Two of Echuca football’s most loved and admired figures were not a part of a dual reunion held for the 1967 and 1970 Bendigo Football League premiership teams at the weekend, but Graham Arthur and Jim Clark were not far from the thoughts of participants.
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A three-year COVID-interrupted reunion plan was realised on Friday evening when the Murray Bombers stars of the past met at Echuca Hotel to begin celebrations.
The jam-packed weekend involved an official dinner on Saturday night, when 1967 captain Bob Vagg — the 1963 Bendigo league Michelson Medallist — addressed the gathering after the group had enjoyed the Echuca and Mansfield match.
Clark and Arthur were two of the biggest names to arrive at Echuca and both left an indelible mark on the club, and district.
Jim Clark coached Echuca in 1952, the year after he won the Carlton Football Club best-and-fairest award.
He also coached the Murray Bombers in 1955 and again in 1961-62 before staying involved in a selection capacity.
Clark was 88 when he died in 2013, but was considered a legend for his two VFL premierships and involvement in the infamous 1945 “Bloodbath” grand final against South Melbourne.
The champion defender also played in a one-point grand final win against Essendon in 1947 when he was considered the best player on the ground.
He represented Victoria on five occasions, played 161 games for the Blues, kicking just two goals, and also coached at Tongala, Lockington, Gunbower and Echuca East.
Premiership coach Arthur, who died in January last year at 84 years of age, spent six years at Echuca.
He was among the initial intake of the Australian Football League Hall of Fame in 1996, being Hawthorn’s first premiership captain and named captain of its Team of the Century.
Arthur won three best-and-fairests at Hawthorn and coached the club in 36 games.
Shane O’Brien was a member of both the 1967 and 1970 premiership teams.
The unique part of his story is that he played in both the 1970 senior and reserves grand finals.
A draw in the Bendigo league’s preliminary final meant the senior match was delayed by a week. The reserves match, however, went ahead as scheduled a week before the seniors grand final.
O’Brien and teammate Bernie “Bunny’’ Oliver were involved in both grand finals.
“It was quite a unique set of circumstances. We lost the seconds by a goal and won the seniors by the same margin,” O’Brien said.
Oliver was coming back from a broken arm and O’Brien hadn’t quite played enough senior games, so he still qualified for the reserves.
O’Brien played in the ruck and in later years was a permanent back pocket, spending several seasons at Mooroopna where he played alongside Goulburn Valley Hall of Famer Ray Willett, who himself was involved in a Rochester premiership reunion last week.
O’Brien served alongside Ray Murphy and Peter Ryan in a back line known widely as the "mad Irishmen’’.
He played a key role in the organisation of the reunion, which attracted players from everywhere other than Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
The 1967 team was coached to its win by John Knox, who played 27 games at Collingwood between 1962 and 1964.
Kevin Woolnough, secretary-treasurer of the club from 1968 until the early 1970s, was also involved in the reunion event.
He was among the key officials involved in Echuca’s move from the Bendigo league to the Goulburn Valley League.
Echuca won its first Goulburn Valley League flag after only two years, in 1977.
O’Brien had plenty of teammates who enjoyed two premiership wins, including Brian Bennett and Arthur Wickham.
The 1970 grand final was dominated by rover Roger Teasdale, who was best on ground with six goals in Echuca’s six-point win over Sandhurst.
Teasdale only played for one year at Echuca. He had previously played for Moama and returned to the Magpies the following year.
His father, Toby, was coach of Echuca’s thirds team.
A week before the 1970 grand final, in the preliminary final replay, Sandhurst coach (and former Hawthorn ruckman) Des Dickson had injured one of his team’s young stars.
That young star was Geoff Southby, the 268-game Carlton Team of the Century full-back.
Dickson had accidentally run through his young defensive star, who was among four players in that team to go to the VFL the very next year.
The team also included Trevor Keogh, another 200-gamer who was a key to the 1972 and 1979 Carlton premiership wins.
However, it was Echuca’s day and two goals each to David Fox, Ralph Todd and Julian Vise set up the victory.
Mal Crawford was instrumental in the win at centre half-back, while centreman Bernie Phyland — considered by many to be one of the best footballers never to play VFL — controlled the midfield alongside ruckman Phil Nolan.
Brian Bennett, who still lives locally, also featured in the victory.
Echuca did not score in the last quarter, with Keogh finishing with four goals and Len Rodda kicking five for Sandhurst.
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