Discussion Strangest Events to Occur During a Match?

[Spanna_]

Hey all, potentially looking to start a short podcast series focusing on some of the strangest events to have taken place on a footy field. Looking to cover anything controversial like the 1967 Tasmanian State Premiership final or the 1907 WAFA (WAFL) Grand Final, would love to here some of your suggestions of what I should look to analyse. As a history student at Uni and a massive footy fan this crosses two of my passions, so would be eager to get something out there. Cheers

 

[Fizzler]

Is this for things in the same vein as the lights going out at Waverley Park or the pig on the field, but for other leagues?

 

[HalloweenJack]

I was at a WAFL match in late 1976 (maybe round 19 or 20) at Leederville Oval (then West Perth's home ground) to see West Perth v Claremont.

Mal Brown was the Claremont captain/coach. At the start of the last quarter he used his last replacement player (no interchange in those days). Early on in the 4th quarter another Claremont player was injured and Brown having no repacement players sent back on the player he had taken off (uninjured) at 3 quarter time.

Eventually this action lead to interchange players.

I can recall there was a lot of controversy after the fact and Claremont's score was wiped. At the game everyone knew what was happening and had happened.

 

[Spanna_]

Is this for things in the same vein as the lights going out at Waverley Park or the pig on the field, but for other leagues?

Yeah it definitely can include the VFL/AFL, just feel as if alot of the unique stories from there have been covered in significant detail within the media already.

 

[worbod]

Hey all, potentially looking to start a short podcast series focusing on some of the strangest events to have taken place on a footy field. Looking to cover anything controversial like the 1967 Tasmanian State Premiership final or the 1907 WAFA (WAFL) Grand Final, would love to here some of your suggestions of what I should look to analyse. As a history student at Uni and a massive footy fan this crosses two of my passions, so would be eager to get something out there. Cheers

Are you familiar with this thread?

List - Bizarre/unusual reasons for cancelled/suspended/abandoned games

I would be interested to read about some of the more unusual and bizarre reasons for the abandonment/cancellation/suspension of games. I presume that in lower and country leagues there would be some very unusual reasons.

www.bigfooty.com

It is part of the Footy History forum and features many instances of play being interrupted within various leagues around the country.

 

[Todman]

List - Bizarre/unusual reasons for cancelled/suspended/abandoned games

I would be interested to read about some of the more unusual and bizarre reasons for the abandonment/cancellation/suspension of games. I presume that in lower and country leagues there would be some very unusual reasons.

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Spanna_]

Are you familiar with this thread?

List - Bizarre/unusual reasons for cancelled/suspended/abandoned games

I would be interested to read about some of the more unusual and bizarre reasons for the abandonment/cancellation/suspension of games. I presume that in lower and country leagues there would be some very unusual reasons.

www.bigfooty.com

It is part of the Footy History forum and features many instances of play being interrupted within various leagues around the country.

Thanks for the link, was intending to look at more than just unusual cancellations of games but this is still very helpful, cheers.

 

[Connor7395]

Australian Football - The day they kicked a cricket score at ‘Katty’

australianfootball.com

The Katamatite Wattville match-fixing saga is a must-read.

 

[worbod]

In a VFA match between Preston and Coburg in 1937, an angry spectator ran onto the field brandishing a beer bottle with which he tried to strike a Preston rover named Wilkins. Wilkins flattened him and then found that the goal umpire had reported him. At the tribunal hearing, Wilkins was let off.

 

[worbod]

Glenelg ruckman Doug Long scored a goal which was disallowed in a match against Sturt in 1968. The goal umpire was unsighted as he had been hit on the head by a paper bag full of sand which had been thrown from the crowd.

 

[emuboy]

There's a thread about the wacky 1993 season, which is mainly about the strange statistics that year. But weird stuff happened in 1993 all over the place, such as:

• A violent Tasmanian Football League match between Glenorchy and Burnie Hawks was called off during the last quarter after numerous problems all afternoon
• A blue heeler dog ran onto the East Fremantle ground in Perth and held up play for some minutes in a derby match between East and South Fremantle
• A pig was released onto the SCG in a match between the Sydney Swans and St. Kilda, painted black, red and white and named 'Plugga'. Swan Darren Holmes caught the pig, this and the fact that he played in 5 successive wooden spoon teams earning Holmes a permanent place in the trivia books.
• The VFA season ended in complete farce when a bad-tempered Grand Final between Werribee and Port Melbourne entered time on in the last quarter, and people thought the Princes Park siren had sounded. Fans surged onto the ground and tempers frayed among the confusion as to whether the final siren had gone, and fights broke out everywhere between players and spectators. It was tried to get the ground cleared so play could resume, but there were still spectators, league and ground officials, police and horses on the oval as well as players and umpires as the ball was bounced, but fortunately the final siren was sounded 30 seconds later to put a stop to the debacle, Werribee winning by 42 points.

 

[worbod]

Two players were arrested by police for fighting on the field during a Norwood v Port Adelaide game in 1898. The Premier of South Australia intervened after Norwood appealed to him and the charges were withdrawn providing both players signed an apology for their conduct.

 

[worbod]

Even though you're not so much after VFL/AFL related incidents, one on-field incident which doesn't get much attention for obvious reasons is from half time during the Brisbane Bears vs Sydney match, Round 8, 1993. With Sydney goalless and trailing Brisbane by 120 points, the Channel 7 cameras moved onto the ground as Ron Barassi gave Sydney a piece of his mind before they left the field. The match situation was too much for Barassi at that moment and upon seeing the cameras advancing he stared down the barrel and bellowed, "Piss off!"
An ad break immediately followed.

 

[worbod]

When umpires decided the ball was too soft for play during the WAFL grand final in 1932, the game was delayed for eleven minutes whilst it was inflated. West Perth left the field during that time but the East Fremantle team played leapfrog to amuse the crowd.

 

[Lemon Boi]

Round 6 1977, some Footscray players changed numbers during the match to confuse Essendon.
It worked and they won (29.15) 189 to (13.11) 89.

They were fined by the tribunal on Monday.

 

[Connor7395]

The halftime break at an RDFL match between Riddell and Diggers Rest last year was extended by about ten minutes upon request by the Riddell co-president and most of the people in attendance, so that they could stand on the ground and watch Winx race for the last time on the digital scoreboard.

Geelong vs Carlton in August 1918 was delayed by fifteen minutes because Carlton hadn't arrived. The Blues did arrive, but with only 16 players, including two eleventh-hour inclusions. Just before the bounce, a car carrying Jack Kiely, Ern Cowley, Fred Johnson and Charlie Canet, the four missing Carlton players, arrived. It turned out that their regular car was out of commission and they had to get another car to make the drive to Geelong. The two inclusions stood their ground, delaying the game again, but the latecomers finally took the field. Carlton, the heavy favourites, wound up giving Geelong their second victory of the year.

An Ovens & Murray FL game between Hume Weir and Benalla in 1928 was invaded by a horse. A spectator tried to rush the equine off the field, but spooked it instead. The horse galloped downfield and the umpire was forced to halt the game until it was secured and removed.

 

[Lemon Boi]

A massive hailstorm hit Melbourne on 8 October 1921.

The VFA Final between Footscray and Williamstown was abandoned in the 3rd Quarter with the scores FO (9.7) 61 to WI (10.5) 65.
Williamstown won the replay the following week (9.14) 68 to (10.5) 65, and the Challenge Final the week after (8.9) 57 to (5.9) 39.

The VFL Final between Richmond and Carlton continued through the storm with Richmond winning (10.7) 67 to (7.17) 59.
A Challenge Final the next week saw Richmond win (5.6) 36 to (4.8) 32.

So both teams that lost (or were behind) during the hailstorm, Footscray and Carlton, both were Minor Premiers and both lost their Finals and Challenge Finals.

 

[worbod]

I'm sure most of us have been to some local/country football games in our lives, where cars are allowed to drive in and park at various areas of the ground. This can provide some unusual happenings.

Local country football goal-kicking legend Ron Best once received the following summary in a newspaper when playing for Boort in 1981:

"Best’s final stats for the day were twelve goals, three behinds, three separate opponents, three goals given away to team mates and one goal resulting in a broken windscreen."

 

[andrew coombs]

When umpires decided the ball was too soft for play during the WAFL grand final in 1932, the game was delayed for eleven minutes whilst it was inflated. West Perth left the field during that time but the East Fremantle team played leapfrog to amuse the crowd.

Wow! Deflategate before there was a “gate”. I had no idea that Patriots legendary quarterback Tom Brady was descended from WA. His great grandfather had to be involved in this surely.

 

[Wallaby]

Harold Martin was a player and coach for Preston in the 1970s and 80s. Typical VFA ruckman - got plenty of suspensions. Once got suspended by the tribunal while he was coach for abusing the umpire.
When you are suspended, you are not allowed to set foot on the field. Martin still wanted to coach match day.
So he hired a cherry picker.

 

[Lemon Boi]

Round 13 1982, Princes Park, Carlton vs. Collingwood



Carlton would soon win their 14th VFL Premiership.
Collingwood were in their worst season in 40 years.

 

[Hotdees]

A couple from the 90s in the WAFL that I can remember and Have been trying to find video footage of but can’t. Both games were televised on the abc. Joe Smith playing for Claremont against Perth had a shot for goal after the siren to win the game. He had a brain fade and went for a short pass.
In another game between South Fremantle and either East Perth or East Fremantle the siren failed and play was going on with everyone unaware. 2 ladies I think were ringing a cowbell and everyone was wondering what was happening. it was actually a signal to the umpires that the siren should be going. Pretty sure South Freo kicked a goal in the chaos

 

[Connor7395]

A couple from the 90s in the WAFL that I can remember and Have been trying to find video footage of but can’t. Both games were televised on the abc. Joe Smith playing for Claremont against Perth had a shot for goal after the siren to win the game. He had a brain fade and went for a short pass.
In another game between South Fremantle and either East Perth or East Fremantle the siren failed and play was going on with everyone unaware. 2 ladies I think were ringing a cowbell and everyone was wondering what was happening. it was actually a signal to the umpires that the siren should be going. Pretty sure South Freo kicked a goal in the chaos

The first one would be the Easter Monday clash from Round 2, 1993.
Nine days after Sticks sprayed his shot after the siren, too.

 

[worbod]

Former Footscray player Shane Loveless was once arrested mid-match after thumping a spectator, police hauling him away at half time when playing for Tatura vs Tongala. Loveless whacked the bloke because years earlier the bloke had whacked Loveless in a country footy game at Sale. Loveless recognised the guy in the crowd when he was coming off at half time, and lost his temper after the bloke verbally abused him.

 

[Todman]

Team Not in Position For Fourth Quarter – umpire bounces ball and …..
In the 1910 Ovens & Murray Junior Association final, Wahgunyah, trailing Lake Rovers at three-quarter time decided the umpire was “unfair and biased against them and walked off the ground.” The ball was bounced to start the last quarter, possession was gain by the Rovers side (the only team on the field), and shot it into their forward line where a Rover’s player kicked a ….. point. With the Wahgunyah players still sulking in the change rooms, the ball could not be kicked out into play so the Rovers players just had to wait around until fulltime, after which they were declared the winners. An unsuccessful protest ensued and Lake Rovers went onto defeat Howlong the following week in the challenge final. (Hume – A History of the Hume Football League 1933-2018 p. 18)