Memories of the Western/Whitten oval

[trophies]

Anyone else remember George Bissett?
Collingwood had a ruckman by the name of "Jerker" Jenkins. (He was the guy that Jesaulenko jumped over to take that iconic mark.)
Jerker was one of the first players in the VFL to wear the low-cut soccer boots rather than the clodhoppers with nail-in studs, but he must have done it for comfort rather than speed because he couldn't run out of sight on a dark night.
At one stage in a game at the WO (late 60's?), one of his flash low-cut boots came off in the mud.
Quick as a flash, Georgie picked it up and started running toward the wing. Jerker couldn't catch him and the boot sailed high into the members grandstand.

 

[King Harold]

Anyone else remember George Bissett?
Collingwood had a ruckman by the name of "Jerker" Jenkins. (He was the guy that Jesaulenko jumped over to take that iconic mark.)
Jerker was one of the first players in the VFL to wear the low-cut soccer boots rather than the clodhoppers with nail-in studs, but he must have done it for comfort rather than speed because he couldn't run out of sight on a dark night.
At one stage in a game at the WO (late 60's?), one of his flash low-cut boots came off in the mud.
Quick as a flash, Georgie picked it up and started running toward the wing. Jerker couldn't catch him and the boot sailed high into the members grandstand.

Glad Wee Georgie is getting a mention. He never looked like a footballer , but make no mistake he was one of the club greats. His ability along with David Thorpe to run the ball against the howling wing cause many upsets against the top sides at WO.

 

[Dogs 13]

Was there in 75 and saw the Sachse incident

1979 42 points down against the bombers come back and draw

Beasley 12 goals against the cats 1982

1984 Gubby Allen passes to Beasley

1985 v Essendon and v Hawthorn

1987 v Hawthorn after 3 thrashing s

1989 the fight back

1990 first home game after merger

1997 final game

2014 Footscray qualifying final

Apart from the 2014 game I could have written this.

Kelvin's 15.9 and a couple out on the full is right up there in my favourites.

The roar that went up when Dougy came on against West Coast in 1987, almost 11 months after doing his knee against Collingwood at the G.

 

[Fossie 32]

OK, I can make the 54th post in this thread

My first memory is from 1972, the year I got my licence. As nobody in my family was greatly into football, I didn't get into going to see games until then. So I rolled up in my hand painted Austin A55 and wandered in. I went to sit up the top of the John Gent stand - think you were supposed to pay extra but nobody checked. Good view from there. It may have been against Richmond - that's the first game I remember. John Birt [ex Essendon legend], who was a teacher in the school I used to go to, was captain - coach of the ressies and used to come on in the last quarter to save the game for them. As I recall, the Richmond game was a nail biter and Quinlan turned it on for us to win by two points.
Some other highlights were -
* Dougy equalling then breaking EJ's games record. I stood near where he was playing on HBF and it was magic how the ball just came straight to him and he didn't seem too fussed about where his opponent was. At one stage he was looking around the ground as if to drink in the experience of his record breaking day.
* The fightback rally
* The last game. I took my kids and my daughter's friend so didn't have enough membership tickets and had to wait in a long queue in the rain to get one kid's ticket, meanwhile missing all the excitement of the guys terrorizing Gardiner
* On the way home after one game I bought a coffee at the ground, brought it back to the car and spilt it in my lap. So I took my pants off and drove off. As fate would have it, I was pulled over by the cops for a breath test and had to explain why I had no pants on with a car full of kids

There was a special vibe about having our own ground. It's great to have our VFL team playing there again now.

 

[KMac4FF]

Got a free paid against him for holding the ball while unconcious too, which Grinter happily took!!!

Another 'first' for us


54th reply

 

[theAthenian]

Beasley vs Melbourne at home 85 - The Master Forward 12.3 vs Melbourne 6.13 Beasley by 26pts - dogs by 20goals

 

[Dogs 13]

Another 'first' for us


54th reply

Didn't Michael Egan get pinged for dropping the ball when he'd been knocked out against the Swans in the early days up in Sydney. At that time most decisions went the Swans way up there.

 

[ivan rassmussen]

There was a Sydney game, early 80s, where Steve MacPherson waited under a hospital pass on the wing in fron of the Gent stand. Bernard Toohey (with the Swans at that time), ran into MacPherson and ironed him out, but Toohey got a free for high contact because he hurt his head doing the shirt-front, while MacPherson lay prone on the ground! I think in the same game, earlier, David Rhys-Jones was trying to pick up the ball in a similar spot and MacPherson decided to try and kill him from behind, but with some sixth sense and no idea what was coming behind him, Rhys-Jones ducked the swinging arm and ran away with the ball. If the swing had connected, I suspect Rhys-Jones' career would have ended the way John Greening's did... and SMac would have got weeks.

 

[ivan rassmussen]

My first memory is from 1972, the year I got my licence.

* On the way home after one game I bought a coffee at the ground, brought it back to the car and spilt it in my lap. So I took my pants off and drove off. As fate would have it, I was pulled over by the cops for a breath test and had to explain why I had no pants on with a car full of kids

There was a special vibe about having our own ground. It's great to have our VFL team playing there again now.

Wow, I knew you were older than me Fossie, but I didn't realise you were THAT old!

Lucky that pants incident was years ago (it was years ago, wasn't it?!), because today you'd be in a lot of trouble...!

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

As a lil tacker my father who was a doggie supporter would walk me up Wales street to the Rising Sun Hotel on Saturday afternoons for his quick beer before the main game...and then we would join the huge crowd crossing the main road to the ground dodging the cars..
He would watch the main game and I would join the kids at the back of the scoreboard sliding down the grassy slope on cardboard boxes..
Then after the game it would be back at the Rising Sun...
I have vague memories of seeing John Schultz...bissett...play...and teddy's last game as he came off near the grandstand in the mud and rain...
And the playing band with a following blanket...which I could never hit with my coin...

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Only layed on the ground once in an under 14 or 16 age comp match. The ground went on forever and had a sizable drop particularly towards the Geelong Road end. I was changing ruck into forward pocket and it near killed me by the end of the game.

Snap!...
I played on the ground in a Lightening series of footy games for the Spotswood under 18's also as a ruckboy ...and that ground was huge..
I only lasted 3 quarters...

 

[Senor Ed]

I remember going to a fair few games as a kid and we'd park near the primary school a few streets back from Barkley St. We'd stand behind the goals on the Barkley St end (lets be honest, no one wants to sit to watch the footy back then), but i cant remember a specific game.

I do remember some weird moustached guy yelling "ON DOGS...." all day, at every game... but my biggest highlight was seeing some lady get pooped on by a bird. GOLD

 

[Zeno The Great]

So many highlights don't know where to start.

• The fightback rally, i was 10 years old but still remember it to this day and the up yours oakley sticker we had on our car for years
• the last game v the eagles
• Dougies record breaking game
• One whole season where i had this Albino Carlton supporter sitting behind us in the members for every game (his dad was a dogs fan) and him giving it to us week after week, it was so sweet when we beat Carlton that year
• I was about 12 and absolutely sprayed the pants off Peter Wilson from the eagles, i thought he was going to jump the fence, was genuinely scared lol
• Mum and Dad would get me maccas on the way home at highpoint after every home game, was the only time i was allowed Maccas, nothing better than a few junior burgers a box of nuggets and a chocolate thickshake after a win!
• remember Mark Jackson playing and his supporters following him end to end playing his stupid song, was quite a laugh.
• The hyde street band and them walking around with the big tarp to throw the money into, and we would piff the coins at those carrying it, terrible form by us

 

[littlenails]

Early memories:
1. Getting to the ground early, before the reserves started and getting a seat in the John Gent stand.
2. Meeting and getting autographs of all of the players.
3. Shaking hands with EJ Whitten. Strong hand-shake.
4. Being able to wander in and out of the change-rooms with no-one stopping me.
5. Watching Spargo play.
6. Seeing the funny old radio broadcasters' box and wonder how they would all fit inside.
7. The stinky old toilets that you could look down into from the Gent Stand, before the Whitten Stand was built.
8. Seeing EJ Whitten kick out from full-back, doing a drop kick and reaching the centre.
9. We would take newspapers ripped into small pieces and throw them up when we got a goal.

 

[hoianbulldog]

Anyone else remember George Bissett?
Collingwood had a ruckman by the name of "Jerker" Jenkins. (He was the guy that Jesaulenko jumped over to take that iconic mark.)
Jerker was one of the first players in the VFL to wear the low-cut soccer boots rather than the clodhoppers with nail-in studs, but he must have done it for comfort rather than speed because he couldn't run out of sight on a dark night.
At one stage in a game at the WO (late 60's?), one of his flash low-cut boots came off in the mud.
Quick as a flash, Georgie picked it up and started running toward the wing. Jerker couldn't catch him and the boot sailed high into the members grandstand.

The mark that launched TISM.

 

[ReservoirDog]

Glen Coleman snapping the point post.
Allen (Collingwood) passing to Beasly who won the game for us
Royce Hart's first game as coach - sky divers parachuted onto the oval
Dougie dominating the wing
Shane Loveless - could have been a player

Watched him kick 8 one day. Good times.