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HERALD SUN COUNTRY CUP PREMIERS
1987 Intermediate Boys Football
Our first team to win a Herald Country Cup in the space of 3 years (1985 was the first), winning at Waverley’s VFL Park (just as the 1985 boys had done) complete with a banner for the boys to run through.
The Final was a Curtain Raiser to the “Panasonic Cup” Night Grand Final between Melbourne and Essendon at the end of April, which drew a crowd of 27,000 people.
Sadly we don’t have TV Footage of the game like we do of the 1985 game which was televised by Channel 7, but here is the ABC footage of the main game, which makes it easy to imagine our boys playing:
We also sadly don’t have record of the scores, our opponent, or our goalkickers and best players. Can anyone remember?
This was one of our genuine “Super Teams”, with 3 boys drafted to the AFL. We imagine the 3 boys were scouted during the Final, with the talent scouts likely being in the stands watching on.
Vice Captain Craig Patrick that year played in the 1987 Victorian U17 Teal Cup team, and would be drafted as a 17-year old by North Melbourne at Pick 35 in the 1987 Draft (incredibly, with Scott Christie, father of Will who would Captain our Senior team in 2017, 30 years later). Both the team photo here, and the shot of him running through the banner at Waverley, show the physical specimen he was already. No wonder he was given the nickname “Drago” (after the Russian boxer in the film Rock IV, released 2 years earlier).
Year 11 Scott Williamson was drafted to the West Coast Eagles the following year, at Pick 40 of the 1988 Draft after starring in the 1988 Senior Premiership for Rovers while in Year 12. He was drafted again in the 1990 Pre-Season Draft by Melbourne, and was offered a 2nd year on their list in 1991, but “Willo” walked away. He later played in a 2nd Rovers flag, 2 in East Gippsland (Lakes Entrance), and another in the O&K (North Wangaratta, 1997). He played Interleague for both the Ovens & Murray and Bendigo leagues.
Year 12 Joe Wilson was drafted in the 1989 Draft by the Brisbane Bears (now Lions) at Pick 51. He was perhaps the closest of the 3 to playing an AFL Senior match. He was named in the team once, but had a mishap at training the Thursday before the match. He chose to return home that summer. Wilson played in 4 Senior Rovers Premierships (1988, 1991, 1993, 1994) and wore the O&M Interleague jumper 12 times. In his 1st flag, just a year after the Herald Cup win, he played Full Forward in the Grand Final and kicked 4. That year he also represented the VCFL Under 18s. Wilson is the uncle of St Kilda star Darcy Wilson, who is son to Joe’s brother Mick.
Twice, Wilson and Williamson were in the same Rovers flag team (1988, 1993).
The other talent of note is Nick Morris. One of three Year 10 in this team, he was good enough to play as their Full Back, and played Rovers Seniors during that year. The year before, he was the Top Run scorer at the Dowling Shield in Melbourne, stamping himself as one of the best junior Cricketers in Victoria. He had also been named the 1986/1987 Wangaratta Junior Cricketer of the Year.
However just months after this Herald win, Morris was thrown from the pillion on a motorbike at a party, and became a paraplegic and never walk again. He would later win a Gold Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics, as part of the Australian Wheelchair Basketball team. Morris is pictured below reaching to his left to make the ball during the pre-game warm-up in the Waverley rooms.
