1968 A CLEAN SWEEP

It was the year of Hakoah Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) in 1968 when the club achieved a clean sweep, winning every trophy on offer when there was more to be won than at any other time. It was an incredibly strong performance that has never been equalled when Hakoah won the Ampol Cup (v St George 1-0), Intercity Ampol Cup (v Melbourne Croatia 3-2), NSW Premiership (by two points from Pan Hellenic), Grand Final (v Pan Hellenic 4-2) and Australia Cup (v Melbourne Hakoah 3-0 & 3-1). The team was coached by Doug Holden (ex-Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End & England) and included Allan Marnoch, Ray Baartz, Willie Rutherford, Robbie Fekete, Ian Hillsdon, Dennis Yaager and goalkeeper Peter Fuzes. A significant addition to the Hakoah squad was John Watkiss, acquired from APIA Leichardt for an Australian record transfer fee.

Hakoah captain Allan Marnoch with the Grand Final trophy in 1968

John Watkiss (left) in imperious form for APIA

Hakoah’s closest rivals throughout the season were Pan Hellenic who could never quite bridge the gap. I remember watching their top of the table premiership clash at Wentworth Park in front of an expectant crowd of more than 20,000 when Pan Hellenic fielded highly rated Greek international Takis Loukanidis. The crunch moment came when Pan Hellenic were awarded a penalty and Loukanidis stepped forward to take the kick, feinting as if to be re-positioning the ball before toe-poking it straight into the hands of Hakoah keeper Peter Fuzes! The match ended 0-0. 

Willie Rutherford on the ball for Hakoah against Pan Hellenic in the 1968 Grand Final

The Australia Cup was an early attempt to create a form of national club competition but after Hakoah’s win in 1968, it was never contested again. St George suffered an inexplicable loss of form after their successes in 1967 and finished second last in the 1968 premiership. Yet the season had opened with promise when St George met Hakoah in the pre-season Ampol Cup final, Hakoah winning by the only goal after St George missed a penalty. It was another penalty saved by Hakoah’s Peter Fuzes, this time from St George’s Tibor Zuckerman who had never previously missed a spot kick!

Hakoah goalkeeper Peter Fuzes

Visitors to Australia that year were Welsh club Cardiff City who played in the English second division. By virtue of winning the Welsh Cup in 1976, they qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup and performed with distinction to make the semi-finals in 1967-68. They played several matches in Australia including two against NSW, resulting in a 1-1 draw and 3-1 Cardiff win. Coached by Joe Venglos (Sydney Prague), the NSW side included several Australian international players and both goals were scored by Brian Smith of the Pan Hellenic club.

Official program NSW v Cardiff City 1968

Manfred Schaefer (dark shorts) clears the ball for NSW against Cardiff City in the 1-1 draw at the Sydney Showground

On the full international scene, Australia played a three match series at home against Japan. Australia approached the games with optimism after lifting the Saigon tournament trophy the previous year but ultimately had to settle for a drawn series against Japan with one win apiece and a draw. The Japan side had used the matches as preparation for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City where they would go on to win the bronze medal in a noteworthy performance.