the best to play Sydney footy

[MrTaxman]

You mention some memorable names Taxman.
Bit surprised that you saw fit to mention John Ironmonger and Mark Eustice

They probably only got a mention because they probably had blinders whenever I played against them & just assumed that was the norm by them. Nathan Lenton was a very, very good footballer (2 x premiership player & State rep) but not in the elite level as some of the others mentioned. His style of play - along with another ex-Wests player Tony Graham - was perhaps a tad too aggressive & probably to his detriment at times.

PS Coastal - great story about Mick Partridge, aka Les Norton. Cracker of a bloke too - his personality lit up both the Goannas & Magpies.

[justabaraker]

Here is a link to the 1994 Semi's "Record"

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rc...61725948,d.dGI

Oh wow, how good is it to read that old Record ! Brings back memories of Saturday mornings listening to the SFL footy show with Simon Kelly and Michael Byrne. Or Helen Meyer and Michael Clift on the south-side equivalent.
I seem to recall that the Record had a proper/serious editor in those days - you can tell by the passion and detail in the writing. Who was he ?
Whoever he was, he declared Ruskuklic as the best forward seen in Sydney.

There was a corny, Melbourne, old-fashioned sort of romance about our footy in those days wasn't there. Finals at Campbelltown with Craig Davis's corporate marqee on the hill, or at Gore Hill...remember the year they put a roll of hession right around the perimeter fence to keep out the gate crashers ?
I went to Campbelltown one year and I couldn't even get to stand at the boundary fence because the crowd was chokkers right around the ground.

[justabaraker]

Isn't that incredible. Shows how much undiscovered talent there may have been in Sydney footy. Matt (Sanford) Wheeler was a product of my junior club at Seven Hills, was playing at the Goannas when he was discovered by the Swans I think. How many more slipped through the cracks, especially a 6ft4in on baller that pinch hits in the ruck!

Pekay, some of us wonder what happened to YOUR invitation to try out with the Swans

[Norris Lurker]

Noticed that Blacktown had an ordinary year in the SFA including a 534 point loss to Uni NSW.

Even though it wouldn't have been flat 22 minute quarters, a game where a team kicks 80 goals just seems mind-boggling to me.

SHH, that's a fascinating Record from 1994. Before my time in Sydney footy, but it was a very different setup then compared to what we see now.

[Pekay]

Kevin KayTee Taylor

[Pekay]

They already had a surplus of full backs

[Pekay]

Noticed that Blacktown had an ordinary year in the SFA including a 534 point loss to Uni NSW.

81.49 to 0.1. That's one I remember from all the years of collecting Footy Records. Kinda glad they folded before I hit Senior age footy, it was the closest team at the time!

- - - Updated - - -

Pekay, some of us wonder what happened to YOUR invitation to try out with the Swans

We were Gypsy folk, probably still sitting in a letterbox somewhere.

[mountainsofpain]

Oh wow, how good is it to read that old Record ! Brings back memories of Saturday mornings listening to the SFL footy show with Simon Kelly and Michael Byrne. Or Helen Meyer and Michael Clift on the south-side equivalent.
I seem to recall that the Record had a proper/serious editor in those days - you can tell by the passion and detail in the writing. Who was he ?
Whoever he was, he declared Ruskuklic as the best forward seen in Sydney.

Kevin Taylor did the Record for about three years, around 94-96.

He was a very thorough records keeper and an excellent writer.

That was the peak for the Footy Record in my time in Sydney football.

He still runs this site:

http://footystats.freeservers.com/

There is an excellent chronology of the game on there somewhere and also an extensive history of the game in Sydney.

He's getting on now, so I don't know how much longer he will want to do the site.

[mountainsofpain]

Noticed that Blacktown had an ordinary year in the SFA including a 534 point loss to Uni NSW.

That was their last year in Sydney football, before their "merger" with Parramatta in 1995.

Their scorelines that year were disastrous. Whilst that one was the worst, there were plenty of other shockers. They probably had 4000 odd points kicked against them that season.

Mind you, those sort of scores couldn't be repeated in today's environment because the SFA had time on back then and the quarters were about 20-25 minutes of actual playing time (can't remember the exact number).

[Pekay]

I found their scores from a previous thread (and quiet day at work for me...)

Round 1 - lost by 229 to Camden (A)
Round 2 - lost by 221 to Bankstown (H)
Round 3 - lost by 150 to Hawkesbury (H)
Round 4 - lost by 326 to Penrith (A)
Round 5 - won by 56 v Penshurst (H)
Round 6 - lost by 152 to Liverpool (H)
Round 7 - lost by 312 to Sutherland (A)
Round 8 - lost by 296 to Wollongong (H)
Round 9 - lost by 534 to UNSW (A)
Round 10 - lost by 272 to Manly (H)
Round 11 - lost by 185 to Mac Uni (A)
Round 12 - lost by 110 to Camden (H)
Round 13 - lost by 310 to Bankstown (A)
Round 14 - lost by 279 to Hawkesbury (A)
Round 15 - lost by 215 to Penrith (H)
Round 16 - bye, thank Hird! I think they were awarded a win for this, as Penshurst had folded.
Round 17 - lost by 232 to Liverpool (A)
Round 18 - lost by 182 to Sutherland (H)

As of Round 18 that year, they had 313 For and 4253 Against. 2 wins, 16 losses. PC of 6.5

[ShortHalfHead]

I found their scores from a previous thread (and quiet day at work for me...)

Round 1 - lost by 229 to Camden (A)
Round 2 - lost by 221 to Bankstown (H)
Round 3 - lost by 150 to Hawkesbury (H)
Round 4 - lost by 326 to Penrith (A)
Round 5 - won by 56 v Penshurst (H)
Round 6 - lost by 152 to Liverpool (H)
Round 7 - lost by 312 to Sutherland (A)
Round 8 - lost by 296 to Wollongong (H)
Round 9 - lost by 534 to UNSW (A)
Round 10 - lost by 272 to Manly (H)
Round 11 - lost by 185 to Mac Uni (A)
Round 12 - lost by 110 to Camden (H)
Round 13 - lost by 310 to Bankstown (A)
Round 14 - lost by 279 to Hawkesbury (A)
Round 15 - lost by 215 to Penrith (H)
Round 16 - bye, thank Hird! I think they were awarded a win for this, as Penshurst had folded.
Round 17 - lost by 232 to Liverpool (A)
Round 18 - lost by 182 to Sutherland (H)

As of Round 18 that year, they had 313 For and 4253 Against. 2 wins, 16 losses. PC of 6.5

Just 20 years later, a change of management, a dozen or so full time employed players and they are laughing

[justabaraker]

I found their scores from a previous thread (and quiet day at work for me...)

Round 1 - lost by 229 to Camden (A)
Round 2 - lost by 221 to Bankstown (H)
Round 3 - lost by 150 to Hawkesbury (H)
Round 4 - lost by 326 to Penrith (A)
Round 5 - won by 56 v Penshurst (H)
Round 6 - lost by 152 to Liverpool (H)
Round 7 - lost by 312 to Sutherland (A)
Round 8 - lost by 296 to Wollongong (H)
Round 9 - lost by 534 to UNSW (A)
Round 10 - lost by 272 to Manly (H)
Round 11 - lost by 185 to Mac Uni (A)
Round 12 - lost by 110 to Camden (H)
Round 13 - lost by 310 to Bankstown (A)
Round 14 - lost by 279 to Hawkesbury (A)
Round 15 - lost by 215 to Penrith (H)
Round 16 - bye, thank Hird! I think they were awarded a win for this, as Penshurst had folded.
Round 17 - lost by 232 to Liverpool (A)
Round 18 - lost by 182 to Sutherland (H)

As of Round 18 that year, they had 313 For and 4253 Against. 2 wins, 16 losses. PC of 6.5

If only they could have had Peter Ruscuklic playing for them.....................

[mountainsofpain]

Just 20 years later, a change of management, a dozen or so full time employed players and they are laughing

I wonder if the current version of the club even knows they had a predecessor......

[Pmcc2911]

If Blacktown were that bad, ( judging from the score lines), then how bad were Penshurst if they were beaten by Blacktown?

[mountainsofpain]

If Blacktown were that bad, ( judging from the score lines), then how bad were Penshurst if they were beaten by Blacktown?

Penshurst were worse.

To put it in context, 1994 was the year that the old Div 2 was wound up and its clubs came up into Div 1. Clearly it was a difficult transition for them.

Blacktown was never a strong club in Div 2 and Penshurst were only a relatively new club. Both couldn't handle Div 1.

Penshurst basically folded before the end of 1994 and Blacktown saw out the year and were taken over by Parramatta the following year.

Of the other Div 2 clubs, Camden also came up to Div 1 and were playing in the South Coast league within a couple of years. Bargo didn't come up and I think went straight to the South Coast league. Heathcote must have folded.

Even the once strong Bankstown - which was already in Div 1 when Div 2 was wound up - only lasted a couple of years and merged with Liverpool to become South-West Sydney in 1996.

The only two of the 1993 Div 2 clubs which lasted the distance in Div 1 were Hawkesbury and Penrith, both of whom struggled for much - if not most - of their time there.

The difference between Div 2 and Div 1 was just too big and this is why I am in favour of the current graduated divisional system.