1951- STEWIE HAMILTON NEW COACH DIXIE BOLAND BEST & FAIREST
The advent of the 1951 season heralded the coming of a new coach,
Stewie Hamilton and a fresh start. The Seagulls were very downhearted at losing the first match to Dandenong by a solitary point but were pleased with the promise shown by their younger players and a strong performance from the new coach.
Hamilton was an excellent backup ruckman to Kevin Phillips. He provided a presence that gave other players confidence. He was prepared to carry a heavy workload and act as a protector for his young side when required. With renewed confidence, the team commenced winning games and managed to make the final four before losing the semi -final to a switched on Freighter’s team.
Still, all things considered, there was good reason to be satisfied with the improvement shown during the season.
KEY PERSONELL
1951
PRESIDENT
R. Finn
VICE PRESIDENT
F. Burgoyne, L. Baldock, S. Hartrick
SECRETARY
A. Claxton / B. Ryan
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
J. Root
TREASURER
Bill Woodhead
COMMITTEE
C. Dowse, L. Dowse, B. Fellows,
A. McMahon, G. Bullough, L. Owens,
R. Hart, J. Turner, A. Gaskill,
Forrest, Weaver, A. Edwards,
L. Annand, K. Hay, Wilkie, A. Hodge.
CAPTAIN/COACH
‘Stewie’ Hamilton
BEST & FAIREST
J ’Dixie’ Boland
GOAL KICKING
A. McMahon
FINAL LADDER
1ST XV111
Team W L B P %
Black Rock 15 2 2 68 140
Mordialloc 14 3 3 68 137
Freighters 13 6 1 56 130
Chelsea 12 6 2 56 122
Edi / Asp 10 7 3 52 120
Caulfield 10 8 1 44 109
Dandenong 8 10 2 40 95
Mentone 6 13 2 32 92
Highett 4 14 2 24 62
Camden 3 15 2 20 71
Cheltenham 1 17 2 12 55
F. D. L.
BEST & FAIREST
C. Mudge Mentone 24
L. Reid Freighters 22
W. Russell Black Rock 20
J. Sullivan Edi / Asp 16
L. OWENS CHELSEA 12
B. McQueen Mordialloc 12
1ST SEMI-FINAL
Freighters 21.15—142 def Chelsea 16.8—106
BEST PLAYERS
CHELSEA : Gooch, Davies, Baker, Knott, Hart, Woodhead.
FREIGHTERS : Reid, Rippon, Frey, Tomlins, Milgate.
GOAL KICKERS
CHELSEA : Baker 4, Rae 3, Davies 3, Woodhead 2, Hart 2.
FREIGHTERS : McFarlane 5, Tomlins 5,Reid 4, Rippon 2,
Evans 2, Wilson 2, Hogan.
GRAND FINAL
Mordialloc 21.17—143 def Freighters 6.8—44
‘DIXIE’ BOLAND
BEST & FAIREST
1951
There’s nothing like a high flyer to gain attention and in this department ‘Dixie’ excelled with his weekly aerobatics in front of an adoring supporter base.
Adopting a unique crouched kicking style, Dixie always hooked his drop kicks which kept everyone entertained as they tried to predict the outcomes of his marking and kicking attempts.
‘Dixie’ was personality plus, always very popular and yes, he could also play the game well.
STOPS
There was no such thing as moulded soles, coloured boots or any other fancy stuff in those days - everything was leather - boots, studs, laces the lot. And the studs were nailed into the leather soles using a hammer and a steel boot last to act as support for the boot. All clubs possessed the necessary tools to enable the players to manage any repairs that they deemed necessary. Umpires sometimes inspected the stops before play but it was generally a rare practice. The nails would become exposed and become almost lethal as they gouged their way down one’s torso or legs and that’s where ‘Dixie’ Boland came in.
‘Dixie’, you see, loved nothing better than to set himself for a high mark and he excelled at using his stops to clamber up the side of human packs to take a big grab. His victims would include players from both sides who would be left reeling with scratch marks and cuts all for no reward. For ‘Dixie’ however, it was a win-win situation. He would gain applause from an admiring crowd whilst remaining unscathed from the contest.
JOHN BROWN
<< Back