St Kilda players open up on their biggest regret from club’s only premiership in 1966

AS St Kilda celebrates the 50th anniversary of its only premiership, some of the club’s former players open up on why they still have pangs of regret from that glorious win.

THEY are the lost relics of St Kilda’s only visit to the Holy Grail, the jumpers worn to premiership glory that were gone from their backs within minutes of a glorious one-point win over Collingwood.

Call up the after-match highlights and be stunned at how quickly, almost automatically, the players begin ripping their jumpers off after the siren to effectively give away the proudest individual part of their unrivalled victory.

Actions made worse by the fact the Saints of ’66 were the first to run a lap of honour with the premiership cup after chairman of selectors Des Nisbet instructed the players to “seize the moment”.

So off they took following their beloved captain Darrel “Doc” Baldock in his newly acquired Collingwood No.1 that had been worn by his counterpart Des Tuddenham.

St Kilda skipper Darrel Baldock carries the 1966 premiership cup as his Saints teammates wear Collingwood jumpers, with the exception of Ian Synman (third from right).

The same jumper that St Kilda supporters have to witness Baldock in, every time the game is highlighted.

Only red-headed centre-half back Ian Synman ran the lap in his St Kilda jumper, the No.9 sticking out like a Carl Ditterich elbow on available footage.

And Synman, 77, had only been able to play in the game after receiving special dispensation from the Jewish church given Saturday, September 24, 1966, fell on Yom Kippur which is the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

“I don’t know why I didn’t swap it straight away, maybe there was something in the back of my mind telling me to run around the ground with it on. I recall running close to “Doc” because I knew there would be plenty of cameras on him,” laughed Synman.

“In those day you were lucky if our property steward Alf Barnett gave you a new shoelace but that season I had a couple jumpers, one of which is now in the Jewish museum while the other one was the guernsey we were given for the finals.

St Kilda skipper Darrel Baldock holds the 1966 premiership cup in the Collingwood jumper he swapped with Mapgies captain Des Tuddenham.

A digitally altered image of Baldock in a St Kilda jumper holding the 1966 premiership cup for a new book celebrating the Saints’ only flag triumph. Picture from “Celebrating 50 Years. 1966-2016. The Archive Collection”, which can be bought at stkilda.iconseriescollections.com or by calling 1800 736 096

“I ended up swapping in the rooms after the game with Terry Waters and his number 5. Just a few years my son-in-law Anthony Moore rang Terry to see if he still had it but Terry thought he’d worn the jumper out by training it.

“Then a while after Terry rang back to say his brother had found it in a shed up in Albury and he kindly swapped it for his jumper. It was in great nick, mainly because I only wore it three times in our three finals of that season.

“I can’t properly explain how much it means now to have that jumper again. As the years go on, the jumper becomes so much more important. I actually took it to a reunion a few years back when “Doc” and our coach Allan Jeans were still alive and got a lot of the boys to sign it. I should get it framed.”

Darrel Baldock and Des Tuddenham swap jumpers after the 1966 Grand Final. Picture from “Celebrating 50 Years. 1966-2016. The Archive Collection”, which can be bought at stkilda.iconseriescollections.com or by calling 1800 736 096

Ruck rover/half-back Daryl Griffiths was another beneficiary, receiving his number 25 a few years back in return for Kevin Rose’s 29 but not all have been so lucky.

1959 Brownlow medallist Verdon Howell swapped his No.16 for the 21 worn by his Collingwood opponent, Max Pitt.

It was just this silly tradition of the time and obviously in hindsight we would have preferred to celebrate in our jumpers.

Brian Sierakowski

The pair almost became teammates in 1968 when Pitt joined the Saints just after injury finished Howell’s career, but their paths have only crossed once since - during a lap of honour at the drawn St Kilda-Collingwood 2010 Grand Final.

Pitt, 70, lives in retirement in Eltham where Howell’s jumper sits in a draw. He would be happy to swap it back, but it’s not quite so simple.

“I took the view that once we swapped jumpers they became your property and I actually wore that 1966 Grand Final jumper when I joined Frankston in 1969. My wife changed the number 16 to 26 which I later removed and now you can just see the faded 16,” Pitt said.

“I said to Verdun in 2010 that I would be happy to swap back but I don’t think he still has mine.”

Max Pitt holds the jumper of St Kilda’s Verdun Howell with whom he swapped jumpers after St Kilda defeated Collingwood in the 1966 Grand Final. Picture: Colleen Petch

Howell, who lives in Western Australian, was in Melbourne this week for today’s reunion. he said he would love to get the jumper back - more for his family’s sake than his own.

“I do have a Collingwood jumper somewhere at home and will check to see if it is number 21,” he said.

Ross Smith, who would go on to win a Brownlow Medal in 1967, has just about given up hope of ever seeing his No.3 again.

Smith played in three grand finals - 1966, ’67 and ’71 - and swapped jumpers each time.

I can’t properly explain how much it means now to have that jumper again. As the years go on, the jumper becomes so much more important.

Ian Synman

Smith kept the jumpers and swapped with David Parkin (1971) a few years back, but the 1966 jumper is the jewel in the crown. Sadly it’s unlikely to happen because Richardson has misplaced it.

St. Kilda coach Allan Jeans celebrates with his players after their Grand Final win.

Brian Sierakowski is another who has no jumper to show for his efforts in ’66.

“I kept my Collingwood jumper and ended up giving it away. I’m not even sure whose jumper it was but I think it was Ray Gabelich’s,” he said.

“The BBC did a one-hour documentary on the game titled ‘Inside Australia’. It must have been very confusing to them back in England when they saw the victors wearing the jumpers of the vanquished.

“It was just this silly tradition of the time and obviously in hindsight we would have preferred to celebrate in our jumpers.”

Barry Breen, who was a remarkably consistent big game performer in finals between

1966-73, swapped his 17 for Ted Potter’s 10.

“The jumper was sold for $43,000 some years ago on The Footy Show with Michael Gudinski buying it and the proceeds going to charity,” he said.

“I wouldn’t mind the jumper now, even the boots for that matter,” he said.

Originally published as St Kilda players open up on their biggest regret from club’s only premiership in 1966