Clarence Football Club (The Roos) History

Clarence Football Club - the roos

Clarence Football Club (the Roos) is a Premier League club in the AFL Southern Tasmania competition of Australian Rules football.

Premiers in 1970, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004

HISTORY

The Clarence Football Club has a long history going back to before 1884 when it was known as "Bellerive". At that time Victorian Aussie Rules was already over 30 years old. The first Bellerive team was made up of 7 families of brothers playing at the Bellerive paddock. There were no organised rosters and the club simply arranged a match against another group such as Railway or Post Office. It wasn't until 1903 that the first proper roster game was played in the new Bellerive Football Association and won the first premiership. Interestingly, through these early years the club didn't have a coach - the captain did nay coaching that was needed and apparently that wasn't very much. Players also paid the club to play each week and most of that went to pay the umpires. How times have changed !

The Clarence District Football Club started in 1944 - during World War 2 and after a bridge was built over the Derwent River. Several years later CFDC joined the Tasmanian Football League.

Through the years we have had many exciting players pass through our ranks - players like Ted Turner, George Ward, Terry Cashion, Bill Ferrar, Stuart Spencer and in more recent times Noel Leary, Chris Spaulding, Chris Riewoldt, Danny Noonan and Gavin Cooney to name just a few. We've also been lucky to have had many fine coaches like Bert McTaggart (our first coach in the TFL), John Bingley, Noel Leary, Robert Shaw, Stevie Wright, Grant Fagan and Darren Winter.

We've had terrific victories, narrow wins and disastrous defeats, but importantly we have been one of the most successful clubs in the past 30 years with four TFL Premierships - 1970,1979,1981,1984 and five Statewide League Premierships - 1993,1994,1996,1997,2000. We are proud of our achievements.

CFC History

Premierships: TFL - 1970, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1993-94, 1996-97, 2000 (9 total); Southern Football League 2001, 2002, 2004 (3 total)

William Leitch Medallists: H.Yaxley 1949; S.Spencer 1960; J.Richmond 1967; R.Lucas 1968; T.Sorrell 1976; S.Wade 1989; G.Williamson 1991; D.Noonan 1995 & 1996 (8 Medallists/9 Medals)

Dolphin Medallists: Scott Wade 1989 (1 total)

All Australians: Stuart Spencer 1958 (1 total)

Highest Score: 41.21.269 vs Hobart in round 5, 2005 (SFL) 33.23 (221) vs. Hobart in round 4, 1983 (TFL)

Most Games: 300 by Gavin Cooney

Record Home Attendance: 5,075 on 13 June 1987: North Hobart 13.20 (98); Clarence 8.8 (56)

Record Finals Attendance: 24,968 for 1979 grand final at North Hobart Oval: Clarence 12.11 (83); Glenorchy 11.14 (80)

For long-suffering Clarence supporters the 1990s have brought unprecedentedly sustained success. Prior to 1990 finals appearances and premierships had been sporadic, but since then the 'Roos have made a habit of both.

The district of Clarence, separated from Hobart by the Derwent River, has been a home of football for well over a hundred years. The first mention of the sport came in 1884 when a local side, Bellerive, played a challenge match against VFA side Carlton which, not surprisingly, the Victorians won comfortably. Over the next twenty years or so Bellerive continued to engage in frequent informal matches. mainly against local opposition, but it was not until 1903 that organised football came to the region with the formation of the Bellerive Football Association.

The BFA lasted just one season, with Bellerive Football Club the first and only premiers. In 1904 the competition was replaced by the Derwent Football Association which comprised 5 clubs, including Bellerive. After winning one premiership (in 1907) of that competition Bellerive moved on to the 3 club Metropolitan Football Association in 1910 where success proved both frequent and easy to achieve.

After the Great War Bellerive re-formed but did not play in a formal competition until 1930 when it was a founder member, along with 4 other clubs, of the South Eastern Football Association. Bellerive won the first 3 flags in this competition and followed up with further premierships in 1937 and 1940.

During World War Two a floating bridge was built connecting the eastern and western banks of the Derwent. The Clarence region was now a mere ten minute drive from the centre of Hobart, and it was not long before major new housing developments sprang up and the population spiralled. Clarence could no longer be regarded as a country area and when the TFL began considering expanding its competition Bellerive, as one of the leading lights in the SEFA, were prime candidates for inclusion. In 1944 the Bellerive committee resolved to pursue admission to the TFL as a serious option and made the strategically astute decision to alter the club name to Clarence, thereby suggesting an association with the entire Clarence region, of which Bellerive was just a part.

To suggest that the TFL were considering expansion is actually an over-simplification. Three of the TFL's established clubs - Lefroy, Cananore and New Town - were in difficulty and the league committee charged with preparing the ground for the resumption of full scale football after the war proposed that one way of alleviating these problems would be to introduce district football, whereby players represented the clubs in whose districts they resided instead of the clubs being able to recruit anyone they wanted (or, more accurately, could afford). The implicit assumption here was that, with a district system operating, a more even playing field would tend to be created which obviously be of benefit to the weaker brethren in the fold. It was also felt that there was, potentially at least, sufficient playing talent in and around Hobart to support 6 clubs of League standard, hence Clarence's optimism about being included.

In the event, when the TFL resurfaced in 1945 it was with 2 old clubs - North Hobart and New Town - and 2 new clubs in the shape of Hobart and Sandy Bay. SEFA clubs New Norfolk and Clarence were told that they would have to wait to be admitted to the League, but reassured that, once the aspirants had proved their worthiness, this remained the TFL's long term objective. On the surface this seemed eminently logical, but both Clarence and New Norfolk suspected that the hidden agenda was the two established League clubs' concern over losing two of their most lucrative recruiting zones.

Clarence reached the 1945 grand final of the South Eastern Association but managed only an embarrassing 1.5 (11) to New Norfolk's 12.12 (84). The 1946 season proved more enjoyable, however, as the side not only won the flag but, despite narrowly losing a challenge match against TFL wooden spooners Hobart, subsequently learnt that the League had resolved to admit them from 1947, along with New Norfolk. At Clarence's AGM in November the members agreed to a second name change in two years and the club officially became known as the Clarence District Football Club. After some debate the members decided to adopt the kangaroo emblem, on the grounds that "you never see a kangaroo going backwards".

Clarence's TFL career began with a convincing 16.15 (111) to 9.13 (67) defeat of old South Eastern Association rivals New Norfolk. This earned the Kangaroos top spot on the ladder, a situation in which they would not find themselves again for many years.

Clarence finished the 1947 season in 5th place with 3 wins: finals participation was still some way off. In fact, it was not until 1952, with former Sandgroper great Les McClements at the helm, that the Kangaroos finally secured a finals berth after just squeezing into the four. Perhaps not surprisingly, however, the side appeared overawed by their achievement, and promptly lost by 30 points to eventual premiers Sandy Bay.

The general consensus about Les McClements during his 5 season (1951-55) stint as coach was that, although he was undeniably a brilliant player, as a coach he was merely adequate. What Clarence needed was a coach with drive, passion and a touch of ingenuity; in 1957 (after finishing last the previous year under John Golding) they got their man.

Stuart Spencer was 25 years old when he arrived at Clarence, a veteran of 122 VFL games with Melbourne including participation in the 1955 and 1956 premiership sides. He was also a dual winner of the Demons' Best and Fairest Award, no mean feat when you consider that his team mates included players of the calibre of Ron Barassi, John Beckwith, Brian Dickson, Laurie Mithen and Ian Ridley. There is no doubt that, had he wished, he could have gone on playing in the VFL for many more years, but for family and business reasons he elected to relocate to Tasmania. With him he brought a professionalism and an indefatigable resolve to succeed, which gradually had a discernible impact on those under his tutelage.

The key word here is 'gradually': improvements in attitude and approach emerged long before the scoreboard started to display the benefits. Clarence finished last in both 1957 and 1958 before starting a slow ascent of the ladder the following year. By 1960 the side was performing with an aggressive vitality which left most opposition sides floundering. Unfortunately, after topping the ladder going into the finals, the team lost its way, and defeats in consecutive weeks by Hobart and North Hobart brought the season to an abrupt, inglorious end.

The 'Roos dropped to 4th in 1961 but 1962 was a landmark year in that it brought both the club's first finals victory and the first grand final appearance. Second after the roster games Clarence lost a thrilling 2nd semi final to North Hobart by 8 points before overcoming Sandy Bay in front of a preliminary final record attendance of 13,410.

The grand final was fiercely contested, and indeed Clarence managed as many scoring shots as the Robins. However, North were just that bit steadier, and got home by 15 points. A TFL grand final record crowd of 19,311 watched the match in which the losers were particularly well served by Eric Hawkes, Cliff Tabe, Brian Evington and Graham Jackson.

Stuart Spencer coached Clarence again in 1963 but the side slumped to 4th. There was worse to follow during the next couple of seasons under Spencer's successor Geoff Fryer, the 'Roos finishing 5th on both occasions. Spencer was re-installed as coach in 1966 and there was marginal improvement as the side finished 4th. However, the loss of promising under age player Royce Hart to VFL club Richmond was arguably the most significant event of the season.

Former City-South, East Devonport and St Kilda player John Bingley took over from Spencer as senior coach for the 1967 season and remained until 1972. Under his guidance Clarence enjoyed their finest era to date, finally breaking through for a flag in 1970, after participating in the finals in each of the 3 preceding seasons for 3rd, 3rd and 2nd place finishes. The 1969 grand final pitted Clarence against a North Hobart side which had annihilated the Roos by 81 points a fortnight earlier in the 2nd semi final and which looked on course for a repeat when it led by 49 points midway through the 3rd quarter of the 'big one'. However, the Roos were quick learners and hit back strongly, dominating the remainder of the game to succumb in the end by just a couple of goals. Indeed, given that Clarence's last 5 kicks for goal all produced minor scores the result could quite easily have been different.

The watershed year of 1970 began with some shrewd recruiting on the part of the Clarence committee. Four players in particular stood out: Adrian Bowden (ex Sandy Bay and Melbourne), Mike Nash (ex Collingwood reserves), Bob Lynch (ex City-South, Fitzroy and New Norfolk) and Bob Cheek (a 1969 Tasmanian state rep. from Penguin). Collectively, if somewhat inanely, termed 'the foreign legion', this quartet would go on to play a significant role in Clarence's rise to pre-eminence, but the real key to the achievement was the coaching of Bingley, who simply refused to accept second best.

After qualifying for the finals in 2nd place, despite a somewhat worrying loss of form over the final few roster matches, Bingley had his charges all but breathing fire for the 2nd semi final encounter with Sandy Bay, which the Roos won comfortably by 22 points. For the grand final against New Norfolk a fortnight later there was an insatiable optimism about the Clarence camp with which the Eagles proved unable to cope. A grand final record crowd of 24,413 saw Clarence methodically rip their opposition apart from the time 19 year old Terry Mayne kicked the opening goal of the game 30 seconds in. Mayne went on to add 9 more goals as the Roos won convincingly, 19.16 (130) to 10.15 (75). Coach Bingley remarked afterwards that the victory meant even more to him than his participation in St Kilda's historic drought-breaking 1966 premiership, sentiments which undoubtedly endeared him even further to the Clarence faithful.

The Roos next attempted to secure the state flag, but after a comfortable preliminary final victory over Scottsdale Darrel Baldock's Latrobe proved too strong.

Clarence went within 9 points of back to back flags in 1971 after conceding Sandy Bay a lead of 41 points at half time of an absorbing grand final. The cracks were beginning to emerge, however, and after the Roos finished a disappointing 4th in 1972, Bingley resigned as coach.

Somewhat controversially, the Clarence committee chose Robin Norris, a local lad, as Bingley's replacement, but 4th place in both 1973 and 1974 was the best he could manage. Enter Trevor Sorrell from Port Adelaide, whose coaching achievements could not quite match his playing prowess. During Sorrell's two year stint the Roos got no further than the preliminary final.

Under Sorrell's successor, Eric Pascoe, Clarence finished 6th in 1977 and 5th the following year. Noel Leary arrived from Sandy Bay for the 1979 season anticipating a stern challenge in his first coaching assignment, but to everyone's surprise his charges performed heroically, qualifying for the finals in 2nd position. Peter Hudson's Glenorchy were very much the team to beat, however, having finished the roster matches 16 points clear of the Roos, a superiority they were swift to re-assert in the 2nd semi final.

Clarence used the preliminary final against reigning premiers Sandy Bay to rediscover their form and confidence, winning comfortably, but few people other than Roos supporters considered that they had anything other than an outside chance of upsetting the Magpies. Clarence's job was made even more difficult given the unusual circumstance of Glenorchy being not only popularly favoured to win, but also, in light of the fact that this was to be the great Peter Hudson's final game, a warm sentimental favourite.

An all time TFL record crowd of 24,968 packed into the compact North Hobart Oval creating an electric atmosphere. The Roos rose to the occasion right from the start, and by the long break had established a lead of 16 points. Glenorchy's anticipated 3rd quarter revival coincided with the onset of heavy rain and in hindsight this may have been to Clarence's advantage as it stymied the Magpies' effectiveness up forward. The last change saw Glenorchy in front by just 5 points, after which the final term proved to be something of a slog with neither side able to achieve a decisive break. In finishes of this nature, with the lead changing hands repeatedly, the match takes on some of the characteristics of a lottery - or, more accurately, a game of musical chairs; in this context, Clarence supporters were overjoyed to find that it was Glenorchy who were 'left standing' at the final siren.

Best afield in the Roos' 3 point triumph was Greg French, but in truth every Clarence player played to the limit of his ability and it was only because of this that the supposedly indestructible Glenorchy bubble was burst.

Clarence's next flag two seasons later was acquired with considerably more conviction. The side comfortably topped the ladder after the roster matches and stayed in the comfort zone in the 2nd semi final which yielded a 79 point annihilation of New Norfolk. Two weeks later in the grand final the Eagles resorted to rough house tactics in an attempt to square the ledger and at first this seemed to succeed as they went in at the long break 9 points to the good. However, the second half brought a restoration of normality as the Roos gradually got on top to carve out a 25 point victory, with John Moles best on ground.

Noel Leary's coaching tenure ended two seasons later with no addition to the premiership haul. Robert Shaw, Leary's replacement as coach, arrived with a sound pedigree having commenced his playing career at Sandy Bay before enjoying a 51 game career at Essendon where he earned a reputation as a reliable if unspectacular defender. In 1983 Shaw had served as skills coach at Windy Hill under Kevin Sheedy in a season which saw the Bombers play off on grand final day for the first time since 1968. Shaw brought discipline and professionalism to Clarence, combined, equally significantly, with a detailed understanding of local conditions. His impact was immediate, as the Roos went on to secure a memorable against the odds premiership. Just as in 1979, Glenorchy was the team which supposedly 'had it all', but when the heat was on in both the 2nd semi final and grand final it was the red and whites who held sway.

Just when it seemed that the Roos had Glenorchy's measure, however, the Magpies turned the tables, winning both 1985 finals encounters between the clubs to re-establish themselves as the team to beat. Robert Shaw returned to the mainland after the grand final to be replaced by Graham Hunnibell, but neither he nor his his three immediate successors Bill Picken (1987 and 1988), Peter Daniel (1989 to 1991) and Leigh McConnon (1992) could rediscover the flag-winning formula.

Former South Melbourne/Sydney stalwart Stevie Wright (237 games between 1979 and 1991) was appointed playing coach in 1993 and he soon had the 'Roos playing a brand of football light years in advance of most opponents. Back to back premierships ensued, with North Launceston (9 points) and New Norfolk (38 points) the grand final victims.

Wright left to join Central District in 1995 and there was a temporary hiatus under his successor, Wright's former assistant Grant Fagan, as the Roos succumbed to North Launceston by 10 points in that season's grand final. It was back to business as usual the following year, however, as Clarence comfortably overcame grand final debutants Burnie by 27 points to make Fagan the first non-playing premiership coach in the club's TFL history.

The 1997 grand final saw the same protagonists engaging in a much closer tussle, but with ultimately the same result, Clarence winning 20.9 (129) to Burnie's 18.14 (122). The Roos fell from grace in 1998, losing the grand final to North Launceston by 49 points, while in 1999 they slumped still further, missing the grand final for the first time in seven seasons.

No-one who attended the 2000 Tasmanian State Football League grand final between Clarence and the recently re-named 'Northern Bombers' (formerly North Launceston) would have realised it but they were witnessing the final moment's of the competition's existence. In hindsight therefore the Roos' victory, whilst doubtless, at the time, as satisfying to all concerned as any other premiership, can at very best only be regarded as a bittersweet achievement. Whilst nothing in the recent history of the sport encourages optimism in this regard it is earnestly to be hoped that future generations of Tasmanian football followers will find themselves immersed in an environment in which the achievements and traditions of clubs like Clarence can be properly celebrated, not to mention furthered and enhanced.

As regards that fleeting episode in the history of Tasmanian football when statewide competition held sway, overall there can be little doubt - as the following table demonstrates - that Clarence were the TFL's most successful club:

TFL Grand Final Appearances 1986 to 2000

Club	Won	Lost

Clarence	5	2
North Hobart	4	0
Northern Bombers	2	5
Glenorchy	2	2
Hobart	1	2
Devonport	1	0
Burnie	0	2
New Norfolk	0	1
Sandy Bay	0	1

The sudden demise of the TFL early in 2001 has left the above table looking less like a roll of honour and more like an epitaph. Clarence, along with fellow former TFL members Glenorchy, Hobart, New Norfolk and North Hobart , would compete in future in the Southern Football League, which was formed in 1996.

Clarence immediately found its feet in the new environment, downing Glenorchy by 54 points in the 2001 SFL grand final. However, any satisfaction gleaned from the achievement must inevitably have been tempered with both nostalgic regret and frustration verging on anger at the plight in which Tasmanian football, through little or no fault of its own, finds itself at the onset of what ought to have been a century of expansion, allure and exhilaration, but which instead could easily witness the demise of football as the island's premier sporting preoccupation.

Written for publication by John Devaney

POST SCRIPT - Since 2001 Clarence has competed successfully in the Premier League of the SFL winning the senior premiership in 2001, 2002 and 2004.

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