Grant Turner attacking the goal as New Zealand beat Indonesia 5-0 in an elimination game at Mt Smart Stadium for the 1982 Soccer World Cup, 23 May 1981. Photo / Anthony Phelps
Grant Turner attacking the goal as New Zealand beat Indonesia 5-0 in an elimination game at Mt Smart Stadium for the 1982 Soccer World Cup, 23 May 1981. Photo / Anthony Phelps
Grant Turner was one of the first cult heroes of New Zealand Football.
Other players may have been more widely renowned - or achieved greater things on an overseas stage - but few have been so popular during their playing career wearing the silver fern.
Turner, who passed away onTuesday after a long battle with cancer, became a household name during the legendary 1982 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign.
With every match broadcast on free-to-air television, players in that squad became revered, with rugby at an all-time low due to the divisive 1981 Springbok tour.
At a time when the country was looking for new sporting idols, Turner fit the bill perfectly.
Everyone could relate to his fearless approach, a 21-year-old taking on the world.
He was tough and uncompromising - and given an enforcer role - but also had no shortage of skill, with the knack of popping up with vital goals.
Turner had a kind of magnetic appeal. Kiwis from Timaru to Taihape loved his heart-on-the-sleeve approach and he attracted sceptical new fans to the round-ball code.
It also helped that Turner scored one of the most iconic and important goals in New Zealand Football history, with his spectacular header against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in May 1981.
“As a headed goal, I don’t think I’ve seen a better one,” recalled 1982 All Whites coach John Adshead. “It had distance, he had to get real power on that ball. Everything about that goal will live in everyone’s memory for years to come. Kids should be shown the video of it.”
It sealed our greatest transtasman triumph, with the 2-0 victory meaning Australia’s qualification quest was over, while the All Whites progressed to the next phase.
The goal was replayed endlessly and immortalised in the 1980s via a popular Minties commercial.
Turner always said he didn’t want to be remembered “just for that goal” - and rightly so - but he remained proud.
Heading had been a weakness when he first took up football as a 10-year-old, but he worked tirelessly.
He hung a ball from the clothesline in his backyard - “I would jump up and head it, again and again” and did hill running and weights, one of the first players of his generation to spend time in the gym.
“I had the ability to be able to get up there and actually stay there a little bit,” recalled Turner in 2021. “[For that goal] I was travelling at a decent rate and got it flush.”
Kevin Fallon (left), Grant Turner and Kenny Cresswell of the winning 1982 All Whites squad gather before the Fifa World Cup Qualifying match in 2009. Photo / Getty Images
“I thought he was playing AFL, the height that he got,” recalled Steve Wooddin. “I played with a couple of the Australians at South Melbourne the following year and they said they couldn’t believe someone could jump that high.”
Turner managed other crucial strikes and was a key figure in the epic playoff win over China in Singapore.
But he missed the World Cup in Spain, after rolling his ankle in training before the opening game against Scotland.
It was a massive blow to the team - Adshead said he was almost irreplaceable - and a huge personal setback, as Turner had hoped to impress European scouts and gain a professional contract.
“My world collapsed,” said Turner. “That was all I wanted to do was be a professional footballer and the opportunity had gone.”
That sliding doors moment haunted him for a long time but Turner still forged an impressive career, playing 71 times for the All Whites until his retirement in 1988, averaging a goal every three matches in “A” internationals.
Turner faced his cancer battle with courage, dignity and humility.
He was first diagnosed in December 2020, after a lump developed under his arm.
Surgery and radiation treatment was initially successful and Turner was in remission by the middle of the following year.
His focus was on his family, his wife Lyn, his daughter, his grandchildren and his mother - “getting them together so they can look after each other”.
But the cancer returned later the following year. Turner continued to fight. Rather than dwelling on his situation, his communications with the Herald focused on spreading awareness of the disease, in the hope that more treatment and funding could be available to others in the future.
He also closely followed the All Whites on their qualification journey last year and tuned in to the Wellington Phoenix on a regular basis, while enjoying occasional catch-ups with some of the 1982 brigade who lived in the Bay of Plenty area.
Turner leaves a unique sporting legacy.
“I was given the role as an enforcer, as well as getting forward,” said Turner. “I was able to play a bit as well, but I didn’t pull out of any tackles either. As a football player, I would like to be remembered for the ability and skills that I gave and the effort that I put in. And the friendship that I gained with the players - such a great bunch of people to be with.”
