40th anniversary of Turkeys great grand final

BY SAM ELLEY

When the team for the 1983 Kyogle Turkeys grand final ran out onto the field at the Kyogle Showground, ready to do battle with minor premiers, Lower Clarence, they had already fought hard to get to that spot.

“We played Lower Clarence in the major semi,” said Johnny O’Reilly who played front row in the team.

“Russell (Alcorn) had kicked a 50 metre

“We’d won that game 24-23.”

Then came the day of the grand-final.

The Kyogle Turkeys hadn’t won a Tooheys Group One Rugby League major had a good record,” said Johnny.

“He’d coached five winning A grade sides.”

By the end of the day, Kyogle was to be his sixth.

Clarence) had good centres too, tearing everyone apart.

“They were big blokes, but our blokes got on top of them. That was the difference.” for Alcorn to convert,” wrote Paul. penalty goal to win by one point. premiership since 1971, but this was going to be their day.

The game ended with a win for the Turkeys 1412 and many Kyoglians went home with sore throats that day.

“This gave us the right to hold the grand final at Kyogle.

“Brian Purtell was our captain-coach and he

“It was an enormous game,” said Johnny.

“It was very hard in the forwards but we had a couple of good centres although (Lower

According to sports writer of the day, Paul Attewell, Kyogle never looked like losing.

“Although each team scored two tries, Kyogle looked the likely winner for most of the match, scoring the only try of the first half and leading 8-1 at half time,” Paul wrote.

Despite Lower Clarence hitting the lead briefly in the second half, and the Turkeys dealing with a disallowed try near the sideline, a scrum was held five metres out.

“Halfback Luke Henry quickly turned the groans into cheers when he skirted around the scrumbase to score in a handier position

“We only had two reserves for the game,” said Johnny.

“I went off eight minutes to go, I was stuffed.

“Outside of Brian, the team was all local guys with five sets of brothers: Brian and Russell Alcorn; Daryl, Rodney and Ian Pederson; Brian and John Creighton; Mark and Brian Doolan and Philip and Robin Harley.”

On Saturday, June 10 at the Kyogle Bowling Club, the team will be celebrating 40 years since that triumphant game.