1962 The Year that was!

Round 1 – 1/4/62

Easts 23 d W/Manly 6 (Langlands Park)

Easts registered the first upset of the 1962 season with a comprehensive 23-6 demolition of Wynnum-Manly at Langlands Park. There were no excuses for the baysiders, as they struggled to match Easts in every department. The match opened sensationally when Wynnum’s star winger Lionel Morgan swerved through the opposition defence to open the scoring.  Only moments later though, Easts hit back when second-rower Mel Jobst swooped onto the first of many loose Wynnum-Manly passes, and score under the posts.  Fullback Graham Garven then converted, and Easts were never headed again. Easts scored again before half time for a comfortable lead, rattling up another three tries in the second half.

Wynnum-Manly’s lone second half try was a good individual effort scored by Graham Pearson. Although beaten convincingly, star for the baysiders was fullback Harry Muir, who saved a number of certain tries with spectacular last-ditch tackles, showed a good kicking game, and many numerous penetrating runs.  For Easts, 18 year old centre Barry Hatch played extremely well before being forced from the field with a leg injury, and new signing Brian Blowes played solidly at prop and hooker.

Scorers: Easts 23 (Thomas 2, Hatch, Carson, Jobst tries; Garven 4 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 6 (L.Morgan, G.Pearson tries)

 

Round 2 – 7/4/62

W/Manly 17 d Brothers 7 (Lang Park)

Trailing 5-nil after an inauspicious first half, the Wynnum-Manly forward pack demolished their more experienced Brothers opponents to set the platform for a courageous 17-7 victory at Lang Park.  Instructions for the forwards at half time from coach Ray Paulsen was just the ticket, as the Brethren had no answer to rampaging Wynnum forwards John Wittenberg, Keith Kimmorley, Alan Monaghan and Trevor Niebling.

Brothers only try, the sole try of the first half, came by way of centre Peter Allingham, who displayed tremendous speed and footwork to capitalise on a blind side move set up by halves Keith Hannan and Eric Gelling.  George Doniger converted for the 5-0 lead. However, baysiders coach Paulsen identified that many of Brothers runs were more sideways than forward, and that straight, hard running would win the forwards battle.  Although hooker Noel Thornton won the second half scrums for Brothers from Bill Slater, too much dropped ball allowed Wynnum-Manly to dominate possession.

Wittenberg, who got through an amazing amount of tackling, lock Kev Pobar, and star of the match Alan Monaghan, simply destroyed any chances the Brethren mounted in attack.  Monaghan also landed four goals from as many attempts, after regular kicker Lionel Morgan had missed all four of his attempts. However, his try electrified the crowd. Wittenberg brilliantly put Pobar away on a long run down the eastern sideline, before Morgan loomed up on Pobar’s inside.  Drawing the cover defence perfectly, Pobar gave a magnificent inside pass to Morgan who shot away over 40 yards to score untouched beneath the posts. Promoted half George Kendall also played well for the victors, as did fullback Harry Muir. Best for Brothers was their five-eighth Eric Gelling.

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 17 (L.Morgan, B.Slater, K.Kimmorley tries; A.Monaghan 4 goals) defeated Brothers 7 (Allingham try; G.Doniger 2 goals)

 

Round 3 – 15/4/62

W/Manly 24 d Souths 13 (Davies Park)

Again the physical Wynnum-Manly forward pack dominated their opposition, to lay the foundations of the baysiders comprehensive 24-13 win over Souths at Davies Park.  Ironically, although trailing 5-9 at the break, it was the plucky Magpies that looked the better side during the first stanza. However, after the resumption, baysiders forwards Trevor Niebling, John Wittenberg, Paddy Morgan and Alan Monaghan launched a destructive ten-minute period which totally demoralised their opponents.  Scoring two tries in quick succession, Wynnum-Manly were never troubled for the remainder of the match.

Poor handling from the Magpies was also an ongoing problem, with many of their attacking raids broke down under the baysiders defensive pressure. However, two tries by star winger Dennis Farrell kept the Magpies in touch with the baysiders. Quick passing, clever switches of play, and block-busting forward charges by Wynnum-Manly often found the Souths defence struggling. The backing-up of ball-runners by Wynnum-Manly was also a highlight, and a credit to coach Ray Paulsen.  Best for Souths was backrower Ken Aitken and centre Ron Dutton, who at times looked the best player on the field.

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 24 (P.Morgan, T.Niebling, F.Larkin, K.Kimmorley tries; A.Monaghan 6 goals) defeated Souths 13 (Farrell 2, F.Drake tries; Wall, Hendry goals)

 

Round 4 – 22/4/62

W/Manly 17 d Redcliffe 14 (Redcliffe Showgrounds)

In front of a record crowd of over 8000, fullback Harry Muir scored a magical try in the closing moments of the match, to see Wynnum-manly come from behind to spectacularly snatch a 17-14 win over Redcliffe at the Redcliffe Showgrounds.

With the match level at 14-all, and both sides throwing everything at each other, Wynnum-Manly launched a final raid into Redcliffe territory.  A long pass thrown wide was then knocked high off the fingertip of a Redcliffe defender, before Muir leapt high between three defenders to regain possession. Juggling the ball on his fingertips, Muir sped away with defenders in tow, before cleanly grabbing the ball just before crashing over the line to score the match-winner. It was a fitting climax to a bright match, which had kept the big Redcliffe crowd on its feet throughout.

Wynnum-Manly also scored the other spectacular try of the match, when star state winger Lionel Morgan intercepted a wayward pass only five yards out from his own line, and sped away over 105 yards to score.  This try really gave the baysiders their winning momentum in the second half.

Both sides thrilled the mammoth crowd from the outset, but it was the ferocious tackling of both sets of forwards that kept the crowd roaring for more. In this regard,  Paddy Morgan (Wynnum-Manly) and Col Weier (Redcliffe) deserve special mention. The only downside to the match was the high injury tolls sustained by both sides. Redcliffe pivot John Treeby also deserves mention for his starring role in both attack and defence.

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 17 (P.Morgan, L.Morgan, H.Muir tries; Monaghan 4 goals) defeated Redcliffe 14 (J.Lohman, C.Weier tries; Lohman 4 goals)

 

Round 5 – 6/5/62

W/Manly 12 d Wests 8 (Langlands Park)

In a rough-house match at Langlands Park, Wynnum-Manly prevailed 12-8 over Wests.  The match never reached any great heights, as play was continually interrupted by skirmishes between opposing players.  During one brawl, up to four players lay injured on the ground, awaiting ambulance attention as soon as calm was restored.

Wests hooker Bob Doyle and halfback Barry Muir appeared to be heavily involved in many of the flare-ups,  Doyle receiving his marching orders late in the match with blood streaming from a facial gash.  When football was the primary focus, it was the Wynnum-Manly forwards who controlled play better, the baysiders scoring two tries to the red-and-blacks nil.  The first try was a sizzling effort by fullback Harry Muir, while the second was from second-rower Trevor Niebling, who was clearly the outstanding player on the field. Muir also landed a superb long-range field goal for the baysiders.

All of Wests points came from penalty goals kicked by Ronnie Atkins, while their best players were replacement centre Peter Haggett and lock Stan Williams.

Scorers: W/Manly 12 (H.Muir, T.Niebling tries; A.Monaghan 2 goals; Muir field goal) defeated Wests 8 (Atkins 4 goals)

 

Round 6 – 13/5/62

W/Manly 18 d Norths 6 (Lang Park)

Scoring two tries a-piece, six goals from the boot of forward Alan Monaghan provided the 18-6 points difference for Wynnum-Manly to down Norths in a rugged game at Lang Park.  The match was Norths first loss of the season, as Wynnum-Manly now moved to equal leaders with their only conquerors, Easts, on the premiership table.

The feature of the match was the heavy tackling – at times, gang tackling – resulting in numerous injuries to both sides. Five-eighth Bill Pearson, winger Henry Hegarty, and Bernie Weimers for Norths were all forced from the field, while fullback Harry Muir and pivot Fred Larkin were replaced by Wynnum-Manly.  The baysiders were also without their star player Lionel Morgan, adding more credibility to the win over the three-times reigning premiers.  Dominating the scrums, Wynnum-Manly forwards Paddy Morgan, Trevor Niebling, Kev Pobar, Bill Greenhill and Alan Monaghan continually drove Norths forwards back. In the backs, Ken Pryor was outstanding for the baysiders. Bob Poulsen was the best player in Norths pack, with Jim Hannam and Harry Bates the best of their backs, both being unlucky not to score tries.

Scorers: W/Manly 18 (Pearson, P.Morgan tries; Monaghan 6 goals) defeated Norths 6 (J.Bates 2 tries).

 

Round 7 – 20/5/62

Valleys 12 d W/Manly 5 (Lang Park)

Bottom-placed Valleys pulled off the upset coup of the season so far, when they toppled competition leaders Wynnum-Manly 12-5 at Lang Park.  The match was an intense struggle from the outset, with the match-winning Diehards defence the highlight. Des Mannion, Neil Hookway, Don Lind and Reg Collins paved the way for the Valleys side, tackling themselves to a standstill.  Valleys centre Dennis Ferguson was also in sizzling form, making deep charges into Wynnum-Manly territory every time he handled the ball. He also stopped a certain baysiders try with a bone-crunching tackle that brought the crowd to its feet.  Halves George Souvlis and Mick Retchless were without peer during the match, the youngsters controlling play like seasoned veterans.

For Wynnum-Manly, Alan Monaghan and Kev Pobar both performed brilliantly, and did not deserve to be in a beaten side.  The loss of star winger Lionel Morgan with a knee injury took much of the sting out of the Wynnum-Manly attack, but they still never threw the towel in. Late in the match, the baysiders looked set to score two late tries and perhaps steal the match, but that Valleys defence stood fast.

Scorers: Valleys 12 (Shields, M.Retchless tries; Clarke 3 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 5 (J.Geraghty try; A.Monaghan goal)

 

Round 8 – 27/5/62

Easts 7 d W/Manly 3 (Lang Park)

Amidst controversy at Lang Park, Easts held on to edge out Wynnum-Manly 7-3 in a match which left the Tigers outright competition leaders.  After the match, mercurial referee Henry Albert, never too far from controversy, was pelted with fruit peels as he exited under the grandstand, while a Wynnum-Manly official was assaulted during a heated confrontation in the crowd.  Sending off Easts forward Mal Jobst, then disallowing two possible match-winning tries, incensed the irate crowd, resulting in officials getting booed from the field by the crowd.

Easts defended magnificently for 47 minutes with a man short, and looked the slightly better side for the majority of the match.  Easts fullback Ron Oxenham played a superb game, making numerous try-saving tackles, continually penetrating the baysiders defensive line, and being rewarded with a top class try after good lead up work by prop Frank Duncan.

Wynnum-Manly centre Mick Mulgrew scored the only other try for the match, capitalising on a good break by Kev Pobar.  But the main talking point after the match was the disallowing of an apparent fair Wynnum-Manly try to forward Paddy Morgan, who powered over in the corner after 25 minutes.  The only other opportunity for the baysiders came with four minutes remaining when fullback Boyd Hodges dived over in the corner, but many close by agreed with the officials that he lost control of the ball before grounding it.

Scorers: Easts 7 (R.Oxenham try; Garvie 2 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 3 (M.Mulgrew try).

 

Round 9 – 3/6/62

W/Manly 19 d Brothers 16 (Davies Park)

The brilliance of star Wynnum-Manly winger and captain Lionel Morgan was on show at Davies Park, when he scored two tries, one of which was the match winner with only 35 seconds left on the clock, in his side’s rugged 19-16 victory.

Morgan should have actually scored a third try, when he was tackled heavily from behind by Brothers skipper Peter Gallagher, as he chased his own kick through into the clear.  Referee Don Lancashire however, was not convinced Morgan would have regained the ball, and therefore controversially did not award a penalty try.  The match was fiery throughout, with Lancashire called upon to issue numerous cautions for flare-ups usually involving the forwards.  However, the fire and brimstone amongst the ferocious tackling that the Brethren threw at the baysiders did not rattle them, with forwards Paddy Morgan, Trevor Niebling and hooker Cedric Poole matching Brothers stars of Gallagher, Alex Kolomeitz and Vince Nicholas.

Wynnum-Manly winger Graham Pearson also showed plenty of speed to cross for two spectacular tries.  Centre Mick Mulgrew also starred in defence for the baysiders, with some Gibraltar-like tackling.

Wynnum Manly 19 (L.Morgan 2, Pearson 2, Poole tries; L.Morgan, A.Monaghan goals) defeated Brothers 16 (O’Sullivan, Hayes, Cavanagh, Thornton tries; Cavanagh 2 goals)

 

Round 10 – 10/6/62

Valleys 15 d W/Manly 13 (Oxenham Park)

In a match that had everything, Valleys winger Graham Shields scored perhaps the try of the season with only five minutes remaining, for the Diehards to topple Wynnum-Manly 15-13 at Oxenham Park.

The baysiders appeared to have the match won leading 13-10 late in the game, but Shields brilliant 40 yard try, where he swerved and fended at least five players, including Wynnum skipper Lionel Morgan, to level the scores.  Record-breaking fullback, and points-scoring freak Norm Pope, easily landed the conversion for the Valleys win.  The big crowd had been thrilled throughout the match, with Shields battle with Morgan a particular highlight.  Another feature of the match was the Diehards defence, which continually stopped the big Wynnum-Manly forwards charges close to the line, with two and three defenders in every tackle.  John Wittenberg, back after a two month spell from a thumb injury, Paddy Morgan, Trevor Niebling and Bob Greenhill attacked the line grandly, but Valleys forwards Neil Hookway, Reg Collins and Mel Hansen continually thwarted their efforts head on.

In such a rugged clash of big men, it wasn’t surprising that referee Nev Kelly was called upon to separate players when tempers flared, twice during fierce brawls involving the forwards.  The uproar of the day though, was brought about by Wynnum-Manly skipper Lionel Morgan, when he was awarded a penalty only ten yards in front of Valleys goal posts.  Morgan walked forward to take an apparent kick at goal, but instead took a quick tap and dived over to score.

Valleys 15 (Shields 2, Gray tries; Pope 3 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 13 (L.Morgan, P.Morgan, Wittenberg tries; J.Davis 2 goals)

 

Round 11 – 17/6/62

Redcliffe 24 d W/Manly 10 (Kitchener Park)

Not even the home ground advantage could prevent Redcliffe from clean-sweeping Wynnum-Manly at Kitchener, the visitors comfortably winning the bayside derby 24-10 before a huge enthusiastic crowd. Redcliffe controlled the majority of the match, and thoroughly deserved their win, but much of the credit should be given to their forward pack, who won the battle up front where many other sides had failed.

A three-try first half inspired by George Gledhill’s opening touchdown, had Redcliffe leading 11-3 at the break, before Wynnum woke from their slumber. Dominating the opening exchanges after the resumption, the home side attacked with bright open football, before Kev Pobar sliced through to score between the posts. Ken Pryor easily converted the try, and Wynnum-Manly was back in the match. The second half pulsated from end to end, both sides coming close to scoring. Eventually, Alan ‘Buddy’ Hunter broke through to score for Redcliffe after solid rucking by the forwards.

Trailing 16-10 following a second half resurgence, Wynnum-Manly wilted under the continual pounding from the Redcliffe forwards, leading to two late tries by Kev Lohman and Garry Carlson, and a scoreline which did not flatter the losers. Best performers for Wynnum-Manly were Pryor, Paddy Morgan and Trevor Niebling.

Scorers: Redcliffe 24 (Carlson 2, Gledhill, Mould, Lohman, Hunter tries; Lohman 3 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 10 (P.Morgan, Pobar tries; Pryor 2 goals)

 

Round 12 – 24/6/62

Wests 11 d W/Manly 7 (Kitchener Park)

A low-key affair at Kitchener Park where both sides were without a number of their stars, eventually saw Wests prevail 11-7 against a game Wynnum-Manly. Although the battle in the forwards finished about even, it was the baysiders lack of backline attack which led to the team’s demise. Halfback Barry Muir (Wests captain) and winger Lionel Morgan (Wynnum-Manly captain) were absent for the match; and once the baysiders also lost forwards John Wittenberg and Bob Greenhill through injury, the red and blacks took control of proceedings.

The outstanding player in the match was Wests regular five-eighth Col McDowall, who moved into halfback and did a first-rate job in both attack and defence. Additionally, his try was a standout. Notably, Wynnum-Manly not only missed Morgan’s attacking zest, but also his goal-kicking abilities, which could perhaps have changed the course of the game.

Scorers: Wests 11 (Atkins 2, McDowall tries; Atkins goal) defeated Wynnum Manly 7 (B.Hodges try; A.Monaghan, T.Niebling goals)

 

Round 13 – 1/7/62 

Norths 16 d W/Manly 15 (Oxenham Park)

Two tries scored by each of Norths star backs, Fonda Metassa and Henry Hegarty, paved the way for the ‘Nundah Wonders’ to edge out Wynnum-Manly 16-15 in a tight and spectacular encounter at Oxenham Park.  Giant Norths prop, the sixteen and a half stone Lloyd Weier, and second-rower Johnny Bates, were almost the last men standing, after a most fierce forwards battle throughout the match.

Both Lionel Morgan and Paddy Morgan kept the baysiders in the match with brilliant tries directly from Wynnum-Manly’s clear dominance in scrum possession.  Playing centre, Lionel Morgan’s attacking abilities were a welcome sight to Wynnum-Manly supporters.  However the Norths defence, particularly in the forwards, showed why they are the current premiers and gunning for a record fourth straight title.  The match could have gone either way, but a marginally better territorial advantage favoured the eventual victors.

It was a good day out for Norths, with wins in all three grades leaving them clear leaders in the club championship.

Scorers: Norths 16 (Hegarty 2, Metassa 2 tries; Hannam 2 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 15 (L.Morgan, P.Morgan, Raymond tries; L.Morgan 2, A.Monaghan goals)

 

Round 14 – 15/7/62

W/Manly 27 d Easts 5 (Langlands Park)

Wynnum-Manly turned on champagne football in front of a record Langlands Park crowd, to lace the Tigers 27-5 and put their premiership hopes back on track. More than 6,000 patrons crammed every vantage point to see the local derby, and were no doubt kept thrilled with the stirling attacking performance of the baysiders.

Wynnum-Manly’s Paddy Morgan was the outstanding forward in the match, making a number of line breaks and long runs into Easts territory, and being rewarded with a smart try from 15 yards out. Equal to the task was Tigers skipper and lock Col McCartney, who was the only Easts forward to trouble the big baysiders pack. However, Easts were forced into far too many mistakes by the eager Wynnum forwards, and often struggled to get out of their own half.

Wynnum-Manly captain Lionel Morgan’s kicking game was again a feature, with his short kicks regularly causing headaches for the Easts defence. He also scored another of his crowd-pleasing tries, and was directly involved in at least two others.

Scorers: Wynnum Manly 27 (G.Pearson 2, K.Pobar, A.Monaghan, K.Kimmorley, P.Morgan, L.Morgan tries; Monaghan 2 goals; L.Morgan field goal) defeated Easts 5 (McCartney; Garven goal)

 

Round 15 – 18/7/62

Souths 15 d W/Manly 4 (Exhibition Grounds) *night game

The postponed match played midweek at the floodlit Exhibition Grounds, proved a disaster for Wynnum-Manly, as Souths dismantled them in every facet of the match for a solid 15-4 victory.

The Magpies never looked like losing after scoring an early try, the final result of three tries to nil accurately reflecting their dominance in the match. Winger Dennis Farrell scored one of the best wingers tries seen at the ground for years, capitalising on clear match dominance to spectacularly touch down in the corner. Centre Des Smith and pivot Ron Dutton were undoubtedly the star players during the match, but Wynnum-Manly forwards Trevor Niebling and Paddy Morgan were not far behind.

Morgan made plenty of terrific gains up the middle, but often found support runners lacking. Fred Larkin and Lionel Morgan also played well for the baysiders, but still the Souths defence was found to be too hard to crack. The way Souths went about setting up the win, sent out a clear message to all teams, in particular the competition leaders Norths, that they will be thereabouts come finals time.

Scorers: Souths 15 (Farrell, Drake, Smith tries; Wall 3 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 4 (L.Morgan 2 goals)

 

Round 16 – 22/7/62

Brothers 16 d W/Manly 12 (Langlands Park)

Spectacular tries by Mick Hayes and Brian Milburn swung a close match at Langlands Park Brothers way, with a 16-12 victory against Wynnum-Manly. The vital two competition points gained for Brothers, left them, Wynnum-Manly and Valleys all level in fourth position on 14 points, with only five rounds of competition remaining.

Milburn played superbly throughout the match, capping off his performance with a 70-yard breakaway try after the halftime hooter. This gave the Brethren a crucial 6-5 lead, after the baysiders had slightly dominated the match during the opening 40 minutes. Hayes scored his try, and it was pure magic, when he swerved and dodged defenders in a run from one end of the field to the other, to eventually dive over under the posts.

Again it was Wynnum-Manly’s powerful forward pack that featured, with tearaway forward Paddy Morgan and the pacy Ken Wilson leading the way. It was a meteoric rise for Wilson, who started the season playing D-Grade for Wynnum-Manly sub-district side, Cannon Hill. Mick Mulgrew and Ken Pryor also outplayed their Brothers opponents in the centres, Vince Hoare and Peter Allingham. Pryor was a clear pick for the best attacking player during the match. Replacement halfback for Wynnum-Manly John Davis, also brought the crowd to its feet, with a snap intercept try from 20 yards out, to temporarily give his side the lead.

Scorers: Brothers 16 (M.Hayes, B.Milburn, Brady, Thornton tries; Bullock 2 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 12 (J.Davis, K.Pryor tries; A.Monaghan 3 goals)

 

Round 17 – 29/7/62

Wests 33 d W/Manly 9 (Oxenham Park)

After a tight first half, Wests went on a scoring spree in the second, to soundly thrash Wynnum-Manly 33-9 at Oxenham Park. If the big crowd wasn’t excited by the full-blooded tackling of both sides in the first stanza, they surely would have been with the sparkling open-style football put on by Wests in the second. Goal kicking winger for the red and blacks Ron Atkins, finished the day with a total of 18 points, from two tries and six goals.

But it was the Jekyll-and-Hyde performance of the baysiders that left the crowd perplexed. Leading only 7-2 at the break, Wests scored with relative ease during the second half, with their forwards John Lohman and Stan Williams who scored two tries, halfback captain Barry Muir, five-eighth Col McDowall, and fullback Kev Lingard totally running amuck.

Wynnum-Manly forward Trevor Niebling was the hardest working on the field throughout the match, while big prop John Wittenberg was starring alongside him until the effects of a clash with Wests backrower David Bedgood forced him from the field. The tackle was a sickening collision with both players running at full steam, bringing an almighty groan from the crowd, with Bedgood carried unconscious from the ground and taken to hospital with concussion.

Scorers: Wests 33 (R.Atkins 2, S.Williams 2, A.Connell 2, Haggett tries; Atkins 6 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly (M.Mulgrew try; L.Morgan 3 goals).

 

Round 18 – 5/8/62

Redcliffe 14 d W/Manly 12 (Davies Park)

Redcliffe taught Wynnum-manly the valuable lesson of playing football for 80 minutes, when they came from behind to snatch an unlikely 14-12 victory at Davies Park. Wynnum-Manly controlled the match brilliantly for 65 minutes, setting up an apparent 12-2 match-winning lead, before Redcliffe scored an unanswered 12 points in a whirlwind closing phase.

Tries to John Geraghty and Kev Pobar iced a professional performance by Wynnum-Manly, that had them on top of Redcliffe in every facet of the match. However, Redcliffe winger Kev Lohman scored a scorcher of a try against the run of play, to launch the crucial comeback. Halfback Tom Connolly angled through the tight Wynnum defence and put fullback Ken McCrohon on a long run over halfway and into Wynnum-Manly territory. Drawing the fast-approaching cover defence beautifully, the former international off-loaded to a flying Lohman who sprinted the last 40 yards and score under the posts. Converting easily, he landed a penalty goal soon after to reduced the deficit to only three points, before McCrohon sealed the match with only a minute remaining. McCrohon was faced with seemingly impenetrable Wynnum-Manly defence, but managed to weaved his way past a number of defenders out wide to dive over in the corner and level the score.

The crowd was silent as Lohman lined up his conversion attempt, his kick sailing over the crossbar after fulltime for a most memorable Redcliffe victory.

Scorers: Redcliffe 14 (K.Lohman, K.McCrohon tries; Lohman 4 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly (J.Geraghty, K.Pobar tries; L.Morgan 3 goals)

 

Round 19 – 12/8/62

Souths 16 d W/Manly 5 (Langlands Park)

Led by speedy halfback Ivan Jones, Souths proved too good for Wynnum-Manly, winning a high-class match 16-5 at Langlands Park. Jones was head and shoulders above every other player throughout the match, and was rewarded with two of Souths four tries. His first was a classic, when he gathered a loose ball about 40 yards out from the baysiders line, sliced through the defence, and with sheer speed won the race to the corner. This put the Magpies ahead 3-2, and from there they were never headed. Although dominating territory and the attack for long periods,

Wynnum-Manly could only manage to break Souths rock-solid defence on a few occasions, with big forward John Wittenberg scoring their only try. He was also the best tackler on the field, while Paddy Morgan played another outstanding match. Ken Pryor was Wynnum’s best back, and much of their attacking thrust stemmed from his abilities. For Souths, winger Des Smith was dangerous whenever he touched the ball, and his kicking game in general play proved pivotal in the Magpies victory.

Scorers: Souths 16 (I.Jones 2, Brandon 2 tries; McDonald 2 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 5 (J.Wittenberg try; A.Monaghan goal)

 

Round 20 – 19/8/62

Norths 37 d W/Manly 5 (Langlands Park)

Norths showed why they are runaway competition leaders and certain minor premiers, when they soundly thrashed Wynnum-Manly 37-5 at Langlands Park. A big crowd was on hand to see the glamour backline of the competition race in nine tries, including four to star winger Fonda Metassa. Although a comprehensive victory, the forwards battle was evenly matched, with Paddy Morgan and Trevor Niebling manning-up well against Ian Massie, Lloyd Weier, Bob Poulsen and Les Geeves.

However, losing their halves Boyd Hodges and Mick Mulgrew during the second half took most of the baysiders attacking impetus out of the game, with the Norths outside backs having a field day. The Norths defence was not broken once during the match, with Wynnum’s sole try coming from a high up-and-under. Skipper and five-eighth Bill Pearson played a good game and led much of the Norths onslaught. Fullback Harry Bates also tackled magnificently, and killed off any dangerous move Wynnum-Manly launched. Good wins in all three grades to Norths has the club setting its sights on a rare premiership clean-sweep as well.

Scorers: Norths 37 (F.Metassa 4, J.Bates 2, H.Bates, Hegarty, B.Cook tries; P.Hannam 5 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 5 (Richards try; A.Monaghan goal)

 

Round 21 – 26/8/62

Valleys 17 d W/Manly 10 (Neumann Oval)

A scrambling 17-10 win by Valleys over Wynnum-Manly at Neumann Oval, saw the Diehards incredibly sneak into the semi-finals, and relegate the baysiders to the wooden spoon position.  Two splendid winger’s tries by Graham Shields managed to get the Diehards home in the crucial match, after Valleys had put together a mistake-riddled performance throughout the afternoon.  Although marginally the better side, it was Wynnum-Manly’s big forwards, prop John Wittenberg and second-rower Trevor Niebling who were the best on the field.  They headed a great list of defenders who managed some beautiful cover defence work, with Wittenberg also crashing through for a well-earned try.

The baysiders defence continually dug deep to repel waves of Valleys attack, mostly orchestrated by halves Don Tyson and Mick Retchless.  Both actually crossed the Wynnum-Manly line during the match, but the referee disallowed both on technicalities. Usually reliable goal kicker Norm Pope also had an off day with the boot, twice striking the upright.  The win was Valley’s seventh from the last eight starts, and transformed them from wooden-spooners to third position on for and against.

Scorers: Valleys 17 (Shields 2, Stimson tries; N.Pope 4 goals) defeated Wynnum Manly 10 (J.Geraghty, J.Wittenberg tries; J.Davis 2 goals)