You write that "the early accounts state he 'was known to dish out violence with it.' "
Could you please advise which accounts you mean ? I cannot find any reference to such a statement being made during his lifetime.
Research Random Footy History article thread (Trove/Google etc)
- Thread starter Supermercado
- Start date
- Tagged users None
You write that "the early accounts state he 'was known to dish out violence with it.' "
Could you please advise which accounts you mean ? I cannot find any reference to such a statement being made during his lifetime.
There's a bit on him here (it calls him Alex M. Bruce, however!): https://australianfootball.com/articles/view/Origins+of+Australian+Football/208
In his reminiscences about the early days of Australian football, the then President of the VFA (Victorian Football Association), T.S. Marshall, writing in 1896, recalled the formidable Richmond player Alex M. Bruce:
"He had one arm, but his one arm was equal to most people’s two backed up as it was by an artificial one with an iron hook at the end of it. He was a good tempered and fine player, but I verily believe he was the cause of more oh’s and ah’s…than a dozen ordinary footballers, for when he pushed from behind, always of course with an iron hook, it meant weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth to his unfortunate victim–no matter how his victim took it, Bruce always perceived a calm, unruffled countenance." [1]
One may surmise that if Alex Bruce was available in this year’s draft, he would be just the sort of chap the Richmond football club should recruit to instil a bit of steel (or iron!) into a backline hitherto known for its brittleness.
In his reminiscences about the early days of Australian football, the then President of the VFA (Victorian Football Association), T.S. Marshall, writing in 1896, recalled the formidable Richmond player Alex M. Bruce:
"He had one arm, but his one arm was equal to most people’s two backed up as it was by an artificial one with an iron hook at the end of it. He was a good tempered and fine player, but I verily believe he was the cause of more oh’s and ah’s…than a dozen ordinary footballers, for when he pushed from behind, always of course with an iron hook, it meant weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth to his unfortunate victim–no matter how his victim took it, Bruce always perceived a calm, unruffled countenance." [1]
One may surmise that if Alex Bruce was available in this year’s draft, he would be just the sort of chap the Richmond football club should recruit to instil a bit of steel (or iron!) into a backline hitherto known for its brittleness.
Last edited:
Have just come across a Melbourne Cricket Club player A M Bruce playing in matches with, Wills, Thompson and Wray in Oct & Nov 1858
MELBOURNE CLUB OPENING MATCH. - The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) - 4 Oct 1858
The season for cricket was inaugurated on Saturday, October 2, by a match between an eleven against twenty-two members. The weather being very fine, a large number of ...
trove.nla.gov.au
THE NORTH v. THE SOUTH. - The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) - 17 Nov 1858
The above match, which was commonced on Saturday, and continued over Monday, was again resumed yesterday by Wray and Hamilton continuing their innings to the ...
trove.nla.gov.au
That's pretty likely to be him! Yet on the Wikipedia page it has:Have just come across a Melbourne Cricket Club player A M Bruce playing in matches with, Wills, Thompson and Wray in Oct & Nov 1858
MELBOURNE CLUB OPENING MATCH. - The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) - 4 Oct 1858
The season for cricket was inaugurated on Saturday, October 2, by a match between an eleven against twenty-two members. The weather being very fine, a large number of ...
THE NORTH v. THE SOUTH. - The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) - 17 Nov 1858
The above match, which was commonced on Saturday, and continued over Monday, was again resumed yesterday by Wray and Hamilton continuing their innings to the ...
The AFL Season Guide has George Bruce (Richmond CCFC).
Since it appears certain that Alex and George Bruce are two different people, but both were star players with a Richmond team (but a few years apart), it seems very likely that C.C. Mullen plucked out the wrong name (George when it should have been Alex) for his "champion" of 1858!
Unfortunately Mullen "plucked out" a few wrong things & published them. Lack of resources at the time no doubt affecting his judgement.
Sadly, in some quarters his word became gospel. It continues to be a devil of a job getting the inaccuracies removed from the public record.
Thanks all
Would have been impossible to check this kind of factoide back in the mircofiche era
Good outcome
Would have been impossible to check this kind of factoide back in the mircofiche era
Good outcome
Bit here with Merv Keane talking about the late Scott field (Sturt)
about 20mins in
www.mervkeane.com.au
about 20mins in
Merv Keane, Laura Crozier and Pauline Neil with Kerry Armstrong
Talking tragedy and triumph through adversity ... and how everyday heroes can make a real difference.
www.abc.net.au
Playing with the Field | Merv Keane
www.mervkeane.com.au
Last edited:
One arm- but best player - The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) - 23 Apr 1956
BENDIGO, Sunday: Onearmed footballer Royce Dickson, of Red Cliffs, was voted best on the ground in the ...
trove.nla.gov.au
Obituary: Royce Dickson remembered - Shepparton News
Royce Stanislaus Dickson was born in Sea Lake in north-west Victoria on September 7, 1936 to Bridget Ellen and Roy Dickson. One of six children, Mr Dickson grew up a typical country boy enjoying many adventures with his siblings, while also...
www.sheppnews.com.au
Ambrose Palmer article from the sporting globe 1953
trove.nla.gov.au
There are a couple of articles in this De lacy SG series
This Jack Dyer one is probably the more interesting:
trove.nla.gov.au
They couldn’t make Palmer play ‘dirty’ football - Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954) - 29 Apr 1953
“ Get up, you squib, and fight! You the Australian champion? - yer just a big mug!” The big man stood over the fallen man, sneering. And the Australian champion, lying there, did nothing more than prop himself on his right arm. Whatever fight there had been, was over. ...
trove.nla.gov.au
There are a couple of articles in this De lacy SG series
This Jack Dyer one is probably the more interesting:
When Captain Blood saw red in Semi - No, 3 from H. de Lacy’s Football Diary - Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954) - 13 May 1953
Who’ll ever forget that hectic second semi-final in 1940 when skin and hair flew and Richmond caused a sensation by beating Melbourne. At least five players should have been ...
trove.nla.gov.au
Last edited:
HE WAS ONLY 13! - Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954) - 26 Aug 1953
Wells Eicke was selected to play League football for the St. Kilda first eighteen in 1907—WHEN HE WAS ...
trove.nla.gov.au
GreyCrow
TheBrownDog
- Mar 21, 2016
- 74,348
- 117,881
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- Sturt, White Sox
Bolton a Geelong U19s player went to Geelong 1984
Overcrowding at VFL ground May 1931
Maybe the ground managers misunderstood the offer to build a huge bank on the tennis court.
trove.nla.gov.au
Maybe the ground managers misunderstood the offer to build a huge bank on the tennis court.
FOOTBALL OVERCROWDING - FENCE COLLAPSES AT RICHMOND. SEVERAL PERSONS INJURED. - The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) - 25 May 1931
There was dangerous overcrowding at the Richmond ground on Saturday, when more than 45,000 persons squeezed into the inadequate space provided for the ...
trove.nla.gov.au
Last edited:
Knocked some feet into the air
Last edited:
VFL no longer exists as sport moves interstate - JEZZA - The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) - 19 Apr 1988
Last year I came to Canberra twice to support ACTAFL's bid for entry into the national competition. I call it a national competition for ...
trove.nla.gov.au
Hope they washed them before putting the scones out
Supermercado
The straw that stirs the drink
- Thread starter
- #92
Moorabbin get rolled into a groundshare deal by the council but at least they get to be part of a VFL club right? Until the VFA expel them, they disband, the Saints forget about them and take the ground without a merger.
Supermercado
The straw that stirs the drink
- Thread starter
- #93
Also from 1964, an on-field death in the VFA pre-season
Interesting
I'm sure when I was a kid, there was a VFA Moorabin team in second division of VFA.
Sounds like Saints were just going to take over Moorabin to get access to ground there and had no care or real interest in Moorabin name in real terms.
I did not realise they Moorabin I saw on VFA ladder was not the original Moorabin Football Club. Learn something new everyday.
To think as a kid I had a soft spot for St.Kilda in the VFL but over time I learn to consider them a scummy club and soft spot for them went long ago and saw the true colours of characters like Thomas and Butters were really what the club was made of.
Supermercado
The straw that stirs the drink
- Thread starter
- #95
Don't take much notice of other clubs, but saw something in an old Inside Football yesterday (07/05/1981 if you're trawling your collection) that blew my mind. Is this legit, or like 75% of the anecdotes in any pre-internet footy autobiography a lie for dramatic effect?
In 1961 Yarraville made the VFA Grand Final but their coach was called overseas on business that week, so instead of an in-house replacement they got Ted Whitten to do the job a week after the Dogs were knocked out of the VFL finals. Because of a rule banning VFL coaches from entering VFA grounds he did it from over the fence and they won the flag.
In 1961 Yarraville made the VFA Grand Final but their coach was called overseas on business that week, so instead of an in-house replacement they got Ted Whitten to do the job a week after the Dogs were knocked out of the VFL finals. Because of a rule banning VFL coaches from entering VFA grounds he did it from over the fence and they won the flag.
according to fiddian (in Where Eagles flew) ...
keith drinan the coach had to go to south africa on business
Allan Phillips the chairman of selectors was the GF coach...Ted Whitten helped out
Don Whitten was half forward for yarraville
keith drinan the coach had to go to south africa on business
Allan Phillips the chairman of selectors was the GF coach...Ted Whitten helped out
Don Whitten was half forward for yarraville
Drinan was still there for the Thursday night training session: https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19610929&printsec=frontpage&hl=en (page 12)
Footscray had played in the VFL Grand Final the previous Saturday (losing to Hawthorn).
There's no mention of the coaching situation in the match report: https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19611002&printsec=frontpage&hl=en (page 9)
Footscray had played in the VFL Grand Final the previous Saturday (losing to Hawthorn).
There's no mention of the coaching situation in the match report: https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19611002&printsec=frontpage&hl=en (page 9)
This was in The Age on the Wednesday (prior to the game): https://news.google.com.au/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19610927&printsec=frontpage&hl=en (page 9)
Drinan resigned as Yarraville coach soon after the Premiership win, due to business and family commitments.
Drinan resigned as Yarraville coach soon after the Premiership win, due to business and family commitments.
Last edited:
Keith Drinan was a chemical engineer at one time worked for CSIRO
must be the first player ever to have been "recruited" after being spotted playing in Darwin
trove.nla.gov.au
trove.nla.gov.au
Yarraville's coach from 1958-1961
Allan Phillips had been Yarraville's full forward in the early 50s
was on the Footscray list in the late 40s
trove.nla.gov.au
must be the first player ever to have been "recruited" after being spotted playing in Darwin
THESE SEAGULLS' WINGS ARE HARD TO CUP - The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) - 11 Jul 1952
IT WAS a lucky break for St. Kilda that coach Fred Green happened to see a young Navy boy ...
trove.nla.gov.au
Saints' captain hurt in fall - The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) - 26 Jun 1952
St. Kilda Football Club captain Keith Drinan, fell mere than 20 ft. at the Commonwealth Scientific ...
trove.nla.gov.au
Yarraville's coach from 1958-1961
Allan Phillips had been Yarraville's full forward in the early 50s
was on the Footscray list in the late 40s
Football, Mishap - The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) - 13 Oct 1947
GEELONG, Sunday.--In an exhibition game at Corio oval yesterday, between Yarraville and Preston Association football ...
trove.nla.gov.au
Last edited:
Supermercado
The straw that stirs the drink
- Thread starter
- #100
Another anecdote bites the dust! There's one that's in both Crackers Keenan and Stan Alves' autobiographies about John Beckwith at the Junction Oval that I bet they never thought would be fact-checked by people checking the scores of games at the ground.
