THE FINAL STORY: 1966
TONIGHT AFTER THE AFL FOOTY
SHOW
St Kilda’s nailbiting win over Collingwood in the epic
1966 Grand Final will be relived in The Final Story: 1966 on
Channel Nine after The AFL Footy Show tomorrow night at 10.30pm.
Produced by AFL Media, The Final Story: 1966 tells
the story behind that fierce Grand Final through the players and coaches
involved in one of the game’s most memorable matches – one that meant so much
to St Kilda.
After a devastating loss to Essendon in the 1965 Grand
Final the Saints were desperate to take home the Premiership Cup that had
eluded them throughout their 70 years in the VFL.
The Final Story: 1966 features interviews with players
Barry Breen, Kevin “Cowboy” Neale, Brian Sierakowski and Ian Synman, plus a
previously unseen interview with St Kilda legend Darrel Baldock shortly before
he passed away in February 2011, each reliving their memories of the game that
changed their lives and the history of the St Kilda Football Club.
Being their only premiership to date, the players
still get emotional when recalling the speech that coach Allan Jeans gave after
the game, when he said: “Wherever you go, whatever you do, I’ll remember you
for the rest of my life.”
It was perhaps Jeans’ words at three-quarter time that
propelled the team to victory. He can be heard over the screaming crowd saying,
“You have 25 minutes to make a name for yourselves like you’ve never made
before” – and make a name for themselves they did.
Barry Breen was the hero of the day, kicking a behind
in the final minutes to secure St Kilda’s one-point victory, a title he wore
proudly despite his teammates joking that it was the only thing he did in the
game.
AFL Media producers Peter Dickson and Wayne Dyer spent
several months interviewing players and coaches involved in some of the biggest
Grand Finals in the game’s history for The Final Story series.
The Final Story: 1966 goes to air tomorrow night
on Channel Nine in southern states after The AFL Footy Show at approx 10.30pm.
The series continues next week with The Final Story: 1989, the
Grand Final between Hawthorn and Geelong.
