Good god, it’s a priest
It’s 45 years since Palm Beach Currumbin had three teams in grand finals. TOM BOSWELL chats with Hall of Fame member Kelvin Mills about the memorable feat ... and an unlikely opponent.
KELVIN Mills vividly recalls the moment he was floored by a priest in a Gold Coast Australian Football League grand final regarded as the toughest and dirtiest of his generation.
Mills was playing centre half-back for Palm Beach Currumbin between short stints in the ruck in the 1973 GCAFL grand final against Southport when he was sent to the turf by a leading elbow at Salk Oval.
“I stood up and the fellow standing over me was the Southport ruckman, Father John Hill,” Mills said.
“I didn’t know whether to bless him or punch him. That was just the game.
“You have to win the grand final and it was one of the toughest games I’d played in and others were saying it was one of the most brutal, toughest and dirtiest games they had seen.”
Palm Beach Currumbin won the seniors, reserves and colts premierships that year and the Lions have their first chance to do it again 45 years later when they take to Leyshon Park in Yeronga on Saturday.
Mills, an AFLQ Hall of Fame member who lives at Kirra, met the club’s current QAFL senior players at Salk Oval last night in the hope of inspiring them to a second straight premiership.
The 69-year-old won a Grogan Medal in 1970 while playing for Kedron and represented Queensland several times but he said his only senior premiership was the highlight of his career.
“Winning individual honours is terrific but when I played for Queensland you are an individual representing the state,” Mills said.
“Coming together as mates in club football is what it is all about.”
Mills played his junior career at Kedron and played in a number of losing senior grand finals but a dispute with the club about player payments led to his defection to Palm Beach Currumbin midway through the 1973 season.
Palm Beach Currumbin lost the 1974 grand final while work commitments meant Mills was unable to play fulltime throughout 1975 and beyond.
Current club president Anne Cornish said it was special to have all three senior sides in grand finals again.
“It is unbelievable,” Cornish said. “I’m so proud and the buzz around Palm Beach over the last few days has been growing.
“Even walking around the supermarket people are yelling out ‘Go Palmy’. The community spirit is great.”
The club will play the Broadbeach Cats in both the senior and reserves grand finals while the colts will play the Western Magpies in the premiership decider.
Palm Beach Currumbin have four buses ready to take a combined 200 supporters to the grand final from the club on Saturday while Cornish expects many more fans to make their own way to Brisbane to cheer on the club.
Palm Beach Currumbin will host a supporters night tomorrow when followers can watch the team train for the last time while enjoying food and drinks.