SANDHURST'S fantastic 150th celebrations over the Queen's Birthday weekend brought many old memories flooding back.
Sure, I recalled fairly easily the memorable Maroons'/Dragons' grand final winning sides of 1978, 1983 and 2004.

The first two because they were decided by a kick, or less, and the most recent because ---- well, because, the victory was achieved in comparatively recent times.
Just eight years ago, although you have to admit those eight seasons have slipped by remarkably quickly.

There were many scores of former players at the Saturday night Gala Ball attended by 710 people if you don't mind.
And then many folks were there again on the Sunday when I officially opened the Hurst's memorabilia exhibition with, I hope, not too long a speech.

The punters had sat through a zillion speeches on the Saturday night. That was to be expected on such an auspicious occasion, naturally.

Some players hadn't aged at all. Gary "Scrubber" Allan from the late 70s flag-winning sides was instantly recognizable.

BUT premiership coach Peter Lenaghan, brother of Mick and Dennis: well that was a different story.
He'd shaved off his luxuriant beard ---- not sure which decade the clippers were brought out --- but I didn't feel so bad in the long run.

A few minutes later his Dad Frank, a 1950s Hurst coach, told me he'd walked right past Peter at a function one night when his son had been standing near the door.

"I didn't recognize him without the beard, either," Frank laughed.

Frank Lenaghan's story is, of course, a famous one. Now a member of the BFNL Hall OF Fame, he moved the few metres down the QEO from South Bendigo to Sandhurst in fairly acrimonious circumstances.

After being a key member of five South Bendigo 1950s premiership teams and racking up 176 games, Frank moved to the Hurst in 1958 as playing coach.

Wife Barbara and Frank gave me a bit of a rundown on what South had promised for him to stay on. But when it didn't come to fruition and the money they needed to improve their business wasn't available, Frank moved on.

He coached the Maroons in 1958-59 and remained as a player until the end of the 1962 season.

OF THE 20 inaugural Hurst Hall Of Fame inductees, I actually knew half of them.

Footballers who I'd seen such as four-time premiership player Noel Belsar, dual Michelsen Medalist Brendan Hartney, 1988 leading BFL goalkicker Danny Ellis (now a long serving committeeman and the 2011 Bendigo region's Administrator of the Year) and club games record-holder Matt Sexton (305 senior games).

Then there were administrators John Fawcett, the late Jim Robertson and Larry Williams. I'd dealt a lot with them on Thursday evening team selection nights, match days and at club functions.

And not forgetting behind-the-scenes workers such as property steward Don Armstrong, much-loved club trainer Max Healy and trainer and property steward Charlie Runnalls.
All of them characters in their own right.

So in 36 years of reporting, and commentating on, the BFL and now the BFNL I've seen a veritable parade of memorable Hurst people.

The story I loved most from the entire weekend devolved heavily on Sandhurst's traditional Catholic background, and support base.

It seems that at one stage a prominent Protestant --- Wally Hyett, no less --- was the club president and considerable benefactor.

When it came to the notice of the Catholic Diocesan office that the good Catholic boys of the Hurst were being led, and financially supported, by a Baptist a letter was fired off from the Bishop's office.

Sandhurst Football Club received a "please explain" from the Church powers-that-were at the time.

THE Sandhurst VFL/AFL All Stars side is:
Backs: Frank Roberts (St Kilda/Melbourne) 113 games; Geoff Southby (Carlton) 268 games; Michael Sexton (Carlton) 200 games.
Hb: Adam Selwood (West Coast) 160 games; Fred Swift (Richmond) 146 games); Peter Rohde (Carlton/Melbourne) 162 games, Western Bulldogs coach 2002-04.
Centres: Nick Dale Santo (St Kilda) 220 games; Brendan Edwards (Hawthorn) 109 games; Bert Edwards (Richmond) 121 games.
Hf: Frank Coghlan (St Kilda) 109 games; Bruce Reid (Footscray/Carlton) 119 games; Graham Arthur (Hawthorn) 237 games, Hawthorn coach 1964-65.
F: Kevin "Shifter" Sheehan (Geelong) 102 games; Mickey Crisp (Carlton) 183 games; Brian Walsh (Carlton/Essendon) 115 games.
Foll: Ray McHugh (St Kilda) 61 games; Joel Selwood (Geelong) 120 games; Trevor Keogh (Carlton) 208 games.
Inter: Vin English (Carlton) 115 games; Kevin Higgins (Geelong/Fitzroy) 153 games; Cyril Gambetta (St Kilda) 129 games; George Collard (Carlton/South Melbourne) 72 games.
THERE are 11 premiership players in that Hurst All Stars side.

With their premiership years, they are -- Joel Selwood (Geelong) three: 2007, 2009, and 2011. Geoff Southby (Carlton) two: 1972, 1979. Frank Roberts (St Kilda/Melbourne): two, Melbourne 1939, 1940.
Trevor Keogh (Carlton) two: 1972, 1979. Michael Sexton (Carlton) one: 1995. Adam Selwood (West Coast) one: 2006. Fred Swift (Richmond) one: 1967.
Brendan Edwards (Hawthorn) one: 1961. Graham Arthur (Hawthorn) one: 1961. Bert Edwards (Richmond) one: 1943. Mickey Crisp (Carlton) one: 1938.

I INTEND to save the last words from the memorable weekend to ‘Scrubber' as we recalled the final, desperate moments of the thrilling 1978 grand final.

"We'd got that last quarter goal at the Barnard Street end to go three points up.

"And then, as the ball was going back to the centre, the runner came out and said there was 1:20 (one minute twenty seconds) to go," he recalled.

‘Scrubber' Allan had been positioned as a loose man in defence, across half-back.

"Southcombe won the bounce and out of the corner of my eye I could see Besty roaring out of the goal square.
"Square must have got the kick out of the centre from Southcombe's tap, but then I saw a beautiful thing.

"Brendan Hartney came floating across the front of the pack. He took the relieving mark in the Rifle Brigade pocket, and we were home," said Scrubber, the delight still apparent in his eyes --- 34 years on.

Richard's selections for Round 10: Gisborne by 97 points, Golden Square by 45, Strathfieldsaye by 7, Maryborough by 16 and South Bendigo by 23.

2012 season total: 35.

By Richard Jones