Toast Meeting a living legend!

[danj]

Comrades I want to share with you that I was fortunate enough this evening to meet a living legend, the oldest living North Player Mr Gordon Green.

He is 99 not out and his mind is as sharp as a whip.

We had a lovely conversation and it was quite surreal listening to someone who played in the VFL 1942 season some 82 years ago, he recounted the advice he received before his first game at age 16/17 'wait another year son and put on a bit of weight' he ignored the advice and suffered a broken collarbone after being 'run through' by a dastardly brute that put him out for the rest of that season!

Next season his dad wanted him to play for Footscray but he said 'no I'm a North man and I'm playing for them!' unfortunately he ground off the tip of his index finger on his right hand the week before round 1 and ended up in plaster, shortly after this he was offered a job with the bookies and North couldn't match the 10 shillings a week the bookies were paying him so that was the end of his football career and the start of a punting career that would make SpiderBurton22 jealous!

I did get a couple of snaps with Gordon however I gave an undertaking not to share them on social media but a family member did send this copy of a Footy Record when Gordon was interviewed by Col Hutchinson so its already on the public record.

Now read the article and note who North played that day Gordon was wiped out, note the result. Its a sign I am telling you!!!

For all the campaigners on this board caterwauling about North and how badly we are going just reflect on this Gordon in over 80 years has been through worse times and seen North win four Premierships his message for us, hang in there the wheel will turn, Go North!


B

 

[gokangas]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Horace]

That's a great read danj . Spotted in that list a very handy Fitzroy player, Eddie Goodger, who is also still with us. That year my old team, Fitzroy played North in the First Semi Final, which North won, before being beaten by Collingwood in the Preliminary Final.

The Pies went on to beat the hot favourites, Melbourne in the GF, after they went the knuckle in the first quarter, with one of the players targetted (from memory) being Ron Barassi. The Melbourne players got sucked in and forgot about the game after that, while the Pies went on with the game.

It was that game that heralded the beginning of the Colliewobbles. Many people thought that Collingwood deserved their long era of losing GF's after their very ordinary tactics in that game.

Another in that list who is still with us, is Bill McMaster, who played for Geelong in the early 1950's. He too suffered at the hands of a very ruthless and despised Collingwood FC in that period, being eventually forced to retire as a result of his injuries. He went on to coach Mortlake in the Hampden League, before coaching Geelong, then becoming recruiting Manager at Geelong and was responsible for getting Gary Ablett senior to the Cats.

Below are the team stats from the Fitzroy - North Semi Final. Well goals only really. Some very good footballers in those two teams.

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1958/061219580830.html.

 

[danj]

That's a great read danj . Spotted in that list a very handy Fitzroy player, Eddie Goodger, who is also still with us. That year my old team, Fitzroy played North in the First Semi Final, which North won, before being beaten by Collingwood in the Preliminary Final.

The Pies went on to beat the hot favourites, Melbourne in the GF, after they went the knuckle in the first quarter, with one of the players targetted (from memory) being Ron Barassi. The Melbourne players got sucked in and forgot about the game after that, while the Pies went on with the game.

It was that game that heralded the beginning of the Colliewobbles. Many people thought that Collingwood deserved their long era of losing GF's after their very ordinary tactics in that game.

Another in that list who is still with us, is Bill McMaster, who played for Geelong in the early 1950's. He too suffered at the hands of a very ruthless and despised Collingwood FC in that period, being eventually forced to retire as a result of his injuries. He went on to coach Mortlake in the Hampden League, before coaching Geelong, then becoming recruiting Manager at Geelong and was responsible for getting Gary Ablett senior to the Cats.

Below are the team stats from the Fitzroy - North Semi Final. Well goals only really. Some very good footballers in those two teams.

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1958/061219580830.html.

Gordon really rated Les Foote