Toast The 1914 Indestructibles

[DonDynamite]

Undefeated in the league on a rampant run to a premiership. Defeated a composite side of all the other teams in the league. Defeated VFL premiers Carlton to be declared Champions Of Australia.
Here's to the first truly great (and arguably the greatest) Magpies side.

Port Adelaide's 1914 team (L-R): Back: A.J. Maynard, W.I.Boon, J.C.Dunn, C.A. Anderson, H.V. Pope, J.C. Watson; Middle: F.J. Magor, J. Middleton, W.H. Oliver (vice-captain), J.W. Londrigan, J. Ashley, J.W. Robertson, A. McFarlane; Front: S. Hosking, H. Eaton, A. Congear, A. Chaplin, W. R. Drummond

http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/ne...rospective-port-adelaides-indestructible-team

2014 marks a significant milestone in the history of the Port Adelaide Football Club - the year it celebrates its historic undefeated 1914 season.

Port Adelaide’s indestructibles came, saw and conquered all year under the leadership of captain and John William Londrigan.

Not only did they finish atop the ladder after the minor round and prevail over North Adelaide in the then-South Australian Football League Grand Final, but also against a combined state team and the Carlton Football Club to be declared the Champions of the Commonwealth.

With the nation on the brink of war, the Magpies’ own warriors won a total of 16 games for the year with its highest score a 19.17 (131) performance leading to an 81-point victory over traditional rival Norwood at Alberton and it’s worst performance a 21-point win over North Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval.

Port Adelaide’s grand victories over North Adelaide and Carlton and took place at the Adelaide Oval, while the match against the combined state team was held on the Jubilee Oval near Wayville.

It’s success, as with most of Port Adelaide’s dominance throughout various periods in the 20th century, was down to stability.

In the League competition, the Magpies were only changed on four occasions, with the best 18 hitting the field for ten games throughout the year.

The Magpies consigned the Roosters to the lowest score in a League grand final - 1.8 (14) - a losing score again replicated 75 years later when Port Adelaide stormed to victory over North in the 1989 SANFL Grand Final.

But the plaudits didn’t end with the premiership and significant state wins.

It was the first time in South Australian history that a team scored 1,000 winning points for the minor round.

John Ashley, a Port local, was award the Magarey Medal for his exploits on the field during the minor round while centre half hackman John William Robertson was awarded the Referee Medal for the best player in the national carnival. Ashley was also named best and fairest ahead of William Drummond.

John Dunn was the club and League leading goal kicker with 33 to his name.

Ashley, Robertson, Angelo Congear, Frances James Magor, Alexander McFarlane, Harold Oliver and Joseph Charles Watson represented the club in the state team, while fourteen players of the club were considered for selection overall.

The state team finished second in the Australian Football Carnival behind Victoria and ahead of Western Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland.

Patrick Crowley won the ‘Reserves’ Magarey Medal as the best and fairest player from the seconds competition, although the ‘B’ team was unable to clinch a premiership of its own.

Watson would enlist in the Australian Army in Cheltenham that year and, as part of the 10th Infantry Battalion, would die from wounds sustained in France in 1917.

 

[Jim Dixon]

Great work Don, love reading about these legends of long ago.

 

[Ebert80]

Port Adelaide "Indestructables"

(I think we've found our replacement for "Power").

 

[Lockhart Road]

Great thread, Don. There be an old Club head on those young shoulders.

Oliver and Hosking... names I remember my father often repeating in awe at the kitchen table.

 

[RossFC]

Rumour going around we are wearing the Prison Bars vs Carlton later this year to tribute 100 years since this feat.
Any truth to this?

 

[tribey]

Ran the table, smashed a state select and smashed Carlton.

Also responsible for the coining of the phrase, "ah-BAING!".

 

[Lockhart Road]

Rumour going around we are wearing the Prison Bars vs Carlton later this year to tribute 100 years since this feat.
Any truth to this?

At the very least, I'd say.
A replica of the 1914 jumper... plus (I hope!) the black & white hooped sox.
Look at all that chest space on the jumper for Renault and EnergyAustralia.

 

[DonDynamite]

Rumour going around we are wearing the Prison Bars vs Carlton later this year to tribute 100 years since this feat.
Any truth to this?

I hope so, and this time we'll be wearing the all black back to avoid the clash fiasco of last year.

 

[I Dont Care]

Just when you think of the 6 in a row 50's, or the sublime 80's and 90's as the pinnacle of our great club....this pops up. What an incredible football club is Port Adelaide. 100 years ago those men were giants among footballers, literally brings tears to my eyes

 

[Vic_Vinegar]

"The Magpies consigned the Roosters to the lowest score in a League grand final - 1.8 (14) - a losing score again replicated 75 years later when Port Adelaide stormed to victory over North in the 1989 SANFL Grand Final."

How good is this ^



The greatest team in the country they may have been, but my god there are a few rough heads in that team.

 

[Northalives]

Undefeated in the league on a rampant run to a premiership. Defeated a composite side of all the other teams in the league. Defeated VFL premiers Carlton to be declared Champions Of Australia.
Here's to the first truly great (and arguably the greatest) Magpies side.

Port Adelaide's 1914 team (L-R): Back: A.J. Maynard, W.I.Boon, J.C.Dunn, C.A. Anderson, H.V. Pope, J.C. Watson; Middle: F.J. Magor, J. Middleton, W.H. Oliver (vice-captain), J.W. Londrigan, J. Ashley, J.W. Robertson, A. McFarlane; Front: S. Hosking, H. Eaton, A. Congear, A. Chaplin, W. R. Drummond

http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/ne...rospective-port-adelaides-indestructible-team

With no disrespect to any other Port player or team, in my opinion, this was Port's greatest team.
http://australianfootball.com/artic...+SAFL+Rnd+8+1914%3A+Port+Adelaide+v+Souths/16

I don't know if anyone can help me but I seem to remember that one of these players was an indigenous bloke who ended up playing out Bordertown way and in one game, the player he was standing, either at full forward or full back, died from a collision and he was put on trial for murder.

It was only the goal umpire, a Congregational minister named Clem Hawke, Bob's old man, who gave evidence that the player didn't collide with the deceased in any forceful way that saved the indigenous player from being convicted of murder.

It turns out that a post-mortem was then carried out on the deceased player and it was found that he had an abnormally thin skull and it was a miracle that he had survived playing football at all in the past.

I'd be grateful if anyone could shed some more light on this and who was the player involved.

 

[Northalives]

Undefeated in the league on a rampant run to a premiership. Defeated a composite side of all the other teams in the league. Defeated VFL premiers Carlton to be declared Champions Of Australia.
Here's to the first truly great (and arguably the greatest) Magpies side.

Port Adelaide's 1914 team (L-R): Back: A.J. Maynard, W.I.Boon, J.C.Dunn, C.A. Anderson, H.V. Pope, J.C. Watson; Middle: F.J. Magor, J. Middleton, W.H. Oliver (vice-captain), J.W. Londrigan, J. Ashley, J.W. Robertson, A. McFarlane; Front: S. Hosking, H. Eaton, A. Congear, A. Chaplin, W. R. Drummond

http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/ne...rospective-port-adelaides-indestructible-team

With no disrespect to any other Port player or team, in my opinion, this was Port's greatest team.
http://australianfootball.com/artic...+SAFL+Rnd+8+1914%3A+Port+Adelaide+v+Souths/16

I don't know if anyone can help me but I seem to remember that one of these players was an indigenous bloke who ended up playing out Bordertown way and in one game, the player he was standing, either at full forward or full back, died from a collision and he was put on trial for murder.

It was only the goal umpire, a Congregational minister named Clem Hawke, Bob's old man, who gave evidence that the player didn't collide with the deceased in any forceful way that saved the indigenous player from being convicted of murder.

It turns out that a post-mortem was then carried out on the deceased player and it was found that he had an abnormally thin skull and it was a miracle that he had survived playing football at all in the past.

I'd be grateful if anyone could shed some more light on this and who was the player involved.

 

[I Dont Care]

I don't know of that story Northalives, but I had read in an old publication my grandfather had years ago that Harold Oliver was of indigenous blood, of course my grandfather died 30 years ago and the one old football publication of his I managed to view recently was not the one. A friend I have also remembers old people discussing Olivers indigenous background

 

[Northalives]

I don't know of that story Northalives, but I had read in an old publication my grandfather had years ago that Harold Oliver was of indigenous blood, of course my grandfather died 30 years ago and the one old football publication of his I managed to view recently was not the one. A friend I have also remembers old people discussing Olivers indigenous background

See, I always thought it was Harold Oliver but I could never corroborate his background or the story but I am 99.99% sure that the incident occurred.

 

[shewho]

"The Magpies consigned the Roosters to the lowest score in a League grand final - 1.8 (14) - a losing score again replicated 75 years later when Port Adelaide stormed to victory over North in the 1989 SANFL Grand Final."

How good is this ^

View attachment 43502

The greatest team in the country they may have been, but my god there are a few rough heads in that team.

This was not the era of "3-2-1 now say Cheese", more like the era of "3-2-1 now look like I just ripped your mother a new one and your dog hung itself".

 

[I Dont Care]

See, I always thought it was Harold Oliver but I could never corroborate his background or the story but I am 99.99% sure that the incident occurred.

My mate wanted me to find evidence of his heritage on the net, and I spent many hours in a fruitless search a few years ago. When you look at pictures of Oliver, he does look of indigenous appearance

 

[Northalives]

My mate wanted me to find evidence of his heritage on the net, and I spent many hours in a fruitless search a few years ago. When you look at pictures of Oliver, he does look of indigenous appearance

Likewise. I spent hours, days, months.......... I might have to ask Bob next time he's in town.

 

[Eddie Dingle]

The thing I take from this is that Port Adelaide were playing at Adelaide Oval in 1914 and perhaps earlier.

I think there is something in that for all of us.

 

[70sDinosaur]

Ran the table, smashed a state select and smashed Carlton.

Also responsible for the coining of the phrase, "ah-BAING!".

Hmmm, I wonder what jumper that state select team wore....

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Hmmm, I wonder what jumper that state select team wore....

I don't care.

 

[Powerstufff]

Rumour going around we are wearing the Prison Bars vs Carlton later this year to tribute 100 years since this feat.
Any truth to this?

Heard that when out last night. How many 'last time' occasions can there be if so? Admittedly our win/loss wearing it in the AFL is bordering on tragic so not overly fussed.

 

[tribey]

Heard that when out last night. How many 'last time' occasions can there be if so? Admittedly our win/loss wearing it in the AFL is bordering on tragic so not overly fussed.

We've worn it enough times now to invalidate Eddie's argument/fear that 1) we want to revive the Magpie emblem for ourselves & 2) it in some way hurts Collingwood's brand.

When you consider the now indelible links forged via OneClub and how much it adds to our bottom line it should be our once/twice a year retro option by default.

 

[Powerstufff]

.... it should be our once/twice a year retro option by default.

And in last year's final the Collingwood Cheer Squad's banner did say the winner would be entitled to the guernsey - wish I could track down an image of that.

 

[raman]

And in last year's final the Collingwood Cheer Squad's banner did say the winner would be entitled to the guernsey - wish I could track down an image of that.

I am pretty sure banners count as binding contracts.

 

[RossFC]

Heard that when out last night. How many 'last time' occasions can there be if so? Admittedly our win/loss wearing it in the AFL is bordering on tragic so not overly fussed.

I say it would be fair enough to wear the Prison Bars on special occasions. As long as it's not against Collingwood.