Discussion Unique/one-off/exhibition games

[GrahamClayton]

There have been several threads on various unique/one-off/exhibition games that have been played, but I thought that having a thread dedicated to such games would be of benefit to researchers, historians and fans.

Here is one to start the list. When Victoria refused to play a State of Origin match against South Australia in Adelaide in 1990, a City versus Country All-Stars Challenge match was played to fill the gap:



I presume that State of Origin rules were used, eg players who started their careers in the country were eligible for the Country team, while players who started their careers in the city were eligible for the City team?

 

[35Daicos]

Team photos here:
https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1662/3/6
Summary
South Australian National Football League City team that played a SANFL Country team, 21 May 1990 in the West End Challenge Match at Football Park. Advertiser Country All-Stars 23.15 (153) defeated the News City All-Stars 14.28 (112). Back Row L-R: Steven Sims, Darren Jarman, Allen Jakovich, Scott Hodges, Stephen Williams, Justin Staritski. Middle Row L-R: Nigel Smart, Allan Schwartz, Peter Bennett, Romano Negri, Trevor Clisby, Gary Christie, Paul Patterson. Front Row L-R: David Hutton, John Paynter, Andrew Jarman, Graham Cornes, Bruce Lindsay, Andrew Payze, David Brown, Robbie Thomson.

https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1662/3/7
Summary
South Australian National Football League Country team that played a SANFL City team, 21 May 1990 in the West End Challenge Match at Football Park. Advertiser Country All-Stars 23.15 (153) defeated the News City All-Stars 14.28 (112). Back Row L-R: Scott Lee, Bruce Abernethy, John Seebohm, Greg Smith, Simon Neave. Middle Row L-R: Richard Champion, Peter McIntyre, David Stoeckel, Darren Smith, Laurence Schache, David Hynes, Des O'Dwyer. Front Row L-R: Simon Tregenza, Grantley Fielke, Greg Whittlesea, John Cahill, Greg Phillips, Troy Clarke, Craig Dewhirst, Gilbert McAdam. Absent: Mike Redden.

 

[Supermercado]

Just found this in the 13/09/1980 Age. Bonus #headbuttchat

 

[35Daicos]

Just found this in the 13/09/1980 Age. Bonus #headbuttchat

View attachment 544019

I found this when trying to find out who the M. Hegarty (SA) was. I don't remember the name, but perhaps he played in the SANFL at some stage? Like Geoff Ironmonger (WA) he played Reserves (no senior games) for Carlton.

 

[Generalissimo]

Is Steven Icke related to the Britush lizard people conspiracy theorist David Icke?

 

[Rainier Wolfcastle]

This State practice match was a pretty cool one-off event and the first trial of the "Allies" concept for State of Origin.

It was played during the VFL finals as a warm-up for the end-of-season State of Origin Carnival, and Victoria had a makeshift leadership set-up:

*Tom Hafey (Victoria's coach in July) was busy coaching Collingwood to the 1980 Grand Final, so Allan Jeans stepped-in for this match.
Jeans had coached NSW earlier in 1980 and later returned to the VFL in 1981 as Hawthorn's coach.

*Leigh Matthews (captain in July) was out injured and Kevin Bartlett (vice-captain) was playing for Richmond in the VFL finals so Robbie Flower filled-in as skipper. This was his debut captaining Victoria. Bartlett led the Vics at the Carnival with Flower as VC.

The Rest of Australia team was coached by Peter Daniel (Tasmania) and captained by Darryl Sutton (Tasmania/North Melbourne). Sutton was available because North were knocked out the previous week in the VFL Elimination Final. They led Tassie a few weeks later at the Carnival.

The combined team wore the clash jumpers used when required in the AFC Night Series (South Melbourne vs South Fremantle, etc).

There's a couple of photos from this match on the AFL Photos site - although they have it captioned as a Victoria vs South Australia 1970s State of Origin match! (see below):

 

[Our Game]

One of the most interesting exhibition matches ever played was the 1924 Footscray VFA Premiers v Essendon VFL Premiers at the MCG organised by Dame Nellie Melba to raise money for WW1 veterans.
The match raised more than £2,800 for the appeal.About $120,000 in todays money

The match was promoted as the 'Championship of Victoria', although it had no official status as such

The match was played in front of a crowd of 46,100, on par with a typical VFL finals or Grand Final crowd in the early 1920s. The majority were supporting Footscray, with many fans of many other VFA clubs supporting Footscray as a means of supporting the VFA against the VFL.

Footscray/WB still have the flag they won at the Western Oval

Dame Nellie Melba's match for the Limbless Soldiers' Appeal

Saturday, 4 October Essendon def. by Footscray

Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 46,100)


Footscray 9.10 (64) d Essendon 5.8 38

Umpires: Leheny, McMurray

 

[35Daicos]

One of the most interesting exhibition matches ever played was the 1924 Footscray VFA Premiers v Essendon VFL Premiers at the MCG organised by Dame Nellie Melba to raise money for WW1 veterans.
The match raised more than £2,800 for the appeal.About $120,000 in todays money

The match was promoted as the 'Championship of Victoria', although it had no official status as such

The match was played in front of a crowd of 46,100, on par with a typical VFL finals or Grand Final crowd in the early 1920s. The majority were supporting Footscray, with many fans of many other VFA clubs supporting Footscray as a means of supporting the VFA against the VFL.

Footscray/WB still have the flag they won at the Western Oval

Dame Nellie Melba's match for the Limbless Soldiers' Appeal

Saturday, 4 October Essendon def. by Footscray

Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 46,100)


Footscray 9.10 (64) d Essendon 5.8 38

Umpires: Leheny, McMurray

The Football Record for this game is available here: http://cedric.slv.vic.gov.au/R/TFDU...83?func=collections-result&collection_id=2526

From page 3: As far back as 1900 the suggestion was made that the premiers of the League and Association should play a match for charity at the close of the season.

So the suggestion is by no means new. Nor is to-day's the first match played between teams of the League and Association. It certainly is the first meeting of the premier teams.

In 1902 Fred McGinis, the wonderful rover of Melbourne, was given a great compliment by the footballers of the metropolis, for a match for his benefit was played on the Melbourne Cricket Ground by teams representing League and Association. It was won by the League, who were not extended by their opponents. The scores were:— League, 9.17; Association, 4.3. The gate receipts amounted to £166.

No League v. Association club match has been played since August, 1915, when North Melbourne and St. Kilda met at St. Kilda to help the Wounded Soldiers' Fund.

From page 21: Similar hospitality will be accorded the Newtown club, who are over here on a visit from Sydney. They play a match against St. Kilda as a curtain-raiser to the game between Essendon and Footscray.

 

[rbartlett]

The Ray Gibb 1953 benefit match between a combined Hawthorn and Richmond team vs Box Hill
I've seen the team photo from that day (its in Museum storage) and shows Coleman and John Kennedy wearing Richmond colours!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Gibb

 

[WilloTree]

After the finish of the 1986 season, Claremont played Swan Districts in a "Club of Origin" game as a curtain raiser to the Subiaco (WAFL Premiers) V Hawthorn (VFL Premiers) game.

Likely line-ups:
(Source: The West Australian, Friday, 3 October, 1986, p. 79, country edition)
Swan Districts FC Club of Origin team
Backs: Holden, Kenny, A Sidebottom
Half-backs: Langsford, Rance, Solin
Centres: K Narkle, Neesham, P Narkle
Half-forwards: M Richardson, Nowotny, Holmes
Forwards: Blackaby, Beasley, Sartori
Ruck: Boucher, Fogarty, Melrose
Interchange from: Skwirowski, G Sidebottom, Kimberley, M Smith, Gillespie, Hutton, Casey, Caton, Baker
Claremont FC Club of Origin team
Backs: L Kickett, Betts, Beecroft
Half-backs: Morton, Hepburn, Hutton
Centres: Gooding, Blackwell, Panizza
Half-forwards: P Krakouer, Ditchburn, Hunter
Forwards: Shaw, Ralph, D O’Connell
Ruck: Moss, Annear, J Krakouer
Interchange from: D Kickett, Lewis, McKenna, Pearce, Scott, Goulding, Melville, Colreavy, S Reynolds, Craig, Solomon

Match results – Saturday, 4 October, 1986, Subiaco Oval (curtain-raiser)
Swan Districts FC Club of Origin 3.6 8.9 12.13 17.15 (117) d Claremont FC Club of Origin 5.2 10.4 11.7 14.7 (91)
Scorers: SD: Beasley 5.1, Blackaby 3.4, Holmes, Boucher 2.0, Kimberley, P Narkle 1.1, Richardson, Casey, Sartori 1.0, Holden, G Sidebottom 0.2, Melrose, M Smith, Caton 0.1, Forced 0.1.
C: P Krakouer 3.0, Beecroft 2.0, Annear 1.3, Hunter 1.1, J Krakouer, D Kickett, Shaw, Ditchburn, D O’Connell, Melville, Blackwell 1.0, Scott, Panizza 0.1, Forced 0.1.
Weather: Mainly fine with light and variable winds.
Attendance: 20,600.
(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 6 October, 1986, p. 96)

Best players GARY STOCKS:
SD: E Blackaby 1, S Beasley 2, P Narkle 3, R Boucher 4, G Sidebottom 5, P Sartori 6.
C: W Blackwell 1, K Hunter 2, J Krakouer 3, J Annear 4, D O’Connell 4, B Beecroft 6.
(Source: The West Australian, Monday, 6 October, 1986, p. 96) [archival research by Jack Frost].

 

[worbod]

Aboriginal All Stars vs Richmond and Sunraysia, Sarah Oval, Mildura, October 1, 1983

article from Inside Football

 

[35Daicos]

http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_...sID=77314&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=5982563

 

[Connor7395]

The day Walhalla and Baw Baw lost three balls and played the final quarter with bonfire light sources
Additional source: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/140755972 (June 21, not July 21)

Summary:
First quarter - The ball bursts. While the teams sit down and chat, a miner travels to the town on his horse to get a new ball.
Second quarter - The ball bursts again because a spooked horse stomped on it. The teams sit down and chat again. The miner comes back with a new ball but it has to be inflated and laced. And then the guy doing so put a hole in it. The miner gets sent back down to Walhalla to get another ball, the teams chat again, and the miners comes back an hour later since he stopped to get a stiff one. By the time he got back, it's 4:45pm and it's getting dark.
Final quarter - The light is completely gone. However, the match is much too exciting. Bonfires are started behind each goal to provide light. Instead of flags, the goal umpires wave burning sticks. The Walhalla and Baw Baw players finally finish their game. It was still pitch black in the middle, so it turned into anarchy and the players would beat each other silly. Walhalla won the exciting game 3.14.32 to 2.3.15.
Post-game - There was no bonfire at the scoreboard so everybody called shenanigans. The teams go down to a hotel and declare a draw.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Interesting one-off game this week. Nunawading (Eastern Div 4) are playing Ardmona (Kyabram District) in a match organised by Sportsbet. Neither side has won a game in over three years.

 

[Supermercado]

Interesting one-off game this week. Nunawading (Eastern Div 4) are playing Ardmona (Kyabram District) in a match organised by Sportsbet. Neither side has won a game in over three years.

Hope there's counselling available for whoever loses this one.

 

[worbod]

In 1982 Richmond and Carlton played an exhibition game as a prelude to the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.


http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2014-07-23/when-tigers-ruled-the-commonwealth

Fancy scoring over 150 and losing. Shades of the 1972 grand final.

 

[worbod]

There was also an exhibition game during the 1956 Olympics.

https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/collingwood-and-the-1956-olympic-games/

There is the briefest of footage from YouTube

 

[worbod]

Collingwood's Ray Gabelich in his Olympic Guernsey

 

[Wallaby]

There was also an exhibition game during the 1956 Olympics.

https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/collingwood-and-the-1956-olympic-games/

There is the briefest of footage from YouTube

1. I'm pretty sure Lindsay Gaze (Andrew's dad) played in that game.

2. That is a mega-cool guernsey.

 

[35Daicos]

1. I'm pretty sure Lindsay Gaze (Andrew's dad) played in that game.

2. That is a mega-cool guernsey.

He was named in The Argus as an emergency for the VFL-VFA team:


Though probably not in The Age lineup:


Here's the match report. The B. Gaze, also from Prahran, was his older brother Barry.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Lindsay_Gaze
Lindsay and Barry Gaze played in the Victorian Football Association for Prahran and they were both selected as members of an Australian rules team that played an exhibition match during the Melbourne Olympics, although Lindsay didn't take the field.

 

[dsriggs]

In 1988, South Australia played Western Australia at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada. The field was a rounded-rectangle large enough for a 15-a-side match. Western Australia defeated South Australia 18.14 (122) to 17.13 (115). It remains the only state game to be played outside of Australia.

 

[hansie]

In 1988, South Australia played Western Australia at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada. The field was a rounded-rectangle large enough for a 15-a-side match. Western Australia defeated South Australia 18.14 (122) to 17.13 (115). It remains the only state game to be played outside of Australia.

WA in Richmond jumpers? Surely that’s a one off also?!?


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Supermercado]

I take it this Carlton vs All-Stars tour of Europe in 1972 never happened. Moscow, Stuttgart and London's loss.

 

[Engimal v3]

I take it this Carlton vs All-Stars tour of Europe in 1972 never happened. Moscow, Stuttgart and London's loss.

Yep, only other source for it I can find is titled "Moscow scraps Blues' match". Can't find the article, but the header says enough.

 

[35Daicos]

I take it this Carlton vs All-Stars tour of Europe in 1972 never happened. Moscow, Stuttgart and London's loss.

A couple of the venues were changed but an overseas tour did go ahead:

http://www.blueseum.org/1972+World+Tour

After the successful 1972 season the Blues went on a 'world tour' playing a league all-stars outfit in three locations, London, Athens and Singapore.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/1972_Carlton_Football_Club_season