EAGLEHAWK and Golden Square sat atop the BFL ladder in late May 1973 with both clubs still to taste defeat as the cold winter months loomed.
The Two Blues had a slightly healthier percentage with both clubs having totalled more than 630 points in their five outings.
Winless Kennington was in the cellar with Castlemaine just above them with a solitary victory.
But the Camp Reserve Pies had given the BFL a much-needed tonic with a courageous 14-point win over third-placed South Bendigo, Advertiser chief footy writer Tim Habel reported.
The concern about the future and viability of the league's country clubs was palpable 40 years back, just as it is now.
"Hopefully Castlemaine's performance will be the start of a series of wins by country clubs against city teams," Habel wrote.
"The dominance of Bendigo city teams is fast threatening to take interest out of the final four placings.
"And the Magpies' first win of the season came the hard way," Habel wrote.
After leading clearly at three-quarter time South snatched an eight-point lead midway through the last quarter.
But the Maine fought back grimly to win by 14 points in a top class encounter.
Castlemaine's country cousins Echuca and Kyneton did not fare as well. Although they were both playing at home, both country clubs were defeated soundly. (Rochester had left the BFL by '73 to eventually play in the Goulburn Valley league.)
Eaglehawk was too experienced and systematic for the Murray Bombers while Kyneton showed surprisingly weak resistance to lose to improved Sandhurst by 39 points.
Kevin 'Shifter' Sheehan booted five goals for the Maroons. Ian Thompson nailed three for the Tigers.
The other fifth round match saw Golden Square coast to a 12-goal victory over Kennington.
Michael Hammond racked up an amazing 26 handballs in the big win over the Cockerels.
HABEL opined that Castlemaine's win entitled the Pies to take over from Kyneton as 1973's 'big improvers'.
"Whereas Castlemaine has gone from strength to strength in recent weeks, Kyneton has flopped badly.
"The Tigers had a spot in the four reserved for them judging on their first two performances against Golden Square and South Bendigo. But since then a bad run of injuries seems to have sapped the confidence and keenness of players," the footy scribe remarked.
Through a quirk in the 1973 draw, Kyneton was drawn to play the Maine in round 6 marking the Tigers' fifth home fixture in the opening six rounds.
Habel believed the Tigers had "thrown away" the benefits and advantages of their favourable early draw.
And he noted, quite categorically, that the Tigers desperately needed some small, running players. The Hurst mosquito fleet dominated with Sheehan unstoppable in attack.
"It seems a case of back to the drawing board for Kyneton which must now be desperate of gaining the services of players who are capable of helping out ace rover, Daryl Powell," said Habel.
In contrast to Kyneton, Castlemaine had grown in confidence since the first game of the '73 season.
A succession of good performances against top teams indicated the Magpies had improved but until Round 5 they had been unable to win a match.
"But for the second successive week Castlemaine has totalled 19 goals, evidence of its ability to convert good play upfield," the Addy scribe commented.
There was one downer for the Pies after their game.
The Monday Advertiser reported on its back page a staunch Castlemaine supporter, Mr. Charlie Cave, had collapsed in the QEO rooms straight after the match against South.
Mr. Cave was admitted straightaway to the Bendigo Base Hospital and was reported to be making a sound recovery.
A former committeeman, Mr. Cave found the excitement of the victory too stressful for him.
The report went on to say Castlemaine officials were hoping to see their supporter around the clubrooms in the very near future.
SHOULD Castlemaine make a charge for the BFL Four, it seemed as though either Sandhurst or South Bendigo would make way for the Pies.
"Saturday's loss to the Magpies must have driven home at least one 'home truth' to the Bloods," Habel wrote.
The team revolved around one man -– coach Bernie McCarthy.
There was no substitute at South for his marking skills and strength in packs so without the big leader the Bloods shaped up as 'an ordinary team'.
"But with him in the team South still ranks as a grand final prospect," the report added.
Sandhurst won its second successive match with a most encouraging display against Kyneton.
With coach Ron Best well held the Maroons still managed victory quite easily.
The Maroons' teamwork had improved vastly and they were now four, premiership points clear of Echuca in fourth place.
Golden Square had a huge win with Hammond's 26 handpasses the most intriguing point. "He and Tony Southcombe swapped positions with devastating effect," the match report read.
"Hammond's handballs were delivered with the speed, accuracy and precision of a stab pass," it went on.
"How Cockerels' coach Brian Sutton would love to have a Hammond in his team at Kennington. Kennington was handed a first-rate lesson in how prime movers can control a football match.
"The Cockerels really don't have a player with the ability or size to start handball exchanges or teamwork, in general."
But the reporter at the game mentioned that the Cockerels had terrific triers in centreman Peter Cole and defenders Phillip Byrne and Kevin Purdon.
OTHER Kennington players such as Ross Forbes, Stephen Hall, Stephen Gough (now the Melbourne Cricket Club head honcho) and David Steele had improved.
Keith Raynor booted four goals for the Square in the final term after being barely sighted for the opening three terms.
First year forward flankers Peter Hinck and Rod Southon were well covered by experienced players in Frank Chambers and Byrne.
But the Bulldogs wingers Brett Everall and Alan Winzar and two busy rovers in Peter McRae and Bruce Claridge continually drove the ball forward.
The BFL's top two teams in Eaglehawk and Golden Square were due to clash in a Queen's Birthday weekend top-of-the-table clash at Canterbury Park on the holiday Monday.
Final scores:
Eaglehawk 14.19 (103) def. Echuca 11.17 (83)
Golden Square 18.18 (126) def. Kennington 6.13 (49)
Castlemaine 19.8 (122) def. South Bendigo 17.6 (108)
Sandhurst 14.19 (103) def. Kyneton 9.10 (64).
Ladder: Eaglehawk 5 wins—0 losses (173.9 %), Golden Square 5-0 (162.8 %), South Bendigo 3-2 (109.8 %), Sandhurst 3-2 (95.5 %).
Outside the Four: Echuca 2-3, Kyneton 1-4, Castlemaine 1-4, and Kennington 0-5.
IN OTHER news from May 1973 Carlton players Ray Byrne and George Miller (Square) and Geelong defender Doug Carter (South) had returned to Bendigo footy.
All three had played matches with their VFL clubs in the '73 season on permits. The trio had been regular members of their BFL clubs in 1972, a year earlier.
But with the 'match-of-the-year' --- Square v South --- coming up early in the season (May 19th) four decades back, the trio had decided to play Bendigo footy.
It had been a tough decision for Byrne because his VFL club Carlton was scheduled to clash with arch-rivals Collingwood in the match-of-the-day.
AND in the Friday Advertiser of May 25th, it was reported 40-year-old John Eddy was about to take up his duties as secretary of the Bendigo Jockey Club.
A nine-race meeting was coming up, featuring the J.V. Dillon Handicap.
Mr. Eddy had formerly served as secretary of the Murrumbidgee Turf Club at Wagga Wagga for three-and-a-half years.
Prior to that appointment Mr. Eddy had worked as secretary/manager of licensed bowling clubs in NSW for seven years.
He told the Advertiser even though a few more meetings each year were conducted at Wagga Wagga compared with Bendigo, the NSW club often staged six-race cards only.
At Bendigo nine races were regularly scheduled each meeting.
From the Bendigo Advertisers of Friday, May 25th, 1973 and Monday, May 28th, 1973.
Accessed at the Goldfields Research facility, Bendigo Regional Archives Centre, Hargreaves Street, Bendigo.
Richard's tips for Round 6: Strath Storm by 13 points, South Bendigo by 7, Gisborne by 49 and Sandhurst by 41 (Sunday).
Season total: 15.
By Richard Jones
