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Old Vfa grounds

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Man that is a beautiful grandstand, the facade looks more like a prison or one of those really really old pubs down the north-west corner of Melbourne CBD. And the front of the stand is pretty cool, especially the West Australian feeling bitumen gap between stand and boundary. Not too hot on the 1980s 'a bloke at the club did it for cheap' changerooms to the side though.

Do Geelong West still exist? Didn't they wear red and white hoops? I know they were a pretty powerful VFA club for a while.
 
Silent Alarm said:
Man that is a beautiful grandstand, the facade looks more like a prison or one of those really really old pubs down the north-west corner of Melbourne CBD. And the front of the stand is pretty cool, especially the West Australian feeling bitumen gap between stand and boundary. Not too hot on the 1980s 'a bloke at the club did it for cheap' changerooms to the side though.

Do Geelong West still exist? Didn't they wear red and white hoops? I know they were a pretty powerful VFA club for a while.
Click to expand...
They do and they’re now called the Giants.
 
footyfan78 said:
Very curious to see the difference in Junction Oval from time used to regularly see it on tv for VFA games on Sunday on channel 10 and Fitzroy home matches in 1980's and now a non-football venue.
Click to expand...
1st VFL venue I attended. Fitzroy v North in '79. Kids with #15 on their North jumpers went end to end following Blighty.
Perfect venue for the VFA finals in the 70s & 80s.
 

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Obi fella said:
1st VFL venue I attended. Fitzroy v North in '79. Kids with #15 on their North jumpers went end to end following Blighty.
Perfect venue for the VFA finals in the 70s & 80s.
Click to expand...


Sadly only been there once. Vague recall of going to Carlton and Fitzroy game there with likes of Conlan, Barwick, Harmes and Kenny Hunter running around. Not sure what year, around 1983 to 85 most likely.
 
Obi fella said:
1st VFL venue I attended. Fitzroy v North in '79. Kids with #15 on their North jumpers went end to end following Blighty.
Perfect venue for the VFA finals in the 70s & 80s.
Click to expand...
The Junction Oval had the well-deserved reputation of having the best surface in the VFL & VFA in the 70's & 80's. My understanding is the drainage was helped by its very sandy soil. This was one reason it was chosen for VFA Finals there, attracting GF crowds of up to c.32,317 -1976 Port v. Dandenong. (The record VFA GF was in 1939 at the MCG, WFC v. Brunswick -48,238).
Does Williamstown have similar sandy soil (excluding Merri Creek cricket pitch)? SMFC's Lakeside Oval often had a poor surface.

Incidentally, Williamstown FC was supporting a number of amateur historians to search if Ned Kelly ever played Victorian Rules in the Williamstown area -for WFC, or any other local club; or, whilst in prison ship hulk moored at Williamstown, for a prison team (for possession of a stolen horse) from the age of c.17-20. IIRC, a footballer by the name, simply, "E.Kelly" had been discovered at about the same time in the area -but nothing else was known about him.("Ned" was short for "Edward").
Do you have any information on the most recent research on this matter? Are people still searching?

Finally, the VFA Geelong West grandstand, made of bluestone, might be unique.
Does anyone know of any other bluestone grandstands in Australia?
 
Last edited:
Willy's ground was horrendous after the re turfing approx 5 years ago. You couldn't see any players numbers after 1/4 time v Port. But over time it's held up pretty good. Geelong West's grandstand is unique. I travel a fair bit all over Vic for work & will continue to pop into old VFA grounds & take pics.

As for Ned, see below

heraldsun.com.au
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...n/news-story/c378d14ed04e8d1b80ad494827ee11e8
 
Obi fella said:
Willy's ground was horrendous after the re turfing approx 5 years ago. You couldn't see any players numbers after 1/4 time v Port. But over time it's held up pretty good. Geelong West's grandstand is unique. I travel a fair bit all over Vic for work & will continue to pop into old VFA grounds & take pics.

As for Ned, see below

heraldsun.com.au
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...n/news-story/c378d14ed04e8d1b80ad494827ee11e8
Click to expand...
Monti says Ned Kelly was charged with headbutting the game Umpire.
This was an extremely dangerous act, as Kelly's heavy metal helmet could have fractured the poor Umpire's skull.
 
Obi fella said:
Willy's ground was horrendous after the re turfing approx 5 years ago. You couldn't see any players numbers after 1/4 time v Port. But over time it's held up pretty good. Geelong West's grandstand is unique. I travel a fair bit all over Vic for work & will continue to pop into old VFA grounds & take pics.

As for Ned, see below

heraldsun.com.au
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...n/news-story/c378d14ed04e8d1b80ad494827ee11e8
Click to expand...

"He said Kelly played between June and January 1874 as he served out the final months of his sentence."

I wonder how many games Ned played in November and December.
 

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Old Vfa grounds


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