When Ballarat Miners slayed Melbourne Tigers - 25 years on
This is the night, August 16, 1989, when Ballarat Miners defeated National Basketball League powerhouse Melbourne Tigers by six points for the Victorian Basketball Association championship. Video by Melanie Whelan, Adam Trafford and Jordan Avery
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00:00Hello and welcome to Elbert Park Station.
00:29Welcome to Elbert Park Stadium. I'm Glenn Driscoll.
00:31We have got one big match coming up for you in just a moment.
00:34A history-making match. It's the first time ever a country basketball team has made the Victorian Basketball Association's Grand Final.
00:40And the Hames Heritage Ballet and Minors have done just that.
00:43They're going in the underdog of course because they're playing the national side, the Melbourne Tigers.
00:47Lindsay Gaze's Tigers. It's going to be one hell of a game.
00:50And we're going to bring you the action right now.
00:52There's no doubt we're all wound up a fair bit and stuff like that.
00:55It did take us a while to sort of get going, so definitely the nerves played a little part in it.
01:01But having the hometown support and the amount of people that we had there that night was just fantastic.
01:06Elbert Park wouldn't have held a thousand people seated.
01:25And so we ensured that we got there early because there was really unreserved seating.
01:30So we dominated the court at the old Elbert Park Stadium.
01:35And I think anyone else who was there, apart from those directly associated with Melbourne, wanted Ballet to win anyway.
01:41Because primarily we were the underdog.
01:45And in those contests, everyone's looking, A, for a close contest, but then perhaps for an upset.
01:52And it was something that we never dreamt of, was reaching a final against one of the top NBL teams.
02:00We were probably 40-point underdogs by everyone else's account except ours.
02:05And we had some confidence that we'd get pretty close to Melbourne.
02:18Of course, people like Eric Cooks were instrumental.
02:21And everyone in Australia found it very hard to guard and to stop Cooks.
02:26Indeed, on that night of the grand final against Melbourne, he had, I think, 34 points.
02:30And as well as that, of course, Andrew, who was averaging about 38 points a week in the National League.
02:37And I think we kept him to 35 that night.
02:40So he was, of course, the prolific scorer in both the National and the VBA leagues.
02:47Straight on Ballarat's defense.
02:49Their little men have got to have to scrap, ferret out the ball for them.
02:57Now this has got to be one of the rare times, though, in a basketball game where the Melbourne Tigers are really...
03:03This is not, you can't say this is their home court.
03:06We've got more Ballarat minor supporters here than Melbourne Tigers.
03:10Tight ballgame, a minute 12 to go.
03:12Unbelievable. Come on, Miners, you can do it.
03:14Anthony Hodgson with the ball, looking around for moves. Gilbert makes it.
03:17Hodgson goes for three. Go in, go in, go in. It does! It does!
03:21Anthony Hodgson, baby, is delivering the good.
03:24It was loud, deafening, actually.
03:27And as Dennis said, I mean, Albert Park would be lucky to hold that many people.
03:31But they had seats at one end of the court, but at the other end of the court they had seating also,
03:37which was at first to Albert Park, I suppose, and just standing room as well.
03:41So it was sort of fairly daunting going up and down the court with that many people.
03:46It's in! It's in!
03:48Two points, 33 seconds remain.
03:50They must, Melbourne Tigers must get a three-point basket.
03:53They've just got to keep the three-point basket away.
03:56This is unbelievable.
03:58This is too good.
04:00Puts the stuff, Gase has got it.
04:02Keep Bailey out, keep him out.
04:04It's no good!
04:05It's out of play, 17 seconds remain. Miners by three, 101 to 98.
04:09In this situation, they go and double their two, their three-point shooters,
04:12who are Dave Colbert, Andrew Gase, and Eric Bailey.
04:16The one guy who can give the three-point shot attempt to,
04:19maybe the two guys, is definitely Warren Giddy and David Simmons.
04:23So you'd have that defender, those two defenders, and the guarding man,
04:26they can leave their man, give up the two-point field goal,
04:29but go and double-team with excellent style on the big-time shooters.
04:33Let's listen to Al Westbrook's time-out.
04:39Go on, Dave! Go on, Dave! Go on, Dave! Go on, Dave! Go on, Dave!
04:47It was a team, and we did work hard together,
04:50and we did a lot of hard work to get where we did,
04:52and to get the results that we had.
04:54We just had a will to win.
04:56We just had those sort of teams in those early years
04:59that just didn't give up and just wanted to win games,
05:02and I think that night showed the will to win by our guys.
05:08And I'll tell you, they've earned this win.
05:10They've outplayed them tonight. I think they deserve the ball game.
05:13Now's not the time to be gambling.
05:15Lindsey Gates has got coins on the floor.
05:17I want to say this, though.
05:19Alan Westover has taken up the job.
05:21I don't mind batting back. It's the job of Brian over here.
05:23Brian Gordon has started.
05:25But what a great basketball community Ballarat has shown itself to be.
05:29And regardless of the outcome of this game,
05:31which Ballarat has a very great opportunity of taking out the first state title,
05:36what a great effort on their part.
05:38Well, here we go, 17 seconds left.
05:41Minus by three, 101 to 98.
05:43No threes.
05:44Keep Bailey out. Keep him out.
05:45Hands up. Come on, guys.
05:46No threes.
05:47Going double. Going double.
05:49Gates shoots.
05:51Doesn't make it. Rebound required.
05:53Colvin pulls it down.
05:54It's the ball game.
05:56Four seconds to go.
05:57Three, two, one.
06:00Ballarat.
06:01Ballarat.
06:02Ballarat.
06:03Ballarat.
06:04Oh, my.
06:05They're on the ground.
06:07Oh, my.
06:08Divider spin.
06:09Final, 101 to 98.
06:11Unbelievable.
06:12Look at the speed.
06:13Look at the speed.
06:14Oh, my.
06:15Oh, my.
06:16Oh, my.
06:17Oh, my.
06:18Oh, my.
06:19Oh, my.
06:20Oh, my.
06:21Oh, my.
06:22Oh, my.
06:23Oh, my.
06:24Oh, my.
06:25Oh, my.
06:26Oh, my.
06:27Oh, my.
06:28Oh, my.
06:29They've earned it, and I am so happy for this ball club.
06:33♪♪♪
06:55Congratulations to the Ballarat Miners.
06:57The 1989 Victorian State Champions.
07:00And once again, we see this incredible sight on the court.
07:03Final score is Ballarat Miners, 104 to the Melbourne Tigers, 99.
07:08Beautiful, Brian.
07:09Beautiful.
07:10Well, it's a dream come true, Al.
07:12It's ours.
07:13It is a dream come true, Glenn, and it's just an unbelievable feeling.
07:17Unbelievable.
07:18I said to the guys before the game, I said,
07:20Melbourne's been around for a long time.
07:22I said, they've had their time in the sun, and now it's our time.
07:25The Miners' time to shine, and it's very bright right now.
07:29We'll be wearing sunglasses for some time.
07:31It's a great feeling.
07:33♪♪♪