ntnews.com.aul l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l INSIGHT
Final to beat all finals
W
AS the 1980-81
NTFL Grand Final
between eventual
premier North
Darwin and Wanderers the
greatest finals match of all?
That was the day the
Magpies won their first senior
flag after nine seasons in the
competition.
But they nearly blew it after
racing to a 56-point lead at
three-quarter time through
the efforts of seven-goal
spearhead Peter Munro and
Chaney medallist Peter Flash
Belford on a wing.
Wanderers finally got their
game going to boot eight
goals to two points from the
Pies, who had run out of legs.
North Darwin’s captain on
that March day, 31 years ago,
was John Stokes.
‘‘Wanderers kicked eight
goal in 14 minutes during that
last quarter and created
Armageddon among our
players,’’ Stokes said.
‘‘Peter Munro and myself
could not take another step
after three-quarter time after
an ankle I’d broken in the
second semi-final flared up,
despite a pre-match injection,
and Peter was the same with a
sprained ankle.
‘‘Fortunately for us, Trevor
Maddison on a back flank took
an unbelievable eight
contested marks in that last
quarter when Wanderers
players were everywhere and
we were battling to hang on.
‘‘One thing’s for sure, the
respect Wanderers generated
that day has stayed with me
all these years, especially
after they won nine games in
a row to make the grand final.
‘‘I can see a lot of parallels
with the Eagles side of this
season and the way they are
going about things.’’
Eagles coach Steve Abala
said it was a grand final
breakfast of bacon, eggs and
cola that restricted his players
in the first three quarters.
‘‘I remember telling them at
three-quarter time they had
let all the people that had
come to watch them down
and they responded in a big
way,’’ Abala said. ‘‘In fact
Poncie Cubillo had the football
in front of goal to put us level
when the siren blew.’’
1980-81 GRAND FINAL
The 1980-81 final, won by North Darwin over Wanderers, is one of the greatest in NTFL history
NTH DARWIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3
12.3
15.7
15.9 (99)
WANDERERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4
3.8
6.9
14.9 (93)
GOALS — Nth Darwin: P Munro 7 J Stokes 2 W McCoy R Lee A Davey R Sparkes G Boucher P
Belford. Wand: P Cubillo 3 E Thompson 2 R McCorman 2 J Goninon 2 P Stennett 2 B Shields J
Cooper K Wanganeen.
BEST — Nth Darwin: P Belford (Chaney Medal) P Munro R Sparkes T Maddison J Lovison.
Wand: D Russell P Anderson P Cubillo D Hindson D Kelly.
ntnews.com.aul l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l INSIGHT
W
AS the 1980-81
NTFL Grand Final
between eventual
premier North
Darwin and Wanderers the
greatest finals match of all?
That was the day the
Magpies won their first senior
flag after nine seasons in the
competition.
But they nearly blew it after
racing to a 56-point lead at
three-quarter time through
the efforts of seven-goal
spearhead Peter Munro and
Chaney medallist Peter Flash
Belford on a wing.
Wanderers finally got their
game going to boot eight
goals to two points from the
Pies, who had run out of legs.
North Darwin’s captain on
that March day, 31 years ago,
was John Stokes.
‘‘Wanderers kicked eight
goal in 14 minutes during that
last quarter and created
Armageddon among our
players,’’ Stokes said.
‘‘Peter Munro and myself
could not take another step
after three-quarter time after
an ankle I’d broken in the
second semi-final flared up,
despite a pre-match injection,
and Peter was the same with a
sprained ankle.
‘‘Fortunately for us, Trevor
Maddison on a back flank took
an unbelievable eight
contested marks in that last
quarter when Wanderers
players were everywhere and
we were battling to hang on.
‘‘One thing’s for sure, the
respect Wanderers generated
that day has stayed with me
all these years, especially
after they won nine games in
a row to make the grand final.
‘‘I can see a lot of parallels
with the Eagles side of this
season and the way they are
going about things.’’
Eagles coach Steve Abala
said it was a grand final
breakfast of bacon, eggs and
cola that restricted his players
in the first three quarters.
‘‘I remember telling them at
three-quarter time they had
let all the people that had
come to watch them down
and they responded in a big
way,’’ Abala said. ‘‘In fact
Poncie Cubillo had the football
in front of goal to put us level
when the siren blew.’’
1980-81 GRAND FINAL
The 1980-81 final, won by North Darwin over Wanderers, is one of the greatest in NTFL history
NTH DARWIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3
12.3
15.7
15.9 (99)
WANDERERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4
3.8
6.9
14.9 (93)
GOALS — Nth Darwin: P Munro 7 J Stokes 2 W McCoy R Lee A Davey R Sparkes G Boucher P
Belford. Wand: P Cubillo 3 E Thompson 2 R McCorman 2 J Goninon 2 P Stennett 2 B Shields J
Cooper K Wanganeen.
BEST — Nth Darwin: P Belford (Chaney Medal) P Munro R Sparkes T Maddison J Lovison.
Wand: D Russell P Anderson P Cubillo D Hindson D Kelly.
PUB:
Final to beat all finals
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