John Greening 50 years ago today - 8 July 1972

[Maggie Greg]

It is 50 years ago today that John Greening was felled 100 metres behind the play at Moorabbin.

Here is my article that I posted on The Footy Almanac today.

John Greening 8 July 1972

I know it is ancient irrelevant news for most of you and of no interest to you.

But there may be some older fans who are happy to have a look who haven't seen it before.

Cheers.

 

[market]

thanks for the link, that was a good read.

Was before i started following, but i can see that incident still burns pies folk. Was there any defence or different view put forward by the saints? Any rational reason at all?

 

[Maggie Greg]

thanks for the link, that was a good read.

Was before i started following, but i can see that incident still burns pies folk. Was there any defence or different view put forward by the saints? Any rational reason at all?

No nothing directly.

Greening refuses to say the St.Kilda player's name to this day.

 

[Scroater]

I'm 60 years old so would have been 10 years old at the time. I remember we were in the car out Montmorency way going to visit relatives. The football was on the radio and it was like someone had died. That was back in the day when different radio stations broadcast different games and we listened to the Collingwood game because one of my dad's brother was a trainer at Collingwood from the 60's to the late 70's. He's the one walking aimlessly among the players at the end of the 77 drawn grand final. John Greening was his favorite player and whenever we would talk football in later years, he regarded it as the saddest day of his football life. Always remember him for the mark he took that was used at the start of "The Big League" replays on a Saturday night.

Great story you've written here. Brought it all back. Still sad that such a talent was lost and angry for what happened on the day.

 

[Wallaby]

I remember that 'Greening' incident. I was only 11 at the time, but it was huge. Unfortunately it was a 'part of the game' back then, and inevitably some player was going to suffer severe consequences - Greening was the unlucky one - and he was an absolute champion in the making.

Check out the 'Somerville incident' from 1964, when an Essendon player was knocked cold behind the play in the prelim final. Check out Ted Whitten's story of his first game. Watch Robert Walls on OpenMike when he admits to being a sniper. The game was played like that and it was played like that for a long time. It was still being done in 1983 (Colin Robertson - who went on to win the Norm Smith).

In most cases the player affected recovers in a couple of days and has a few headaches later in life. I'm sure Greening is not the only one to suffer career-ending injuries - but they were back in the days when those issues weren't spoken about.

 

[JackFlash]

The Greening incident probably cost Collingwood a premiership in the 70s. He was clearly their best player.

 

[Slartibartfast]

A sad story but still nice to reflect on history.
What was the specific nature of his injuries. Blood clot? Was this ever mentioned?
Nearly sounds like the spot where Hughes got hit by that bouncer.

Did O’dea ever discuss the event?

McKenna 7 out of 9 goals is not a bad day.

 

[Port 2004]

I remember that 'Greening' incident. I was only 11 at the time, but it was huge. Unfortunately it was a 'part of the game' back then, and inevitably some player was going to suffer severe consequences - Greening was the unlucky one - and he was an absolute champion in the making.

Check out the 'Somerville incident' from 1964, when an Essendon player was knocked cold behind the play in the prelim final. Check out Ted Whitten's story of his first game. Watch Robert Walls on OpenMike when he admits to being a sniper. The game was played like that and it was played like that for a long time. It was still being done in 1983 (Colin Robertson - who went on to win the Norm Smith).

In most cases the player affected recovers in a couple of days and has a few headaches later in life. I'm sure Greening is not the only one to suffer career-ending injuries - but they were back in the days when those issues weren't spoken about.

It was like that back then, but still a gutless act to hit a bloke from behind. I suspect it was a directive from the coach as well. I seem to recall that ODea was a cop at the time.

 

[Blues177]

The Greening incident probably cost Collingwood a premiership in the 70s. He was clearly their best player.

Possibly 1973 when Collingwood went 19-3 and lost a prelim by only 7 points.

 

[Occidental]

I was at the ground that day as an 11 year old. Got in early and had seats on the fence on the same side of the ground to where Greening was felled.
It happened in the first minute of the game.
None of us saw a thing.
We got home to hear he was in a coma and stayed like that for a few days.
He stayed in hospital for months.
It was ghastly.
The Collingwood doctor did a great job holding his airway open. Probably the closest the game has come to a fatality on the field.

 

[Truckosaurus]

Different era and all but 10 weeks seems lenient for a punch that put someone in a coma?

 

[Vankri]

Thanks for the article. It’s a horrible story. Cost him a lot and cost Collingwood as well.

Whenever people talk about the game being soft these days I think about this incident and how stupid the game was back then when punching good players behind play was seen as a brave thing to do.

The saints coach at the time and therefore the club should have had a lot more to answer for too.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

O'Dea really should have been charged by the police and spent time in Gaol (was before my time, but been told by many old time footy fans it was the biggest dog act ever.

Poor John Greening. Deserved better and I don't believe he ever got real justice for whatever happened to him..

 

[sandeano]

I can remember, as a little kid who supported Richmond, a game around 1979 at Moorabbin. I was there with my old man seated near the Richmond cheer squad but otherwise surrounded by St. Kilda supporters. David Cloke was in a push and shove with O'Dea near us well off the ball and some Richmond wag yelled out "Don't take that from that **** Clokey, knock him out, do it for Greening!" The Richmond cheer squad all cheered in agreement as the Saints fans screamed obscenities at them.

I remember asking dad, "What do they mean, do it for Greening?" and he replied, after looking at the feral Saints around us, "I'll explain it to you on the train on the way home."

 

[Back One Out]

The saints coach at the time and therefore the club should have had a lot more to answer for too.

Geez, that's a hell of an accusation to make to accuse club & coach of premeditating the violence.

The simplest explanation is that Jim O'Dea chose to do what he did (just like every other footballer who coward punched an opponent)


Collingwood were always one of the dirtiest teams in the VFL from 1920's through to the 1980's.
Plenty of king hits dished out by Collingwood players over the years. I suppose those were also premeditated and directed by the Collingwood coach?

Football fans can be such hypocrites

 

[McOrist]

It happened so early in the game and well behind the play, it's inconceivable that it wasn't premeditated. Too many of those style of incidents happened happened over the years under the watch of a certain coach.

 

[Vankri]

Geez, that's a hell of an accusation to make to accuse club & coach of premeditating the violence.

The simplest explanation is that Jim O'Dea chose to do what he did (just like every other footballer who coward punched an opponent)


Collingwood were always one of the dirtiest teams in the VFL from 1920's through to the 1980's.
Plenty of king hits dished out by Collingwood players over the years. I suppose those were also premeditated and directed by the Collingwood coach?

Football fans can be such hypocrites

Yeah, no. What the other dude said. If this was in the heat of the game maybe you’d have a case, but it happened out of nowhere, in the early minutes. You’re talking about the 0,001% chance someone randomly had a brain fade. Maybe best to get back on earth.

 

[Back One Out]

It happened so early in the game and well behind the play, it's inconceivable that it wasn't premeditated. Too many of those style of incidents happened happened over the years under the watch of a certain coach.

What other incidents?

 

[sandeano]

Geez, that's a hell of an accusation to make to accuse club & coach of premeditating the violence.

The simplest explanation is that Jim O'Dea chose to do what he did (just like every other footballer who coward punched an opponent)


Collingwood were always one of the dirtiest teams in the VFL from 1920's through to the 1980's.
Plenty of king hits dished out by Collingwood players over the years. I suppose those were also premeditated and directed by the Collingwood coach?

Football fans can be such hypocrites

The fact they let this dog of a bloke play until 1980, made him reserves coach and then gave him a board position made the club guilty by association in condoning the act. Basically, in social media terms of today, they were 'posting through it.' With each promotion they were laughing in the face of Collingwood and Greening. Just despicable.

And yeah, as a Richmond supporter I despise Collingwood with every fibre of my being. But I know a dog's act when I see it. O'Dea perpetrated on that day and his club continued with it for more than three decades.

 

[McOrist]

What other incidents?

-Hudson losing half his ear in the '71 GF.
-A 20 year old Terry Cahill from Essendon getting concussed so badly at Moorabbin that he retired from the game.
-Tim Watson being knocked out in the '83 GF.
-Neville Bruns

Simple explanations for you -a pattern for me.

 

[sdfc]

Thanks for the article. It’s a horrible story. Cost him a lot and cost Collingwood as well.

Whenever people talk about the game being soft these days I think about this incident and how stupid the game was back then when punching good players behind play was seen as a brave thing to do.

The saints coach at the time and therefore the club should have had a lot more to answer for too.

Cheap shots are soft. The game is as hard as it's ever been. The snipers aren't missed.

 

[Maggie Greg]

-Hudson losing half his ear in the '71 GF.
-A 20 year old Terry Cahill from Essendon getting concussed so badly at Moorabbin that he retired from the game.
-Tim Watson being knocked out in the '83 GF.
-Neville Bruns

Simple explanations for you -a pattern for me.

The week after the Greening incident, Stephen Boyle of Footscray (father of Tim Boyle of Hawthorn) lost the sight in one eye from a Cowboy Neale round arm from behind in a clumsy effort to punch the ball out at Werstern Oval. It was also Mick Malthouse's first full game for St. Kilda.

 

[HairyO]

-Hudson losing half his ear in the '71 GF.
-A 20 year old Terry Cahill from Essendon getting concussed so badly at Moorabbin that he retired from the game.
-Tim Watson being knocked out in the '83 GF.
-Neville Bruns

Simple explanations for you -a pattern for me.

Hudson was concussed many times. Knocked out a number of times.

St Kilda were the number one team doing this.

 

[McOrist]

The week after the Greening incident, Stephen Boyle of Footscray (father of Tim Boyle of Hawthorn) lost the sight in one eye from a Cowboy Neale round arm from behind in a clumsy effort to punch the ball out at Werstern Oval. It was also Mick Malthouse's first full game for St. Kilda.

...forgot that one.
Add it to the list.

 

[GastevsBeard]

I was at the ground that day as an 11 year old. Got in early and had seats on the fence on the same side of the ground to where Greening was felled.
It happened in the first minute of the game.
None of us saw a thing.
We got home to hear he was in a coma and stayed like that for a few days.
He stayed in hospital for months.
It was ghastly.
The Collingwood doctor did a great job holding his airway open. Probably the closest the game has come to a fatality on the field.
View attachment 1442005

this picture is ghastly - f**k me