Coolangatta too good as the Magpies attention turns to the QAFL
Triple premiership coach Bob Webb returned to the helm of the Magpies in the wake of the retirement of Bill Ryan. Other losses included Obst, Jeffries, Wilkey, Ogden, Zerna, Finnemore, Coelli and Tregenza. The gains were significant with the standouts being David McMahon (Bairnsdale), Peter Boyce (Moe), Paul Tribolet, Craig Purcell, Paul Kalendra, Lynton Keighran, Chris Daniels, Terry Morris and Peter Livingston. Keighran (Winger), McMahon (Key Defender), Tribolet (Ruckman) and Bruce Gray-McIntosh arrived from the Geelong district. The transfer of Zane Taylor to the Geelong club set up strong ties with the region that were to endure for some time.
Peter Boyce tied for the GCAFL goal-kicking award with 77 majors and was a commanding presence at Centre Half Forward and Full Forward throughout the season. He kicked 14 goals with Terry Morris adding 12 in a club record 47.26.308 round 18 hiding of whipping boys the Burleigh Bombers. Tribolet, Daniels and Livingston were quality big men and they were complimented by clever new on baller Purcell. McMahon and Kalendra stiffened up the Magpie defence and the club had once again built a strong base for another premiership assault. Gavin McGuane (Best and Fairest), Rob Simpson, Ken Clark (100 games in round 20), Sel Short, Digger Apted, Milton Davis, Ron Stewart, Neil Gibson and Terry Baker were there to teach the new arrivals what it meant to be a Magpie. Bill Ryan came out of retirement very late in the season to bolster an already formidable Magpie tall contingent. Magpie junior Chris van Wyk won selection in the Queensland Teal Cup squad, as did Surfers Paradise dynamo Jason Cotter.
The loss of Owen Park for almost the first third of the season owing to ground surface problems did not deter the Magpies as they proceeded to win eight of their first nine matches. A worrying 73-point hiding by Coolangatta in round one was wiped away in round eight when the Magpies had a comfortable four-goal victory. The competition was much tighter amongst the top six sides however, with the Magpies losing further games during the season to Labrador and Surfers Paradise and a narrow home loss to Coolangatta in round 15.
Bill Ryan lined up for his seventh consecutive Grand Final after the Magpies came from behind to defeat Palm Beach Currumbin in the Preliminary Final. Coolangatta were too good on the big day however, with Gabe Nuspan and Tim Tagliabue in their best players. Stewart, Tribolet, Livingston, McGuane, McMahon and Purcell were best for the Magpies. The reserve grade completed another undefeated season with a 22-point win over Broadbeach. Wally Walsh, Dave Burns (20 years after his first senior game at the club) and Wayne Morris were amongst the leading lights in a clear demonstration of the Magpies depth. The colts were to go down to Broadbeach.
The biggest news of the 1981 season was the formal application by the Magpies to join the QAFL. Seven years of consistent excellence in the GCAFL and unparalleled administrative strength had caught the eye of a QAFL that was angling for a VFL license and proactive in developing the code. New QAFL CEO Ken Murphy and his staff that included Gold Coast identity Ken Hose, Ron Spalding and former Collingwood defender Andrew Ireland had met with the Magpies administration on several occasions to sound out their interest in an expanded QAFL. This large step for the club was of course to encounter some initial resistance.
1981 Match Results
| Date | Venue | Home | Away | Southport Goalkickers and Best Players | |||
| Round 1 | 29/03/1981 | Len Peak Oval | Coolangatta | 22.16.148 | Southport | 11.9.75 | (Best: Stewart, Short, Livingston, Tribolet, Davis, Brown) (Davidson 3, Short 3, Tribolet 3, Baker, Livingston) |
| Round 2 | 5/04/81 | Salk Oval | PBC | 10.7.67 | Southport | 15.13.103 | (Best: Livingston, Short, McMahon, Brown, Davidson, Gibson) (Tribolet 5, Davidson 3, Clark 3, Devlin 2, Livingston, Stewart, Short) |
| Round 3 | 12/04/1981 | Isle of Capri | Surfers | 11.14.80 | Southport | 20.14.134 | (Best: Gray-McIntosh, Keighran, McMahon, Davidson, Stewart, Gibson, Davis) (Davidson 6, Gray-McIntosh 6, Tribolet 3, McGuane 2, Devlin, Davis, Stewart) |
| Round 4 | 19/04/1981 | Salk Oval | Burleigh | 8.7.55 | Southport | 22.16.148 | (Best: McMahon, McGuane, Apted, Kalendra, Clark, Gibson) (Clark 5, Devlin 3, Purcell 2, Davidson 2, Livingston 2, Short 2, Apted, Keighran, Gray-McIntosh, Tribolet, McGuane, Stewart) |
| Round 5 | 26/04/1981 | Merrimac | Broadbeach | 7.8.50 | Southport | 16.15.111 | (Best: McGuane, McMahon, Short, Stewart, Kalendra, Jones) (Stewart 5, Clark 2, Brown 2, Livingston 2, Purcell 2, Short, Tribolet, McGuane) |
| Round 6 | 3/05/1981 | Labrador Oval | Labrador | 19.20.134 | Southport | 21.15.141 | (Best: McMahon, Apted, Keighran, Livingston, Kalendra, McGuane) (Devlin 3, Apted 3, Clark 3, Davidson 2, Brown 2, McGuane 2, Stewart 2, Davis 2, Gray-McIntosh, Short) |
| Round 7 | 10/05/81 | Owen Park | Southport | 22.20.152 | Lismore | 7.15.57 | (Best: Davis, Apted, Simpson, McMahon, Clark, Brown) (Clark 6, Apted 6, Davis 3, McGuane 2, Purcell 2, Davidson 2, Short) |
| Round 8 | 17/05/1981 | Owen Park | Southport | 18.13.121 | Coolangatta | 14.13.97 | (Best: McMahon, Davis, McGuane, Livingston, Apted, Stewart, Tribolet) (Davidson 6, Morris 3, Davis 2, Purcell 2, Clark 2, Apted, Brown, McGuane) |
| Round 9 | 24/05/1981 | Owen Park | Southport | 21.19.145 | PBC | 12.19.91 | (Best: Livingston, McMahon, Stewart, McGuane, Tribolet, Boyce) (Purcell 4, Boyce 4, Clark 2, Apted 2, Davidson 2, Davis, Devlin, Gibson, Daniel, Buglusi, McGuane, Brown) |
| Round 10 | 31/05/1981 | Isle of Capri | Surfers | 14.15.99 | Southport | 10.17.77 | (Best: Simpson, McMahon, Gibson, Tribolet, Stewart, Davis) (Purcell 3, Clark 2, Apted, Boyce, Davis, Davidson, McGuane) |
| Round 11 | 7/06/1981 | Salk Oval | Burleigh | 1.14.20 | Southport | 30.31.211 | (Best: McMahon, Davis, Clark, Boyce, Brown, Purcell) (Davis 8, Boyce 7, Purcell 3, Clark 3, Buglisi 2, Davidson 2, Tribollet, Apted) |
| Round 12 | 14/06/81 | Owen Park | Southport | 18.33.141 | Broadbeach | 18.8.116 | (Best: Gibson, Baker, McGuane, Purcell, Keighran, McMahon, Short) (Purcell 3, Daniel 3, Davis 3, McMahon 2, Clark 2, Apted, Boyce, Tribolet, McGuane, Livingston) |
| Round 13 | 21/06/1981 | Owen Park | Southport | 20.17.137 | Labrador | 27.12.174 | (Best: McGuane, Keighran, Livingston, Tribollet, Gibson, Boyce) (Boyce 5, McGuane 3, Purcell 3, Keighran 2, Tribolet 2, Davis 2, Morris, Apted, Baker) |
| Round 14 | 28/06/1981 | Riverview Park | Lismore | 11.17.83 | Southport | 21.22.148 | (Best: McMahon, Short, Apted, Livingston, Tribollet, Stewart) (Boyce 7, Purcell 4, McMahon 3, Tribolet 2, Short 2, Davis, Morris, Apted) |
| Round 15 | 5/07/1981 | Owen Park | Southport | 14.18.102 | Coolangatta | 18.11.119 | (Best: Purcell, Stewart, McGuane, Tribolet, Baker) (Boyce 5, Purcell 3, Davis 2, Daniels, Short, McMahon, Apted) |
| Round 16 | 12/07/1981 | Owen Park | Southport | 25.18.168 | PBC | 9.14.68 | (Best: Purcell, McGuane, Walsh, Stewart, Keighran, Daniels) (Walsh 6, Keighran 5, Boyce 5, Morris 4, Purcell 2, McGuane, Thompson, Stewart) |
| Round 17 | 19/07/1981 | Owen Park | Southport | 28.10.178 | Surfers | 11.13.79 | (Best: McGuane, Brown, Keighran, Boyce, Stewart, Apted) (Boyce 10, Apted 4, Daniels 3, Livingston 3, Walsh 2, Keighran 2, Clark 2, Brown, McGuane) |
| Round 18 | 2/08/1981 | Owen Park | Southport | 47.26.308 | Burleigh | 7.6.48 | (Best: Boyce, Tribolet, T Morris, McGuane, Livingston, Keighran) (Boyce 14, T Morris 12, McGuane 4, Apted 3, Ryan 3, Clark 2, Keighran 2, Purcell 2, Brown, Walsh) |
| Round 19 | 9/08/1981 | Merrimac | Broadbeach | 7.10.52 | Southport | 11.9.75 | (Best: Brown, Robinson, Livingston, Purcell, Tribolet, Ryan) (Boyce 3, Ryan 2, Apted 2, Purcell, Davis, Clark, Buglisi) |
| Round 20 | 16/08/1981 | Owen Park | Southport | 20.11.131 | Labrador | 15.10.100 | (Best: Boyce, Livingston, Brown, Apted, Purcell, Baker) (Boyce 7, Livingston 4, Clark 2, Keighran 2, T Morris, Buglisi, Apted, Gray-McIntosh, Purcell) |
| Round 21 | 23/08/1981 | Riverview Park | Lismore | 6.23.59 | Southport | 20.19.139 | (Best: Short, Livingston, Brown, Baker, Tribolet, Ryan) (Boyce 8, Brown 2, Apted 2, Gray-McIntosh 2, Keighran 2, Short 2, Davis, Walsh) |
| First Semi | 30/08/1981 | Salk Oval | PBC | 28.15.183 | Surfers | 13.16.94 | |
| Reserves | Broadbeach | 16.11.107 | Labrador | 11.8.74 | |||
| Colts | Burleigh | 11.10.76 | Surfers | 6.15.51 | |||
| Second Semi | 6/09/1981 | Len Peak Oval | Southport | 13.8.86 | Coolangatta | 16.23.119 | (Best: Stewart, Short, McMahon, Davis, Simpson, Ryan) (Keighran 3, McGuane 2, Boyce 2, Apted, Clark, Purcell, Ryan, T Morris, Short) |
| Reserves | Southport | 27.16.178 | Coolangatta | 7.11.53 | (Best: Devlin, Davidson, Lowe, Evans, Walsh, W Morris) (Devlin 7, Lowe 5, Lord 4, W Morris 3, Daniels 2, Forbes 2, Wells, Walsh, Buglisi, Davidason) |
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| Colts | Southport | 9.10.64 | Broadbeach | 14.16.100 | (Best: Reid, Pescud, Pearson, Teveluwe) (Hodge 2, Burnett 2, Reid, Ambrose, T Peterson, Teveluwe, W Peterson) |
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| Prelim Final | 13/09/1981 | Merrimac | Southport | 15.6.96 | PBC | 9.12.66 | (Best: Brown, Daniels, McMahon, Boyce, Ryan, Davis) (Boyce 4, Keighran 3, McGuane 3, Davis, Short, Purcell, Daniels, Livingston) |
| Reserves | Broadbeach | 16.21.117 | Coolangatta | 11.7.73 | |||
| Colts | Southport | 10.8.68 | Burleigh | 9.10.64 | (Best: W Peterson, Curtis, M Bradley, Little, S Bradley) (Hodge 3, S Bradley 2, Pearson, Robinson, Ambrose, W Peterson, Little) |
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| Grand Final | 20/09/1981 | Salk Oval | Southport | 13.9.87 | Coolangatta | 20.17.137 | (Best: Tribolet, Stewart, Livingston, McGuane, McMahon, Purcell) (Boyce 4, Purcell 3, Tribolet 3, McGuane, Livingston, Clark) |
| Reserves | Southport | 16.14.110 | Broadbeach | 13.10.88 | (Best: Walsh, Burns, Evans, Forbes, W Morris, T Morris) (T Morris 5, Walsh 3, Gray-McIntosh 3, Devlin 2, Lord, Lowe, Buglisi) |
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| Colts | Broadbeach | 10.16.76 | Southport | 6.11.47 | (Best: Curtis, W Peterson, Reid, Robinson, M Bradley) (Hodge 2, Pearson, Ambrose, Little, Quigley) |
