1989 TFL Statewide League season

The 1989 TFL Statewide League premiership season was an Australian rules football competition staged across Tasmania, Australia over eighteen (18) roster rounds and six (6) finals series matches between 1 April and 16 September 1989.
The League was known as the Cascade-Boags Statewide League under a dual commercial naming-rights sponsorship agreement with both Cascade Brewery in Hobart and Boag's Brewery in Launceston.

1989 TFL Statewide League Season
General Information
Founded 12 June 1879 in Hobart, Tasmania
Previous Names TFA (1879–1886)
STFA (1887–1896)
STFL (1897)
STFA (1898–1905)
TFL (1906–1927)
TANFL (1928–1985)
TFL President Mr David Smith
Participating Clubs Burnie Hawks
Clarence Kangaroos
Devonport Blues
Glenorchy Magpies
Hobart Tigers
New Norfolk Eagles
North Hobart Demons
North Launceston Robins
Sandy Bay Seagulls
South Launceston Bulldogs
Stadiums North Hobart Oval
York Park
Bellerive Oval
KGV Football Park
Devonport Oval
West Park Oval
Boyer Oval
Queenborough Oval
Youngtown Memorial Ground
1989 TFL Statewide League Season.
Premiers Nth Hobart 18.22 (130) v Hobart 16.4 (100)
Minor Premiers Nth Launceston (1st)
Wooden Spooners New Norfolk (9th)
Grand Final attendance 16,528 at North Hobart Oval
Total Roster Series attendance 148,042 for 90 matches at 1,644
Total Finals Series attendance 44,901 for 6 matches at 7,483
Total aggregate attendance 192,943 for 96 matches at 2,009

Participating Clubs

1989 TFL Statewide League Club Coaches

Medibank Private Cup (Reserves) Grand Final

Tasmania Bank Colts (Under-19's) Grand Final

Leading Goalkickers: TFL Statewide League
  • Shane Fell (Glenorchy) – 114
  • Wayne Fox (Hobart) – 97
  • Steven Cole (Burnie Hawks) – 76
  • Paul Dac (New Norfolk) – 62

Medal Winners
  • Scott Wade (Clarence) – William Leitch Medal
  • Jeffrey Wood (Devonport) – George Watt Medal (Reserves)
  • Damien Goss (Hobart) – V.A Geard Medal (Under-19's)
  • Paul Barrow (New Norfolk) – D.R Plaister Medal (Under-17's)
  • Scott Wade (Clarence) – Delphin Medalist (Best Player in NFL Shield)
  • Scott Wade (Clarence) – Lefroy Medalist (Best Player in State Matches)
  • Jim Mathewson (Nth Hobart) – Darrel Baldock Medalist (Best player in TFL Grand Final)

Foster's NFL Shield Interstate Matches

Foster's NFL Shield Match (Friday, 9 June 1989)

Foster's NFL Shield Match (Saturday, 10 June 1989)

Foster's NFL Shield Match (Monday, 12 June 1989)

State Of Origin Match

(Saturday, 2 July 1989)

1989 TFL Club Home Attendance Figures
  • Nth Hobart: 19,457 for 9 matches at 2,161
  • Nth Launceston: 18,520 for 9 matches at 2,057
  • Glenorchy: 18,274 for 9 matches at 2,030
  • Clarence: 17,273 for 9 matches at 1,919
  • Hobart: 16,433 for 9 matches at 1,825
  • Burnie Hawks: 14,553 for 9 matches at 1,617
  • Devonport: 14,213 for 9 matches at 1,579
  • Sandy Bay: 12,290 for 9 matches at 1,365
  • New Norfolk: 10,029 for 9 matches at 1,114
  • Sth Launceston: 7,000 for 9 matches at 777

Season Summary

The 1989 TFL Statewide League season was the fourth season of statewide football and the football public were treated to some magnificent football throughout the season.

North Launceston were tipped to be the big improvers as were North Hobart, with Glenorchy and Devonport looming as possible outside chances.

Hobart under Mark Browning had had a large cleanout over the summer following their dismal end to 1988 and the jury was out on whether they would take the step up this season.

On the opening day Clarence threw their hat into the ring with a sensational 89-point demolition of North Hobart but their season would be punctuated with brilliant displays such as this, followed by the mediocre, sometimes even in the same game as in two such cases where they led Devonport by 55-points at three-quarter time at Bellerive Oval on 8 April only to see the Blues steam home to draw the game and again at the same venue on 14 July against the Burnie Hawks, the Roos again led by 55-points at the final change only to see the Hawks fly home to fail by one point.

North Launceston would be all the rage in the north of the state, the high-flying Robins would finally demonstrate their full potential to take the minor premiership ahead of North Hobart, who had produced many moments of champagne-football throughout the season including a Statewide League record score against the hapless New Norfolk at Boyer on 3 August with 38.15 (243).

On the eve of the finals, the rampaging Demons sent reigning premier Devonport, who had suffered a very disappointing fall from grace away from North Hobart Oval (the site of their ground-breaking premiership only eleven months previous) with a staggering 161-point defeat.

After a moderate start, Hobart would go on a rampage as well and storm into the finals with ten wins from their final eleven games to take third spot and aim for their first premiership since 1980.

Both Clarence and Glenorchy would be far from their dominant selves for much of the season, indeed Glenorchy were looking likely to miss the finals for the first time since 1973 but managed to produce four wins from their final five matches to sneak into the five over the Burnie Hawks, who lost their final two matches to miss out while Clarence won their final five matches to claim fourth spot.

At the other end of the table New Norfolk continued to wallow at the foot of the table and suffer from disastrous financial turmoil, during the season a crisis meeting was held at New Norfolk where discussions were held on what the future of the club may be, whether it be a merger, dropping out of the league or a last-ditch effort to rescue the club's ailing finances.

South Launceston continued to struggle on and off the field, with the TFL looking likely to attempt to get the struggling Bulldogs to move away from their sub-standard Youngtown ground and move them to York Park in an effort to lift the club's poor image and attract better crowds, whilst Sandy Bay would win their opening four games of the season then fall into a dark hole and only win another three for the rest of the season in a disappointing finish.

The TFL and various media commentators were similarly calling for Sandy Bay to merge with North Hobart and move its home base away from the tiny Queenborough Oval and up to North Hobart Oval in a bid to improve the Seagulls image and attract better crowds to their matches.

An exciting finals series got underway on 26 August with fierce inner-city rivals North Hobart and Hobart doing battle in the Qualifying Final.

Hobart broke out to a 31-point lead late in the second quarter only to see the Demons fight back and run away with the match to record a 31-point victory, while the following day, Clarence would start the Elimination Final strongly against hated rival Glenorchy and hold a five-goal lead shortly before half time only to see the Magpies draw level at three-quarter time and race away with the match to win by 30-points, keeping the Roos scoreless in the final quarter in the process.

On 2 September, football followers in both the North and South of the state were treated to two intriguing finals matches.

At York Park, minor premier North Launceston would face North Hobart for the right to go straight into the grand final.

Despite a good start for the Robins, North Hobart would find their way during the second quarter and run rampant, proving far too good on the day to record a 28-point win in front of almost 7,000 parochial Launcestonians.

Meanwhile, at North Hobart Oval, Hobart would do battle against the fading Magpie Machine from Glenorchy.

Glenorchy had made every grand final except one from 1975-1988 whilst their opponents Hobart had been in only three grand finals since 1966.

In a see-sawing contest all day which enthralled the 5,573-strong crowd, Glenorchy held sway by just 2-points at the final change before the Tigers unleashed a sensational seven goal to two burst in the final quarter to win by 29-points, consigning Glenorchy to missing their first Grand Final since 1981. In the Preliminary Final on 9 September, Hobart would do battle with North Launceston in a true North v South battle. The two clubs last North Hobart Oval finals meeting was in the 1950 State Grand Final and the Robins were keen to repeat that 1950 triumph.

Unfortunately for the minor premier, the hopes of the North weighed too heavily on them and they were crushed by a quiet and determined Tiger outfit who totally outclassed the Robins all day to book a Grand Final spot with a 41-point win. This however, was not to be the last time these two clubs would cross paths in the ensuing years.

The Grand Final showdown on 16 September was one eagerly awaited by football fans in the South, the two old inner-city rivals (North Hobart and Hobart) both with great histories were ready to battle it out in the Grand Final for the first time since 1960.

On a dull, cold day Hobart, looking to break a nine-year premiership drought, came out full of running and shocked an unsettled Demon side with six unanswered first quarter goals which left the 16,528-strong crowd stunned.

In the early stages of the second quarter, Hobart continued to hold sway and held a 35-point lead over North Hobart, but the Demons produced one of the most memorable spells of attacking football in TFL Grand Final history by rattling on eight unanswered goals in eleven minutes to jump out to a 9-point lead over a shell-shocked Hobart, Tiger forward Michael Winter booted his sixth goal right on half time to reduce the Demon lead to 3-points at the long break but the difference in body language of the two sides leaving the ground for half-time couldn't have been more stark.

In the second half it was all North Hobart as they ran rampant over Hobart, producing another six goals in the third quarter to break out to a 26-point three-quarter time lead and eventually run out 30-point winners over a gallant Hobart to take their second premiership in three years.

1989 TFL Statewide League Ladder
Team Played Won Lost Draw For Against Percentage Points
North Launceston 18134119321542125.29%54
North Hobart 18135024771765140.33%52
Hobart 18135022001874119.11%52
Clarence 18116120301870108.55%46
Glenorchy 18117019671704115.43%44
Burnie Hawks 1898123362052113.84%38
Sandy Bay 1871101785204187.45%28
Devonport 1841221608192583.53%20
South Launceston 1831411301208362.45%14
New Norfolk 1821421630243766.88%12

Round 1

(Saturday, 1 April 1989)

Round 2

(Saturday, 8 April 1989)

This was the first draw in TFL Statewide League history, with the most recent in the TANFL having occurred a combined 407 games earlier in the 1983 First-Semi-Final between Sandy Bay and Clarence. The previous roster round draw was in 1980 between Glenorchy and North Hobart.

  • Sandy Bay 22.13 (145) v Nth Launceston 17.15 (117) - Att: 1,964 at York Park
  • Burnie Hawks 23.23 (161) v Sth Launceston 12.5 (77) - Att: 1,161 at West Park Oval

Round 3

(Saturday, 15 April 1989)

Round 4

(Saturday, 22 April & Sunday, 23 April 1989)

Round 5

(Tuesday, 25 April & Saturday, 29 April 1989)

Round 6

(Saturday, 6 May 1989)

Round 7

(Saturday, 13 May 1989)

Round 8

(Saturday, 20 May & Sunday, 21 May 1989)

Round 9

(Saturday, 27 May 1989)

Round 10

(Saturday, 3 June 1989)

Round 11

(Saturday, 17 June 1989)

Round 12

(Saturday, 24 June 1989)

Round 13

(Saturday, 8 July & Sunday, 9 July 1989)

Split Round 14 & 15

(Saturday, 15 July & Saturday, 22 July 1989)

  • Hobart 12.21 (93) v Glenorchy 8.11 (59) - Att: 2,457 at KGV Football Park (15 July)
  • Clarence 15.13 (103) v Burnie Hawks 15.12 (102) - Att: 1,409 at Bellerive Oval (15 July)
  • Nth Launceston 19.20 (134) v New Norfolk 10.12 (72) - Att: 1,083 at York Park (15 July)
  • Nth Hobart 19.18 (132) v Sth Launceston 9.10 (64) - Att: 1,163 at North Hobart Oval (22 July)
  • Sandy Bay 13.17 (95) v Devonport 13.11 (89) - Att: 1,094 at Devonport Oval (22 July)

Split Round 14 & 15 (Continued)

(Saturday, 22 July. Saturday, 29 July & Sunday 30 July 1989)

Round 16

(Saturday, 5 August & Sunday, 6 August 1989)

Round 17

(Saturday, 12 August 1989)

Round 18

(Saturday, 19 August & Sunday, 20 August 1989)

Qualifying Final

(Saturday, 26 August 1989)

  • Nth Hobart: 3.3 (21) | 6.6 (42) | 12.15 (87) | 19.22 (136)
  • Hobart: 5.4 (34) | 10.5 (65) | 12.7 (79) | 16.9 (105)
  • Attendance: 4,669 at North Hobart Oval

Elimination Final

(Sunday, 27 August 1989)

  • Glenorchy: 4.1 (25) | 6.3 (39) | 13.6 (84) | 17.12 (114)
  • Clarence: 5.2 (32) | 9.9 (63) | 12.12 (84) | 12.12 (84)
  • Attendance: 6,425 at North Hobart Oval

First Semi Final

(Saturday, 2 September 1989)

  • Hobart: 6.0 (36) | 11.2 (68) | 13.2 (80) | 20.5 (125)
  • Glenorchy: 4.4 (28) | 9.8 (62) | 12.10 (82) | 14.12 (96)
  • Attendance: 5,573 at North Hobart Oval

Second Semi Final

(Saturday, 2 September 1989)

  • Nth Hobart: 3.4 (22) | 10.5 (65) | 16.7 (103) | 20.10 (130)
  • Nth Launceston: 4.6 (30) | 5.9 (39) | 10.13 (73) | 14.18 (102)
  • Attendance: 6,755 at York Park

Preliminary Final

(Saturday, 9 September 1989)

  • Hobart Tigers: 1.3 (9) | 8.7 (55) | 13.12 (90) | 19.14 (128)
  • Nth Launceston: 2.3 (15) | 4.6 (30) | 6.12 (48) | 12.15 (87)
  • Attendance: 4,951 at North Hobart Oval

Grand Final

(Saturday, 16 September 1989) (ABC-TV highlights: 1989 TFL Grand Final)

  • Nth Hobart: 0.8 (8) | 8.11 (59) | 14.17 (101) | 18.22 (130)
  • Hobart: 6.1 (37) | 9.2 (56) | 12.3 (75) | 16.4 (100)
  • Attendance: 16,528 at North Hobart Oval
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