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HERALD SHIELD PREMIERS
1999 Senior Boys Football
The first team to win a Herald Shield since 1987, 12 years prior.
It appears they were for some reason only competing in the Herald comp and not the VSSSA State Title race as well like the 2003 did. Would they have won both if given the chance?
TOTAL GOALS: Dan Leary 6, Jeff McPhan 6, Stuart Evans 5, Sean O’Keefe 3, Jeremy Hunter 3, Adam Hicks 2, Simon Nolan 2, Trent Curtain 1, Jud Mullins 1, Craig Tobin 1.
BEST PLAYER VOTES: Jud Mullins 10, Simon Gamze 9, David Thayer 8, Craig Tobin 8, Stuart Evans 6, Simon Nolan 6, Joel Fisher 5, David Hill 4, Scott Challman 3, Brendan Cairns 2, Sean O’Keefe 1
This team were so strong they won the Shield by 53 points (33-0 at Quarter Time) against Ballarat High School at the now demolished Waverley Park (once known as VFL Park), without even having to play Jon McCormick, who had instructions from the Murray Bushrangers not to risk injury before the upcoming draft. “Hopper” had played in the Under 17 State Cricket team in 1998, but was focused on Football again in 1999. He would finish 3rd in the Bushrangers B&F and of course go on to play 26 games for Carlton, come Runner-Up in the VFL Liston Trophy, and then return home to win an O&M Morris Medal, and be the best player in the Wangaratta Magpies’ back-to-back flags of 2007 and 2008, their 1st in 30 years.
McCormick only played once during the campaign, and just for a few minutes. Against Galen at the City Oval, with future Adelaide player Matt Shir causing us headaches and the game tight, he couldn’t resist and ran out late in the match. He’d only taken a few stops off the bench when a teammate kicked to him, and within seconds he had his knees someone’s shoulders taking a screamer. We won by 9 points in what was the closest match of the campaign.
The Semi Final against Bairnsdale at Preston was another tough game. We were down by a point with 10 minutes left, before Year 11 Sean O’Keefe took the game by the scruff of the neck from Centre Half Back, and Yarrawonga import Adam Hicks kicked the sealer with a beauty from the pocket under pressure to put us in the Final.
Of note is that 4 of the Year 11s (O’Keefe, Nolan, Ben Simpson and Matt McCallum) had played in the 1998 Intermediate State Champion team the year prior. Those 4, and the new-to-town Jeremy Hunter, were the only Year 11s that could make the side.
Eleven of the Year 12s (Scott Challman, Brendan Cairns, Matt Cameron, Trevor Edwards, Stuart Evans, Simon Gamze, Joel Fisher, Glenn Hancock, Jeff McPhan, Jud Mullins and David Thayer) had gone Runner-up in Year 8 four years prior in 1995, leading with a minute to go against Warrnambool at Skinner Reserve, only to couch up 2 quick goals to lose by 8 points.
The team could have been even stronger if not for the departure of Brian Tavare to a Building apprenticeship, and Jon Parkinson to The Centre. Tav, a brilliant forward/midfielder was the best player in that year’s 1999 Rovers Thirds Premiership team. He could do anything. Parko was a freak (like older brother Matt from our 1994 Intermediate team) who could walk through packs and kick drop punt goals from 50 off a step, but was an enigma that didn’t play much football.
We also could up have brought up Year 10s such as future AFL stars Steve Johnson and Karl Norman, as Ballarat had with their Year 9, Under 15 Vic Country Captain Mark Nunn.
The team did have one other future AFL player, Sean O’Keefe who amazingly became teammates with McCormick at Carlton 5 years later in 2004, and also live with him (also with Luke Mullins from our 1999 Intermediate team) in Brunswick in 2005.
Despite just a Year 11, “Oke” was the best footballer in the team, controlling games from Centre Half Back. He was playing Murray Bushrangers all season alongside McCormick, having already played 2 seasons of Ovens & Murray Thirds for the Rovers (in 1997 as an extremely rare Year 9) and in the 1998 Thirds Premiership team (Year 10). He had starred in the Under 16 Vic Country team in 1998, and was picked in the All Australian AIS Academy Under 17 team which played against Ireland, ranking him in the Top 20 footballers in Australia. He would go on to play 6 AFL matches for Carlton, become e a 2-time VFL Premiership player and Best & Fairest for Sandringham, make a VFL Team Of The Year, win a League B&F in Western Australia, and return home to win 2 B&Fs for the Rovers.
Although McCormick and O’Keefe were the only boys to play Murray Bushrangers, there was deep talent in the team.
Stuart Evans had played U15 O&M Schoolboys (equivalent to today’s V-Line Cup North East Border team) with McCormick in 1995. Vice Captain Simon Gamze had played Schoolboys with O’Keefe (and Tavare) in 1996.
Evans had kicked 4 goals in late trial game for the Bushrangers, and was only cut from the squad at the death. A natural goal kicker, he kicked 9 in a Thirds game for the Magpies as a bottom-ager, and when debuting in the Seniors as a Year 11 playing against Corowa’s reigning Morris Medalist “Juice’ Kingston, he kicked 5.
Gamze had been Captain of the 1999 Ovens & Murray Under 17 Interleague team that year, with Jud Mullins also in the team. Mullins had the year prior won the 1998 McCormick Medal (U17 League Best & Fairest) in the Junior League as a bottom-ager. McCormick had won it the year prior, also bottom-aged.
A remarkable 7 of the Year 12 boys in the team were playing regular O&M Seniors that 1999 year for the Magpies – Evans, Gamze, Trevor Edwards, Joel Fisher, Adam Hicks, Dan Leary and Craig Tobin. Fisher, Gamze and Tobin (the school teams Centre line) were all rotating through the Magpies midfield, and Edwards was holding down Centre Half Back. David Thayer and Brendan Cairns would become regular Senior players the following year, and be key backmen for the next decade, and Jeff McPhan would also play some Seniors.
The Magpies were admittedly weak, winning 7 wooden spoons in a row. But a season playing against men at that level, made playing against the Ballarat teenagers feel like somewhat of a training drill.
In terms of O&M Senior success, it is different story to the 2003 team, with many of the boys moving away for University. In Tobin‘s case, he would become a Jet Pilot in the Air Force (he at one stage returned for a flyover of the school).
Cairns would be the only one to win a Senior flag – back-to-back Premierships for the Magpies (2007,2008), alongside Daine Porter from our 2003 team. Cairns and Thayer both played over 150 games, mostly as backmen. Cairns was later Coach.
Trevor Edwards played 100+ games for the Magpies before leaving town. He played another 100+ for Geelong Amateurs, including a Premiership and being named in their Team Of The Decade. He then returned home and played another 100+ for Tarrawingee, including Coaching them to the 2018 flag (with Fisher as an Assistant).
Fisher and Gamze would both play 50+ Senior games for the Magpies, however Gamze was struck by shoulder injuries which ended his career in his early 20s. Fisher would later coach Moyhu.
In the O&M Thirds, four had played in the 1998 Rovers Thirds Premiership team of 1998 the year prior – O’Keefe, Matt Cameron, Scott Challman and Glenn Hancock. Six played in the 1999 Rovers Third flag shortly after the Herald final – Challman (Vice Captain) Hancock (Deputy Vice Captain), Jeremy Hunter, Jon Hyde, Jud Mullins and Simon Nolan. Challman and Hancock joined the rare list of boys to win back-to-back flags.
Some featured in Senior Premierships in the Ovens & King – Thayer, Edwards and Simon Nolan (Tarrawingee) and Hyde (Moyhu)
Some of the boys had strong Football genetics. Ruckman Glenn Hancock’s father Bob played 6 games for North Melbourne. Dan Leary’s father John played Reserves for Melbourne, was a 200+ game player and Premiership player for the Magpies, and was named in the Wangaratta Magpies Team Of The Century. Simon Nolan’s uncle, Mick Nolan (the famous “Galloping Gasometer”) played in the 1975 North Melbourne Premiership. Nolan is also cousin to the famous Wilson brothers (Mick, Joe and “Waldo”) and St Kilda star Darcy. Jud Mullins had 2 Great Grandfathers play for Carlton – one of them (Gordon Green) a Captain, 2-time Premiership player and Victorian rep. His father (John) was also recruited to North Melbourne Under 19s, and grandfather Bill Comensoli who is ruckman in the Wangaratta Magpies Team Of The Century. Younger brother Luke would later play for Collingwood.
The fathers of Fisher (Brian), Gamze (Felix), Leary (John), Mullins (John) and Sean O’Keefe (Greg) all played Senior football in the O&M, with Gamze and Leary part of the famous 1976 Magpies premiership side (alongside McCormick Snr).
1999 was a powerful year for Football, with the Intermediate team winning the State Title 2 months afterward. The younger Fisher, Gamze and Mullins brothers (Jordan, Brendan and Luke) were in that team, and they remain the only 3 sets of brothers to win in the same year. It made the Fishers (with Todd, 1994 Intermediate) one of only 3 families to have 3 brothers win a State Football Title. The other were the Stamp boys (Matt, Jack and Heath) and the McIlroys (Chris, Glen and Shane).
Ben Simpson may be the most impressive All Rounder in the team. The year prior (1998) he became an Australian Champion in Aerobics for the 2nd year in a row, as well as a Mountain Biking State Champion. There would surely never have been another to have completed that Triple.
Hancock and Mullins also completed a unique Double. Their rock band that year won an award at the Statewide Kool Skools Music competition for the 2nd year in a row. They, along with Rheyce O’Neill and Luke Mullins (from our 1999 Inter team) of the band Double Cross remain the only 4 boys to ever win both a Kool Skools award and a Football State Title or Herald Shield.
Captain Scott Challman also lifted the Swimming Shield as House Captain of Merriwa. The humble leader, who was also the Head Boy Prefect that year, is the only person to ever lift both in the same year. Challman, Hancock, Mullins and O’Keefe were all Prefects that year – the largest group of Prefects to win a Football Championship.
