The day Tasmania humbled the Big V in their State of Origin clash at North Hobart Oval
On the 30th anniversary of Tasmania’s State of Origin triumph over Victoria at North Hobart Oval, James Bresnehan looks back at the great day – and an amazing moment that wasn’t even part of the match.
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IT was a day that entered the annals of Tasmanian football history but coach Robert Shaw remembers an amazing moment from “The Map’s” historic State of Origin win over Victoria at North Hobart Oval in 1990 that it did not happen in the game.
Etched in the memory of Tasmania’s triumphant coach was a meeting between his players and Tasmanian and AFL officials where they were asked, if the state had its own AFL team, would any of them return home to play.
What happened next blew Shaw’s mind.
“All these hands went up – 90 per cent of the room put a hand up. It was amazing,” Shaw said.
“I can’t remember if the meeting happened before or after the game, but I’ll never forget the reaction.
“They were mostly all young blokes with no attachments and they made it very clear 30 years ago that if Tasmania had a team in the AFL they would come home to play.”
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To go up against the Big V, coached by David Parkin with a team including defensive legends Gary Ayres and Chris Langford, that year’s Coleman Medallist John Longmire, and Collingwood’s man-mountain Damian Monkhorst, Shaw deliberately selected a young team.
The players gathered three days before the game and stayed at the hotel overlooking North Hobart Oval.
“I wanted them to see the ground every time they looked out the window and whenever they went out,” Shaw said.
“It was about instilling in them what we were about to do.
“When we were having breakfast and getting ready on the morning of the game, we could see the people streaming in.
“That’s something I remember well and the impact that it had on the players.
“When they got to the change rooms there was no doubt in their minds this was a significant and serious event for Tasmanian football.”
By the first bounce, 18,651 fans had packed the ground for a State of Origin contest between Australia’s smallest football state and its most powerful.
The game was telecast live around Australia with Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Cometti commentating for Channel Seven.
Kangaroo Brett Allison put Victoria on the board with the first score of the game, a behind from a confident forward thrust two minutes in.
But Tasmania responded immediately, drawing first blood with a 50m goal by Colin Alexander when he gave his Sydney opponent Stevie Wright the slip.
James Manson kicked Tasmania’s second 40m out from directly in front, and Shane Fell, who had already kicked 25 goals for Sydney, drilled a 42m goal on a slight angle.
Victoria’s first goal came through Bernard Toohey, then Fell kicked his second at the 11-minute mark.
Then came the moment of the match. A Monkhorst kick went out of bounds at half-back. Graeme Wright took the kick in for Tasmania and hit Doug Barwick on the chest.
Barwick walked back and drilled a huge torpedo punt through the goals, post-high.
“Damian Monkhoarst was a teammate of mine at Collingwood and I remember him ‘gobbing’ off before the game,” Barwick said.
“He kicked the ball out of bounds and ‘Wrighty’ got the ball and kicked it to me.
“’Monky’ was nearby and still gobbing off, and ‘Charlie’ [James] Manson was behind me – and he wasn’t the best kick over 40m – suggesting I kick a torpie.
“So I pinned the ears back. Gave it all I could. Hit it nice and sweet, and it sailed through quite nicely.”
At quarter-time Tasmania led 5.4 (34) Victoria 1.3 (9) but goals to Ross Lyon, Longmire, Shane Kerrison, Bernard Toohey and two by Jose Romero gave the Big V a one-point lead into the main break.
A classic Shaw half-time rev-up lit a fire under the Tasmanians.
Read Part Two in the Sunday Tasmanian.
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