North-West win the 1968 intrastate series in Tasmania for only the second time, and in Hobart to boot

Regional representative games were still in vogue in 1968 in Tasmania.

On the long weekend in June 1968, Southern Tasmania played the North-West at South Hobart on Saturday, 8 June 1968, with the winner scheduled to play the North on the public holiday Monday at Queenborough in Sandy Bay.

The intrastate final was scheduled to be the curtain-raiser to the Tasmania versus Cardiff City match at Queenborough.

On the Saturday, Southern Tasmania fielded a second-string outfit as most of the players from the South squad were in the Tasmanian team to play Cardiff.

It all backfired, however, as the North-West representative team thrashed the South 6-2 to qualify for Monday’s final against the North.

The North-West representative squad was:  Hardcastle (Devonport), Ralph (Ulverstone), Filbrook (Burnie Spartans), Bourke (Ulverstone), John Compagne (Ulverstone), Rodger (Capt, Burnie Spartans), Cleland (Burnie Spartans), Groeneveld (Burnie Spartans), Targett (Burnie Spartans), D Dolliver (Ulverstone), T Dolliver (Ulverstone).

The Southern Tasmanian squad was:  David Siggins (White Eagles), Roman Zapatocki (Croatia), David Stoddart Snr (White Eagles), Tony Goodman (Juventus), Joe Hanna (Juventus), Barry Shacklady (Olympia), Bernard Siggins (Caledonians), Reznik (Rapid), Wally Foster (Rapid), Peter Wood (Juventus), Jack Dilba (Rapid), John Dilba (Rapid), Kevin Leung (Croatia), Philip Owen (Juventus), Colin West (South Hobart), Darfunger (Rapid).

North-West took a 14^th-minute lead against South through a goal by Cleland, but Shacklady equalised with a 36th-minute free-kick.

A penalty by Hanna put South ahead, Filbrook having punched Shacklady’s effort out to concede the spot-kick.

Targett equalised for the North-West on what should have been the stroke of half-time.

But, the half-time whistle was not blown after that goal as referee Doug Slater’s watch had been stopped when he was hit on the arm by the ball during the first half and he didn’t realise the first 45 minutes had elapsed.

Two more goals came before the break, Willem Groeneveld and Dean Dolliver netting for the North-West to give them a 4-2 lead.

Linesman John de Witt then had to run out onto the field to tell Slater that time was up.  The other linesman, Jim Dolliver, wasn’t wearing a watch.

The South replaced Reznik and the limping Shacklady with Kevin Leung and Jack Dilba at the interval, but Groeneveld and Tom Dolliver netted in the second half to give North-West a 6-2 win and a place in the final on the Monday.

The North-West won the 1968 intrastate series by downing the North 3-2 at Queenborough on the Monday for only their second intrastate title.

The North squad was:  Stegmann (George Town), Scaglione (South Launceston), Beresford, Mies, Webb, Morosini, Visentin, Strickland, Whitemore (Northern Juventus), Kremerskothen, Donaldson, Hackett, G Smith, Bain (Launceston United), Wiggett (George Town). 

Dean Dolliver put the North-West ahead early in the final, but Morosini equalised for the North soon after.

Cleland restored the North-West lead from close range, while Visentin twice tested North-West keeper Hardcastle before the break.

Five minutes after the restart, Dean Dolliver fired the North-West to a 3-1 lead, prompting the North to replace goalkeeper Stegmann with Scaglione.

It was end-to-end action after that as the North-West’s Cleland missed an open goal and Targett had a shot well saved.

Whitemore pulled a goal back for North in the 74^th minute after a perfect through-ball had set him up with the chance.

Tom Dolliver missed two chances before the end for North-West when he had only the keeper to beat on both occasions.

North’s Visentin had a header tipped over the bar by Hardcastle, while Hardcastle also did well to turn a Visentin shot wide of a post.

North-West hung on for a 3-2 win to give them a second intrastate representative title.

Wouldn’t it be a huge fillip for football in Tasmania if such an intrastate series was revived?  Parochialism is synonymous with Tasmania in all fields, including sport, and such an intrastate series would be sure to fire up supporters and players from all over the island.

In a footnote, a Tasmanian Under-16 side was named to compete in an interstate junior tournament in Melbourne later in 1968.

The Tasmania squad was:  (Goalkeepers) Tony Garrett (South), G Morice (North);  (Backs)  Colin Sugden, E Sorbian Jim Mackinnon (South), R Dennis (North);  (Half-backs)  D McKean, Robbie Mills, G Cooper (South), M Newell (North-West);  (Forwards)  Marian Bilac, Tony Godfrey, Joe Glasovac (South), F De Paoli (North), P Shegog, G Barry (North-West).

My next article will be about that Tasmania versus Cardiff City game in 1968.