HISTORY OF THE CLARENCE FOOTBALL CLUB
(Formerly Bellerive Football Club)
(Formerly Bellerive Football Club)
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 five clubs, including Bellerive. After
winning one premiership (in 1907) of that competition Bellerive moved on
to the three club Metropolitan Football Association in 1910 where it
achieved regular success.
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 four other clubs, of the South Eastern
Football Association. Bellerive won the first three 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 escalated.
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 rather than being
free to join whichever club they wished . The implicit assumption here
was that, with a district system operating, a more even playing field
would tend to be created. Moreover, it was felt that there existed
sufficient playing talent in and around Hobart to support six clubs of
league standard, hence Clarence's optimism about being included.
In
the event, when the TFL resurfaced in 1945 it was with two old clubs
- North Hobart and New Town - and two 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
simultaneously reassured that this remained the TFL's short to medium
term objective. On the surface this seemed eminently logical, but both
Clarence and New Norfolk suspected that there was a hidden agenda
revolving around the two established league clubs' concern over losing
some of their most lucrative recruiting territory.
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 the 1st semi final by 30 points to eventual premiers Sandy Bay.
The
general consensus about Les McClements during his five 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 twenty-five 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 TFL
finals victory as well as its 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
Frier, with 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 three preceding seasons
for 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
representative 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 nineteen
year old Terry Mayne kicked the opening goal of the game thirty 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 Baldockās
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, 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.
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 had been formed in
1996.
Clarence immediately found its feet in the new
environment, downing Glenorchy by 54 points in the 2001 grand final. It
followed this up a year later with a hard fought 12.17 (89) to 10.8
(68) grand final defeat of North Hobart. Two years later came an
arguably even more agreeable grand final triumph as the 'Roos overcame
warm pre-match favourites New Norfolk in a high standard encounter which
David Stockdale, writing in 'The Mercury', described thus:
When
it comes to premierships, Clarence's cup really does runneth over. The
Roos racked up their 12th premiership - the eight since 1993 - by
bounding away from New Norfolk to win the SFL Premier League grand final
by 33 points. Given the continual infusion of youth, the bad news for
rival clubs, is it is likely Clarence's run will continue for some time
yet. The other winner on the day was the SFL, the crowd of 6,132 being
the best for a grand final since the Statewide League clubs joined the
competition in 2001.
After a nip-and-tuck contest for the first
three quarters in which the lead frequently changed hands, most expected
the Eagles to prevail despite being a point down. After all, they had
finished minor premiers, won the second semi final against Glenorchy and
had the week's rest to watch the Roos and the Magpies fight out a
bruising preliminary final. Yet it was Clarence which finished full of
running, rattling on 7.3 to 2.1 to win 17.12 (114) to 12.9 (81).
After
finishing second behind New Norfolk in 2005, the Roos reinforced their
status the following year as, without doubt, the pre-eminent Southern
Tasmanian Football power of recent times, when they withstood a stern
first half challenge from Glenorchy before pulling a way to record a
comfortable and highly meritorious 37 point win. Final scores were
Clarence 17.13 (115) to Glenorchy 11.12 (78).
In 2007 the same
two sides again contested the grand final, but on this occasion the Roos
were outclassed to the tune of 68 points.
The 2009 season saw
the establishment of a new Statewide competition with Clarence among the
inaugural members. It proved to be a memorable debut year for the 'Roos
who ended up claiming the premiership with a hard fought 15.11 (101) to
14.11 (95) grand final defeat of Glenorchy. A year later Clarence again
emerged triumphant on grand final day, comfortably disposing of the
challenge of Devonport to the tune of 57 points.
Although Clarence finished second in 2011 and 2012, it was a disappointment that the team was eliminated in the Preliminary Final in both years and failed to make the Grand Final.
By
Clarence standards, 2013 was a very disappointing year, because it was
the first year for twenty years that Clarence didn't play off in a
Preliminary Final or better.
2014 was a season of two halves for Clarence, at the half way mark Clarence were undefeated and sitting clear on top of the ladder. Unfortunately, they lost 5 of the next 9 games as a result of injury and poor form. Despite the poor latter part of the season Clarence still were minor Premiers, with percentage separating them from Western Storm and North Launceston.
Clarence dominated most of the second semi final against North Launceston and after leading by 20 points midway in the last quarter, allowed the Bombers to kick the last 4 goals of the match to steal a 5 point win. The following week saw Clarence play Western Storm in the Preliminary Final, and again Clarence led for most of the day until Western Storm kicked 5 late goals in the third quarter to lead by 20 points. A valiant effort in the last quarter held the Storm goal less, but they just failed to bridge the gap by 2 points.
In 2015 Clarence missed the finals for the first time in 26 years and finished a disappointing 7th after winning just 7 games for the season.
Affiliated:
Bellerive
Football Association 1903; Derwent Football Association 1904-1907;
Metropolitan Football Association 1908-1910; South Eastern Football
Association 1930-1939 and 1942-1946; Tasmanian Football League
1947-1985; State Wide League 1986-2000; Southern Tasmanian Football
League 2001-2008; Tasmanian State League from 2009
Club Address:
P.O. Box 94, Rosny 7018, Tasmania
Home Ground:
Formed:
1903
Colours:
Red and white
Emblem:
Kangaroo
Premierships (up to 1946):
BFA - 1903; DFA - 1907; MFA - 1910; SEFA - 1930, 1931, 1932, 1937, 1939, 1946; (8 as Bellerive, 1 as Clarence - 9 total)
Premierships (from 1947):
TFL - 1970, 1979, 1981, 1984; SWL - 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000; SFL - 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006; TSL 2009, 2010 (15 total)
William Leitch Medallists:
Hamish
Yaxley 1949; Stuart Spencer 1960 & 1967; John Richmond 1967; Robert
"Bobby" Lucas 1968; Trevor Sorrell 1976; Scott Wade 1989; Gary
Williamson 1991; Danny Noonan 1995 & 1996; Matthew Jones 1999 (9
Medallists/11 Medals)
Tassie Medallists:
Brett Geappen 2010 (1 total)
Dolphin Medallists:
Scott Wade 1989 (1 total)
Lefroy Medallists:
John Golding 1956; Stuart Spencer 1957 & 1960; Rod Hughes 1981; Billy Picken 1988; Scott Wade 1989; Brady Jones 2012; Jake Cox 2016. (7 Medallists/ 8 Medals)
All Australians:
Stuart Spencer 1958 (1 total)
TFL Top Goal kickers:
J.Cooper
(42) 1951; John Mills (49) 1968; Terry Mayne (67) 1971; Andrew
Vanderfeen (59) 1981; Paul Dac (94) 1994; Scott Allen (80) 2000 (6
total)
Southern Football League Top Goal kickers:
Mitch Williamson (58) 2007 (1 total)
TSL Top Goal kickers:
Brad Dutton (57) 2009
Mitch Williamson (80) 2012 (2 total)
Highest Score:
41.23 (269) vs. Brighton 5.4 (34) in round 5 7th May 2005
Most Games:
315 Scott McCallum from 1989 - 2007; 314 Gavin Cooney from 1989 - 2006 and 2009
Record Home Attendance:
5,157 on 6th June 1970: Clarence v New Norfolk
Record Roster Attendance:
8,480 on 4th April 2011: Clarence vs Glenorchy at KGV
Record Finals Attendance:
24,968 for 1979 grand final at North Hobart Oval: Clarence 12.11 (83); Glenorchy 11.14 (80)
The basis of the above History has been taken as extracts from the book entitled The Encyclopedia Of Australian Football Clubs Volume One and has been published with the kind approval of the author, John Devaney