Before Sydney key defender Leo Barry plucked a game saving, premiership drought breaking mark in the dying seconds of the 2005 Grand Final, St Kilda full back Bob Murray produced something equally as defining in the final moments of the Saints only premiership triumph in 1966.

Following heartbreak at the big dance 12 months earlier, St Kilda Hall of Fame member Murray recalls premiership coach Allan Jeans’ famous three-quarter time speech and how the bitter disappointment of 1965 drove the Saints in the final quarter against the Magpies.

“Well I can remember ‘Yabby’ Jeans speech was pretty inspirational. He was emphasising the things we needed to do to win the game: desperation, never give in, commitment. All those things that are going to make the difference in a Grand Final,” Murray told saints.com.au ahead of St Kilda’s 1966 Premiership Anniversary Celebration on Saturday night.

“In the back of my mind I had the terrible feeling about the year before and just how devastated I felt after the game. I can remember as we were walking away from the huddle just mentioning that fact to anyone in ear shot just don’t forget how we felt last year let’s not that happen again.”

As the seconds ticked down in front of 102,055 people at the home of football, Collingwood captain Des Tuddenham gathered the ball on a back-flank and booted it long towards the Magpies forward 50. Amid a pack of players, Murray plucked a crucial mark. Seconds later the siren sounded, ending a 69-year wait for the Saints’ first premiership.

“There was a group of us in between centre-half forward and full forward and there would have been five or six in the group – I was playing on Len Thompson at the time – 'Tuddy' grabbed the ball well up the ground and started to run,” Murray reminisced.

“I started to back off actually because he had plenty of space, so I was thinking if he keeps running then I’m going to have to cover my man. I was trying to keep my man between the ball and myself.

“He kicked it, it went pretty high – and then you just had to focus. There was no pressure really. All I did was focus on the footy and lucky I did it came down where I was standing and I was thankful I was able to hold the mark.”

For Murray, premiership glory in 1966 was redemption for a disappointing Grand Final performance a year earlier against Essendon. The memory of Essendon’s star forward Ted Fordham having a day out on him 12 months earlier still burned brightly within the Saints premiership star, and nearly half a century on, it still hurts his pride.

“Well it certainly did (serve as motivation). I had, in my mind, a disappointing finals series the year before, and I was determined to make up for it if I could,” Murray said.

“So it was a spur to me because there’s no worse feeling than having an off day in a final; the pressure is on you; you just have to perform.

“And if you don’t, people look on you as being not up to standard or not up to scratch so I wanted to turn that around if I could.”