Saints' premiership player John Bianco would love to see his home club win another flag.

But it won't happen. He has just months to live.

"I'd already booked my table for this year's 50-year reunion with my partner (Vicki Williamson), it's a bit of a shame that (reunion) won't happen (this year) and I won't be able to attend (another), I'll be under the ground," he said candidly.

The 71-year-old was diagnosed with the rare bile duct cancer in November, 2018.

"I was on chemo until 10 days ago, but now I refuse to take any more because the next step is pretty horrendous, I want a have a bit of quality time for the last (period)," he offered.

"It's not easy when your face your own mortality, but then you realise you can't change it and there's no good worrying about it."

Bianco played only a handful of senior games at Myrtleford, but it almost didn't happen - because of his strict father.

After graduating from university as a teacher, Bianco's first posting was to Meadow Creek.

"On my first day at school, the coach and president of the (nearby) Moyhu footy club came and saw me and asked if I wanted to play with the club," Bianco recalled.

"I wanted to play for the town where I was working, but when I went down to training the first time, there was nobody there. It was the same when I went there the second time.

"I loved my fitness, so I went to Myrtleford training just to get some fitness.

"The captain-coach Martin Cross came up to me at training and said, 'Johnny boy, you haven't put your name down to play Saturday's practice game'."

So Bianco lobbed around 11am.

"Martin said, 'you're early' and I said, 'not really, I'm playing seconds (reserve grade)," Bianco explained.

"He said, 'you're not playing seconds' (Bianco laughs)."

There was just one problem, Bianco was contracted to Moyhu.

"I had to apply for a transfer and I remember I was given an envelope and told I had to give that to the Moyhu president. It was $50, that's all I was bloody worth," he laughed loudly.

"In those days, I used to get $91 a fortnight as a teacher."

But fate and Santo Bianco stepped in.

Bianco was driving his old Morris the 20 minutes from the family home at Myrtleford to Meadow Creek when the car broke down and got bogged.

The kids didn't have a teacher and Bianco didn't have reliable wheels.

"Dad said, 'this is no bloody good, you've got to go and buy a new car, you've got a very important job, here's the cheque book, on the weekend, go into 'Wang' (Wangaratta)," he explained.

"So I bought a brand new Renault 10, but when I got home dad said, 'oh, by the way, do you know you're not allowed to play footy anymore'?

"Dad was a strict Italian, he was in charge of running the family and what he said, went."

But then divine intervention came knocking. Well, sort of.

"My brother was the bank manager and he was good mates with Father Frank Jones and I'm pretty sure Father Jones was on the (Myrtleford) committee," he said.

"So club president Len Ablett and Father Jones came and saw mum (Doris) and dad and mum said, 'listen, I've spoken with Father Jones and and a young fellow needs some sport and an outlet. John's now 21, he's got a good job and he can now legally get a loan, so we're going to pay you your money back for the car and he's going to go back and play footy' (laughs)."

Mum 1, dad 0.

After the disrupted season, Bianco played six games in the reserves, finishing runner-up in the league medal, just three votes behind.

He broke into the team late and played in the frenetic one-point win over Wodonga in the preliminary final, which was just the Bulldogs' second loss.

"Wodonga was the unbeatable side (and the reigning premiers), so we got a lot of confidence out of that," ruckman Graeme Ward said.

The grand final pitted the two teams which had entered the league in 1950.

Wangaratta Rovers had won four premierships, including the first two under legendary ex-Collingwood superstar Bob Rose, while it was the Saints first decider.

And that lack of experience showed as Rovers kicked six goals in the first quarter and held a 17-point lead at three-quarter time.

Myrtleford's hopes of a fairytale first win were teetering.

"I had a visit from Martin Cross and Len Ablett on the Thursday before the grand final and they said, 'we will look to put you on around about three-quarter time because if we put you on any earlier, they're going to kill you'," Bianco recalls.

"I was only five foot six inches (168cms) and when they were putting in my weight for the grand final program, I was eight stone, nine pounds (55kgs) and they said, 'we can't put that in, you're definitely 10 stone' (laughs)."

So, just as planned, the livewire Bianco started the final term and the Saints also made a number of other changes, including moving Ward from the ruck to centre half-forward.

Bianco kicked the first goal and his pace electrified the Saints.

"I can remember the fact that I seemed to be able to run around and do what I liked, I was fresh and they were all buggered," he said.

"Big (Rovers' ruckman) Mick Nolan said, 'you go near that ball mate and I'm going to kick your (backside) up to your throat' and I said, 'Mick, you've got to catch me first'."

Ward booted two goals and Noel Holmes four in a superb display, while wingman Wayne Lamb, Johnny Pelos (three goals), Alan Heberle, Pat Quirk, Dennis Chamberlain and coach Cross also featured.

It was Ward's final game with the club after eight wonderful years.

"I thought the final siren was one of the greatest noises I'd ever heard," Ward said from his home in Albury this week.

"I'd been lucky enough to play in a few premiership teams (including one at Narrandera), but this one was definitely the biggest thrill.

"When the whole town gets behind you, it's amazing and you can't get that same feeling so much in the bigger places."

Ward also spent time with Albury and Corowa as he moved around in his stock and station agent career, but Myrtleford holds a special place in his heart and he's just disappointed he didn't get to see the club challenge for this year's flag.

"It's really sad, a bugger in a way because you've got a lot of momentum and you miss the opportunity and I hope it's not a missed opportunity," he explained.

"Brad Murray's been an amazing player and I just wonder whether he has got one more year in him."

Myrtleford's appearance in last year's finals boosted the league's crowds and it was said in 1970, almost everyone was at the game.

"This bloody old man of mine, he wouldn't come to the game," Bianco said.

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"But mum told me he spent the afternoon in the chook house with the transistor radio.

"But on the Monday what did the old man do? He was walking up and down the street and people were saying, 'oh Santo, your son is a good footballer' and he would say, 'yeah, he is, hey'."