FLASHBACK FRIDAY: EASTERN SUBURBS INTERRUPTS PAPANUI DYNASTY
As Eastern Eagles attempt to catapult themselves into the CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership finals with a win at Halswell Domain tomorrow, Flashback Friday recalls one of the great grand final performances from Eastern Suburbs.
Papanui won four straight grand finals from 1971-74 and would take out another three in succession from 1976-78. But 1975 belonged to Eastern Suburbs, the club winning its first title since changing its name from Christchurch in 1968.
Eastern Suburbs’ 27-2 victory to break Papanui’s stranglehold on the Pat Smith Trophy remained the biggest margin in a grand final until Aaron Whittaker and the Riccarton Knights rewrote the CRL record books in 2002.
In a repeat of the major semi-final two weeks earlier, Eastern Suburbs rocketed out of the blocks in front of a 4,000-strong Addington Showgrounds crowd, going up 8-0 in even time.
Brief respite came for Papanui in the form of a Kevin Williams penalty goal midway through the first half, but Eastern Suburbs resumed its dominance to lead 11-2 at halftime and finish the decider with seven tries.
Future Kiwi Alan Rushton’s dominance in the scrums, and a rampaging forward-pack effort led by Kip Winika and Terry Gillman, who went on to represent New Zealand XIII in 1976, were credited by The Press’ John Coffey for underpinning the emphatic result.
Working off that platform, halfback Murray French had a blinder, and Bruce Dickison and Bruce Murphy were untouchable out wide, scoring two tries apiece.
Centre Dickison was especially impressive, making a break to set up a half-field try in the first half and sprinting 80 metres to complete his double in the second stanza. The 22-year-old, whose brace gave him a competition-high 27 tries for the season, was subsequently chosen to debut for the Kiwis during the second half of the World Championship Series.
The result was a personal triumph for former New Zealand Test half and Eastern Suburbs player-coach Graeme Cooksley, who played the last of a then-record 47 games for Canterbury in 1975, while Papanui’s best on a tough afternoon were future Kiwis Mark Broadhurst and David Field.
Eastern Suburbs went on to lose the 1976-77 grand finals to Papanui, before putting together a treble of premiership victories from 1979-81 – the club’s last before the advent of Aranui Eagles in 2006. Aranui adopted the Eastern name again in 2018.
1975 CANTERBURY RUGBY LEAGUE PREMIERSHIP GRAND FINAL
Eastern Suburbs 27 (Bruce Dickison 2, Bruce Murphy 2, Leon Paskell, Jim Churcher, Alan Rushton tries; Dickison 2, Barry Edkins goals) defeated Papanui 2 (Kevin Williams goal). Halftime: Eastern Suburbs 11-2. Penalties: Papanui 10-6. Scrums: Eastern Suburbs 23-14. Referee: Don Wilson.
