Inside the relationship of Port’s indigenous premiership heroes and how they tore the Brisbane Lions apart in 2004
The night before the 2004 AFL Grand Final, Gavin Wanganeen, Byron Pickett and the Burgoyne brothers shared a pact which would help guide the Power to the premiership.
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Port Adelaide’s 2004 Premiership win remains its greatest hour – the moment South Australia’s most successful football club arrived on the biggest stage.
The Power’s inaugural AFL premiers had plenty of stories, but not many are greater on grand final day than the indigenous quartet – Gavin Wanganeen, Byron Pickett and the Burgoyne brothers Peter and Shaun.
The connections
All throughout the 2004 premiership side there were plenty of connections – particularly some unique ones among the indigenous boys and Mark Williams.
Williams and Gavin Wanganeen were teammates in the early 1990s in the SANFL with the Magpies before working together at Essendon and then again with the Power.
Byron Pickett and the Burgoyne brothers all came from Mallee Park in Port Lincoln, before reuniting when Pickett joined the Power from North Melbourne at the end of 2002.
Williams said Port Adelaide has long embraced indigenous footballers, going back to when his father Fos was at the club.
“I think you have to understand from when my dad was at Port, the idea of having Aboriginal players around and nurturing them,” he said.
“I played with a couple of them when I played at Port, and the fun, the atmosphere, the different culture, we are so lucky at Port Adelaide to have had so many wonderful Aboriginals to come through our group.”
Yet, this group was set to be a part of something special, and Williams was eager to learn their stories.
“The boys were all a bit different – over the years, I understand you have to treat everyone differently whether they were Aboriginal or not, young or old, everyone has a different story to tell,” he said.
“I remember taking them to the Aboriginal Art Gallery, then we went out for lunch and they all told me their stories of their backgrounds.
“I’d taken time to understand them and listen to them and meet their families.
“I always had high expectations for the Aboriginal players, I never felt they were just making up the numbers, I felt they could play major roles in the side.
Williams couldn’t speak higher of the group and the challenges they overcame in their careers.
“Gavin and I played together when he was only 17 and I was at the end of my career at Port Adelaide – from teammate to coach-player to captain-player, all of those things, the relationships were special,” he said.
“Peter I always had to push hard because he started off not anywhere near what he might be and he thought things would come his way pretty easily.
“I had to push him a little bit to showing him I believed in him but if he didn’t deliver, he wasn’t going to get there quickly.
“Peter went from a very average runner to pushing himself to be a decent runner which gave him an opportunity to play in the midfield.
“When I saw Shaun, he was a taller version of Peter, exquisite skills, but probably didn’t understand about work ethics and stuff like that.
“Peter led the way to helping Shaun and showing him he could make it.
“Having Gavin there and Che Cockatoo-Collins was really important to us as well, fantastic fun, great ability to be able to mix in and laugh and show his personality.
‘I think because I encouraged their flair and to show their best stuff, I think that rang pretty true with them.
“Shaun and I are still really close friends.
“Byron was headhunted – we were looking to add some aggression and toughness in our side, we had Damien Hardwick, we had Josh Carr and we had Byron Pickett – those three really led the way and made the others stand up.
“Byron is a little bit different, he come from Western Australia, he’s a really warm and generous person.
“They all come together from different parts and different paths.”
Wanganeen commented on the connection he and Williams had shared, which grew across a decade.
“I have a wonderful relationship with Choco,” he said.
“He’s such a great coach in terms of his teaching to the younger boys through the system.
“He always went into bat for his players, very passionate and he always wanted to get the best out of you.
“I feel very proud to be able to play under him, you have memories etched in your mind when you think about the grand final.
“You can’t get out of your head the image of him walking down with the tears rolling down his face, throwing his arms in the air, to see how much he deserved that.
“To finally get his reward, I’m really proud of that particular moment.
“The connections between us indigenous boys were pretty special obviously … that goes without saying … and that comes naturally because of our background.”
Meanwhile, some of Peter Burgoyne’s best years came while playing alongside Shaun and Pickett – who was a close mate.
“As kids we (Shaun and I) didn’t play much together,” he said.
“When Shaun got drafted to Port in 2000, for my family it was a big thing and playing with him and Byron Pickett who I grew up with and is one my best mates – playing with those guys, it’s something very special that we still talk about today.
“As a team, we always had a structure and the way the team played, but Mark Williams always encouraged us boys to play with flair and gave us boys the license to play outside of that.
“Mark cut us boys a bit of slack when it came to that, I think he knew that if myself, Byron, Gavin and Shaun were playing at our best, we’d have a really good chance of winning any game.
“Choco was old school, he didn’t take no shortcuts, but he was your friend, and if he saw something he didn’t like, he’d let you know.
“I feel as a player, Choco was the one who got the best out of me and a lot of players.
“If you can get through Choco as a young player, it’s gonna put you in good stead.”
Pickett said he had strong relationships with all of his coaches – Denis Pagan at North Melbourne, Williams at Port and Neale Daniher at Melbourne.
“We give each other a call and a text message here and there over the past couple of years, but Choco’s a great fella,” he said.
“Since I was younger, my uncles, aunties, grandparents always helped teach me to respect my elders, he was like a father figure or along those lines.
“I think a lot of players felt the same about Choco.”
The finals series
The Power had done what they had failed to do in the previous two years – won the home qualifying final and booked a preliminary final at Football Park.
The qualifying final win over Geelong was all about Byron Pickett and he said the Power wanted to send a message that finals series.
“We wanted to bounce back considering the previous years, we lost to Sydney in the first final in 2003 after finishing top – we had a lot of doubt with people saying ‘chokers’,” he said.
“We just wanted to make a statement in that first finals game and let the rest of the teams in the finals that year know to keep an eye out on us and that we were there to play.”
Pickett booted four majors and racked up 12 touches in a matchwinning performance in the first half as the Power booked their preliminary final ticket.
Up until three-quarter-time, the Burgoyne brothers, Pickett and Wanganeen all had minimal impact on the game, and the Power trailed by a point.
However, a rev up from coach Mark Williams helped the 1993 Brownlow Medallist deliver one of the most famous moments in Port Adelaide history.
“The last quarter – Choco said ‘you’ve got to do something, we need you’,” he said.
“We were a few goals down, and I had to make some contribution when I had three previous ordinary quarters.
“In the last quarter, I set myself (to have a good quarter) after a chat with Choco, and it was really nice to kick two goals in that quarter to put us in front.
“Especially the second one, which most Port supporters would better remember, I feel very proud to be remembered for that goal.”
The lead up
Port Adelaide had celebrated emphatically after its six-point win over St Kilda, drawing some flak from critics in the week leading up to the grand final.
Williams said the club looked at the grand final as a ‘joyous occasion’.
“It was a high degree of relief in finally making it to the grand final,” he said.
“We took it on in regard to almost a joyous occasion, there was a lot of discussion that we celebrated too much after the preliminary final.
“I’ve been involved in different teams, I’ve watched what really good coaches have done, I made a few videos trying to give our players confidence that they were up to it and they could achieve it.
“I remember a terrific one we had made with ‘We Could Be Heroes’ by David Bowie – the ‘just for one day’ and that sort of stuff.”
Yet, Williams, who demands the best out of his players, took a relaxed approach to the week.
“Training was a little bit bumbly and fumbly which I almost predicted to the players and laughed it off and didn’t take too much pressure into making mistakes,” he said.
“I probably reminisce that I’d been to the grand final myself in 1981 – got one opportunity and never won.
“104,000 people there, the idea that it may be your only chance, I know Gavin (Wanganeen) spoke to the players having been there before – that was part of it.
“We were really excited and really well prepared for it, and we went in thinking we could win and knowing it would be a huge challenge against Leigh Matthews’ team, who’d won four and his team had won three in a row.
“It was going to be a tough challenge.”
For Peter Burgoyne, there was plenty going on including carrying an injury going into the game.
“It was a big week, you’ve got the parade, you’ve got interviews, you’ve got a lot of things on, you have family, friends and all these things going through your head,” he said.
“You have people wanting tickets, text messages, you try and block all that out, you have to try and focus on the game.
“Regarding the game, I think we were quite ready, Brisbane played against Geelong the week before and had a really hard game.
“They talk about players who were banged up and all that stuff, but we had the same issues as well, we had players carrying injuries, who were sore.
“I was carrying injuries myself, no-one goes into a game fresh.”
Burgoyne had plenty to prove, as did Pickett, who had only four touches in the preliminary final.
“I was trying to stick to my same routine every week,” Pickett said.
“I was pretty relaxed, I thought because when I was at the Kangaroos I played in finals there and a couple of grand finals.
“That obviously helped my preparation as well.
“I got nervous before every game and being a grand final, you’ve always got a bit of butterflies.”
Meanwhile, Gavin Wanganeen had felt the pressure of the three years earlier, where Port failed to make it past the preliminary final stage.
“In the finals series of the previous three years we let ourselves down,” he said.
“We knew that we were good enough, but finally we got to the grand final and finally we got to the MCG – it was more of a relief in a way.
“We knew we were good enough we were going to put on a good show for ourselves.
“The supporters were finally getting what they deserved after all those years of watching.
“It was an exciting week for the club, but there was pressure on the players, coaches and supporters.
“We dominated the competition and we didn’t make the most of it – and where it counts is finals, you’re judged on that and your grand finals.
“The pressure was on, and it was finally good to get that pressure off.”
Choco’s challenge and the pact
The pressure was still on Port going into its first grand final and Mark Williams put the challenge to the indigenous quartet after they struggled in the preliminary final.
“I remember him after a team meeting saying to all the brothers that he wanted to have a chat with us,” Pickett said.
“We had a chat about our games against the Saints, I had a quiet one, Gav had a quiet one by his standards but kicked two goals to win the game.
“We had a chat about all of us and our game and how he thought we went.
“He said to us that we were lucky we had a good win tonight and if you guys play the way you did tonight, we’re not going to have a good chance of winning next week … but if you do play well, we’ll win the game.”
The chat with Williams set up another meeting of the four players, the night before the grand final.
“The night before the grand final, myself, Byron, Gavin and Shaun called a meeting with ourselves,” Peter Burgoyne said.
“We put it on the line to each other as teammates, this could be the last time we play in the big dance.
“We spoke about that and we made a pact that we said what we were feeling at the time and said we were going to bring our best and leave it all out on the field.
“That was our little secret meeting before the game.”
Looking back, Wanganeen said that meeting is something he reflects on with fondness.
“I remember that as well, it was pretty special – the Burgoyne boys, we know how great careers they’ve had and to play in a premiership together as brothers and play well on the day – it’s something that stays with me,” he said.
The grand final
The pre-grand final events last a week, but the opening moments of the game are gone in a flash and Peter Burgoyne said there was nothing quite like it.
“What I can remember was the calm, and then five to 10 minutes of that game was just bloody intense, the pace is unbelievable,” he said.
“If you can get through that and score a few goals and stick in there, it’s going to put you in good stead for the rest of the game.”
Port led by 15 points at quarter-time, but started to lose their grip on the game in the second term, which left the senior Burgoyne frustrated and asking questions of midfield coach Phil Walsh.
“We got in front and then Brisbane came back in the second quarter and led at halftime,” he said.
“I remember I was playing on ball in the first quarter and then in the second quarter for some reason I was left in the forward line for a long time.
“I wasn’t happy and I was walking into the tunnel talking to the late Phil Walsh, he and I had a few words, I’m saying ‘what’s going on?’ because Brisbane were starting to come back.
“I said ‘you’ve got me sitting at half forward, I need to be up the ground running’.
“He said ‘let’s go back out there and back it up’ and coming out after halftime, I found myself sitting back up the ground and running.”
The two sides went back and forth until Gavin Wanganeen arrived and broke the Lions’ hearts – a run he says is his ‘best 10 minutes of footy’.
“To kick four goals in 10 minutes in a grand final when the game is on the line – that’s quite special for me,” he said.
“I’m so proud of that, and sadly enough there’s a lot of players and great players who have long football careers and don’t get the opportunity to play in a grand final and win one, let alone play well in a winning grand final.
“I managed to be able to tick that box, it’s something I’m extremely proud of and as you get older it’s okay to be proud of your achievements regardless of what you do in life, whether it’s on the footy field or personal life or business life or you’re giving back – they’re all achievements and we should all be proud of it.”
The Power ran away with the game in the final quarter and while Peter Burgoyne dominated on the ball, Shaun Burgoyne did a shut down job on Jason Akermanis and Gavin Wanganeen snatched the game – Byron Pickett’s consistent impact earned him a deserved Norm Smith Medal, something which came as a shock to the former Kangaroo.
“I was surprised,” he said.
“I didn’t know what to do and what to say.
“Gav kicked a bag, Peter had a few touches, Kane Cornes did the job on Simon Black.
“It was an all-round team win, and that day we weren’t going to be pushed around by the Lions, and to get up over those guys was pretty special.”
The photo
The iconic image from the grand final has forever been Mark Williams holding his tie aloft making the ‘chokers’ signal at the final siren.
Yet, there’s one photo that stays in the heart of not only Williams but the four players.
“I have a famous photo, where I said ‘hey, come over here’ and I have the Aboriginal players and myself with the cup in the middle of the MCG,” Williams said.
“It’s as cherished to me as the cup, as the medals and as is getting these guys together and having the environment to create so they could feel comfortable to deliver like they did.
“I was so proud of them, each and every one of them should be delighted and sit back and be very comfortable with what they’ve achieved.”
Burgoyne said that photo was something special, but he didn’t realise it at the time.
“At the time you don’t think of it, we took the photo and looking back at it, it was something special for Choco as well,” he said.
“It’s us four boys who played the last three years together and fell short, then had that talk before the game.
“You look back on it, you think about things and brings back some good memories.”
Pickett said the photo showed how close the group was, as did Wanganeen.
“It was pretty awesome, we’re going to remember it for the rest of our lives,” Pickett said.
“Just a close-knit relationship with us boys and with Choco, it’s pretty special.”
“There are wonderful memories you’ll have forever and we were lucky those premiership players, we’ll have that bond with them for life,” Wanganeen said.
Originally published as Inside the relationship of Port’s indigenous premiership heroes and how they tore the Brisbane Lions apart in 2004
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