THE year 1981 was memorable for many things.

On the world stage, Prince Charles wed Lady Diana Spencer, Pope John Paul II and US president Ronald Reagan survived assassination attempts, at home Trevor Chappell sent down the infamous underarm delivery at the MCG and at the same venue Carlton inflicted more VFL grand final pain on Collingwood.

In the Ovens and Murray Football League that year, one of the most famous form reversals in a finals series took place when Wodonga downed Albury in the grand final after losing the second semi-final a fortnight earlier by 92 points.

The Bulldogs and Tigers started September with one victory apiece against each other, Wodonga winning a shoot-out at the Albury Sportsground 22.22 to 21.13 (David Turner booted seven goals for Wodonga and Jay McNeil kicked 11 for Albury) before the Tigers turned the tables at Martin Park in the wet to bring the Bulldogs’ 13-match winning streak to an end.

David McLeish became coach of Wodonga in 1981 when he joined the Bulldogs after a 213-match career with South Melbourne highlighted by playing alongside triple Brownlow medallist Bob Skilton in his only finals match in front of 104,000 people at the MCG.

Tom Doolan had replaced O and M Hall Of Famer Jack Clancy at the helm at Tigerland and Albury claimed its 14th successive victory by trouncing Wodonga in the second semi-final by more than 15 goals.

Everything the Tigers touched turned to gold: Trevor Leslie starred in the ruck, Doolan plucked 10 marks and kicked five goals from centre half-forward, Peter Cross was a star and the half-back line of Terry Cross, Rod Coelli, who won the Morris Medal in ‘81, and Mark Ryan was impassable.

But none were better than 21-year-old rover Brian Dickenson who collected 23 kicks and booted six goals.

Drastic times required drastic measures and the Bulldogs reacted savagely to the crushing loss.

Wodonga finished the home and away season as minor premiers, but was exposed for a lack of pace once one of the wettest winters in recent times had dried up.

Seven changes were made for the preliminary final against Wangaratta Rovers.

Six players — Neil Brown, David Elkington, Frank Kennedy, three-time best and fairest winner Jim Britton, Danny Murphy and Steve Hedley — were dropped and Greg Wheeler was forced out through injury.

The replacements included Robert Groat, Craig Walsh, Brian Campbell, Tim Marks and Craig Godde as the Bulldogs searched for speed with senior regulars Bob Craig and David Wortmann also back from injury.

McLeish had also just returned on the eve of the finals from a broken leg as the Bulldogs scraped past the Hawks in the preliminary final by 18 points.

Two changes were required for the grand final after half-back flanker Rob Elkington and Godde were injured in the preliminary final.

They were replaced by Wheeler and Hedley.

At Tigerland, Doolan’s hands were tied.

He couldn’t justify making any changes to a team that won so comprehensively in the second semi-final and didn’t even though Wodonga’s side had taken on a different look since they last met.

Albury and Wodonga had met only once previously in a grand final in 1939 when the Doug Strang-coached Tigers beat Wodonga coached by his brother, Gordon, in one of the most famous O and M deciders.

The 1981 grand final was played at Lavington and Wodonga made the early running to lead by 12 points at quarter time.

Wodonga’s pre-match planning was coming to the fore: Wortmann was on the way to shutting down the Tigers’ second semi-final hero Dickenson, Wayne Pendergast had McNeil under wraps, Evan Connick likewise opposed to David Doolan, and teenager Brett Allen was more than matching Leslie in the ruck.

The Bulldogs also loaded up on height and talent in the forward line with Peter Sharp, Peter Ohlin and teenagers Walsh and Turner, who booted his fifth goal late in the third term to give Wodonga a seemingly matchwinning 30-point lead at the last change.

But Albury mounted a final-term comeback and closed to 12 points as full-forward Daryl Bakes kicked his sixth goal for the match.

Wodonga had to find a way to stop the rot and Walsh provided the solution when he was sent to the back line onto Bakes and responded by dragging in four towering marks to break the Tigers’ hearts.

Hedley made the most of his call up for the grand final by collecting 20 possessions in the second half.

A seventh goal to Turner, whose father Milton had played for Albury, was the sealer for a famous Wodonga premiership.

The Bulldogs also created history in 1981 by becoming the first team to win seniors, reserves and thirds grand finals and has repeated the feat twice in 1987 and 2004.

Among the first to congratulate rookie coach McLeish on his success was former South Melbourne teammate Barry Round, who two nights later would tie with Fitzroy superboot Bernie Quinlan in the Brownlow Medal.

McLeish played in the Bulldogs’ narrow loss to North Albury in the 1984 grand final before ending his career in 1987 as a member of Wodonga’s flag winning side under Jeff Gieschen.

The 1981 season was the first of three successive grand final appearances under Doolan for the Tigers with a flag the next year sandwiched by more grand final heartburn in 1983.

Paul Spargo, who was dropped by Doolan for the 1983 grand final, has the responsibility of ensuring there is no repeat of the ’81 turnaround for Albury tomorrow.