1977 SANFL Grand Final
The 1977 South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Grand Final saw the Port Adelaide Football Club defeat the Glenelg Football Club by eight points, 17.11 (113) to 16.9 (105). The match was played on Saturday, 24 September 1977 at Football Park in front of a crowd of 56,717.[1]
| 1977 SANFL Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date | Saturday, 24 September (2:10 pm) | |||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Football Park | |||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 56,717 | |||||||||||||||
| Umpires | Peter Mead, Robin Bennet | |||||||||||||||
| Coin toss won by | Port Adelaide | |||||||||||||||
| Kicked toward | South End | |||||||||||||||
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1977 marked 100 years of the SANFL.
Background
Centenary of the SANFL
The South Australian Football Association (renamed SANFL in 1926) was founded in 1877 and the 1977 SANFL season marked the competitions centenary.
Port Adelaide's premiership drought
The 12-year period leading up to the 1977 SANFL Grand Final included six grand final losses for Port Adelaide, with four to Sturt and two to North Adelaide.
Teams
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Teams listed in the Sunday Mail. [1]
Scorecard
| 1977 SANFL Grand Final | |||||
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| Saturday, 24 September (2:10 pm) | Port Adelaide | def. | Glenelg | Football Park (crowd: 56,717) | [1] |
| 4.3 (27) 9.7 (61) 13.9 (87) 17.11 (113) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
5.2 (32) 8.3 (51) 12.6 (78) 16.9 (105) |
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| Evans 7 Eckerman 3 Granger, Cunningham 2 James, Blethyn, Sorrell 1 |
Goals | 5 Paech 3 Phillis 2 Rady, Carey 1 Hodgeman, Farquhar, Holst, Jackson | |||
| Cunningham, Ebert, Gerlach, Light, Evans | Best | Hodgeman, Voigt, Carey, Cornes | |||
Physicality
The 1977 Grand Final was a physical affair with Port Adelaide wingman Bruce Light reported for striking, Kym Kinnear was concussed by Graham Cornes and taken from the ground, and several other players sustaining injuries throughout the match. Twenty players were involved in a brawl at the half-time siren.
Twenty-four-year-old Randall Gerlach retired after the game after playing for two years with kidney problems.
End of 12-year Premiership Drought for Port Adelaide
The 1977 premiership marked the end of a 12-year period for Port Adelaide without winning a premiership (a long time by club standards). The 1977 premiership was the first of four premierships in five years for Port Adelaide, with premierships in 1979, 1980 and 1981. Port Adelaide supporters voted the 1977 SANFL Grand Final as the fourth-greatest moment of the club's history at Football Park in August 2013.[2]
2007 AFL Heritage Round
In the 2007 AFL Heritage Round, Port Adelaide wore a replica of their 1977 jumper. Playing in the Port Adelaide team were Brett Ebert, son of Russell Ebert; and Chad and Kane Cornes, sons of Graham Cornes.
References
- Sunday Mail, 25 September 1977, pp. 1, 2, 61, 62, 123 & 124.
- http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/news/2013-08-30/footy-park-flashbacks-4