John Greening 50 years ago today - 8 July 1972
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Maggie Greg
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- Jan 24, 2002
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The Moorabbin game was on Channel 9 replay that night and the commentators were Geoff Leek and Wes Lofts.
The only snippet I can find from the game is in this collection of Collingwood marks on youtube. Collingwood marks
At 0.11 in (just after a Greening mark two weeks earlier) Alan Atkinson takes a mark in the second quarter of the game.
The incident itself was not caught by the TV cameras at the time.
The only snippet I can find from the game is in this collection of Collingwood marks on youtube. Collingwood marks
At 0.11 in (just after a Greening mark two weeks earlier) Alan Atkinson takes a mark in the second quarter of the game.
The incident itself was not caught by the TV cameras at the time.
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- Mar 2, 2015
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Pfft. You're smoking crack.
'71 Grand Final was a brutal game. Players from both sides belted each other for 4 quarters. As was the way with Grand Finals in the early 70's... The incident which left Peter Hudson concussed was fairly innocuous. Huddo was running on to the ball and Cowboy Neale gave him a clip. Check it out at 3:07 -->
Terry Cahill was knocked out by Carl Ditterich in a 1978 game between Essendon v St Kilda. The problem with your theory here is that Allan Jeans stopped coaching St Kilda after 1976. Mike Patterson was the St Kilda coach that year.
1983 Grand Final... Tim Watson and Colin Robertson tangled in the 1st quarter. Watson shaped up to Robertson like they were in a boxing ring and Robertson dropped him with a straight right. Robbo was a speedy, skilful ball player - that was the only time he ever hit anyone on the footy field - hardly the player Jeans would send out on a mission to take out the opposition star player. Watson was pumped up, playing his first Grand Final, picked the fight and was dropped with one punch. Pretty funny, really. A bit embarrassing for Timmy.
1985 Hawthorn vs Geelong... Geelong had been sniping the Hawks throughout the game. Neville Bruns was reported in the 1st half for striking Michael Tuck. Last quarter... Mark Jackson copped a whack in the head and completely lost his shiit. He went on a rampage for about 5 minutes, punching Chris Langford, Gary Ayres and any other Hawthorn defender who went near him. He got reported about 5 times. The game was basically out of control, only 10 minutes left, Hawks leading by about 4 or 5 goals, players from both sides sniping each other. Neville Bruns decided to run right past Leigh Matthews about 30m off the ball and Matthews must've felt threatened and just snapped. He belted Bruns on the jaw. Seconds later, Steve Hocking squared up and decked Matthews.
Once again, laughable to suggest this was a player carrying out the coaches instructions. Why the f*** would Jeans want to "take out" Bruns with 5 minutes left in a game Hawthorn was winning comfortably? Leigh Matthews was a thug who belted dozens of opponents. He chose to do this. Not his coaches.
Allan Jeans coached VFL footy for 30 years. You could pluck out similar unsavoury incidents for every team back in the 60's, 70's and early 80's. e.g. Tom Hafey's Richmond teams were well known for their thuggery. Laurie Fowler cleaned up John Nicholls in the 1st quarter of the 1973 Grand Final. Neil Balme broke Geoff Southby's jaw with a left hook. Fast forward to Hafey's stint at Collingwood in the late 70's, early 80's when Stan Magro clobbered Jezza, or the 1981 Qualifying Final when Stan Magro king hit Geelong forward Terry Bright 50m behind the play. And who was Geelong's coach in the Matthews/Bruns game? Yep... Tom Hafey.
We could go through Kevin Sheedy's coaching career and find a similar "pattern" of thuggery and violence. Thug defender "Rotten" Ronnie Andrews taking this eye off the ball and belting the crap out of unsuspecting opponents in the early 80's. Roger Merrett taking on the role of "hitman" from 1983-84 and belting anyone who crossed his path. (e.g. Leon Harris in the 1983 First Semi Final). Terry Daniher KO'ing Gavin Brown in the 1990 GF... Dean Wallis KO'ing Mil Hanna in the 1993 GF...
VFL footy was a violent game in the late 60's, 70's and early 80's. It's just how the game was played back then before they used video evidence.
Skirmishes often led to all-in brawls. Every team had their share of thugs and enforcers.
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- Oct 3, 2013
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The tension between McKenna and Jeans was palpable in this clip after the Matthews and Bruns incident in '85.
McKenna never forgot what happened 13 years earlier.
McKenna never forgot what happened 13 years earlier.
- Oct 3, 2013
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Round 9 1972 vs Geelong = 46 disposals, 6 goals.
Round 10 1972 vs South Melbourne = 45 disposals, 4 goals.
Remarkable stats even in this day and age. Very sad what happened only a few weeks later.
We were robbed one of our greatest talents fulfilling his full potential.
Round 10 1972 vs South Melbourne = 45 disposals, 4 goals.
Remarkable stats even in this day and age. Very sad what happened only a few weeks later.
We were robbed one of our greatest talents fulfilling his full potential.
Right, but Collingwood was ok appointing Leigh Matthew’s as coach who got deregistered and charged by police for his dog act on Neville Bruns ?. They were also laughing in the face of Geelong I guess ?.
A lot of faux tough men in that period who were happy to throw cheap shots. The game is better for it being rubbed out.
A vicious era it was. O'Dea/Greening was just one of the terrible incidents. 1968 Brownlow
Medalist Bobby Skilton, a scrupulously fair player, was brutally bashed on the field in the game
before he won the Brownlow. Done purely to take him out of the match.
This picture was taken before the Monday medal count. Criminal.
Medalist Bobby Skilton, a scrupulously fair player, was brutally bashed on the field in the game
before he won the Brownlow. Done purely to take him out of the match.
This picture was taken before the Monday medal count. Criminal.
sherb
Hall of Famer
The incident which saw Peter Hudson playing much of the 71 Grand Final in La La Land would be one.
sherb
Hall of Famer
He still came 7th in the Brownlow despite playing roughly 2/3 the number of games of those above him.
I was only 4 in 1972 so can't recall the hit from my memory, but O'Dea played into the later 70's, and i don't recall his name being always referred to as perhaps a 'sniper' or something, although clearly this hit was devastating in that Greening never really returned to footy in anything like the capacity he was before the hit.
Again before my cognitive memory kicked in, but that straight sets from a 19-3 season must have rankled big time at the Pies at the time surely. Geelong straight-setted at 17-5 in 1980, but certainly in the Final-5 days, not reaching the GF with two cracks would have been a painful blow to the club.
Did O'Dea get targeted in any way by future Collingwood sides in the subsequent years? There was a game at Moorabbin in 1975 where Collingwood kicked 11 goals in a last quarter to upend St.Kilda and usurp their position in the 5 late in the season, Carman kicking 11 goals in his best game for the Pies. Given Greening had tried a handful of games in '75 before having to retire, maybe that was a bit of a team-based payback?
Off topic a little, but it's interesting just from a personal perspective, both Jeans and Hafey in 1985 were about the age i'm now (54). Maybe because i was just 17 back then, but both those men in my footballing memories always seemed kind of distinguished older men. Yet in today's context they are only the ages of the likes of Luke Beveridge and Alastair Clarkson. Maybe it's just the change of perspective when one reaches that age, but both men in that video 'seemed' a lot older then than the same age makes someone now.
Maybe if the O'Dea incident happened in the 80's, he may have been disciplined or sanctioned to a much larger degree. TV coverage in 1972 was fairly minimalist, indeed only a handful of games even had any TV there at all, given all 6 games were played at the same time in 6 different ground on the one day. Nowadays of course almost no incident goes un-noticed by the cameras, and hence just about everything gets picked up. And i'd say for the game's sake, certainly for the better.
- Apr 22, 2013
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Martin Flanagan wrote an excellent book on the 1970 grand final and as a Tasmanian had a great admiration for greening. Iirc he speaks in the book about the next match between the clubs where I think tuddenham chased every st kilda player chanting greening with a view to kill one of them
Way before my time, but O'Dea was a goon.
Goons were a dime a dozen in footy, up until the 80s really.
Footy was like ice hockey in the sense that punching someone wasn't really considered that abhorrent an act. In big games, it was expected.
The only issue with the Greening one, relatively speaking, is the damage that was caused. The act itself wasn't that unusual.
FWIW, supporters sulking about this still today is frankly quite weird.
Gainzo
Team Captain
It was an atrocious act and ended what looked like a very promising footy future for Greening.
The bloke is still alive and living his life. It's not like he was making a living playing footy in the early 70s.
To blame the St Kilda footy club is bloody ridiculous. As Lavender Bushranger has pointed out a few times this type of s**t was unfortunately part of the game back in those days.
This incident occurred 3 months before I was born but every time I meet a Collingwood supporter around my age or older they always bring this up.
The bloke is still alive and living his life. It's not like he was making a living playing footy in the early 70s.
To blame the St Kilda footy club is bloody ridiculous. As Lavender Bushranger has pointed out a few times this type of s**t was unfortunately part of the game back in those days.
This incident occurred 3 months before I was born but every time I meet a Collingwood supporter around my age or older they always bring this up.
The club I played most of my footy for, still treat the goons of yesteryear as club legends.
One bloke is a hero because about 40 years ago he apparently whacked a bloke so hard that he broke his own elbow. That story is his badge of honour.
Oddly, kicking someone was always seen as crossing the line. An unacceptable act. You could snot someone and spread their nose across their face, and cop a week or two (or even less if they asked for it) but if you toe-poked someone you'd hung and quartered!
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Gainzo
Team Captain
Not surprised at all. When I was playing under 13s in 1985 a big bloke (he must have been 16 haha) stuck his arm out and closed lined me about 50 metres from the ball. My first concussion.
- Mar 2, 2015
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Yeah, I posted the video which shows that incident. Not a whole lot in it, really. Hudson gathered the ball and Neale gave him a bit of a whack. Free kick for a high shot would've been the correct call. A reportable offence? Maybe... Maybe not.. It's hard to believe such minor contact could have such an effect. If that happened today: Carey, King, Cornes and Robbo would be labelling Hudson as soft and calling for the tribunal charge to be thrown out.
Watch it here... I've timestamped the video at 3:05
I can understand these old fruit loop Pies fans making their conspiracy theories about Johnny Greening. I mean, that was an ugly incident with awful repercussions for a promising young star. I can see why they'd be a bit mental about it, even 50 years later, and hold grudges against O'Dea, Jeans, the St Kilda boot-studders and anyone else connected with the Saints. A bit like how prissy old Carlton fans seethe with rage at the mere mention of Alastair Clarkson and Ian Aitken. Every club has their favourite oppo villains from the past which they cling onto like old war stories.
However, It's stretching credibility to say the least to pick out these other incidents (Neale/Hudson, Matthews/Bruns) as part of a "pattern" involving Jeans. The "pattern' is that VFL footy was a wild game between 1965-1985 with players from all clubs getting away with murder on a weekly basis. e.g. Your club, Carlton had a pair of thugs in defence, Ian Collins and Wes Lofts terrorising opposition forwards and your legendary captain John Nicholls was another thug. They did stuff every weekend which would see them suspended for 8 weeks under today's rules. It's just the way the game was back then. All clubs were guilty of it. There was no malevolent plan by evil coaches to target opposition stars. Didn't need to be. it's just how many VFL defenders were wired back in those days - punch first, ask questions later... Make 'em earn every kick and intimidate young players by going the knuckle.
I'm not really sure what people get out of trying to smear the character of a legendary old coach who has been dead for 10 years
But it's interesting to see these small minds at work. Good for a laugh.
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WTF???
We've forgiven the Japanese, and even the f**king Germans - yet you think it's even remotely reasonable for some stupid old dicktards to be sobbing in their Metamucil about an incident on a footy ground 50 years ago??!! FFS.
It's borderline psychotic behaviour.
My recollection of that incident is that the player concerned was St.Kilda player Doug Booth ??
That was Doug Booth at Waverley. St K v Collingwood. Nothing to do with O'Dea.
- Mar 2, 2015
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Ah yes... I stand corrected.
Every year a large group of firends has a social golf tournament on the Gold Coast. We usually retire to the Broadbeach Bowls Club just near the casino for a dinner and some liquid refreshments on one of the days. On the wall is a very large picture of John Greening in his playing days.
One of our guys started chatting with one of the locals about the photo etc and the local chap knew a hell of a lot about it. Our guy then said "you know all about that because you must be John Greening" to which the chap said "yes I am".
Very nice man who holds no remorse about the incident and enjoyed a beer and a laugh with our large group.
One of our guys started chatting with one of the locals about the photo etc and the local chap knew a hell of a lot about it. Our guy then said "you know all about that because you must be John Greening" to which the chap said "yes I am".
Very nice man who holds no remorse about the incident and enjoyed a beer and a laugh with our large group.
Saints have been cursed ever since
Good !!!
Frauds & charlatans ............. just a nothing club always making up the numbers.
