View Full Version : Whitten Oval Reminiscence
Hey Guys
The Greek Lamb Salad at Whitten Oval is to die for, I go there at least once every 2 weeks to indulge in one! Anyway, I finished my lunch today and headed outside to check out the progress in the development. I sat up in the EJ stand, and whilst taking in the lovely view of the city, I realised just how much I missed watching footy matches at Whitten/ Western Oval. It got the mind ticking, thinking of my favourite moments at the great venue. Here are my top 5, interested to hear others:
1. The Hawk breaking Ej's games record
2. The Fundraiser in 1989
3. The last ever match against West Coast
4. Simon Beaslys last match- I jumped the fence and shook his hand and got a photo in the paper.
5. Match against Freo in 1996. Jason Watts kicked a snap goal in the final moments to put us in front. Sticks out in the mind for some reason, not sure why...
One of my favourite memories of going to the footy when I was younger and living in Melbourne was a match played at the old Western Oval. Anyone else remember the $2 entry fee?
It was a game between the Scrayer's and the old Bears.
All I can remember is the Bears winning in a very low scoring game; 30-20 or something, the game was ruined by a freak hail storm which hit the ground in the 3rd? quarter. It was an experience waiting in the tunnel while the storm cleared with all the Footscay supporters :D
Date: 20-Jul-1996
Footscray 0.0 1.1 2.2 3.4 22
Brisbane Bears 1.2 2.3 4.8 4.12 36
Venue: Western Oval
Att: 9,994
From my brief experiences with the ground, the Western Oval was a ground which had a sensational atmosphere. It wouldn't matter if there was 9 000-10 000 people there, if the Scray's were on a role it would be easy to mistake it for 30-35 000!
Would have loved to see the ground rocking!
A ground that is sorely missed.
H Dolphin
15 Feb 2006, 06:52
It was a game between the Scrayer's and the ..... if the Scray's were on a ...
Gee those are words I miss.
Gee those are words I miss.
Anyone else remember the club song being belted out of the PA in the tunnel?
Cyberdoggie
15 Feb 2006, 12:09
Yeah it was well designed in the the boundries are relatively square. It's almost a rectangle with curved ends (i'm sure there's a word for it, eliptical or something?) anyway the long flat wings meant that from that viewing point you were always close to the action and not so far away from the crowd directly opposite. So the compacted feeling provided great atmosphere. Also the geelong rd end was open and steep enough for the rowdy drinkers to get a good view, and plenty of room for the kids looking for cans to collect. Barkley st end had less room but was home to the cheer squad and their pom poms, and saw most of the footy given that no matter what time of day or type of weather, the wind always blows that way.
On the topic of food,
go down to the club on mad monday's, you get a main meal and choice of soup or dessert, quick pick, free pot and $3 cash back, all for a miserley $10. If your lucky you just might catch some of us bigfooty folk after a hard game of recfooty.
Captain Sensible
15 Feb 2006, 12:23
go down to the club on mad monday's, you get a main meal and choice of soup or dessert, quick pick, free pot and $3 cash back, all for a miserley $10. If your lucky you just might catch some of us bigfooty folk after a hard game of recfooty.
Best value in town. Food, beer and a game of footy.
Spiritof82
15 Feb 2006, 14:29
Also the geelong rd end was open and steep enough for the rowdy drinkers to get a good view, and plenty of room for the kids looking for cans to collect. Barkley st end had less room but was home to the cheer squad and their pom poms, .
From what I can remember the cheer squad used to live at the Geelong Rd end with the visiting teams cheer squad at the Barkley St end.The cheer squad then moved over onto the wing near the John Gent stand (closer to the food stalls for a few) in the "new" reserved seating area.:cool:
Who sat in the red seats?
footscray1973
15 Feb 2006, 14:44
Before there were red seats, the area in front of the John Gent stand used to be concrete and ashphalt terraces - that's where I stood as a youngster for years watching home games - the adults would plonk themselves about half way up , and we kids would push through to stand behind the row of people on the single row of boundary fence seats. Eventually, seating was put in this area, and for several years I sat there - I was driving by this stage so it was early-mid 80s (sat there on the day in 84 when we slipped about 6 goals behind the Pies close to half time, then came back with a vengeance to win from Allan's kick across goal intercepted by Beasley).
...go down to the club on mad monday's, you get a main meal and choice of soup or dessert, quick pick, free pot and $3 cash back, all for a miserley $10...
Yes, it's great value. I won some harness racing trifecta and scored $25. Talk about a good deal - I came out with more than I went in with.
Cyberdoggie
15 Feb 2006, 16:08
From what I can remember the cheer squad used to live at the Geelong Rd end with the visiting teams cheer squad at the Barkley St end.The cheer squad then moved over onto the wing near the John Gent stand (closer to the food stalls for a few) in the "new" reserved seating area.:cool:
hmm, yeah that sounds right.
I was alway up the back at the geelong rd cos it was the only place i could see when i was a tacker. I must just remember pom poms in the distance. (weird).
I remember one game it was so packed (we must of been doing well) that my dad propped me up on the steel fence at the back of the geelong rd end(up near the giant palm trees) so i could see. I remembe getting vertigo looking behind at the steep drop if i over balanced.
Where are the hyde st band these days?
those poor guys used to get pelted with coins. I'm sure they missed more than they caught.
Of course another fond memory was freezing my cohonas off on that last game. After arriving late and getting drenched on waiting in line for a ticket.
then getting dribbled on by a leaky roof on the doug hawkins wing, all arvo was fun too.
The Hyde St Band.. I can remember them walking round the ground with a rug outstretched and people pelting coins.
That was awesome!
I hope the new developments dont shrug off the great history assosiated with the place.
Aquamarinejewel
15 Feb 2006, 19:45
The Hyde St Band.. I can remember them walking round the ground with a rug outstretched and people pelting coins.
Our seats used to be in the front row, forward pocket ( Geelong road end, not far from where the police used to sit on their horses) and people would throw those coins, sometimes not high enough and hit us first :(
******** poor social club.
We'd get there at the start of the Reserves game only to find the 20 odd seats they had, had been reserved by the old bags who'd leave there scarves on the seat and head downstairs for 2 hours to play the pokies.
We'd complain but it was first in best dressed - even if they weren't watching the game!
Would have been better off just sitting in the outer:)
scooter600x
15 Feb 2006, 22:18
The Hyde St Band.. I can remember them walking round the ground with a rug outstretched and people pelting coins.
That was awesome!
I hope the new developments dont shrug off the great history assosiated with the place.
Two memories.
I remember as a kid the Hyde St band went anti-clockwise around the ground so the tubas faced the crowd. We all tossed screenings into them so they had to go around the other way.
We played a charity game v Collingwood at Waverley for the Ash Wednesday appeal (82?). I got roped into walking around the boundary carrying the blanket for the coin donations and got hit about 100 times. A well aimed 50c piece split open my eyebrow.