Resource The NMFC History thread

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Apr 24, 2013
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Has to be one of the greatest finishes to a game of all time. Bananas , drop punts and a torp ,Blighty was a freak.

The modern day youngun's couldn't comprehend how much of a freak he was.

Forget just about any footballer that's played in the last 20 years. He was Dustin Martin x 5.
 
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Hojuman

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The modern day youngun's couldn't comprehend how much of a freak he was.

Forget just about any footballer that's played in the last 20 years. He was Dustim Martin x 5.



I got a great * mate age late 40's, knows his footy, reckons Blighty was the best player he has seen.

Good judge.
 
Apr 24, 2013
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Arden Street Hill
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Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
I got a great * mate age late 40's, knows his footy, reckons Blighty was the best player he has seen.

Good judge.


The only player who I have seen that was more mercurial than Blight was Ablett senior.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Ablett went up 2 levels when Blight arrived at Geelong either.
 
Loved Bertie ,who provided some great highlights in an otherwise average year. Rumours I heard later were that he was probably closer to 35 than 25 when making his debut ,which may explain why he seemed to lose his pace and was gone within a couple of years. Interested in the other debutants from that game. Found Ross Price who played 3 games for 3 goals in ‘65 but no record of a Geoff James. Reckon that should be Geoff Jones who played 3 games in ‘65. Anyway great article and Bertie was a ripper.
 

kangaroo7

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Loved Bertie ,who provided some great highlights in an otherwise average year. Rumours I heard later were that he was probably closer to 35 than 25 when making his debut ,which may explain why he seemed to lose his pace and was gone within a couple of years. Interested in the other debutants from that game. Found Ross Price who played 3 games for 3 goals in ‘65 but no record of a Geoff James. Reckon that should be Geoff Jones who played 3 games in ‘65. Anyway great article and Bertie was a ripper.



Yes Geoff Jones who also played 3 games in 1965. He and Price were both gone by the end of the year. Johnson's date of birth is shown as 8/6/1939 making him 25 when he made his debut. Unless he lied about his age, but 10 years is hard to hide.
 
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Bertie22

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Yes Geoff Jones who also played 3 games in 1965. He and Price were both gone by the end of the year. Johnson's ate of birth is shown as 8/6/1939 making him 25 when he made his debut. Unless he lied about his age, but 10 years is hard to hide.
I saw Bertie around 2014 at a few Club functions. Delightful fellow who was always happy to chat. He told me that he was in his mid 70s then so that would make his date of birth in 1939 more likely. I wouldn't have thought he was 10 years older. At the time, he was still laying bricks! He looked pretty fit.
 
Yes Geoff Jones who also played 3 games in 1965. He and Price were both gone by the end of the year. Johnson's date of birth is shown as 8/6/1939 making him 25 when he made his debut. Unless he lied about his age, but 10 years is hard to hide.
Yeah fair enough, to tell the truth I can’t remember where I heard the story about Bert’s age so it may have been bs. I do recall listening to the reserves Grand Final in ‘67 on the radio when Bertie starred. Also the genuine excitement from the commentators when Johnny “barrel” Scholes (RIP) kicked a great long running goal from the flank to set us on our way.
 

Bertie22

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Yeah fair enough, to tell the truth I can’t remember where I heard the story about Bert’s age so it may have been bs. I do recall listening to the reserves Grand Final in ‘67 on the radio when Bertie starred. Also the genuine excitement from the commentators when Johnny “barrel” Scholes (RIP) kicked a great long running goal from the flank to set us on our way.
I was there! It was great.
 

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Whippet1

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My memory is of him being a new type of a reliable yet attacking defender developed under Barassi’s innovative game plan. Looping handballs and short passes out of defence as opposed to the get it as far away as possible style of most defenders at the time. The perfect foil to Dench’s more physical and dashing type of play. I can remember watching him getting his busted shoulder cradled by two trainers as he went off in the 3rd qtr against Essendon in 1976 leaving us with 17 men and a famous victory. He had a great career at North.
 

Hojuman

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My memory is of him being a new type of a reliable yet attacking defender developed under Barassi’s innovative game plan. Looping handballs and short passes out of defence as opposed to the get it as far away as possible style of most defenders at the time. The perfect foil to Dench’s more physical and dashing type of play. I can remember watching him getting his busted shoulder cradled by two trainers as he went off in the 3rd qtr against Essendon in 1976 leaving us with 17 men and a famous victory. He had a great career at North.



Could lock down resting rovers too.
 

kangaroo7

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One of the best players to wear 24 at the club. Others being Dempsey and Firrito. Hopefully the current incumbent will become one too.
 

One of my all-time favourites.

There was a guy who used to sit behind us in the members stand at Arden St who had a borderline unhealthy obsession with Arnie - he'd literally spend the whole game shouting "Kick it to Arnie! Kick it to Arnie!" and when Arnie got it (regardless of field position) he'd yell "Kick a goal Arnie! Kick a goal!"

One of the great Arnie highlights was when he gave Glenn Hawker the mother of all chinnings in the 83 Prelim. Nothing snipy or malicious about it - Hawker shaped up to him and Arnie responded by hitting him flush on the jaw with a lightning fast right cross. Hawker dropped like the bag of proverbial. Was pretty much the only North highlight that day.
 

kangaroo7

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NORTH'S LEADING GOALKICKERS 1869-1924

Here's some stats from the most negected era of the club's history. Im confident that just about all of them are accurate. Only the very early years where one has to rely on what the newspapers report, and they didn't always think it important enough.

1869 C.Percy 2


1870 H.Fuhrhop 1
R.Alcock 1
E. Dobson 1

1871 No goals scored

1872 R.Woods 1
W. Raper 1
T.Dillon 1

1873 R.Woods 4

1874 R. Sutcliffe 4

1875 R.Sutcliffe 8

1876 R.Sutcliffe 4

1877 R.Sutcliffe 7

1878 R.Sutcliffe 8

1879 R.Sutcliffe 6

1880 G.Bayley 5
A.Neely 5

1881 A.Neely 8

1882 A.Neely 8

1883 A.Todd 11

1884 A.Todd 10
H.Todd 10

1885 R.Houston 22

1886 R.Houston 10
W.M Johnston 10

1887 R.Houston 13

1888 R.Houston 11

1889 M.Abrahams 4

1890 R.Gibson 11

1891 W.Carroll 10 ?

1892 D.Greenwood 14

1893 J.Sicily 5

1894 Manton 9

1895 J.Larkin 9

1896 T.Kinman 10

1897 P.Taylor 9

1898 D.Noonan 13

1899 W.Knee 39

1900 J.Sicily 11

1901 T.Kinman 10

1902 W.Knee 26

1903 P.Kennedy 27
P.Considine 27
1904 D.McCann 26

1905 D.McCann 24

1906 M.Kenny 34

1907 W.Laver 9
P.Kennedy 9
Tuomey 9

1908 A. Armstrong 22

1909 A.Armstrong 31

1910 F. Caine 75 (Leading VFA)

1911 L.Elliott 41

1912 L.Elliott 51

1913 L.Elliott 35

1914 R.Moran 45

1915 H.Miles 27

1916-17 (No play)

1918 T.Stevens 54 (Leading VFA)

1919 T.Stevens 56

1920 W.Smith 28

1921 C.Monahan 18

1922 P.Gardiner 57

1923 F Metcalfe 20

1924 F.Metcalfe 30

So there --what you always wanted to know.
 
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