound down.
“But they were leaving nothing to chance with repeated assaults. However, at times the kicking for goal was not as reliable as in the earlier stages.
“With a slackening of pace and much of the life out of the game it was indeed a drab affair for the large crowd of spectators.
“Golden Square proved conclusively the best side in the competition to win the pennant with a final advantage of more than 100 points,” the reporter wrote in his final sentence.
The winners did not have a weak player but as the score indicated the forwards had the greater chance to be more prominent.
Rohde and Bynon were splendid in attack while Hargreaves not only proved a skilful leader but also gave excellent service roving.
“Fred Rodda, who kicked three goals, and Richie Lee were rarely beaten when following. Coach Bunny Hargreaves, who was an excellent rover, Doug Wilson, Reg Ford and Peter Williamson were always prominent also.”
Eaglehawk had gone into the game with a mix of experience and youth. But the Two Blues were able to play only six of their seven under-17 year olds.
Ted Crawford was out injured. He was a player “who comes from families who love to see their boys taking up the game early,” the Advertiser pre-match summary had reported on the Saturday.

Quarter by quarter scores
Golden Square 3.3 11.11 19.11 23.20
Eaglehawk 2.3 5.3 7.7 8.9
Goal-kickers: Rohde 10, Bynon 7, Rodda 3, Hargreaves, Fisher, Lapsley. Eaglehawk: Pascoe 2, R. Grose 2, Crawford 2, McMahon, Hocking.
Best --- Golden Square: Rohde, Hargreaves, Bynon, Fisher. Rodda, Lee, Wilson, Ford, Williamson. Eaglehawk: Tupper, Toma, Dale, K. Grose, Robinson, Richards.
Gate takings: £239.
IT WAS a double for Golden Square when their seconds were far too accomplished for Eaglehawk in the curtain-raiser.
The Advertiser reporter at the grand final day wrote Square “proved too strong” for the Eaglehawk Seconds who didn’t manage a single goal for the match.
Final scores: Golden Square 5 goals 9 behinds def. Eaglehawk 7 behinds.
Officials of the BFL visited Golden Square’s rooms after the game and congratulated players of both senior and seconds teams on their brilliant victories.
And then on the Sunday morning “the players were the recipients of further congratulations by the large number of supporters who visited the club’s headquarters.”

MEANTIME in the VFL Carlton defeated North Melbourne in the first semi-final played at Princes Park.
The MCG had been used to billet troops --- particularly from the USA --- while the war in the Pacific had been raging, but nonetheless a crowd of 54,846 was on hand to witness the Blues’ victory.
Final scores: Carlton 14.10 def. North Melbourne 8.20. South Melbourne and Collingwood were to meet in the VFL’s second semi-final the following Saturday.
In the VFA the concluding home and away round had been played with Camberwell downing Prahran to consolidate fourth spot and earn the right to play Port Melbourne in the first semi-final.
The VFA grand final was always held a week after the VFL Big Dance in the 1940s and 50s, a tradition which was similar to the dates for the BFL and the Bendigo Football Association (later Golden City league) in central Victoria.
Those leagues played their grand final a week later throughout that era and in succeeding decades, particularly in the 1960s and 70s.

Richard’s grand final tip: Strathfieldsaye Storm over Sandhurst by 45 points. Nalder Medal [for best afield]: Kallen Geary (Storm) and AFL Country Victoria medal: Jake Hall (Strathfieldsaye).
Tips total for 2015: 79. Correct in finals to date: 5 out of 5.

By Richard Jones