The logical follow up to the piece I wrote about Australia’s greatest sporting debuts, is Australia’s greatest farewell performances.
Fred Fanning
Melbourne missed the playoffs in 1947, a rarity in those days, but finished the season with a bang! The Demons walloped St Kilda by 93 points in the last game of the season. Star forward Fred Fanning kicked a VFL/AFL record 18 goals!
In a performance that the great Norm Smith described as the “greatest piece of full forward play I have ever seen,” Fanning achieved the feat from only 20 kicks.
He slotted four goals in the first quarter, seven in the second, three in the third and four in the last. At one stage he slotted 13 straight before hitting the post.
Fanning finished the season with 97 goals, still a Melbourne record. He had kicked 10 goals against the Saints earlier in the season and 10 goals in the penultimate game of the season too.
In 1948 Fanning accepted 20 pounds, Melbourne were paying him three, to join the Hamilton Football Club in the Western District Football League.
Fanning held the Western District record for most goals in a game by kicking 22 against Heywood in 1949.
An honourable mention goes to Michael Tuck who won his seventh premiership with Hawthorn in 1991 in his record 426th and final game.
Greg Chappell
In his last Test for Australia in 1984, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Greg Chappell made 182 against Pakistan. His innings set up a 10-wicket victory and saw Chappell become Australia’s all-time leading run maker, passing Sir Donald Bradman.
On a slow pitch Chappell faced 400 balls and struck 17 fours.
An honourable mention to Anthony Stuart who took 5/26, including a hat-trick, against the same opponent in his last one day international at the MCG in 1997. Unlike Chappell though, Stuart didn’t retire, he just wasn’t selected again.
John Eales
John Eales is by far and away the Wallabies’ greatest captain. In 55 Tests he won 41 times, which is a more than 20% improvement on the historical average.
What’s more he won a two World Cups, tamed the Lions and in his last Test in Sydney in 2001 completed a rare whitewash in a Bledisloe Cup series. Down 26-22, with barley minutes left, Toutai Kefu barged over for a try to send Eales off a winner.
Eales last game for Australia was typically busy, skillful, smart and gusty.
Royce Simmons
Norm Provan (St George 1965), Ray Price and Mick Cronin (Parramatta 1986), Steve Mortimer (Canterbury 1988), Mal Meninga (Canberra 1994), Glenn Lazarus (Melbourne 1999) and Shane Webcke (Broncos 2006) are just some of the most notable players to have won a NSWRL/NRL premiership in their last game, but has anybody’s last game been as dramatic as Royce Simmons in 1991?
Simmons produced a man of the match performance and scored two tries, including the clincher in the final minutes to win the Panthers their first ever premiership against the highly fancied Canberra Raiders.
Bradley Clyde officially won the Clive Churchill medal, but there is no doubt that the 235-game veteran Simmons was the star on that sunny afternoon at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The Panthers won all 11 games that Simmons played during his last season.
Makybe Diva
In 2005 the great mare became the first and so far only horse to win the Melbourne Cup three times. Who could ever forget that storming finish from near the back of the field to first over the final 300 meters?
The Diva was actually in doubt to start the race because of unsuitable track conditions. Additionally the Diva carried 58 kg, 2 kg above the standard weight-for-age scale, which was her personal weight record.
The last horse to carry more than weight-for-age and win was Rain Lover, who was one kg over when he won his second cup in 1969, with 60.5 kg.
Rotuma Island
Guest
oh man i wish to go back to those golden Wallaby years.....we always look forward to the games knowing that with Gregan, Larkham, Roff, Horan, Herbert, Tune and Burke we were always guaranteed a highly entertaining winning game, the pack back then wasn't spectacular but boy they were very hardworking and they refused to surrender even if they were losing, the 1999-2001 season will always be my favourite Wallaby seasons.
slane
Guest
Harry Kewell is far and away the most popular Aussie soccer player. Thorpey in his heyday would probably equal Dawn Fraser in her day. As it stands olympic athletes only have a small window to cash in on their greatness. I sell well over twice as much Phar Lap memorabilia as Kewell or Thorpey pieces. Black Caviar is a gold mine though.
ciudadmarron
Guest
He said, authoratively. Phar lap currently more popular? By gum. We should have Harry kewell stuffed as well fadida! And thorpey too!
Minz
Guest
Watched that at a 21st... there was some jumping up and down, some screaming and some hugging each other when that go-go gadget arm popped through the All Black wall
Johnno
Guest
Mal Meninga 1994. Big Mal won a NRL title, and a winning roo tour Ashes captain.
Rugby stu
Guest
Shane Webke's in 2006 when the Broncos won the premiership has always been a favourite of mine, he was such a warhorse and a warrior.
slane
Guest
To you maybe. Black Caviar, Phar Lap and Makybe Diva are currently more popular than any Australia soccer players or Olympic athletes.
Adam Julian
Roar Guru
Always enjoy your commentary Sheek! Very informative and engaging.
Sandy B
Guest
toutai kefu's telescopic arm to score the winning try was incredible. I think Eales promised to buy him a beer every day he saw him anytime anywhere!
fadida
Guest
Horses among a list of sportsmen never seems quite right
sheek
Roar Guru
I saw that last test of Chappell's in Sydney in 1984. Quite incredible beginning & ending your test career with a century. In that same match Lillee, in also his last test, took four wickets in each innings. Poor old Lillee laboured for those wickets, including a wicket with his last delivery, but it was a testament to his courage & endurance that he finished on a high. What about Michael Tuck, the Hawthorn legend? Tuck played in seven premiership winning grand final teams, captaining the Hawks in four, the last in 1991 at age 38. What an endurance machine! It wasn't the end of his career, but it was in Australia. Between the 1967 Caulfield Cup & Cox Plate, the mighty galloper Tobin Bronze was sold to a pair of American oil barons. He won all five of his last starts as a five year old, the last three being the Toorak Hcp, Caulfield Cup & Cox Plate. In the Caulfiled Cup he lumped 9st 10lbs (61.5 kgs) to victory, the second highest weight (after Redcraze in 1956) ever carried to victory in the Caulfield Cup. It helped atone for his defeat the previous year (behind Galilee) when odds-on favourite. He then won his second Cox Plate to tumultuous cheers in his very last appearance in Australia. Several weeks later, still not fully aclimatised, he ran an awesome third in the Washigton Laurel International Stakes. Unfortuntely, American racing on dirt tracks didn't really agree with him, winning only 4 of 16 starts over there. At the 1974 Commonwealth Games, Michael Wenden (1968 dual 100/200m freestyle gold medallist) was no longer the speed machine of old & Australian swimming was in the process of being eclipsed by the Canadians. But in Christchurch, Wenden had one big race left in him, winning the gold medal in the 100m freestyle. He was given an appreciative standing ovation by the crowd present. That's a few I can think of for the moment...