Corowa-Rutherglen: Damian Houlihan’s starring role in 2000 grand final

Damian Houlihan’s 10 goals in a grand final are part of Ovens and Murray league folklore with Corowa-Rutherglen holding a reunion of the unforgettable day.

Corowa-Rutherglen’s 2000 premiership triumph was a major turning point for a success-starved club and a victory that will forever be remembered for a favourite son’s grand final day heroics.

The Roos had not won an Ovens and Murray league premiership since merging in 1979.

Corowa claimed a “rags to riches” flag victory 11 years earlier when still a stand-alone team and Rutherglen’s last ultimate success on its own was even further back in 1954.

The merged entity made a grand final in 1992 with Damian Houlihan a member of the team that lost to Wodonga.

Eight years later he would be back to play a starring role in a famous win.

Houlihan’s 91 goals in 1992 had drawn comparisons with Corowa-Rutherglen’s previous homegrown goal-kicking sensation, John Longmire.

He was drafted by Collingwood and in his first match with the Magpies kicked three goals with his first three kicks in the AFL against Geelong.

But stress fractures in his back, in part, put paid to a career at the top level in 1995.

Former Collingwood and Kangaroos player Damian Houlihan kicked 10 goals in the 2000 Ovens and Murray league grand final.

After a season with Goulburn Valley league club Tatura, Houlihan was given another shot at AFL level with North Melbourne, but couldn’t crack a senior spot in a dominant Kangaroos era.

In 2000, Corowa-Rutherglen was on the rise.

The club had made finals the previous year under first-year coach Peter Tossol, a star in his own right with O and M rival Wangaratta Rovers.

Damian’s father, Brian, was involved with the club chasing recruits with a high degree of success.

Brian Houlihan with a picture of his son Damian.

Among some top-line talent he brought to the club were David Teague, who would later coach Carlton, and star ruckman-forward David Lucas from Kyabram.

But his oldest son’s return was the icing on the cake.

The Roos finished on top at the end of the home and away rounds and crushed Albury in the second semi-final with North Albury its grand final opponent.

Houlihan had been far from a dominant player during the season. But what he produced on grand final day remains part of Corowa-Rutherglen folklore.

He booted a record 10 goals to beat the previous grand final best of nine held by Albury’s Doug Strang since 1939 and the Roos winning margin of 108 points was also a league record.

Corowa-Rutherglen premiership coach Peter Tossol.

Tossol said the grand final brought out Houlihan’s brilliant best.

“Damian openly predicted to a few of his close mates that he would kick 10 goals,” he said.

“He was made for the big stage.

“In the second quarter after he’d kicked a heap already, he blind turned someone, spun around and hit the post.

“Danny Erickson, my chairman of selectors, turned to me and said ‘he meant that’.

“The earlier games were just a build up and unlike most players he had that capacity to lift several gears when required.”

Travis Hodgson was Houlihan’s direct opponent at the start of the match and recalled the encouter when he was inducted into the O and M Hall Of Fame in 2016.

“Footy is full of highs and lows and I think you’ve got to have the lows to fully appreciate the highs,” he said.

“A lot of people think I had 10 kicked on me that day.

“Fortunately after having four kicked on me in the first quarter, (coach) Ernest Whitehead threw me forward.

“Houlihan was on target to kick 16 if I stayed on him.”

Houlihan had the recordfive minutes into the final term and selflessly took himself from the ground to allow others to bask in the glory.

Corowa-Rutherglen banged on 10 goals in the last quarter to complete the rout.

The victory was also particularly sweet for captain Darrell Spencer, Paul Bartlett, Carl Dickins, Mark O’Donoghue and the late John Kingston, who had also played in the 1992 losing team and were still at the club.

The 2000 Corowa-Rutherglen premiership and Houlihan’s heroics will be recalled at reunion of the triumph this weekend after being postponed twice by Covid.