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Goulburn Valley: Mooroopna prepares for 150th anniversary celebrations

Mooroopna hasn’t won a GV flag since 1986 when something “crazy” happened at halftime. See what took place to spark a famous revival.

Desperate times require desperate measures.

Four goals down, a mounting injury toll and stars being heavily tagged was the grim scenario Mooroopna coach Chris Smith confronted at halftime of the 1986 Goulburn Valley league grand final against Shepparton United.

The former Fitzroy defender joined Mooroopna two years earlier and led the club to its first GV flag the following season.

But the “really flustered” coach needed a miracle at the main break of the biggest game of the season 12 months later.

“The spirit was totally different to the previous year,” Smith said.

“I could see some heads really starting to drop.

“I was desperate and had to pull something out of the bag.”

As Mooroopna approaches its 150th anniversary, what happened at halftime of the 1986 grand final became instant club folklore.

“I said to the boys ‘this could be the last time we sing the song this year because if we lose we won’t get a chance to’,” Smith said.

“We sung the song, kicked eight goals in the third quarter and we were in front at three quarter time.”

Mooroopna games record-holder Bill Wong, who kicked the Cats’ first goal of the second half, said the idea of singing the song, not once, but twice, was “crazy, but worked”.

“We were all looking at each other weird,” he said.

“Most of the supporters had left the rooms and Chris called us players back.

“We started to sing it pretty slowly and not with any real gusto.

“He then stopped us and said ‘let’s do it properly’.”

Another Mooroopna player Jamie Madgwick said: “Smithy was definitely ahead of his time with his professionalism.

“He was always looking for an edge.

“I think he was trying to get into our psyche around the feeling we had the previous year when we broke that long drought.

“But there were certainly plenty of funny looks around the huddle when we were singing it.”

Mooroopna won by 16 points to beat Shepparton United in the grand final for the second year in a row.

Mooroopna1985-86 premiership coach Chris Smith. Picture Yuri Kouzmin
Mooroopna1985-86 premiership coach Chris Smith. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

In addition to the halftime rendition of the song that starts “Cheer boys, cheer we are Mooroopna”, Smith and his coaching staff made wholesale changes including getting champion midfielder Gary Cooper and fellow onballer Wally Cashion into the game.

“The only person who wasn’t changed in the second half was me,” he said.

“I had to stay at centre half forward because I was on one leg.

“Sometimes you just need outside help and I got that.”

Cooper was an undisputed GV star in the 1970s and 1980s and won the first of three Morrison Medals with Tatura in 1976.

He joined Mooroopna in 1983 and won his second medal.

Two years later, in a premiership-winning season, Cooper claimed his third medal and in the 1986 grand final he kicked three goals in a best-on-ground performance.

“Gary could have easily played VFL,” Smith said.

“He was just an amazing player.”

Mooroopna champion Gary Cooper with the 1985 Goulburn Valley premiership cup.
Mooroopna champion Gary Cooper with the 1985 Goulburn Valley premiership cup.

Smith, who grew up in the Kiewa Valley, played the majority of his 163 matches for Fitzroy in a helmet due to multiple early career concussions.

The Lions made finals in 1979 and 1981, winning elimination finals against Essendon and losing first semi-finals to Collingwood.

Smith’s major claim to fame was not being invited to the 1980 Brownlow Medal when he led for a large part of the count before finishing sixth to Footscray champion Kelvin Templeton.

Fitzroy’s Chris Smith punches the ball away in the 1981 first semi-final against Collingwood as Lions’ teammate Ron Alexander looks on.
Fitzroy’s Chris Smith punches the ball away in the 1981 first semi-final against Collingwood as Lions’ teammate Ron Alexander looks on.

He played his last VFL match in 1982 and Smith and his wife Carmel headed for the Goulburn Valley where he was signed by Mooroopna which had not won a flag for close to four decades.

“The club was doing pretty much what it had done previously,” Smith said.

“It was thereabouts and making finals, but just needed a little bit more talent.”

Mooroopna embarked on an aggressive recruiting campaign and one of its biggest signings was key forward, Paul McCarty, who had played under-19s at Melbourne.

Smith also demanded tougher training standards, stricter diets and a hugely unpopular Friday night “two stubby limit”.

Mooroopna president Bill Dowling and dual premiership coach Chris Smith. Picture Yuri Kouzmin
Mooroopna president Bill Dowling and dual premiership coach Chris Smith. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

Wong said many of Smith’s coaching ideas were inspired by one of his Fitzroy coaches, the late Robert Walls.

“We were one of the few clubs that started training three nights a week and also one of the first to do the huddle with kick-ins,” Wong said.

“Back in those days there was a lot of circle work, but we started doing a lot of match simulation at training that hadn’t been done in country footy before.”

Smith returned to Mooroopna last Saturday to unveil a commemorative jumper Cats’ players will wear for the next two seasons.

Those who have signed to play next year were presented with the new jumper.

“We’ve had already about 40 players commit for 2026,” Mooroopna president Bill Dowling said.

“They include an entire leadership group of captain Ben Hicks, Kai Madgwick, Rory Huggard and Dom Gugliotti.

“Our coach John Lamont is also on-board.

“Being our 150th season we want to be back playing finals.”

Originally published as Goulburn Valley: Mooroopna prepares for 150th anniversary celebrations

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/sport/goulburn-valley-mooroopna-prepares-for-150th-anniversary-celebrations/news-story/e6caf09de5bf723ffd5a306f953b2053