NOTE: This story was originally published on July 6, 2022. The game originally set down for July 9 has been rescheduled to August 13 due to the torrential rain that week.
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The Goannas wore their life member jerseys in their July 16 game. The Old Boys Day and 1972 reunion will go ahead against Maitland on August 13. Fixtures include under-19s at 12.15pm, reserve grade at 1.30pm and first grade at 3pm.
ORIGINAL REPORT: July 6, 2022, 12am
The Cessnock Goannas will have some extra inspiration when they take on Coalfields rivals Maitland this Saturday.
Members of the Goannas' 1972 premiership-winning side will be in the stands to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their famous victory over the Pumpkin Pickers.
The team was led by captain-coach Norm Henderson, who came to the club from St George that season.
Henderson is said to have sought out the steepest hill in town when he arrived, and put the Goannas through their paces on Convent Hill at every training session.
"We used to jog from the sportsground (in Darwin Street), do three-to-five laps of the steps, and jog back to the ground," Dennis Moore recalled.
Moore was among the former players and committee members who met at Convent Hill for the above photo last week. They recalled the intense rivalry with Maitland, and the town pride that was displayed in the lead-up to the big day.
The Pumpkin Pickers - as they were known back then - were the defending premiers, while it had been 12 years since Cessnock had last lifted the trophy.
"We were the underdogs. We weren't expected to win. They (Maitland) were a crash-hot side, coached by Terry Pannowitz," second-rower Doug Clark said.
In the week leading up the grand final, the whole town got behind the Goannas, with shops decked out in black and gold. A street parade was held on the Thursday night, with The Hi-Fi's performing Don't Knock the Nocks.
The atmosphere on the day was electric, with a crowd of more than 24,000 packing into Newcastle's No 1 Sportsground.
"It was like the Colosseum - they were even up in the trees," front-rower David White recalled.
Cessnock emerged victorious with an 18-10 win over Maitland, with Rod Sneesby scoring a double and Michael Goldman kicking six goals.
Phil Baird - who was the rugby league club's secretary at the time - said it was a great year not just for the Goannas, but for the town itself.
"When Cessnock won the 1972 grand final it was not just the winning of the Newcastle Rugby League Premiership, it was the re-emergence of the great city of Cessnock as a wonderful place to live," Baird said.
"During the late fifties and sixties the majority of coal mines in the area had closed, throwing thousands of mine workers out of a job.
"While some were able to secure other employment at the BHP in Newcastle, many others were forced to relocate to mines on the South Coast, the popular opinion being that Cessnock was destined to become a ghost town.
"Then in 1971, into town came Norm Henderson and finally Cessnock's population had something exciting to think about.
"Gradually Henderson, a product of the St George club in Sydney, began to mould a group consisting of mainly young local juniors into a force to be reckoned with.
"One by one they proceeded to gain in confidence as they scored victories over their more fancied rivals, and as they did so the population of the town gathered behind them, establishing each of the youngsters into a household name.
"Record crowds soon filled the grounds wherever Cessnock played which allowed the local club to match it with the teams supported by licensed club backing.
"As the season unfolded the local team kept winning its share of matches which resulted in it becoming joint minor premiers with their arch rivals Maitland.
"It is history now that the mighty Goannas went on to win the grand final before a record crowd of over 24,000 spectators, 18 points to 10, and in doing so created a great sense of pride in the whole of the Cessnock district.
"It proved that Cessnock was no more to be considered as a so-called ghost town but a town that when the chips are down is able to rise again to be considered equal to the very best."
The club looks forward to reminiscing about this famous win, and many others, at Cessnock Sportsground on Saturday, which is Old Boys' Day and Life Members' Day.
All four Cessnock teams will wear a 1972 replica strip, which includes the name of every Cessnock Goannas life member. The 1972 team will present the first grade side with their jerseys.
A function will follow at Cessnock Leagues Club on Saturday evening.
Under-19s at 12.15pm, reserve grade at 1.30pm and first grade at 3pm. The Ladies League Tag fixture has been cancelled.
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Krystal Sellars
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
