1951-Ainslie First Grade Team

The First Grade Competition consisted of 6 teams, Ainslie, Eastlake, Manuka, Queanbeyan, RMC and Turner.

New players to Ainslie included Alan Ray, John Zuraczek, Laurie Smith, Bill Love and Barry McCabe.

Ainslie finished in fifth position with 6 wins and 9 losses, three games out of the top four.

The Ainslie First Grade team for the last round of the Home and Away Season was:

• Cleary
• Ray
• Keogh
• T Moore
• Boorn
• Birch
• Perryman
• Cain
• Robertson
• Pillage
• Backen
• K Moore
• Murphy
• Platt
• Zuraczek
• Whatman
• Griffiths
• McCabe
• Love
• Daniels.

Leading goal kickers for Ainslie were Smith 26, Zuraczek 26 and Backen 23.

Barry McCabe, the Ainslie centreman, won the Mulrooney Medal in a tie with Eastlake’s Ern Hurtig.

Before a crowd of 1500 at Manuka Oval the Royal Military College defeated Manuka by 15 points in the 1951 Grand Final, 14.14-98 to 12.11-83.

Ainslie celebrated the beginning of its 25th year holding a celebration in April in the Ainslie Hall.

Ainslie also moved to the new home ground of Ainslie Oval. Their old ground Northbourne Oval although enclosed was away from their growing population in the Ainslie district north of the city.

Ainslie Oval was not enclosed and had no Club rooms.

Work on the new Club rooms commenced on 29 October 1951 using a group of enthusiastic volunteers from the Club under the guidance of Harry Gaylard. Work was carried out on weekends for the next 58 weeks and the Clubrooms were completed 6 December 1952. The official opening took place on 13 December 1952.

The Second Grade Competition consisted of 8 teams, Acton, Ainslie, Eastlake, Manuka, Queanbeyan, RMC 1, RMC 2 and Turner. Ainslie finished the home and away season in third position with 7 wins and 6 losses.

Ainslie defeated Manuka in the First Semi-Final by 12 points.

• Goal kickers: Trembearth 3, Jones 2, Perryman 1, Bloomfield 1, Marryat 1, Thompson 1
• Best: Murphy, Jones, Trembearth, Bloomfield

Ainslie Second Grade played in the Preliminary Final against RMC but were defeated to finish in third place.

• Final score: Ainslie 11.5-71 def by RMC 17.12-114
• Goal kickers for Ainslie: Trembearth 2, Thompson 2, Jones 2, Bloomfield 2, Meeking 2, Southwell 1
• Best: Trembearth, Pillage, Marriott, Keegan, Griffiths

The Ainslie Second Grade team for the Preliminary Final was:

• N Murphy (Capt.)
• O Murphy
• Keegan
• McIntyre
• Love
• Southwell
• Keogh
• Foskett
• Griffiths
• Pillage
• Marryat
• Perryman
• Bloomfield
• Healy
• Jones
• Thompson
• Trembearth
• Daniels
• Carey
• Meeking
• Graham.

Acton won the Second Grade Premiership defeating RMC 6.9-45 to 4.12-36.

W Pillage was third in the League’s Best & Fairest in the Second Grade Competition.

Ainslie defeated Eastlake in the Preliminary Final to go through to the Grand Final against Queanbeyan.

• Final score: Ainslie 10.11-71 def Eastlake 6.6-42
• Goal kickers for Ainslie: James 3, Lawson 2, Keogh 2, Percival 1, Mulligan 1, Hawke 1
• Best: James, Browning, Lawson, Keogh

Ainslie played Queanbeyan in the Intermediate Grade Grand Final. For the fourth time in 4 years Queanbeyan defeated Ainslie by less than a goal in the Grand Final of this grade.

• Final score: Ainslie 6.11-47 def by Queanbeyan 7.8-50.
• Goal kickers for Ainslie: Mulligan 2, James 2, Browning 1, Hawke 1.
• Best: James, Browning, Hawke, Keogh, Sloan, Lawson

The Ainslie Juniors played Eastlake in the Grand Final but were defeated by 1 point.

• Final score: Ainslie 9.7-61 def by Eastlake 9.8-62
• Goal kickers for Ainslie:  Loftus 3, O’Brien 2, Hincksman 2, Cowie 1, Wilson 1
• Best:  Butt, Loftus, Wilson, Cowie

John Loftus won the Best & Fairest in the League’s Junior Grade.

The Ainslie Midgets won the Premiership by defeating Eastlake in the Grand Final:

• Final score: Ainslie 8.7-55 def Eastlake 0.1-1
• Goal kickers for Ainslie: Davies 2, Hatcher 2, Howe 2, Martin 1, Robbins 1
• Best:  Reid, McDonald, Robins, Howe, Kelly

• Best & Fairest: Barry McCabe

• President: Ralph Lewis
• Committee:  Tom Moore, DE Ross, N Cleary, R Woolcott, R Boorn, Bruce Whatman, A Bennett, S Rhodes, B Cain
• Secretary: D Kruger
• Ass Secretary: J Cleary
• Publicity Officer: J Meeking
• League Delegates: H Gaylard, S Ray, T Moore
• First Grade Coach: Lionel James, Snr
• First Grade Captain: Bruce Whatman
• First Grade Manager: D Kruger
• Second Grade Manager: A Bennett
• Juniors: H Loftus
• Sub Juniors: D Platt
• Midgets: Stan Atkinson