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[kangaroo7]

Hawthorn v North 1964

Take a look at this match in May 1964 Glenferrie oval. Hawthorn versus North. . Our captain, Mick Aylett was crunched by Dirty Des Dickson. It ended Ayletts career. I was actually at the game and I remember watching Aylett carried off the ground with a badly broken forearm. The video only shows the last quarter. Every North player is determined to "even-up". Classic. #33 Mike Delanty (ex Collingwood) runs at a Hawthorn opponent, lifts his elbow and lands a perfect clip across the Hawks face. Free kick, no report. There were Hawks going down all over the ground. This team were real hard Shinboners.

May 1963 was the match Aylett was concussed. I'm sure that's what you meant. Aylett retired in 1964 following the Round 13 match against Melbourne where he broke his wrist.

But yes, the North players, especially Teasdale, certainly went after Dickson, who had an established reputation. After one match, not sure which, Teasdale ran up the Hawthorn players race and banged on the door yelling fo Dickson to come out.

 

[So You Think]

An image of Arden Street I hadn’t seen before. Judging by the player “cutouts” on the smaller stand next to the main grandstand it must be no later than 1972.
View attachment 2427741

I'm guessing mid 60's going by the cars in the surrounding streets.

 

[kangaroo7]

Here it is. Memories of our triumphant season 50 years ago :



1975 -- A FLAG AT LAST!

North's dramatic rise up the ladder in 1974 had culminated in only their second Grand Final appearance. They entered the match as sentimental favourites, but reigning premier Richmond was too good and North's chances of winning their first premiership still seemed light years away. While some were happy with the club's improvement and progress in making the Grand Final, coach Ron Barassi was furious at the defeat and made sure the players knew it. But could he get the club up again for another attempt to win that elusive premiership? Or would the letdown affect the club as it had in 1951?

Several players had left including Robert Peterson, who left to concentrate in his medical career, Vin Doolan (Rutherglen) and John Perry (Caulfield). Denis Pagan was delisted. He would play with South Melbourne and in the VFA over the next few years before returning in 1993 to coach. New players were John Byrne (Supplementary list, originally Wangaratta Rovers), Stephen Icke (Noble Park and son of 1950s player Laurie Icke), Graeme Melrose (East Fremantle) and an unexpected bonus in Brent Crosswell, who came to North after a dispute with Carlton and played from mid May.

The club made their first ever sponsorship deal with Courage Breweries in March. This meant that the two top sides were sponsored by breweries, Richmond having signed a deal with Carlton & United earlier. Four days later North played a practice match against Geelong in Newcastle. They won by 71 points, with Barry Cable playing most of the game with a cut eye. Geelong were missing six regular players. Former player Laurie Dwyer was appointed to the unenviable position of runner for Barassi. Two more practice matches resulted in a 62 point loss to Collingwood (which disgusted Barassi) and a 64 point win over St Kilda. Just before the season proper began, former Richmond and star Bill Barrot, after four years away from VFL football, signed with North, but did not play a single match. Meanwhile, Sam Kekovich was in dispute with the club and wanted a trade to Essendon. He would end up staying.



ROUND 1 HAWTHORN


North, who had beaten Hawthorn four times in 1974 including twice in the finals, were soundly beaten when they allowed Hawthorn to get off to a flying start at Princes Park. North lost Blight to injury in the first quarter and Dench was restricted with a leg injury. Fights broke out in the last quarter. [PLAYERCARD]Bradley Smith[/PLAYERCARD] flattened Martello and Leigh Matthews. Matthews narrowly missed collecting Melrose. Later, Cowton was concussed by an elbow to his head which resulted in 34 of the 36 players involved in a brawl. Montgomery often played a lone hand in defence for North. Other good players were Schimmelbusch, Greig, Nolan, Moylan and Michalczyk.


HAWTHORN 15.15-105 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.10-76



Talk of Kekovich being traded persisted. Essendon were interested but only wanted to pay a transfer fee rather than trade a player. The Age reported that the club had asked St Kilda and Carlton if they were interested. St Kilda's Stuart Trott, who was in dispute with his club, was a rumoured target. He would go to Hawthorn later in the season. Several Carlton players were rumoured to be interested in going to North. Kekovich was named to play in the Reserves side against Melbourne, and club officials were relieved when he turned up.


ROUND 2 MELBOURNE

Blight, Cowton and Moylan were out injured and ill. Goodingham, Gumbleton and Michalczyk (20th man last week) came in to the line-up. North were expected to win over last year's wooden spooners. But in a match where first one team then the other dominated, Melbourne held on to win by two points. North paid for its inconsistency. Ditterich, who had declined an offer from North and instead went to Melbourne in 1973, was one of Melbourne's best. And Stan Alves, despite being soundly beaten by Greig on the day, managed to score the winning goal. Besides Greig, best for North were Rantall, Briedis, Burns, Dench, Montgomery and Gumbleton.

Barassi was perturbed, saying the players made too many mistakes and there would be changes. President Allen Aylett said that the club was facing a big challenge. It looked far from a premiership contender.

NORTH MELBOURNE 15.13-103 MELBOURNE 16.9-105



ROUND 3 CARLTON

Michalczyk and Goodingham felt the wrath of the selectors, both being relegated to the bench. Brad Smith was also out injured. Blight and Cowton returned from injury and Phil Baker made his first appearance for the year. North lost by 36 points after a dreadful second quarter. Carlton's Jesaulenko, formerly a star forward, had moved into defence and was best afield. North players fumbled a lot in the first half, and Barassi believed the rubber stops they wore in their boots were partly to blame. Nevertheless, he said it was the best form North had shown so far in part of the game. Best for North were Greig, Dench, Schimmelbusch,Montgomery,Melrose and Burns.

CARLTON 14.18 -102 NORTH MELBOURNE 9.12 - 66


ROUND 4 FITZROY

Goodingham and Icke came into the side. Briedis was omitted. Feltham started on the bench with Kekovich. Rantall was a late withdrawal, replaced by Muir. North put in another disappointing performance at Arden St. Fitzroy got a good start with the breeze. North wasted it in the second, kicking 3.8. Fitzroy kicked away in the third quarter and it was goal for goal in the last. Even a sensational mark and 70 meter goal by Baker in the second quarter could not inspire North, as they handed Fitzroy their first win of the season by 30 points. North's best were Wade (seven goals), Burns, Greig, Blight, Cable, Muir and Baker. Things now looked very serious. The players appeared slow and lacking in confidence. North were hovering near the bottom of the ladder where they had been three years ago and looked nothing like a potential finalist.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.19 - 85 FITZROY 17.13 - 115



ROUND 5 GEELONG

Kekovich came into the side along with Chisnall, Rantall and Feltham. Cowton and Goodingham were relegated to the bench, and Farrant and Icke omitted. As neither side had won a game, one had to break the ice at Kardinia Park. Geelong got off to a flying start with a 5 goal first quarter. But over the next two quarters, North outscored them 9 goals to 3 and went on to record what can only be described as a much-needed win by 16 points. Blight, playing at centre-half-back, kept Rex Hunt quiet, and Kekovich, playing a loose man in attack, got 3 goals. John Newman dominated in the ruck for Geelong and John Scarlett held Wade to 1 goal. But North's little men in Cable and Melrose were better. Greig, Feltham, Burns and Davis were also good. But it was not a convincing win.

GEELONG 11.5 - 71 NORTH MELBOURNE 12.15 - 87



ROUND 6 FOOTSCRAY

Brad Smith and Cowton came back into the side, with Wade and Gumbleton both out injured. During the week, Carlton champion Brent Crosswell crossed over to North after a dispute with his old club. He had played under Barasssi at Carlton and would play a big part in the remainder of the season for his new club. He started by being one of North's Reserves best in their big win in over Footscray.

The senior team also had a big win. Footscray had won their last four and were on a high, but North regained their teamwork of old and dominated. 45 points up by half-time, Barassi made the mistake of praising the players, and they promptly had a bad third quarter. But they went away again in the last quarter to win easily by 53 points. Rantall, at full-back, kept Footscray's danger man Sandilands right out of the game and was best on the ground. The entire defence, particularly Montgomery, Blight and Dench, played well. Melrose, Cable, Burns and Feltham scored 11 goals between them.

NORTH MELBOURNE 18.11-119 FOOTSCRAY 9.12 - 66


TO BE CONTINUED

 

[Twinkletoes]

Imagine if BigFooty existed back then with us grand finalists the year prior, loaded with a list of guns and losing the first four games of ‘75? It would’ve been online carnage. Instead (for me at least) it was teasing in the playground at school with me retorting “we’ll be back!”

 

[kangaroo7]

1975 cont.

ROUND 7 COLLINGWOOD

Baker, Cable and Muir were all injured from the Footscray match. Kekovich and B Smith were dropped. Back in came Wade, Gumbleton and Henshaw. Shane Zantuck came in for his only match of the season and Brent Crosswell was making his debut for his new club under his old coach.

Collingwood had lost their past two matches and were in a bit of a slump. But a series of pep talks during the week caused them to lift their game, although they almost spoilt it with atrocious kicking, scoring 2.8 and 3.8 in the first and third quarters. In the end they held North off by 9 points, with Len Thompson and the mercurial Phil Carman starring. Crosswell, who lined up at centre-half-forward, was North's best, taking apart his opponent Peter Moore. Dench kept Collingwood's full-forward McKenna goalless and Blight was on top at centre-half-back, but Greig and Schimmelbusch were eclipsed and their little men were disappointing. North finals chances were looking bleak.

COLLINGWOOD 12.18 - 90 NORTH MELBOURNE 12.9 - 81


ROUND 8 RICHMOND

Kekovich, Baker and Muir returned to the side, with Zantuck, Henshaw and Wade making way. It was the first time in 15 years that Wade had been dropped. His form this year had been disappointing and he had been dragged during the last quarter of last week's Collingwood match.

After looking a beaten side early in the third term, North staged a great fightback to win the Grand Final rematch against Richmond.
Earlier North had failed to take advantage of the breeze in the first quarter and trailed by 19 points at half-time. But they outscored Richmond in the second half, and in the last quarter, trailing by 10 points and kicking against the wind, scored four goals to take the lead and hold on to win by eight.
Barassi's starting Gumbleton at full-back to counter Taubert worked well. He was North's best. Greig and Schimmelbusch, hardly noticed in the early stages, starred in the last quarter. Nolan, Dench and Blight also played well.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.8 - 74 RICHMOND 9.12 - 66


ROUND 9 ESSENDON

Baker and Kekovich were dropped from the side, the selectors thinking that they did not do enough against Richmond. Back in came Henshaw and Wade, despite the fact he had only kicked two goals in the Reserves last week.
Just when North were appearing to overcome their poor start to the season, they were beaten by Essendon at VFL Park. Essendon had lost three of their last four games, but North let themselves down with bad kicking. At least seven direct shots at goal went out on the full. Barrasi had Dench at centre-half-forward, Montgomery at centre-half-back and Crosswell on a flank. Dench kicked like a defender scoring 0.3 from five shots. Wade, who didn't score a goal, was dragged late in the third quarter, much to his disgust. Some speculated that he was finished. Barassi felt that the umpire was not giving Wade a go and told him so at three quarter time. For this he was fined $100. Henshaw, Greig, Cowton, Nolan, Schimmelbusch and Burns tried hard for North. North languished in tenth place on the ladder, although only two games out of the top five.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.17 - 83 ESSENDON 15.9 - 98



ROUND 10 ST KILDA

At the Tuesday night training session, the players spent more time listening to Barassi than they did on the ground. After talking to them for 30 minutes, Barassi sent them out on the training field. But five minutes later they were back in the rooms where Barassi spoke to them again for another 45 minutes. Barassi had earlier told Inside Football that he was facing his greatest challenge and that the club was well down from the same time last year. Their expensive and exhaustive investment to win a Grand Final was in danger of collapse.

When the team was chosen, Cable, Dawson and Byrne (making his first appearance for the season) were in at the expense of Feltham, Burns (both on the bench) and Muir. However, last minute changes saw Feltham come into the side to replace Blight (ill). This would be his 100th match. Muir replaced him on the bench and Phil Ryan likewise replaced Burns, who played in the reserves. North took a while to shake off St Kilda, but won well in the end. Wade came back into form with five goals and Feltham, Greig, Schimmelbusch, Chisnall, Nolan and Davis all contributed.

ST KILDA 15.9 - 99 NORTH MELBOURNE 17.19 - 121



ROUND 11 SOUTH MELBOURNE

Blight, Kekovich and Burns were back in the side. Dench, Montgomery and Dawson were all injured. Wade withdrew from the side the morning before the match with a knee injury. This enabled John Douglas to make his debut. The match was on the Queen's Birthday Monday at the Lake Oval, where North had not won since 1968.

It was a game of non-stop action. South at this stage had won only one match this season, but took the game right up to North. Former Richmond big man Brian "Whale" Roberts dominated, and his former Richmond teammate Graham Teasdale had a battle royale with Blight. But North's good first quarter and South's bad second one left North 27 points ahead at half-time, and they held on to win by 20. Crosswell, Kekovich, Schimmelbusch, Blight, Burns and Melrose were best for North.

SOUTH MELB 12.10 - 88 NORTH MELB 16.12 - 108


So at the halfway mark of the season, North sat outside the top five by one game. They had lost to four out of five teams above them and had not been convincing.


ROUND 12 HAWTHORN

Keen to avenge their Round 1 loss, North had to manage without Wade and Dench, who were both still injured. Montgomery and Chisnall returned to the side along with Richard Michalczyk, who had not played in the seniors since Round 3. Byrne and Douglas were dropped. Hawthorn at this stage were four games clear on top of the ladder with Carlton. Barassi made many positional changes at the start of the game and it was close in the first half. In the second half, however, Hawthorn kicked away scoring nine goals to three. It was the best form North had shown so far, but they came up against a side at its top. With their two forwards Wade and Briedis missing, the forward line was weak. Barassi in desperation moved Greig to full forward in the third quarter but this failed. Nolan was North's best, and Cable, Melrose, Burns, Kekovich and Rantall played well.

NORTH MELBOURNE 13.17 - 95 HAWTHORN 18.12.120

To be continued

 

[Hojuman]

Funny to think l was probably at all those games.
Not the only one here at a guess ?
Saturday morning school footy then somehow P.T. it to the ground and meet the family. Picnic sangers and thermos soup. The long drive home and maybe pick up some KFC or Ollie's Trolley. If lucky a trip home via Poons in Footscray for chinese ! ( b.y.o. pots )
Sunday, church after jam scones for breakfast, home for roast lunch and World of Sport. Sunday afternoon street footy with bins & lamp-posts as goals.

Simpler times ( signed; Boomer )

 

[Whippet1]

It was a real slow burn season after a massive Grand Final runner up hangover. I remember Barassi presenting a “relatively” calm exterior and refusing to hit the panic button.
The forward line was a problem with an ageing Wade starting to struggle.
What an early season recruit Crosswell was.

 

[kangaroo7]

1975 cont.


ROUND 13 MELBOURNE

Full-back Dench returned to the side from injury. John Douglas was given another chance at full-forward with Wade still injured, and Steven Icke returned for the first time since Round 4. Crosswell and Feltham were out injured and Montgomery omitted.

In a match marred by slippery conditions and showers of rain, North had a comfortable 34 point win. Schimmelbusch played his best game for the season, kicking five goals and constantly setting up scoring chances. Kekovich continued his recent good form when moved to centre-half-back in the second quarter. Other good players were Greig, Burns, Cable, Chisnall and Michalczyk, who was on the verge of being sold to Essendon on the Thursday night before the match. But North still needed to improve a lot to be considered a finals or premiership contender.

MELBOURNE 6.10 - 46 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.14 - 80



ROUND 14 FITZROY

North lost Greig and Blight to the State team, Goodingham was injured and Cowton was omitted. Crosswell was back from injury and Dawson, Ryan and former Carlton player Munari came in.

In a close match, where the difference was never greater than 15 points, North kept the lead for most of the time after the first quarter and won by nine. Melrose was the difference. Playing his best match to date, he defied the wet conditions and kicked five goals and had 29 possessions. Two moves by Barassi also contributed to the win. After the Fitzroy full-forward, Smith, kicked three early goals, Dench was moved onto him in place of Michalczyk and he didn't score again. In the third quarter, centreman Burns and winger Chisnall were swapped and both increased their input on the game. Others to play well were Crosswell, Ryan, Kekovich, Davis, Gumbleton and Dench. The win enabled North to move into the top five where they would stay for the rest of the season.

FITZROY 14.12 - 96 NORTH MELBOURNE 15.15 - 105



ROUND 15 CARLTON

Greig, Byrne and Cowton returned to the side but Blight was unable to as he had a virus. Arnold Briedis was selected for the first time since Round 3. He was named on the half-back-flank but lined up at centre-half-forward. Cowton was named in the side but had hamstring trouble and was replaced before the match by Robert Smith. Dawson, Douglas, Icke and Munari made way.

Hosting Carlton in the mud at at VFL Park, North had their most important win for the season when they held Carlton goalless for two terms. North kicked 4.6 against the wind in the third quarter to Carlton's 0.3. It was Carlton's second defeat for the season, and their second at VFL Park. Previous bitter enemies Sam Kekovich and Brent Crosswell teamed together to help North's win. Rantall, Greig, Schimmelbusch, Nolan and Henshaw also played well.


NORTH MELBOURNE 9.11 - 65 CARLTON 5.14 - 44





ROUND 16 GEELONG

Wade finally returned to the side after a 6 week absence. Icke also returned and John Moylan came in for his first match of the season. Rantall was out injured and Byrne and Muir were omitted.

Geelong got off to a flying start in the first quarter, but after that it was all North. The 54 point winning margin should have been much more but for inaccuracy - North kicked 7.16 in the second half. Geelong were having a season to forget, now languishing in eleventh place. Phil Baker had been cleared by North to Geelong after Round 5 this year and was one of the Cat's best. He would soon be back at North. Briedis at centre-half-forward was best on the ground, beating two opponents. Cable, Melrose, Michalczyk, Davis and Nolan also played well.

NORTH MELBOURNE 14.25 – 109 GEELONG 6.19 - 55




ROUND 17 FOOTSCRAY

Rantall returned to the side at Moylan's expense. North recorded their tenth win for the season and strengthened their position in the five when they proved too good for Footscray at the Western Oval. North, who had first use of the strong wind, led by 33 at quarter-time. Footscray came back to trail by just three at half-time. But North dominated the second half kicking 11 goals to four and won by 49 points. Schimmelbusch was best on the ground, and Wade showed that he wasn't finished by kicking six goals. Other good players were Kekovich, Henshaw, Dench, Davis, Greig, Cable and Crosswell.

FOOTSCRAY 9.14 - 68 NORTH MELBOURNE 17.15 - 117



ROUND 18 COLLINGWOOD

Blight came back into the side. Ryan was relegated to the bench. Byrne also started on the bench as last weeks two reserves, Icke and Moylan, were omitted.

North had their sixth successive win by beating Collingwood soundly at Arden St. They dominated the second and third quarters to open up a big lead, then allowed Collingwood to score five goals in the last. Barassi was upset at this lapse, saying that North should have won by 100 instead of 50 points. The club certainly needed the percentage. Barassi had also warned his players several times not to get involved in "incidents", but Briedis and Chisnall were reported. Briedis was supended for two weeks. Nevertheless, the club sounded a warning to Hawthorn and Carlton, the two teams who had cleared out from the rest on the top of the ladder. North’s best on the day were Davis, Greig, Crosswell, Henshaw Schimmelusch, Kekovich, Nolan and Burns. It was Collingwood's worst performance for the season.

NORTH MELBOURNE 15.20 - 110 COLLINGWOOD 8.10 - 58


ROUND 19 RICHMOND


With Burns (injured) and Briedis (suspended) unavailable, Dawson came in for only his fourth game of the year, and Munari for his second.

Third place on the ladder was still open to four teams, but North gained a small break when they defeated Richmond by five points, opening up a one match break over St Kilda and two match one over Richmond and Collingwood. The match was close with inaccurate kicking plaguing both sides. In the last two quarters North scored 2.10 and 5.7 to Richmond's 1.8 and 4.1. North were the better side for most of the day and should have won by more. Davis, Kekovich, Dench, Cable, Michalczyk, Greig and Shimmelbusch were North's best.

NORTH MELBOURNE 13.23 - 101 RICHMOND 13.18 - 96


ROUND 20 ESSENDON

Burns and Icke returned to the side, with Wade out injured and Munari omitted. But North suffered a double blow before the match when Kekovich and Crosswell both withdrew with the flu. Dawson came off the bench into the starting eighteen, being replaced on the bench by Munari. Montgomery also came in.

Not having a focal point on the forward line did not help North, although they were not disgraced, losing by 14 points. They came up against an Essendon side desperate to win after losing their past three games, some of their senior players playing for their careers. North missed the chance of winning eight matches in a row for the first time. Davis played well against his old club. Other good players were Dawson, Henshaw, Rantall, Micalczyk, Greig and Cable, who suffered a bruised back.

ESSENDON 15.15 - 105 NORTH MELBOURNE 13.13 - 91


ROUND 21 ST KILDA

Crosswell and Kekovich returned to the team along with Briedis. Montgomery and Dawson were omitted, along with Blight, who had been dragged at half-time the previous week.

After the Essendon set-back, North were expected to hit back strongly - and they did, beating St Kilda by 70 points. In muddy conditions, which normally suited St Kilda, North dominated. Burns was supreme in the centre, beating five different opponents. Schimmelbush, Briedis and Kekovich were brilliant across the half-forward line, kicking 11 goals between them, and Nolan dominated in the ruck. North were now a game clear in third spot.

NORTH MELBOURNE 16.15 - 111 ST KILDA 6.5 - 41


ROUND 22 SOUTH MELBOURNE

Wade finally returned to the side, along with Feltham. Chisnall was out injured and Icke was omitted. Playing the bottom side, who had won just two games for the year, North did enough to win, but were far from convincing. South stuck with them for most of the match and only near the end did North manage to shake them off. It did not look like the performance of a team aspiring to be premiers. Wade managed four goals but was frustrated for much of the game. Cable, Melrose, Burns, Greig, Schimmelbusch and Crosswell were North's best.

NORTH MELB 15.19 - 109 SOUTH MELB 12.15 - 87




This was how the teams finished after the home and away matches. North were in third place a game ahead of Richmond and Collingwood and had secured the double chance. They would face Carlton in the Qualifying Final.



TO BE CONT.

 

[Hojuman]

Have one great memory from the qual.final v Carlton. Will save it until after K7 posts.

 

[kangaroo7]

1975 concluded.


QUALIFYING FINAL CARLTON


Wade had hamstring soreness and was ruled unfit, to his great disappointment. Ryan, Feltham and Robert Smith (a reserve last week) were omitted. Blight, Cowton and Chisnall returned. Goodingham was named on the bench as a back-up for Nolan.

Both teams made positional changes on the day with Carlton's Jesaulenko, a defender all season, starting at half forward. He was tagged by Rantall. Ray Byrne started in Jesaulenko's place and tagged Schimmelbusch. Doull lined up on Briedis and McClure on Kekovich. Blight went to full forward and Crosswell to centre half back. In wet and heavy conditions, North's small men in Melrose, Cable and Burns gave the club winning drive and only Carlton's accuracy kept them in touch. The final winning margin was 20 points. Best players were Melrose (four goals) Burns (who thrashed Syd Jackson in the centre), Cable, Kekovich, Davis, Chisnall and Greig. Michalczyk, who also had a fine match suffered a leg injury that would end his finals campaign.


C ARLTON 12.4 - 72 NORTH MELBOURNE 14.12 - 96




SECOND SEMI-FINAL HAWTHORN


North made just one change, bringing back Wade for the injured Michalczyk, for the second semi-final against the minor premiers.

In a closely contested match, Hawthorn, who had lost their last four matches of the home and away season, held on to beat North by 11 points. The last minute inclusion of Des Meagher, who dominated, four goals from debutant Michael Cooke and a strong half-back line helped Hawthorn prevail. Schimmelbusch, Davis, Rantall, Burns and Gumbleton were North's best. Wade was reported in the second quarter and replaced at three quarter time. Melrose broke his thumb, ending his season. North had never won a second semi-final under the Page-McIntyre finals system.

HAWTHORN 12.10 - 82 NORTH MELBOURNE 10.11 - 71


PRELIMINARY FINAL RICHMOND


North were now up against their 1974 Grand Final opponent Richmond in a sudden death match. Richmond had dominated North last year winning every match they played against them, including the Grand Final. However, this year North had won the two home and away clashes, albeit narrowly, and were confident of winning again. Wade was injured again and would miss. Melrose had a broken bone in his thumb which would end his season. It was bad luck for the Western Australian rover, who had played every match this year up till now. In came Icke, who had managed just 8 games, and Farrant, who had not played a senior match since Round 4.

Richmond had dreams of winning a third consecutive premiership, but these were shattered when North held on to beat them in a tight, desperate match. On the first dry day of the finals, North led at every change and withstood a late Richmond challenge to win
by 17 points. Best on the ground was captain Barry Davis, who played one of his best ever games for North, despite pulling a back muscle during the pre-match warm-up. Other good players were Greig, Cable, Crosswell, Burns, Chisnall and Feltham, who replaced Icke at half-time and made a difference.

NORTH MELBOURNE 10.16 - 76 RICHMOND 8.11 - 59


GRAND FINAL HAWTHORN

North now prepared themselves for just their third attempt at winning a Grand Final and a premiership. Six players from their 1974 Grand Final team were missing - Pagan, B Smith, Montgomery, Baker, Ryan and Peterson. Icke was out injured. Farrant, who had only five possessions against Richmond, and Cowton were relegated to the bench. In came Goodingham, who was an unused Reserve against Richmond, and Wade, who had pleaded with Barassi and the selection committee to be included. He was selected based on his finals experience and his offer to stay behind the packs and crumb goals.

Barassi pulled a surprise on the day, bringing Farrant off the bench to line up at centre-half-back and relegating Goodingham to the bench. Goodingham had been named in the side to tempt
Hawthorn to include their big man Bernie Jones. It was thought he would be easier to contain than Meagher, who had starred in the Second semi-final. The ploy worked and Meagher was relegated to the bench. Over 110,000 were present at the MCG and most were hoping North would win.

Barry Davis won the toss and North got off to a good start with Burns kicking a goal and looking a real threat. Rantall was tagging the dangerous Leigh Matthews and Blight, named at centre-half-back, was on the forward line. Burns soon had another goal and Crosswell, who was in for a good day, ran through the centre and punted a long goal. Briedis kicked a fourth one and North led by 12 points at quarter time.

The lead was increased to 20 points by half-time. Burns and Wade each kicked two goals and Schimmelbusch kicked an “impossible” angle goal after a chain of passes involving 10 North players. North’s defence was playing well, as was Hawthorn’s, with Knights keeping North’s lead from blowing out. Matthews was in for a quiet day and Cooke, who had had a great debut two weeks ago, was dragged and replaced by Meagher, who was not suited to the firm, dry ground.

In the third quarter goals were scored by Blight, Kekovich and Wade and the lead increased to 29 points. North looked safe, but Barassi strode out and reminded them that the match was not yet won, and that history was in their grasp.

The final quarter began with Hawthorn missing several shots for goal. North also missed a couple of chances, but then, with over half the quarter gone, North cut loose. Briedis, who been held by Knights for most of the game, kicked four goals and helped blow out the margin to 55 points. During this quarter Cowton replaced Farrant and Goodingham replaced Nolan, so the two reserves could get a taste. As the siren sounded to signal North’s first VFL premiership, there were incredible scenes. The players celebrated wildly. Some older fans wept openly. North was the last of the then VFL clubs to win a premiership, breaking a 50 year drought.

The only sour note for North was Peter Chisnall being reported in the last quarter, along with Hawthorn’s Peter Welsh.

NORTH MELBOURNE 4.2 9.2 12.6 19.8 - 122

HAWTHORN 2.2 5.6 7.7 9.13 – 67

Goals: Briedis 5, Burns 4, Wade 4, Schimmelbusch 2, Kekovich, Blight, Crosswell, Feltham.
Best: Crosswell, Rantall, Greig, Burns, Dench, Nolan, Kekovich.


The following month, the premier teams of the Victorian, South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian competitions played off for the “Winfield Cup” Australian championship in Adelaide. Kekovich was left out of the squad for disciplinary reasons. North won the competition, defeating West Perth and Norwood, Blight kicking nine goals against the South Australian premiers.

This proved to be the last season that Barry Davis, Doug Wade, Gary Farrant, Barry Goodingham and John Rantall would play for North. Davis, Wade and Farrant announced their retirements. Goodingham was involved in a three way trade at the start of 1976 which saw him go to South Melbourne and Melbourne’s Peter Keenan come to North. After two seasons with South, he would go on to play a further three seasons with Woodville in South Australia. Rantall, having achieved his dream of playing in a premiership side, moved back to South Melbourne.

It was a memorable season for the club and it would continue its time at the top with regular finals matches for another five years, although only one more premiership would be achieved under Barassi.

 

[Hojuman]

You actually go to the stats from the qual.final there were 96 free kicks paid in that game !
North 40 - Carlton 56.

My endearing memory from that game is a contested ball with a few players swooping in near the h.f.f.city end. You could see Vinny Waite decide to line up Wayne Schimmelbusch and charge at him like a rampant bull ( hard man Vinny )
Last second Wayne could see it coming and side stepped just in time and Vinny came crashing into the fence in front of us. Still remember the noise it made.
I've tried a few places and asked a few people if there is any vision of this game without luck

 

[Hojuman]

Actually K7 i.i.r.c. there were no sunny days for footy that Sept.maybe just our prelim.out at VFL park ?
Most days were cloudy & overcast.

 

[Groucho]

You actually go to the stats from the qual.final there were 96 free kicks paid in that game !
North 40 - Carlton 56.

My endearing memory from that game is a contested ball with a few players swooping in near the h.f.f.city end. You could see Vinny Waite decide to line up Wayne Schimmelbusch and charge at him like a rampant bull ( hard man Vinny )
Last second Wayne could see it coming and side stepped just in time and Vinny came crashing into the fence in front of us. Still remember the noise it made.
I've tried a few places and asked a few people if there is any vision of this game without luck

The number of frees awarded back then was insane. It wasn’t unusual for there to be 100+. I remember when Harry Beitzel took over as head of umpiring in the late 70’s early 80’s his stated aim was to get the total frees down to 60 per game. Anyway looks like we still got screwed in that Carlton final, some things never change.

 

[kangaroo7]

Actually K7 i.i.r.c. there were no sunny days for footy that Sept.maybe just our prelim.out at VFL park ?
Most days were cloudy & overcast.

I remember the weather was OK on Grand Final day. It rained for the Carlton match. I was right up the top of one of the stands and no shelter.

 

[kangaroo7]

And now we look at North's first season in the VFL 100 years ago.


1925 FIRST SEASON IN VFL


North Melbourne had finally achieved their long-time dream of playing in the state’s top competition. All but five of their existing players from the VFA were available and several more were recruited. They looked forward to giving a good account of themselves and making the club competitive.

The club’s Annual Meeting on 3rd February was eagerly looked forward to. A total of 54 candidates were standing for 28 available posts. It was the old executive opposed by a new Reform Party formed by a section of the club, with some independents thrown in. The voting went into the early hours of the morning, so none of the Meeting attendees knew the result that night. In the end it was a resounding defeat for the Reform Party, only one of their members retaining his place on the committee. All the old executive nominees were elected, including retiring Secretary Stan Thomas. The beaten Reformers at first contemplated requesting an inquiry over some “irregularities” in the voting, but then decided against it in the interests of unity and promised to give the committee any assistance it could.

The new committee got to work, adopting the club’s colours of royal blue and white and trying to find a coach. The club was hopeful of former North players Hardy, Shorten, Irwin, May and Jenkins returning from Essendon, where they had gone in 1921. But there was little chance of Essendon releasing them. After considering 20 applications for the coaching job, including one from Charles Hardy, former Fitzroy captain Gordon Rattray was appointed. Rattray had spent the previous season as non-playing coach of Melbourne. Five days after his appointment, Rattray sensationally resigned and applied for a permit to play with Brighton in the VFA, saying he wanted to start a business in that suburb. North accepted Rattray’s resignation and quickly approached St Kilda captain Wels Eicke. In view of his past service to his club, St Kilda cleared him. The club eagerly looked forward to the start of the season.







ROUND 1 GEELONG



North had to travel to Corio Oval, which was then Geelong’s home ground, for their first VFL match. Although they had not met for 28 years, the two clubs had had a great rivalry in the past. For many years the Queen’s Birthday match played on 24 May every year in Melbourne was an annual fixture between them and drew huge crowds.

North were given a warm welcome by the Mayor of Geelong and the Football Club’s Secretary. The weather was perfect with a slight breeze, which Geelong had first use of. The first score of the game, a behind, was all North could manage, but Geelong wasted chances and led by only 16 points at the first break. North then put in a good second quarter when they scored 4.7 to 1.1 and led by eight at half-time. Geelong’s two rovers were injured in this quarter and another of their players was limping. In the second half the scoring was equal. North’s rover Harry Johnston played on with a broken rib. Geelong hit the front at the start of the last quarter. North edged back in front with a series of behinds and then Geelong goaled again to lead by two points. North’s Metcalf, who was playing well at centre-half-forward, had to leave the field. Geelong then gave away a holding the ball free kick and the ball went into North’s forward zone. Geelong’s Haggar, who had been sent down into defence, sent a hurried kick out of bounds. From the resultant free kick Clapson goaled to put North back in front. Lewis then added another goal just before the end.

North were best served by Eicke, Johnston, Lewis, McIntosh, Walsh and Gomez. But the whole team played well to pull off a shock result against Geelong who were considered invincible on their own ground. Geelong would lose only one more match for the year on the way to the premiership.

GEELONG 8.11 – 59 NORTH MELBOURNE 9.13 – 67








ROUND 2 FITZROY

North made only one change to their Round 1 side, Melville, a Junior, replacing the injured Giles. It was North’s first home game as a VFL team, and supporters turned up in large numbers after the previous week’s success, resulting in a rather large attendance of around 20,000. North’s players were a little over-anxious at the start, allowing Fitzroy to establish a lead they never lost. Both sides wasted chances and Fitzroy’s forwards were somewhat inaccurate. Eicke again was best for North (and on the ground) and Walsh kept Fitzroy’s Moriarty in check. Gomez, Johnston, Lewis, Lock and Goonan also played well. North fought the match out to the end, but Fitzroy were too experienced and combined better.

NORTH MELBOURNE 6.3 – 39 FITZROY 8.26 – 54


ROUND 3 SOUTH MELBOURNE

Again North made only one change – another Junior, Kirkley replacing Melville. In a hard game, for almost three quarters North were the better side in general play, but made crucial errors in holding on to the ball too long and giving away foolish free kicks. North’s forwards became over anxious in the last quarter, missing chances. In the final 10 minutes, South put on a withering five goal burst to win by 21 points. It was a missed opportunity for North’s second win. Best performers were Eicke, Linton, Walsh, Gomez, Lambe,Lewis and Johnston.

SOUTH MELB 12.10 – 82 NORTH MELB 8.13 – 61




Metcalf (14) centre & Goonan (5) front

 

[kangaroo7]

1925 (Cont.)

ROUND 4 ESSENDON

North included Giles, Shorten, Rutley, Melville and Port Fairy recruit Lynch at the expense of Smith, McIntosh, Doherty, Kirkley and Lindsay. The Essendon team contained four former North players in Rawle, Irwin, Jenkins and Hardy, the latter three making up the forward line. Once again North took the game right up to their opponents. The much vaunted Essendon centre line was held in check for the first time for the season. The main difference was accuracy. North had only one less scoring shot than Essendon. But whereas North scored mainly behinds, Essendon got goals, their full-forward Jenkins kicking nine. For the second week in a row, North let slip a match they could have won. The game became rough towards the end and North player Linton was reported. He was one of North’s best as well as the wingers Russ and Lock. Gomez, Giles and Walsh did well in defence. Lewis, Lambe, Lynch, Eicke, Clapson and Johnston also tried hard.

NORTH MELBOURNE 5.17 - 47 ESSENDON 13.10 – 88




ROUND 5 MELBOURNE

North replaced Linton (suspended for six weeks), Rutley (injured) and Shorten with Doherty, Lindsay and another new player in Healey (West Melb CYMS) The match was played in two halves. Melbourne got away in the first half to lead by 39 points at half-time. But North rallied in the second half, particularly in the third quarter when they shocked Melbourne with their determination and ball handling, reducing the deficit to 18 points. In the last quarter, Melbourne manged to get a couple of goals to make the game safe. Lewis, Russ and Johnston were North’s three best. Trevaskis, Metcalf, Gomez and Lynch (four goals in his second game) were also good.

MELBOURNE 12.13 – 85 NORTH MELBOURNE 10.5 – 65


A. Lambe (22)





ROUND 6 HAWTHORN

North faced their old VFA rivals at home without Metcalf (ill). Goonan and Doherty were omitted. In came Shorten, Meeking and McCasker. Both sides were confident of winning, Hawthorn having beaten Footscray the week before to register their first win. The first half of the match was sub-standard. North lost Lambe in the second quarter, who was carried off with a broken leg. This disorganised the back line and enabled Hawthorn to gain a lead of 17 points at half-time. North did better in the second half. Despite playing a man short they outscored Hawthorn 5.6 to 2.3 to win by four points. Eicke was again North’s best. Trevaskis, Johnston (four goals), Lewis, Clapson, Russ, Walsh and Gomez also did well.

NORTH MELBOURNE 8.13 – 61 HAWTHORN 8.9 – 57


ROUND 7 FOOTSCRAY

The club was late announcing the team on Thursday night and the Argus newspaper complained about the club’s tardiness and that North had much for which to thank the paper. The club press correspondent (Rev D Daly) explained that the telephone at the North Melbourne ground had been out of order and that he communicated the team when he got home at 11.50pm. Joe Wood, the clubs’ full-forward from last season, came in for his first game. Vice-captain Bill Smith returned from injury as did Metcalf, McIntosh and Rutley. McCasker, Meeking, Melville, Clapson and Lambe made way.

Footscray had had a successful season in the VFA in 1924, but North Melbourne was the only team to stop their unbeaten run. A good match was anticipated and fans were not disappointed. It was fast and open and played in a good spirit throughout. Footscray’s inaccuracy in the first quarter and North’s dominant second quarter saw North lead by 25 points at half-time. Metcalf had a bad fall going for a mark in the second quarter and had to go off. But he returned in the last quarter and kicked the final goal of the match. North won by 24 points. Russ was North’s best, easily winning in the centre. Others to do well were Lewis and McIntosh,who followed all day, Johnston, Trevaskis, Eicke, Gomez, Walsh and Rutley. The only downside was Gomez’s report and three week suspension.


FOOTSCRAY 7.12 – 54 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.12 – 78


ROUND 8 ST KILDA

Gomez (suspended) and Shorten (injured) were replaced by two club debutantes - Harper, a former St Kilda player, and Greensmith, who played with North in the VFA.

This was another match that North could have won. In one of the finest displays of the season, fast and clever football was seen in a match that was close all day. The St Kilda team looked much bigger and heavier than North, but the home team played with a determination that almost won them the game. Trailing by six points in the dying minutes, a shot by Lynch was marked on the goal line by St Kilda. Then Rutley hit the post. Lewis, playing against the doctor’s advice, received a nasty knock in the first quarter and was virtually useless from then on. There was great relief among St Kilda supporters when the final bell rang, which incidentally was barely heard by the umpires, who said that they intended to complain about it to the VFL. Rutley was best man on the ground. Other North players to do well were Russ, Johnston, Eicke, Metcalf, Trevaskis, Walsh and Greensmith. Backup ruckman McIntosh was reported and suspended for two matches.

NORTH MELBOURNE 9.9 – 63 ST KILDA 10.8 – 68






To be continued

 

[kangaroo7]

1925 (Cont)


ROUND 9 CARLTON

Vice-captain Smith was injured again. He and McIntosh were replaced by Melville and Clapson. The ground was slippery and the ball greasy which did not help either side. After an even first half, Carlton broke away in the third quarter scoring five goals to two and eventually won by 28 points. Russ was best on the ground with his performance in the centre. Other good players for North were Metcalf and Wood (seven goals between them), Walsh, Lewis, Lynch, Healey, Trevaskis and Giles. Johnston spoiled his good play by trying to run with the ball too often.

CARLTON 14.11 – 95 NORTH MELBOURNE 10.7 – 67





ROUND 10 RICHMOND

North secured two new players in Gerald Britt (Williamstown) and Leo Dwyer (Murchison). They came into the side along with Don Watson, who played with North in the VFA in 1924 and had finished serving a suspension which included the first nine matches of 1925, and would make his VFL debut. Smith and Goonan also returned. Making way were Greensmith, Harper, Melville, Wood and Clapson.

Before a poor attendance at Arden St, North led by 17 points at half-time after making better use of the wind advantage than Richmond had. In the second half, however, Richmond outscored North seven goals to one for an 18 point win. Metcalf going off with a shoulder injury early in the last quarter did not help. Russ was again best on the ground. Eicke, Johnston, Trevaskis and Rutley also played well for North. A nasty incident occurred after the game when Richmond’s Taylor was struck by Lewis as he entered the dressing room. The incident was not seen by the umpires but Richmond made a complaint to the VFL. The investigation did not take place until 28th August – seven weeks after the match. Lewis admitted striking Taylor after “repeated and extreme provocation.” In view of this, and Lewis’ past record, he received a relatively lenient three week suspension.

NORTH MELBOURNE 7.9 – 51 RICHMOND 10.9 – 69



ROUND 11 COLLINGWOOD

Smith and Metcalf (both injured) along with Goonan were replaced by Linton, Gomez and Wood. North worried Collingwood in the first half. Not very often did Collingwood concede six goals in the first quarter, especially at Victoria Park. But Collingwood’s superiority in the air and experience gave them an edge. Heavy rainfall at half-time congested the game and Collingwood dominated the last quarter for a comfortable win. Healey, Dwyer, Lewis, Wood, Lynch, Walsh, Johnston and Eicke tried hard for North.

COLLINGWOOD 16.17 – 113 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.4 - 70



ROUND 12 GEELONG

Geelong came to Arden St with revenge on its mind. They now sat on top of the ladder and the Round 1 loss to North was still their only defeat for the season. There had been some rough incidents in that match, but no one could have foreseen how the return match would play out. Originally Lambe and Nolan (making his debut) came into the side for Rutley and Giles. But Rutley was a late inclusion when Linton withdrew ill.

Geelong’s inaccuracy kept North in touch with them early in the game, but Geelong was clearly the better side. Spiteful incidents and retaliations started early. Players were flattened after disposing of the football. There was also much tripping, charging, chopping at players as they ran past and punching. Field umpire Scott failed to stop the roughness and let the play get out of hand. Just before half-time a lump of concrete thrown from the crowd hit Geelong’s Coughlan behind the knee. He had to receive treatment in the centre of the ground – out of range of the angry crowd. The violence continued in the second half, players being elbowed and subjected to other spiteful acts. On the scoreboard Geelong were now in a commanding position. In the last quarter Geelong captain Rankin suffered a blow and had to be carried off the ground. After the match, the umpires announced they were reporting six players on 17 charges, but many more could have been charged. The Herald called the match “a blot on football”, while the Argus said it was “the worst game in years.” North’s better players were Russ, Lewis, Britt, Walsh, Johnston, Eicke, Lynch and Watson.

Later in the week, the Tribunal handed out some tough sentences:


Rutley (North) Two charges of kicking. Suspended for life.

Coughlan (Geelong) Striking. Suspended until the end of 1926

Thomas (Geelong) Two charges of elbowing. Suspended until the end of 1926.

Russ (North) Striking. Suspended for the rest of the season.

Johnston (North) Attempting to kick. Charge not sustained. Reprimanded for rough play.

The stone thrower was found, charged and fined 10 with costs.

There was great indignation in Geelong over the suspensions of Couglan and Thomas. Thomas would never play again. A public meeting was held and a motion passed that players should have a right to appeal. The Rutley life ban was lifted in 1930 at the suggestion of the Geelong delegate to the VFL.

NORTH MELBOURNE 9.5 – 59 GEELONG 22.22 – 154

 

[kangaroo7]

1925 (Concluded)


ROUND 13 FITZROY

With several players carrying injuries from the previous week, North delayed naming their side until Friday night. In the end the only player omitted, besides the three disqualified ones, was Gomez. In came Smith, Linton, Metcalf and Giles.

North matched it with Fitzroy until early in the third quarter, after which Fitzroy drew away despite their forwards playing below form. North’s forwards also missed chances and the team seemed to be affected by the suspensions from last week. Best for North were Lock, Linton, Walsh, Giles, Wood, Lynch, Eicke and Johnston.

During this week, the umpires threatened to go on strike unless wire netting barriers for their protection were erected at the North Melbourne and Melbourne grounds – the only two grounds who didn’t have them.


FITZROY 17.18 – 120 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.8 – 74





ROUND 14 SOUTH MELBOURNE

Again North delayed naming their side due to some players being away on holiday and injuries. In the end, the only change was Gomez for Nolan. A strong wind favoured the Arden St goal and Eicke, winning the toss, gave North first use of it and they led by 27 points at quarter time. Rain fell in the second quarter which didn’t help South who managed only 1.6 to North’s 2.1. North increased their lead again in the third quarter. Only in the final quarter did South get the better of the play, but North held on for a well deserved 22 point win. Best for North were Walsh, Johnston, Wood (six goals), Lynch (four goals), Watson, Eicke,Linton, Lock and Lewis. After the game, South officials entered the North dressing room and congratulated them on the win. When the scores from other matches were placed on the scoreboard, showing that St Kilda had defeated Geelong, there was loud cheering from North’s players and supporters. The win took North to ninth on the ladder ahead of Carlton – for a week.

NTH MELBOURNE 12.8 – 80 STH MELBOURNE 7.16 - 58







ROUND 15 ESSENDON

Nolan came back into the side for Gomez and McIntosh replaced Lewis, who had received a belated three week suspension from the Round 10 Richmond match, thus ending his season.

Essendon were keen to win to consolidate their place in the top four. On the day they were too good for North, increasing their lead steadily and winning by 58 points. In the second quarter, Lynch collided with an opponent and was in the hands of the trainers when a female spectator ran onto the ground to help minister to him. So staggered were officials and police that no one stopped her. Best for North were Eicke (in the first half), Walsh, Watson, Linton, Metcalf, Lynch and Giles.

ESSENDON 14.19 – 103 NORTH MELBOURNE 6.9 – 45



ROUND 16 MELBOURNE

Britt had sustained a broken arm and Giles two broken ribs during the Essendon match. Ruckman McIntosh was also injured. Add to that players under suspension – Lewis, Rutley and Russ - and North were beginning to feel the pinch. Trevaskis had served his suspension and came back into the side along with Shorten and McCasker.

Supporters of both teams were looking forward to a good contest in view of their earlier Round 5 clash. Melbourne had not played at Arden St for 30 years. They were now second on the ladder just behind Geelong and while they thought they might be extended by North, they still expected to win. North got of to a good start in the first quarter, keeping Melbourne goalless and taking a 19 point lead. The match was fine open football and North’s good defence kept Melbourne’s scoring low. By three quarter time North had extended their lead to 27 points, and although Melbourne doubled their own goal total from three to six in the last quarter, North also added three goals to win by 27 points. All North’s players had produced their best form on the one day. The centre line of Dwyer, Linton and Lock was exceptionally strong. Nolan, Johnston and Walsh were also brilliant. Metcalf, Lynch, Eicke, Lindsay and Wood rarely failed. It was a shame that the match had a relatively small attendance.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.7 – 73 MELBOURNE 6.10 - 46



ROUND 17 HAWTHORN

With an unchanged team, North travelled to Hawthorn for the final home and away match. Although the side was unchanged, it bore little resemblance to the one that had played so well against Melbourne the previous week. In a dull sub-standard match North were beaten by 25 points, allowing Hawthorn their third win of the season and missing a chance to finish ninth above Carlton, who lost to Fitzroy. Best for North were Walsh, Eicke, Linton, Metcalf, Watson and Wood. Although not well on the day, Watson played, but after the game became delirious and was taken to hospital suffering from pleurisy and pneumonia.

HAWTHORN 7.13 – 55 NORTH MELBOURNE 4.6 - 30









The following Saturday North played a match against the local team in Horsham. North won by 19 points, overcoming a 14 point three quarter time deficit. The club was given a banquet by the Mayor.

Had North had a best and fairest award this season it probably would have been won by J Dave Walsh, their champion goalkeeper (full-back). But a most popular player award in the form of a cup was sponsored by local drapery store Fitzgerald Brothers. North fans gave the votes, but on what grounds of popularity the votes were given is a mystery. The award was won by Bill McIntosh, who had played only six matches. Second was Fred Rutley (seven matches and a life suspension). These two polled over 10,000 votes each and were miles ahead of the third placed Frank Melville (five matches) who polled just over 3000.

The club was overall satisfied with their season. They were keen to finish above Footscay and Hawthorn, which they did. They had good wins over Geelong, South Melbourne and Melbourne as well as another two or three where they had a chance to win. They had some good players who could match it with champions from other sides. They looked forward to improving their position the following season. Alas it was not to be.

 

[semja778]

Thanks kangaroo7, these are a great rainy day read.

That Round 10 incident involving Johnny Lewis, I wonder if that somehow precipitated the 1927 semi-final when he assaulted the Richmond officials and George Rudolph outside the MCG, resulting in a full years suspension.

 

[kangaroo7]

Thanks kangaroo7, these are a great rainy day read.

That Round 10 incident involving Johnny Lewis, I wonder if that somehow precipitated the 1927 semi-final when he assaulted the Richmond officials and George Rudolph outside the MCG, resulting in a full years suspension.

There could have been some bad blood between the clubs. After the Round 12 1928 match between them North lodged a complaint with the VFL against Richmond's Donald Don, claimimg he had struck Charlie Cameron. There was an investigation but no action taken against Don.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Having a scoot around on Ancestry, I've found a possible link between Josh Walker and the Icke's.

Also, Josh Walker and:

John Sudholz.
Chris McDermott.
Hugh Torney.

 

[kangaroo7]

1915 - 1918 THE WAR YEARS




1915 -- CHAMPIONS


North Melbourne had won the premiership in 1914, but just before the Finals were played, war had been declared and this would have huge repercussions on the game over the next few years.

The VFA met in March and most of the delegates were in favour of reducing players wages to reduce costs and in turn enable the Association to donate to the Patriotic Fund. They were also keen for the players to set an example by joining the armed forces. At this stage not many had done so. Patriotism at this early stage was quite high and recruitment drives were common. North players Moran and Woodington and J & B Bracken (two committee members) had enlisted in 1914. Players Cornall and McQueen would do so this year. However, North would have most of their players available to play, including their champion trio of Barker, Hardy and Rawle. The AIF were initially fussy as to who they accepted for service. Hardy was rejected firstly for his height (or lack of it) and then for an old chest injury. Barker, a fireman, did not volunteer and Rawle with his deformed foot would have been rejected. New players this season were Clarke (Carlton District), Wood (North Melbourne Juniors), Pattison (Footscray), and Wells (Carlton). Another player, Len Dick returned after a six year absence.

The home and away season, originally to have 18 gone rounds, was cut to 13 in July (after Round 12). Fighting had intensified in Europe as the war escalated and it was thought that football was serving as a distraction which was dissuading men from enlisting. All clubs were affected by enlistments and some by men killed in action. Footscray, however was dealt a further blow when five of their leading players were sacked before the season began. The club’s performance in the 1914 Final against North had raised suspicions of betting and match fixing, and the sackings would affect their performance for this year and 1918.

Syd Barker proved his popularity with the players by being elected captain, replacing last year’s captain Charles Hardy. Most likely, the players did this to show what they thought of the committee, who had suspended Barker at their pleasure in 1913, only reinstating him in 1914 when injuries were crippling the club. After being overlooked for the captain’s job, Hardy refused to nominate for vice-captain. Fred Carpenter was appointed to this position, replacing George Rawle.

North began the season with a home match against Port Melbourne. The 1914 pennant was raised by Mrs J H Gardiner, wife of the well known North vice-president. Port were a much improved side and led at half-time, thanks to North wasting the wind in the first quarter. But Port did the same in the last quarter, allowing North to get two goals and win by 16 points. It was the narrowest win of the round. The next match was another tightly contested game against Williamston. The bigger and heavier North side did not hit the front until the final quarter, but finished too strongly for the home side. Round 3 saw a high standard match on the hard Brunswick ground surface. A quarter of the North team arrived late due a tram breakdown. The players of both sides wore black armbands out of respect for the Australian casualties at Gallipoli last month. Brunswick, missing three of their best players, were the next best side after North and came at them hard. After an even first half, North put in a splendid seven goal third quarter to lead by 45 points at the last break. Brunswick came back in the last quarter to get within 12 points, but North steadied with two more goals and won by 25. In the first three rounds North had beaten the three sides who would finish closest to them at the end of the fixture.

North faced their 1914 Final opponents Footscray at home in Round 4. Heavy rain fell at the start of the game and North, who had the wind and were keen to take advantage of it before the ground and the football became heavy, scored five goals to one in the first quarter. The scoring was almost even for the rest of the match with North winning by 20 points. North used their knowledge of the ground to force Footscray to attack from the wrong side when they had the wind. North next travelled to Hawthorn. It was bottom versus top and the scores reflected this. North kicked a then relatively high score of 15.14 –104 to win by 65 points. The following week they travelled to Northcote and received a shock. After establishing a 29 point lead in the first half, Northcote played excellent football, and had they been more accurate, might have beaten the top side. But North hung on to win by 14 points. Round 7 saw North have an easy win over Essendon. The wind blowing across Arden St made scoring difficult and North’s 27 scoring shots to Essendon’s eight should have made the winning margin greater than 44 points. North then journeyed to Brighton. It was another easy win but once more plagued by inaccuracy. Between quarter time and three quarter time they scored 10 behinds to Brighton’s 4.2. But they took complete charge in the last quarter to win by 42 points. The next match was an easy home win against Prahran. Although still inaccurate, North dominated the game for another easy win.




After playing every team North were undefeated ladder leaders. The second team, Brunswick, had lost only one game.

Round 10 was declared Association Patriotic Day and players and officials put their salaries into the “gate” money for a fund to be disbursed by the Lord Mayor, who was visiting the Port Melbourne ground for the first time.

The wind favoured one end of the ground, and North failed to take advantage of it when they had their turn, having scored 1.7 to half-time. After being sternly addressed by Syd Barker, however, North destroyed the opposition scoring 8.9 to 0.3 in the second half to win by 38 points.

North’s good form was having an adverse affect on their gate takings as many, including their own supporters, were regarding many matches to be foregone conclusions and not attending. This was the case for the home return match against Williamstown. Before the match, the Lord Mayor addressed the spectators in the grandstand on patriotism and the urgent need for increased recruiting. They listened patiently for a few moments, then the cheers that greeted the North team as they ran onto the field drowned out his closing remarks which he cut short. The Argus sportswriter considered this “callousness” on the part of the crowd. The match itself was rough with the umpire letting a lot of incidents go. North won comfortably by 24 points. The next match against Brunswick attracted a big crowd, as a close game was expected, Brunswick having lost just one match – to North. They were not disappointed as they witnessed a high standard game which was even until the final quarter, when North, with better system and straighter kicking, broke away to win a low scoring game by 20 points.

Speeches by dignitaries encouraging enlistment were becoming a regular occurrence at football matches. Spectators would become increasingly resentful of these as the war dragged on. A politician gave one at half-time at Footscray in the last home and away match of a shortened season. After an even first half, North broke the game open in the third quarter and won by 34 points, full-forward Hawkins kicking five goals.






The semi-finals consisted of First v Third and Second v Fourth. So North faced Williamstown in the second semi-final to decide who would play Brunswick, who had won the first semi-final against Port Melbourne the previous week. As a spectacle it was a disappointment for a finals match between two top sides. North established a lead in the first quarter and kept it. Weight was used freely against the lighter side and there was a lot of feeling displayed. North won by 48 points.


NORTH MELBOURNE 11.14 – 80 WILLIAMSTOWN 4.8 – 32


If the semi-final was a disappointment, the Final was even more so. The attendance was low for a clash between the two best teams of the season. Before the match the Lord Mayor unveiled a tablet in honour of players and committeemen who had volunteered, the umpires made a presentation to some of their comrades who had enlisted and the North president,Cr Clement Davidson, handed wrist watches to several men going to the front. Fred Carpenter, one of North’s best for the season, would miss playing, having been disqualified for elbowing in last week’s semi-final until July the following year. The match was easily won by North, Brunswick, who concentrated too much on handball, not scoring their first goal until almost three-quarter-time. Barker and Hardy were chaired off the ground at the end. North were the first team since 1893 to go through the season undefeated.


NORTH MELBOURNE 11.10–76 BRUNSWICK 3.10 - 28



A week after the Final, North played VFL team St Kilda in a charity match. The VFL season was not completed, but St Kilda had a bye the coming week, there being nine teams in the League. The VFL agreed to the match on the conditions that it was played under League rules with 18 men a side and played at St Kilda’s ground. All funds would go to Lady Stanley’s Fund for Sick and Wounded Australians. Umpires and gatekeepers would give their services free and members of neither club could use their membership tickets to enter. North caused some resentment before the match by choosing to make up their numbers with three players from other teams – Walton (Port Melbourne), Alley (Williamstown) and Hoare (Essendon). They explained that the absence of Wells, Dick, Clarke (ill or injured) ,Carpenter (disqualified) and Hopkins and Smith (detained at camp) had exhausted their reserves. St Kilda, however, pointed out that they too had to fill vacancies when three of their players were not available, but had filled the vacancies with juniors or old players. The match was a spiteful one. North were clearly the better side, and would have won even without the ring-ins. The only redeeming feature was the money raised for the Fund – almost 250 pounds.

Thus ended the season with North undefeated champions and not even half-way through their unbeaten run.





to be continued..........

 

[muttley45]

1915 - 1918 THE WAR YEARS




1915 -- CHAMPIONS


North Melbourne had won the premiership in 1914, but just before the Finals were played, war had been declared and this would have huge repercussions on the game over the next few years.

The VFA met in March and most of the delegates were in favour of reducing players wages to reduce costs and in turn enable the Association to donate to the Patriotic Fund. They were also keen for the players to set an example by joining the armed forces. At this stage not many had done so. Patriotism at this early stage was quite high and recruitment drives were common. North players Moran and Woodington and J & B Bracken (two committee members) had enlisted in 1914. Players Cornall and McQueen would do so this year. However, North would have most of their players available to play, including their champion trio of Barker, Hardy and Rawle. The AIF were initially fussy as to who they accepted for service. Hardy was rejected firstly for his height (or lack of it) and then for an old chest injury. Barker, a fireman, did not volunteer and Rawle with his deformed foot would have been rejected. New players this season were Clarke (Carlton District), Wood (North Melbourne Juniors), Pattison (Footscray), and Wells (Carlton). Another player, Len Dick returned after a six year absence.

The home and away season, originally to have 18 gone rounds, was cut to 13 in July (after Round 12). Fighting had intensified in Europe as the war escalated and it was thought that football was serving as a distraction which was dissuading men from enlisting. All clubs were affected by enlistments and some by men killed in action. Footscray, however was dealt a further blow when five of their leading players were sacked before the season began. The club’s performance in the 1914 Final against North had raised suspicions of betting and match fixing, and the sackings would affect their performance for this year and 1918.

Syd Barker proved his popularity with the players by being elected captain, replacing last year’s captain Charles Hardy. Most likely, the players did this to show what they thought of the committee, who had suspended Barker at their pleasure in 1913, only reinstating him in 1914 when injuries were crippling the club. After being overlooked for the captain’s job, Hardy refused to nominate for vice-captain. Fred Carpenter was appointed to this position, replacing George Rawle.

North began the season with a home match against Port Melbourne. The 1914 pennant was raised by Mrs J H Gardiner, wife of the well known North vice-president. Port were a much improved side and led at half-time, thanks to North wasting the wind in the first quarter. But Port did the same in the last quarter, allowing North to get two goals and win by 16 points. It was the narrowest win of the round. The next match was another tightly contested game against Williamston. The bigger and heavier North side did not hit the front until the final quarter, but finished too strongly for the home side. Round 3 saw a high standard match on the hard Brunswick ground surface. A quarter of the North team arrived late due a tram breakdown. The players of both sides wore black armbands out of respect for the Australian casualties at Gallipoli last month. Brunswick, missing three of their best players, were the next best side after North and came at them hard. After an even first half, North put in a splendid seven goal third quarter to lead by 45 points at the last break. Brunswick came back in the last quarter to get within 12 points, but North steadied with two more goals and won by 25. In the first three rounds North had beaten the three sides who would finish closest to them at the end of the fixture.

North faced their 1914 Final opponents Footscray at home in Round 4. Heavy rain fell at the start of the game and North, who had the wind and were keen to take advantage of it before the ground and the football became heavy, scored five goals to one in the first quarter. The scoring was almost even for the rest of the match with North winning by 20 points. North used their knowledge of the ground to force Footscray to attack from the wrong side when they had the wind. North next travelled to Hawthorn. It was bottom versus top and the scores reflected this. North kicked a then relatively high score of 15.14 –104 to win by 65 points. The following week they travelled to Northcote and received a shock. After establishing a 29 point lead in the first half, Northcote played excellent football, and had they been more accurate, might have beaten the top side. But North hung on to win by 14 points. Round 7 saw North have an easy win over Essendon. The wind blowing across Arden St made scoring difficult and North’s 27 scoring shots to Essendon’s eight should have made the winning margin greater than 44 points. North then journeyed to Brighton. It was another easy win but once more plagued by inaccuracy. Between quarter time and three quarter time they scored 10 behinds to Brighton’s 4.2. But they took complete charge in the last quarter to win by 42 points. The next match was an easy home win against Prahran. Although still inaccurate, North dominated the game for another easy win.

View attachment 2510602


After playing every team North were undefeated ladder leaders. The second team, Brunswick, had lost only one game.

Round 10 was declared Association Patriotic Day and players and officials put their salaries into the “gate” money for a fund to be disbursed by the Lord Mayor, who was visiting the Port Melbourne ground for the first time.

The wind favoured one end of the ground, and North failed to take advantage of it when they had their turn, having scored 1.7 to half-time. After being sternly addressed by Syd Barker, however, North destroyed the opposition scoring 8.9 to 0.3 in the second half to win by 38 points.

North’s good form was having an adverse affect on their gate takings as many, including their own supporters, were regarding many matches to be foregone conclusions and not attending. This was the case for the home return match against Williamstown. Before the match, the Lord Mayor addressed the spectators in the grandstand on patriotism and the urgent need for increased recruiting. They listened patiently for a few moments, then the cheers that greeted the North team as they ran onto the field drowned out his closing remarks which he cut short. The Argus sportswriter considered this “callousness” on the part of the crowd. The match itself was rough with the umpire letting a lot of incidents go. North won comfortably by 24 points. The next match against Brunswick attracted a big crowd, as a close game was expected, Brunswick having lost just one match – to North. They were not disappointed as they witnessed a high standard game which was even until the final quarter, when North, with better system and straighter kicking, broke away to win a low scoring game by 20 points.

Speeches by dignitaries encouraging enlistment were becoming a regular occurrence at football matches. Spectators would become increasingly resentful of these as the war dragged on. A politician gave one at half-time at Footscray in the last home and away match of a shortened season. After an even first half, North broke the game open in the third quarter and won by 34 points, full-forward Hawkins kicking five goals.

View attachment 2510604




The semi-finals consisted of First v Third and Second v Fourth. So North faced Williamstown in the second semi-final to decide who would play Brunswick, who had won the first semi-final against Port Melbourne the previous week. As a spectacle it was a disappointment for a finals match between two top sides. North established a lead in the first quarter and kept it. Weight was used freely against the lighter side and there was a lot of feeling displayed. North won by 48 points.


NORTH MELBOURNE 11.14 – 80 WILLIAMSTOWN 4.8 – 32


It the semi-final was a disappointment, the Final was even more so. The attendance was low for a clash between the two best teams of the season. Before the match the Lord Mayor unveiled a tablet in honour of players and committeemen who had volunteered, the umpires made a presentation to some of their comrades who had enlisted and the North president,Cr Clement Davidson, handed wrist watches to several men going to the front. Fred Carpenter, one of North’s best for the season, would miss playing, having been disqualified for elbowing in last week’s semi-final until July the following year. The match was easily won by North, Brunswick, who concentrated too much on handball, not scoring their first goal until almost three-quarter-time. Barker and Hardy were chaired off the ground at the end. North were the first team since 1893 to go through the season undefeated.


NORTH MELBOURNE 11.10–76 BRUNSWICK 3.10 - 28

View attachment 2510605

A week after the Final, North played VFL team St Kilda in a charity match. The VFL season was not completed, but St Kilda had a bye the coming week, there being nine teams in the League. The VFL agreed to the match on the conditions that it was played under League rules with 18 men a side and played at St Kilda’s ground. All funds would go to Lady Stanley’s Fund for Sick and Wounded Australians. Umpires and gatekeepers would give their services free and members of neither club could use their membership tickets to enter. North caused some resentment before the match by choosing to make up their numbers with three players from other teams – Walton (Port Melbourne), Alley (Williamstown) and Hoare (Essendon). They explained that the absence of Wells, Dick, Clarke (ill or injured) ,Carpenter (disqualified) and Hopkins and Smith (detained at camp) had exhausted their reserves. St Kilda, however, pointed out that they too had to fill vacancies when three of their players were not available, but had filled the vacancies with juniors or old players. The match was a spiteful one. North were clearly the better side, and would have won even without the ring-ins. The only redeeming feature was the money raised for the Fund – almost 250 pounds.

Thus ended the season with North undefeated champions and not even half-way through their unbeaten run.


View attachment 2510607


to be continued..........

Love these post's K7, thanks for your work

 

[Luke72]

1915 - 1918 THE WAR YEARS




1915 -- CHAMPIONS


North Melbourne had won the premiership in 1914, but just before the Finals were played, war had been declared and this would have huge repercussions on the game over the next few years.

The VFA met in March and most of the delegates were in favour of reducing players wages to reduce costs and in turn enable the Association to donate to the Patriotic Fund. They were also keen for the players to set an example by joining the armed forces. At this stage not many had done so. Patriotism at this early stage was quite high and recruitment drives were common. North players Moran and Woodington and J & B Bracken (two committee members) had enlisted in 1914. Players Cornall and McQueen would do so this year. However, North would have most of their players available to play, including their champion trio of Barker, Hardy and Rawle. The AIF were initially fussy as to who they accepted for service. Hardy was rejected firstly for his height (or lack of it) and then for an old chest injury. Barker, a fireman, did not volunteer and Rawle with his deformed foot would have been rejected. New players this season were Clarke (Carlton District), Wood (North Melbourne Juniors), Pattison (Footscray), and Wells (Carlton). Another player, Len Dick returned after a six year absence.

The home and away season, originally to have 18 gone rounds, was cut to 13 in July (after Round 12). Fighting had intensified in Europe as the war escalated and it was thought that football was serving as a distraction which was dissuading men from enlisting. All clubs were affected by enlistments and some by men killed in action. Footscray, however was dealt a further blow when five of their leading players were sacked before the season began. The club’s performance in the 1914 Final against North had raised suspicions of betting and match fixing, and the sackings would affect their performance for this year and 1918.

Syd Barker proved his popularity with the players by being elected captain, replacing last year’s captain Charles Hardy. Most likely, the players did this to show what they thought of the committee, who had suspended Barker at their pleasure in 1913, only reinstating him in 1914 when injuries were crippling the club. After being overlooked for the captain’s job, Hardy refused to nominate for vice-captain. Fred Carpenter was appointed to this position, replacing George Rawle.

North began the season with a home match against Port Melbourne. The 1914 pennant was raised by Mrs J H Gardiner, wife of the well known North vice-president. Port were a much improved side and led at half-time, thanks to North wasting the wind in the first quarter. But Port did the same in the last quarter, allowing North to get two goals and win by 16 points. It was the narrowest win of the round. The next match was another tightly contested game against Williamston. The bigger and heavier North side did not hit the front until the final quarter, but finished too strongly for the home side. Round 3 saw a high standard match on the hard Brunswick ground surface. A quarter of the North team arrived late due a tram breakdown. The players of both sides wore black armbands out of respect for the Australian casualties at Gallipoli last month. Brunswick, missing three of their best players, were the next best side after North and came at them hard. After an even first half, North put in a splendid seven goal third quarter to lead by 45 points at the last break. Brunswick came back in the last quarter to get within 12 points, but North steadied with two more goals and won by 25. In the first three rounds North had beaten the three sides who would finish closest to them at the end of the fixture.

North faced their 1914 Final opponents Footscray at home in Round 4. Heavy rain fell at the start of the game and North, who had the wind and were keen to take advantage of it before the ground and the football became heavy, scored five goals to one in the first quarter. The scoring was almost even for the rest of the match with North winning by 20 points. North used their knowledge of the ground to force Footscray to attack from the wrong side when they had the wind. North next travelled to Hawthorn. It was bottom versus top and the scores reflected this. North kicked a then relatively high score of 15.14 –104 to win by 65 points. The following week they travelled to Northcote and received a shock. After establishing a 29 point lead in the first half, Northcote played excellent football, and had they been more accurate, might have beaten the top side. But North hung on to win by 14 points. Round 7 saw North have an easy win over Essendon. The wind blowing across Arden St made scoring difficult and North’s 27 scoring shots to Essendon’s eight should have made the winning margin greater than 44 points. North then journeyed to Brighton. It was another easy win but once more plagued by inaccuracy. Between quarter time and three quarter time they scored 10 behinds to Brighton’s 4.2. But they took complete charge in the last quarter to win by 42 points. The next match was an easy home win against Prahran. Although still inaccurate, North dominated the game for another easy win.

View attachment 2510602


After playing every team North were undefeated ladder leaders. The second team, Brunswick, had lost only one game.

Round 10 was declared Association Patriotic Day and players and officials put their salaries into the “gate” money for a fund to be disbursed by the Lord Mayor, who was visiting the Port Melbourne ground for the first time.

The wind favoured one end of the ground, and North failed to take advantage of it when they had their turn, having scored 1.7 to half-time. After being sternly addressed by Syd Barker, however, North destroyed the opposition scoring 8.9 to 0.3 in the second half to win by 38 points.

North’s good form was having an adverse affect on their gate takings as many, including their own supporters, were regarding many matches to be foregone conclusions and not attending. This was the case for the home return match against Williamstown. Before the match, the Lord Mayor addressed the spectators in the grandstand on patriotism and the urgent need for increased recruiting. They listened patiently for a few moments, then the cheers that greeted the North team as they ran onto the field drowned out his closing remarks which he cut short. The Argus sportswriter considered this “callousness” on the part of the crowd. The match itself was rough with the umpire letting a lot of incidents go. North won comfortably by 24 points. The next match against Brunswick attracted a big crowd, as a close game was expected, Brunswick having lost just one match – to North. They were not disappointed as they witnessed a high standard game which was even until the final quarter, when North, with better system and straighter kicking, broke away to win a low scoring game by 20 points.

Speeches by dignitaries encouraging enlistment were becoming a regular occurrence at football matches. Spectators would become increasingly resentful of these as the war dragged on. A politician gave one at half-time at Footscray in the last home and away match of a shortened season. After an even first half, North broke the game open in the third quarter and won by 34 points, full-forward Hawkins kicking five goals.

View attachment 2510604




The semi-finals consisted of First v Third and Second v Fourth. So North faced Williamstown in the second semi-final to decide who would play Brunswick, who had won the first semi-final against Port Melbourne the previous week. As a spectacle it was a disappointment for a finals match between two top sides. North established a lead in the first quarter and kept it. Weight was used freely against the lighter side and there was a lot of feeling displayed. North won by 48 points.


NORTH MELBOURNE 11.14 – 80 WILLIAMSTOWN 4.8 – 32


It the semi-final was a disappointment, the Final was even more so. The attendance was low for a clash between the two best teams of the season. Before the match the Lord Mayor unveiled a tablet in honour of players and committeemen who had volunteered, the umpires made a presentation to some of their comrades who had enlisted and the North president,Cr Clement Davidson, handed wrist watches to several men going to the front. Fred Carpenter, one of North’s best for the season, would miss playing, having been disqualified for elbowing in last week’s semi-final until July the following year. The match was easily won by North, Brunswick, who concentrated too much on handball, not scoring their first goal until almost three-quarter-time. Barker and Hardy were chaired off the ground at the end. North were the first team since 1893 to go through the season undefeated.


NORTH MELBOURNE 11.10–76 BRUNSWICK 3.10 - 28

View attachment 2510605

A week after the Final, North played VFL team St Kilda in a charity match. The VFL season was not completed, but St Kilda had a bye the coming week, there being nine teams in the League. The VFL agreed to the match on the conditions that it was played under League rules with 18 men a side and played at St Kilda’s ground. All funds would go to Lady Stanley’s Fund for Sick and Wounded Australians. Umpires and gatekeepers would give their services free and members of neither club could use their membership tickets to enter. North caused some resentment before the match by choosing to make up their numbers with three players from other teams – Walton (Port Melbourne), Alley (Williamstown) and Hoare (Essendon). They explained that the absence of Wells, Dick, Clarke (ill or injured) ,Carpenter (disqualified) and Hopkins and Smith (detained at camp) had exhausted their reserves. St Kilda, however, pointed out that they too had to fill vacancies when three of their players were not available, but had filled the vacancies with juniors or old players. The match was a spiteful one. North were clearly the better side, and would have won even without the ring-ins. The only redeeming feature was the money raised for the Fund – almost 250 pounds.

Thus ended the season with North undefeated champions and not even half-way through their unbeaten run.


View attachment 2510607


to be continued..........

Poor attendances even back then

 

[kangaroo7]

1915 - 1918 THE WAR YEARS (Cont.)

1916 – 1917 IN RECESS



In early February 1916, the VFA had a special meeting to discuss the suspension of football during the war. At that stage Essendon, Footscray, Williamstown and Hawthorn were firmly against any football being played. Brighton, Brunswick, Northcote and North Melbourne favoured the game being continued on an amateur basis, with all proceeds going to the patriotic funds. Prahran and Port Melbourne were undecided.

A life member in attendance said that the early curtailing of last season drove followers to other matches (VFL) and that while certain ones of the press had taken a stand against football, nothing was said against other sports such as horse racing. Perhaps because football was the working man’s game that there was outcry to suppress it. But there were plenty of men, rejects and those needed at home, who could not go to the front. Recreation had to be provided for them or they would go to the races, the hotels or other places. Another life member said that if the VFA stopped now, it would go back 20 years. Cricket had not stopped. North delegate, JH Gardiner said that the VFA should only stop if the VFL did. If the VFA stopped and other matches continued, that would be the end of the VFA. He was keen to keep the team together so it could play any other team for charity. Another meeting was held towards the end of February, and it was agreed to stop VFA football for the duration of the war.

The game, however did not completely stop. The VFL elected to continue with four teams – Carlton, Collingwood, Fitzroy and Richmond – all inner suburbs of Melbourne. VFA players could not play for these teams, but the Victorian Junior Football Association continued, and North players Syd Barker and Charles Hardy lent their experience there. Barker became captain-coach of Ascot Vale, and Hardy joined Williamstown Juniors, coaching them to two flags in 1916-17.

In August it was decided to organise a carnival and a benefit match for former player Harry Todd, who had played for North Melbourne and South Melbourne in the 1890s. Todd had met with tragedy when he had both hands blown off by dynamite in a blasting accident in New Zealand. North played a combined VFA team on 9th September and won 8.8 to 6.7. The attendance was a little disappointing and many of the players lacked dash and staying power, having not played for a year. The following week another match was arranged between old players from North Melbourne and South Melbourne. Many former North players from the 1870s -90s era - JH Gardiner, Tankard, Fuhrhop, McLean, Robertson, Sutcliffe, Shaw, Houston and others attended, although not all took the field. Australian cricketer Warwick Armstrong, originally a South player, played and kicked all four goals for the match. South, having a younger side, won.

In early February of 1917 the VFA met and voted to adhere to the resolution made the previous year, not to play matches, “as playing would be detrimental to the Empire in its present crisis”. The vote was not unanimous. It was agreed to by 12 to 4, the minority voting in favour of leaving the matter to the clubs. The directors supporting this were from Port Melbourne, Brunswick (2) and North Melbourne. The VFL continued, with two additional teams – Geelong and South Melbourne – deciding to resume, bringing their number to six.

In June, Harry Todd expressed his appreciation for the generosity shown by his past two clubs in organising the benefit match . He received over 400 pounds and had arranged to have a pair of artificial hands sent from the USA. Charles Hardy coached the Williamstown Juniors to a second premiership.

to be concluded...