30 years on: looking at past U17 NSW success
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By Rod Gillett
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The Allies’ win at this year’s national championships begs the question: when did NSW last win a championship given that the Allies, made up under 18 players from NSW, ACT, Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, had not previously won a title?
The answer is 1993. And a stunning number of eight players from that team were drafted by AFL clubs.
“There were some kids that could play in that team,” 1993 skipper Brad Seymour told me over the phone on his way home from work on board a ferry in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
“We had such great talent and were well prepared for the challenge against the other states.
“Huey (coach Greg Harris) and Ted Ray (manager) created the environment for us to focus on football. Plus we had great support from Russell Campbell, Brett Allen and TT (Tony Turner), all of whom were champion in players in the Riverina, so they were highly respected by us boys,” Brad said.
Brad also played in the 1991 and 1992 campaigns that had seen under-perform.
“I think the biggest contributing factor to our success in 1993 was that we all enjoyed each other’s company and we played for each other. We were all proud to represent our state,” he added before disembarking at Rose Bay.
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The following squad represented NSW at the 1993 Commonwealth Bank (Teal) Cup Under 17 National Championships in Adelaide, from 3- 11 July.
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1993 Commonwealth Bank (Teal) Cup Under 17 National Championships: NSW Squad
Brad Seymour (Wagga Tigers) Captain
Phillip Maunder (North Albury) Vice-captain
Leo Barry (Deniliquin)
Justin Crawford (Tocumwal)
Mathew Gilmour (Tocumwal)
Dean McGee (Berrigan)
Nick Carroll (Ganmain G.G.M)
Damian Lang (Leeton)
Ashley Thompson (Nyah Nyah West)
Dion Myles (Baulkham Hills)
Darren Cook (Wagga Tigers)
Steven Carter (Lockhart)
Nathan Graetz (East Wagga Kooringal)
Steven Henley (Ungarie)
Matthew Daniel (Finley)
Tony Trevaskis (North Albury)
Peter Mongta (Mallacoota)
Paul Nugent (Wodonga)
Shane Morrison (Wentworth)
Matthew Parker (St. Ives)
Matthew Salisbury (Scots College Albury)
Jason Wild (Collingullie)
Stefan Carey (Pennant Hills)
Matthew Fowler (Albury)
Mark Mooney (Turvey Park)
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Division 2 NSW results
New South Wales v Australian Capital Territory at Woodville Oval 3 July 1993
NSW 17-17 ( 119) d ACT 5-2 (32)
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Best: Thompson, Barry, Crawford, Henley, Maunder, Wild, Carey, Seymour.
Goals: Not supplied
New South Wales v Queensland at Prospect Oval 5 July 1993
NSW 22.9.141 d Queensland 3.9.27
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Best: McGee, Cook, Crawford, Seymour, Salisbury, Lang, Gilmour.
Goals: Lang 6, Myles 3, Cook 3, Parker 3, McGee 2, Daniel 2, Mongta 2, Fowler 2, Seymour 2, Crawford, Carroll, Trevaskis, Mooney, Maunder.
New South Wales v Tasmania at Woodville Oval 6 July 1993
NSW 16.6.102 d Tasmania 3.6.24
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Best: Carey, Graetz, Maunder, Myles, Crawford, Seymour.
Goals: Lang 5, Fowler 5, Wild 3, Maunder 3, Carey 2, Berry, Crawford, Seymour.
New South Wales v Northern Territory 8 July 1993 at Woodville Oval
NSW 30.19.199 d NT 4.2.22
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Goals: Lang 6, Myles 3, Cook 3, Parker 3. McGee 2, Daniel 2, Mongta 2, Fowler 2, Seymour, Crawford, Carroll, Trevaskis, Mooney, Maunder.
Best : Seymour, Parker, Wild, Mooney, Trevaskis, Fowler, Barry, Henley.
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Because the NSW team won Division 2 (the Teal Shield), they had the right to play off against the bottom team in Division 1 to enter Division 1 in 1994. That team was Victoria Country.
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New South Wales v Victoria Country at Glenelg Oval 10 July 1993
NSW 14.11.95 d Vic Country 11.7.73
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Goals: Parker 3, Lang 3, Carey 2, Daniel 2, Fowler, Crawford, McGee, Maunder.
Best: Thompson, Seymour, Cook, Crawford, Carey, Henley, Parker.
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Brad Seymour, Damian Lang, and Stefan Carey were selected in the All Australian team while Greg Harris was named as Assistant Coach.
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The perfect season
It also is worth noting that in the lead-up games to the championships NSW defeated Victorian TAC teams the Murray Bushrangers, Gippsland Power and the Bendigo Pioneers as well as a Riverina Under 19 team. NSW went through the season unbeaten.
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NSW 1993 draftees
Today’s Allies may take heart to see that success at the national carnival (then Teal Cup) means a large draft contingent – eight in total from 1993.
The following players were drafted in 1993:
- – Brad Seymour (Sydney Swans)
- – Damian Lang (Swans/Carlton)
- – Stefan Carey (Sydney Swans/Brisbane)
- – Dion Myles (Sydney Swans)
- – Jason Wild (Collingwood)
- – Ashley Thompson (Sydney Swans)
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These players from the 1993 NSW side were drafted in 1994:
- – Leo Barry (Sydney Swans)
- – Justin Crawford (Swans/Hawthorn)
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1994 campaign
The logical question is, how did NSW go in 1994?
They performed exceptionally well. The side’s foray into Division 1 saw them come runner-up in the carnival which was held in WA.
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Is Huey Harris the best Sydney-based coach?
His CV would suggest that Greg “Huey” Harris is arguably the best coach we’ve ever seen in Sydney.
A Kogarah High School product he coached East Sydney to three flags in a row (1981-83), coached the Sydney Swans Under 19s from 1988-92, as well as NSW senior teams.
He was the architect behind NSW’s historic victory over the VFA (now VFL) in 1987 and success in the State of Origin carnival in Adelaide when the Sky Blues beat WA and went within ten points of beating eventual winner SA.
Additionally, he was Ron Barassi’s chairman of selectors at the Swans, then Rodney Eade’s right-hand man in the 1996 AFL grand Final.
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