The glory days

1967 reserves premiership player John Atkins, right, had club president Chris Soumilas in stitches on Saturday night as the Hawks celebrated their premiership reunions from 50 years ago. 170668 Pictures: RUSSELL BENNETT

By Russell Bennett

Leon Rice can no longer move like he used to along the wing for Hawthorn in the 1970s.
But on Saturday night, back at his home club at Drouin, it was impossible to wipe the smile from his face as he stepped up to receive the three premiership medals he won with the Hawks of a different kind in 1967.
Rice played more than 130 games for Hawthorn in the 1970s, including the 1971 premiership win over St Kilda, but on Saturday he celebrated the flags he won with Drouin’s seniors, reserves, and thirds in one astonishing campaign 50 years ago.
While there’s plenty of debate currently circling about just where Drouin’s place lies in the landscape of Gippsland football, on Saturday the Hawks’ illustrious past in the former West Gippsland Football League (WGFL) was celebrated.
The rooms were filled with past legends, their faces all beaming with pride at finally being presented with premiership medals for that one magical 1967 season.
The thirds went through the year undefeated and triumphed over Kooweerup in the grand final, while the seniors toppled the previously undefeated Longwarry in a game that the Gazette – on 22 September 1967 – described as “the most sensational grand final in the history of the West Gippsland Football League”.
It’s not hard to see why.
On the previous Wednesday, the league’s independent tribunal had suspended five Longwarry players for eight weeks on charges of having played in an unregistered competition, and not having been cleared by the clubs in that competition.
But by game time at Cora Lynn, those five players still lined up in Longwarry colours!
Current Drouin president Chris Soumilas said on Saturday night that “premiership coaches tend to be great characters”. Never had truer words been said about Kevin ‘Curly’ Ellis, who coached Drouin’s seniors and reserves to the ultimate glory in 1967.
“One of the things we have to remember is that in 1966, when I first got here, we were grand finalists as well,” Curly told the enthralled room about the senior side.
“We played Garfield and we played pretty well and we lost by five points. I always think that Barassi cost us that premiership, and there’s no doubting that, because Frosty Miller went down to Carlton and came back again because of Barassi.
“He kicked 7.10 in that grand final and we lost by five points!”
“In ’67, when Longwarry first ran out there, we didn’t know if they were going to have their whole team because there was a bit of a controversy prior to it.
“There were a few players who perhaps shouldn’t have played. Now, I don’t think Drouin dobbed that sort of thing in … but I found out later that maybe we did!
“I’d swear blind that we never did … until about 12 months ago.”
But the biggest story of the night belongs to the Hawks’ reserves, and explains how the then 16-year-old Rice was able to walk away with three premiership medals after that campaign.
Drouin drew with Cora Lynn in the reserves decider, forcing a replay the following week which Rice – who’d already won his medals in the thirds and seniors – played in.
Graeme ‘Scruffy’ Davies and Keith Anderson did an incredible job putting Saturday night’s function together, while 1967 thirds premiership winner Russell Donaldson deserves a special mention for organising the stunning medals presented on the night to recognise those mighty Hawks sides, which didn’t receive premiership medals 50 years ago.