Resource The NMFC History thread

[kangaroo7]

Hawthorn v North 1964

Take a look at this match in May 1964 Glenferrie oval. Hawthorn versus North. . Our captain, Mick Aylett was crunched by Dirty Des Dickson. It ended Ayletts career. I was actually at the game and I remember watching Aylett carried off the ground with a badly broken forearm. The video only shows the last quarter. Every North player is determined to "even-up". Classic. #33 Mike Delanty (ex Collingwood) runs at a Hawthorn opponent, lifts his elbow and lands a perfect clip across the Hawks face. Free kick, no report. There were Hawks going down all over the ground. This team were real hard Shinboners.

May 1963 was the match Aylett was concussed. I'm sure that's what you meant. Aylett retired in 1964 following the Round 13 match against Melbourne where he broke his wrist.

But yes, the North players, especially Teasdale, certainly went after Dickson, who had an established reputation. After one match, not sure which, Teasdale ran up the Hawthorn players race and banged on the door yelling fo Dickson to come out.

 

[So You Think]

An image of Arden Street I hadn’t seen before. Judging by the player “cutouts” on the smaller stand next to the main grandstand it must be no later than 1972.
View attachment 2427741

I'm guessing mid 60's going by the cars in the surrounding streets.

 

[kangaroo7]

Here it is. Memories of our triumphant season 50 years ago :



1975 -- A FLAG AT LAST!

North's dramatic rise up the ladder in 1974 had culminated in only their second Grand Final appearance. They entered the match as sentimental favourites, but reigning premier Richmond was too good and North's chances of winning their first premiership still seemed light years away. While some were happy with the club's improvement and progress in making the Grand Final, coach Ron Barassi was furious at the defeat and made sure the players knew it. But could he get the club up again for another attempt to win that elusive premiership? Or would the letdown affect the club as it had in 1951?

Several players had left including Robert Peterson, who left to concentrate in his medical career, Vin Doolan (Rutherglen) and John Perry (Caulfield). Denis Pagan was delisted. He would play with South Melbourne and in the VFA over the next few years before returning in 1993 to coach. New players were John Byrne (Supplementary list, originally Wangaratta Rovers), Stephen Icke (Noble Park and son of 1950s player Laurie Icke), Graeme Melrose (East Fremantle) and an unexpected bonus in Brent Crosswell, who came to North after a dispute with Carlton and played from mid May.

The club made their first ever sponsorship deal with Courage Breweries in March. This meant that the two top sides were sponsored by breweries, Richmond having signed a deal with Carlton & United earlier. Four days later North played a practice match against Geelong in Newcastle. They won by 71 points, with Barry Cable playing most of the game with a cut eye. Geelong were missing six regular players. Former player Laurie Dwyer was appointed to the unenviable position of runner for Barassi. Two more practice matches resulted in a 62 point loss to Collingwood (which disgusted Barassi) and a 64 point win over St Kilda. Just before the season proper began, former Richmond and star Bill Barrot, after four years away from VFL football, signed with North, but did not play a single match. Meanwhile, Sam Kekovich was in dispute with the club and wanted a trade to Essendon. He would end up staying.



ROUND 1 HAWTHORN


North, who had beaten Hawthorn four times in 1974 including twice in the finals, were soundly beaten when they allowed Hawthorn to get off to a flying start at Princes Park. North lost Blight to injury in the first quarter and Dench was restricted with a leg injury. Fights broke out in the last quarter. Bradley Smith

Bradley Smith

Age

46

Ht

192cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

4.0

1star

K

2.0

1star

HB

2.0

2star

M

2.0

2star

T

0.0

1star

G

0.0

1star

No current season stats available

D

4.0

1star

K

2.0

1star

HB

2.0

2star

M

2.0

3star

T

0.0

1star

G

0.0

1star

flattened Martello and Leigh Matthews. Matthews narrowly missed collecting Melrose. Later, Cowton was concussed by an elbow to his head which resulted in 34 of the 36 players involved in a brawl. Montgomery often played a lone hand in defence for North. Other good players were Schimmelbusch, Greig, Nolan, Moylan and Michalczyk.


HAWTHORN 15.15-105 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.10-76



Talk of Kekovich being traded persisted. Essendon were interested but only wanted to pay a transfer fee rather than trade a player. The Age reported that the club had asked St Kilda and Carlton if they were interested. St Kilda's Stuart Trott, who was in dispute with his club, was a rumoured target. He would go to Hawthorn later in the season. Several Carlton players were rumoured to be interested in going to North. Kekovich was named to play in the Reserves side against Melbourne, and club officials were relieved when he turned up.


ROUND 2 MELBOURNE

Blight, Cowton and Moylan were out injured and ill. Goodingham, Gumbleton and Michalczyk (20th man last week) came in to the line-up. North were expected to win over last year's wooden spooners. But in a match where first one team then the other dominated, Melbourne held on to win by two points. North paid for its inconsistency. Ditterich, who had declined an offer from North and instead went to Melbourne in 1973, was one of Melbourne's best. And Stan Alves, despite being soundly beaten by Greig on the day, managed to score the winning goal. Besides Greig, best for North were Rantall, Briedis, Burns, Dench, Montgomery and Gumbleton.

Barassi was perturbed, saying the players made too many mistakes and there would be changes. President Allen Aylett said that the club was facing a big challenge. It looked far from a premiership contender.

NORTH MELBOURNE 15.13-103 MELBOURNE 16.9-105



ROUND 3 CARLTON

Michalczyk and Goodingham felt the wrath of the selectors, both being relegated to the bench. Brad Smith was also out injured. Blight and Cowton returned from injury and Phil Baker made his first appearance for the year. North lost by 36 points after a dreadful second quarter. Carlton's Jesaulenko, formerly a star forward, had moved into defence and was best afield. North players fumbled a lot in the first half, and Barassi believed the rubber stops they wore in their boots were partly to blame. Nevertheless, he said it was the best form North had shown so far in part of the game. Best for North were Greig, Dench, Schimmelbusch,Montgomery,Melrose and Burns.

CARLTON 14.18 -102 NORTH MELBOURNE 9.12 - 66


ROUND 4 FITZROY

Goodingham and Icke came into the side. Briedis was omitted. Feltham started on the bench with Kekovich. Rantall was a late withdrawal, replaced by Muir. North put in another disappointing performance at Arden St. Fitzroy got a good start with the breeze. North wasted it in the second, kicking 3.8. Fitzroy kicked away in the third quarter and it was goal for goal in the last. Even a sensational mark and 70 meter goal by Baker in the second quarter could not inspire North, as they handed Fitzroy their first win of the season by 30 points. North's best were Wade (seven goals), Burns, Greig, Blight, Cable, Muir and Baker. Things now looked very serious. The players appeared slow and lacking in confidence. North were hovering near the bottom of the ladder where they had been three years ago and looked nothing like a potential finalist.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.19 - 85 FITZROY 17.13 - 115



ROUND 5 GEELONG

Kekovich came into the side along with Chisnall, Rantall and Feltham. Cowton and Goodingham were relegated to the bench, and Farrant and Icke omitted. As neither side had won a game, one had to break the ice at Kardinia Park. Geelong got off to a flying start with a 5 goal first quarter. But over the next two quarters, North outscored them 9 goals to 3 and went on to record what can only be described as a much-needed win by 16 points. Blight, playing at centre-half-back, kept Rex Hunt quiet, and Kekovich, playing a loose man in attack, got 3 goals. John Newman dominated in the ruck for Geelong and John Scarlett held Wade to 1 goal. But North's little men in Cable and Melrose were better. Greig, Feltham, Burns and Davis were also good. But it was not a convincing win.

GEELONG 11.5 - 71 NORTH MELBOURNE 12.15 - 87



ROUND 6 FOOTSCRAY

Brad Smith and Cowton came back into the side, with Wade and Gumbleton both out injured. During the week, Carlton champion Brent Crosswell crossed over to North after a dispute with his old club. He had played under Barasssi at Carlton and would play a big part in the remainder of the season for his new club. He started by being one of North's Reserves best in their big win in over Footscray.

The senior team also had a big win. Footscray had won their last four and were on a high, but North regained their teamwork of old and dominated. 45 points up by half-time, Barassi made the mistake of praising the players, and they promptly had a bad third quarter. But they went away again in the last quarter to win easily by 53 points. Rantall, at full-back, kept Footscray's danger man Sandilands right out of the game and was best on the ground. The entire defence, particularly Montgomery, Blight and Dench, played well. Melrose, Cable, Burns and Feltham scored 11 goals between them.

NORTH MELBOURNE 18.11-119 FOOTSCRAY 9.12 - 66


TO BE CONTINUED

 

[Twinkletoes]

Imagine if BigFooty existed back then with us grand finalists the year prior, loaded with a list of guns and losing the first four games of ‘75? It would’ve been online carnage. Instead (for me at least) it was teasing in the playground at school with me retorting “we’ll be back!”

 

[kangaroo7]

1975 cont.

ROUND 7 COLLINGWOOD

Baker, Cable and Muir were all injured from the Footscray match. Kekovich and B Smith were dropped. Back in came Wade, Gumbleton and Henshaw. Shane Zantuck came in for his only match of the season and Brent Crosswell was making his debut for his new club under his old coach.

Collingwood had lost their past two matches and were in a bit of a slump. But a series of pep talks during the week caused them to lift their game, although they almost spoilt it with atrocious kicking, scoring 2.8 and 3.8 in the first and third quarters. In the end they held North off by 9 points, with Len Thompson and the mercurial Phil Carman starring. Crosswell, who lined up at centre-half-forward, was North's best, taking apart his opponent Peter Moore. Dench kept Collingwood's full-forward McKenna goalless and Blight was on top at centre-half-back, but Greig and Schimmelbusch were eclipsed and their little men were disappointing. North finals chances were looking bleak.

COLLINGWOOD 12.18 - 90 NORTH MELBOURNE 12.9 - 81


ROUND 8 RICHMOND

Kekovich, Baker and Muir returned to the side, with Zantuck, Henshaw and Wade making way. It was the first time in 15 years that Wade had been dropped. His form this year had been disappointing and he had been dragged during the last quarter of last week's Collingwood match.

After looking a beaten side early in the third term, North staged a great fightback to win the Grand Final rematch against Richmond.
Earlier North had failed to take advantage of the breeze in the first quarter and trailed by 19 points at half-time. But they outscored Richmond in the second half, and in the last quarter, trailing by 10 points and kicking against the wind, scored four goals to take the lead and hold on to win by eight.
Barassi's starting Gumbleton at full-back to counter Taubert worked well. He was North's best. Greig and Schimmelbusch, hardly noticed in the early stages, starred in the last quarter. Nolan, Dench and Blight also played well.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.8 - 74 RICHMOND 9.12 - 66


ROUND 9 ESSENDON

Baker and Kekovich were dropped from the side, the selectors thinking that they did not do enough against Richmond. Back in came Henshaw and Wade, despite the fact he had only kicked two goals in the Reserves last week.
Just when North were appearing to overcome their poor start to the season, they were beaten by Essendon at VFL Park. Essendon had lost three of their last four games, but North let themselves down with bad kicking. At least seven direct shots at goal went out on the full. Barrasi had Dench at centre-half-forward, Montgomery at centre-half-back and Crosswell on a flank. Dench kicked like a defender scoring 0.3 from five shots. Wade, who didn't score a goal, was dragged late in the third quarter, much to his disgust. Some speculated that he was finished. Barassi felt that the umpire was not giving Wade a go and told him so at three quarter time. For this he was fined $100. Henshaw, Greig, Cowton, Nolan, Schimmelbusch and Burns tried hard for North. North languished in tenth place on the ladder, although only two games out of the top five.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.17 - 83 ESSENDON 15.9 - 98



ROUND 10 ST KILDA

At the Tuesday night training session, the players spent more time listening to Barassi than they did on the ground. After talking to them for 30 minutes, Barassi sent them out on the training field. But five minutes later they were back in the rooms where Barassi spoke to them again for another 45 minutes. Barassi had earlier told Inside Football that he was facing his greatest challenge and that the club was well down from the same time last year. Their expensive and exhaustive investment to win a Grand Final was in danger of collapse.

When the team was chosen, Cable, Dawson and Byrne (making his first appearance for the season) were in at the expense of Feltham, Burns (both on the bench) and Muir. However, last minute changes saw Feltham come into the side to replace Blight (ill). This would be his 100th match. Muir replaced him on the bench and Phil Ryan likewise replaced Burns, who played in the reserves. North took a while to shake off St Kilda, but won well in the end. Wade came back into form with five goals and Feltham, Greig, Schimmelbusch, Chisnall, Nolan and Davis all contributed.

ST KILDA 15.9 - 99 NORTH MELBOURNE 17.19 - 121



ROUND 11 SOUTH MELBOURNE

Blight, Kekovich and Burns were back in the side. Dench, Montgomery and Dawson were all injured. Wade withdrew from the side the morning before the match with a knee injury. This enabled John Douglas to make his debut. The match was on the Queen's Birthday Monday at the Lake Oval, where North had not won since 1968.

It was a game of non-stop action. South at this stage had won only one match this season, but took the game right up to North. Former Richmond big man Brian "Whale" Roberts dominated, and his former Richmond teammate Graham Teasdale had a battle royale with Blight. But North's good first quarter and South's bad second one left North 27 points ahead at half-time, and they held on to win by 20. Crosswell, Kekovich, Schimmelbusch, Blight, Burns and Melrose were best for North.

SOUTH MELB 12.10 - 88 NORTH MELB 16.12 - 108


So at the halfway mark of the season, North sat outside the top five by one game. They had lost to four out of five teams above them and had not been convincing.


ROUND 12 HAWTHORN

Keen to avenge their Round 1 loss, North had to manage without Wade and Dench, who were both still injured. Montgomery and Chisnall returned to the side along with Richard Michalczyk, who had not played in the seniors since Round 3. Byrne and Douglas were dropped. Hawthorn at this stage were four games clear on top of the ladder with Carlton. Barassi made many positional changes at the start of the game and it was close in the first half. In the second half, however, Hawthorn kicked away scoring nine goals to three. It was the best form North had shown so far, but they came up against a side at its top. With their two forwards Wade and Briedis missing, the forward line was weak. Barassi in desperation moved Greig to full forward in the third quarter but this failed. Nolan was North's best, and Cable, Melrose, Burns, Kekovich and Rantall played well.

NORTH MELBOURNE 13.17 - 95 HAWTHORN 18.12.120

To be continued

 

[Hojuman]

Funny to think l was probably at all those games.
Not the only one here at a guess ?
Saturday morning school footy then somehow P.T. it to the ground and meet the family. Picnic sangers and thermos soup. The long drive home and maybe pick up some KFC or Ollie's Trolley. If lucky a trip home via Poons in Footscray for chinese ! ( b.y.o. pots )
Sunday, church after jam scones for breakfast, home for roast lunch and World of Sport. Sunday afternoon street footy with bins & lamp-posts as goals.

Simpler times ( signed; Boomer )

 

[Whippet1]

It was a real slow burn season after a massive Grand Final runner up hangover. I remember Barassi presenting a “relatively” calm exterior and refusing to hit the panic button.
The forward line was a problem with an ageing Wade starting to struggle.
What an early season recruit Crosswell was.

 

[kangaroo7]

1975 cont.


ROUND 13 MELBOURNE

Full-back Dench returned to the side from injury. John Douglas was given another chance at full-forward with Wade still injured, and Steven Icke returned for the first time since Round 4. Crosswell and Feltham were out injured and Montgomery omitted.

In a match marred by slippery conditions and showers of rain, North had a comfortable 34 point win. Schimmelbusch played his best game for the season, kicking five goals and constantly setting up scoring chances. Kekovich continued his recent good form when moved to centre-half-back in the second quarter. Other good players were Greig, Burns, Cable, Chisnall and Michalczyk, who was on the verge of being sold to Essendon on the Thursday night before the match. But North still needed to improve a lot to be considered a finals or premiership contender.

MELBOURNE 6.10 - 46 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.14 - 80



ROUND 14 FITZROY

North lost Greig and Blight to the State team, Goodingham was injured and Cowton was omitted. Crosswell was back from injury and Dawson, Ryan and former Carlton player Munari came in.

In a close match, where the difference was never greater than 15 points, North kept the lead for most of the time after the first quarter and won by nine. Melrose was the difference. Playing his best match to date, he defied the wet conditions and kicked five goals and had 29 possessions. Two moves by Barassi also contributed to the win. After the Fitzroy full-forward, Smith, kicked three early goals, Dench was moved onto him in place of Michalczyk and he didn't score again. In the third quarter, centreman Burns and winger Chisnall were swapped and both increased their input on the game. Others to play well were Crosswell, Ryan, Kekovich, Davis, Gumbleton and Dench. The win enabled North to move into the top five where they would stay for the rest of the season.

FITZROY 14.12 - 96 NORTH MELBOURNE 15.15 - 105



ROUND 15 CARLTON

Greig, Byrne and Cowton returned to the side but Blight was unable to as he had a virus. Arnold Briedis was selected for the first time since Round 3. He was named on the half-back-flank but lined up at centre-half-forward. Cowton was named in the side but had hamstring trouble and was replaced before the match by Robert Smith. Dawson, Douglas, Icke and Munari made way.

Hosting Carlton in the mud at at VFL Park, North had their most important win for the season when they held Carlton goalless for two terms. North kicked 4.6 against the wind in the third quarter to Carlton's 0.3. It was Carlton's second defeat for the season, and their second at VFL Park. Previous bitter enemies Sam Kekovich and Brent Crosswell teamed together to help North's win. Rantall, Greig, Schimmelbusch, Nolan and Henshaw also played well.


NORTH MELBOURNE 9.11 - 65 CARLTON 5.14 - 44





ROUND 16 GEELONG

Wade finally returned to the side after a 6 week absence. Icke also returned and John Moylan came in for his first match of the season. Rantall was out injured and Byrne and Muir were omitted.

Geelong got off to a flying start in the first quarter, but after that it was all North. The 54 point winning margin should have been much more but for inaccuracy - North kicked 7.16 in the second half. Geelong were having a season to forget, now languishing in eleventh place. Phil Baker had been cleared by North to Geelong after Round 5 this year and was one of the Cat's best. He would soon be back at North. Briedis at centre-half-forward was best on the ground, beating two opponents. Cable, Melrose, Michalczyk, Davis and Nolan also played well.

NORTH MELBOURNE 14.25 – 109 GEELONG 6.19 - 55




ROUND 17 FOOTSCRAY

Rantall returned to the side at Moylan's expense. North recorded their tenth win for the season and strengthened their position in the five when they proved too good for Footscray at the Western Oval. North, who had first use of the strong wind, led by 33 at quarter-time. Footscray came back to trail by just three at half-time. But North dominated the second half kicking 11 goals to four and won by 49 points. Schimmelbusch was best on the ground, and Wade showed that he wasn't finished by kicking six goals. Other good players were Kekovich, Henshaw, Dench, Davis, Greig, Cable and Crosswell.

FOOTSCRAY 9.14 - 68 NORTH MELBOURNE 17.15 - 117



ROUND 18 COLLINGWOOD

Blight came back into the side. Ryan was relegated to the bench. Byrne also started on the bench as last weeks two reserves, Icke and Moylan, were omitted.

North had their sixth successive win by beating Collingwood soundly at Arden St. They dominated the second and third quarters to open up a big lead, then allowed Collingwood to score five goals in the last. Barassi was upset at this lapse, saying that North should have won by 100 instead of 50 points. The club certainly needed the percentage. Barassi had also warned his players several times not to get involved in "incidents", but Briedis and Chisnall were reported. Briedis was supended for two weeks. Nevertheless, the club sounded a warning to Hawthorn and Carlton, the two teams who had cleared out from the rest on the top of the ladder. North’s best on the day were Davis, Greig, Crosswell, Henshaw Schimmelusch, Kekovich, Nolan and Burns. It was Collingwood's worst performance for the season.

NORTH MELBOURNE 15.20 - 110 COLLINGWOOD 8.10 - 58


ROUND 19 RICHMOND


With Burns (injured) and Briedis (suspended) unavailable, Dawson came in for only his fourth game of the year, and Munari for his second.

Third place on the ladder was still open to four teams, but North gained a small break when they defeated Richmond by five points, opening up a one match break over St Kilda and two match one over Richmond and Collingwood. The match was close with inaccurate kicking plaguing both sides. In the last two quarters North scored 2.10 and 5.7 to Richmond's 1.8 and 4.1. North were the better side for most of the day and should have won by more. Davis, Kekovich, Dench, Cable, Michalczyk, Greig and Shimmelbusch were North's best.

NORTH MELBOURNE 13.23 - 101 RICHMOND 13.18 - 96


ROUND 20 ESSENDON

Burns and Icke returned to the side, with Wade out injured and Munari omitted. But North suffered a double blow before the match when Kekovich and Crosswell both withdrew with the flu. Dawson came off the bench into the starting eighteen, being replaced on the bench by Munari. Montgomery also came in.

Not having a focal point on the forward line did not help North, although they were not disgraced, losing by 14 points. They came up against an Essendon side desperate to win after losing their past three games, some of their senior players playing for their careers. North missed the chance of winning eight matches in a row for the first time. Davis played well against his old club. Other good players were Dawson, Henshaw, Rantall, Micalczyk, Greig and Cable, who suffered a bruised back.

ESSENDON 15.15 - 105 NORTH MELBOURNE 13.13 - 91


ROUND 21 ST KILDA

Crosswell and Kekovich returned to the team along with Briedis. Montgomery and Dawson were omitted, along with Blight, who had been dragged at half-time the previous week.

After the Essendon set-back, North were expected to hit back strongly - and they did, beating St Kilda by 70 points. In muddy conditions, which normally suited St Kilda, North dominated. Burns was supreme in the centre, beating five different opponents. Schimmelbush, Briedis and Kekovich were brilliant across the half-forward line, kicking 11 goals between them, and Nolan dominated in the ruck. North were now a game clear in third spot.

NORTH MELBOURNE 16.15 - 111 ST KILDA 6.5 - 41


ROUND 22 SOUTH MELBOURNE

Wade finally returned to the side, along with Feltham. Chisnall was out injured and Icke was omitted. Playing the bottom side, who had won just two games for the year, North did enough to win, but were far from convincing. South stuck with them for most of the match and only near the end did North manage to shake them off. It did not look like the performance of a team aspiring to be premiers. Wade managed four goals but was frustrated for much of the game. Cable, Melrose, Burns, Greig, Schimmelbusch and Crosswell were North's best.

NORTH MELB 15.19 - 109 SOUTH MELB 12.15 - 87




This was how the teams finished after the home and away matches. North were in third place a game ahead of Richmond and Collingwood and had secured the double chance. They would face Carlton in the Qualifying Final.



TO BE CONT.

 

[Hojuman]

Have one great memory from the qual.final v Carlton. Will save it until after K7 posts.

 

[kangaroo7]

1975 concluded.


QUALIFYING FINAL CARLTON


Wade had hamstring soreness and was ruled unfit, to his great disappointment. Ryan, Feltham and Robert Smith (a reserve last week) were omitted. Blight, Cowton and Chisnall returned. Goodingham was named on the bench as a back-up for Nolan.

Both teams made positional changes on the day with Carlton's Jesaulenko, a defender all season, starting at half forward. He was tagged by Rantall. Ray Byrne started in Jesaulenko's place and tagged Schimmelbusch. Doull lined up on Briedis and McClure on Kekovich. Blight went to full forward and Crosswell to centre half back. In wet and heavy conditions, North's small men in Melrose, Cable and Burns gave the club winning drive and only Carlton's accuracy kept them in touch. The final winning margin was 20 points. Best players were Melrose (four goals) Burns (who thrashed Syd Jackson in the centre), Cable, Kekovich, Davis, Chisnall and Greig. Michalczyk, who also had a fine match suffered a leg injury that would end his finals campaign.


C ARLTON 12.4 - 72 NORTH MELBOURNE 14.12 - 96




SECOND SEMI-FINAL HAWTHORN


North made just one change, bringing back Wade for the injured Michalczyk, for the second semi-final against the minor premiers.

In a closely contested match, Hawthorn, who had lost their last four matches of the home and away season, held on to beat North by 11 points. The last minute inclusion of Des Meagher, who dominated, four goals from debutant Michael Cooke and a strong half-back line helped Hawthorn prevail. Schimmelbusch, Davis, Rantall, Burns and Gumbleton were North's best. Wade was reported in the second quarter and replaced at three quarter time. Melrose broke his thumb, ending his season. North had never won a second semi-final under the Page-McIntyre finals system.

HAWTHORN 12.10 - 82 NORTH MELBOURNE 10.11 - 71


PRELIMINARY FINAL RICHMOND


North were now up against their 1974 Grand Final opponent Richmond in a sudden death match. Richmond had dominated North last year winning every match they played against them, including the Grand Final. However, this year North had won the two home and away clashes, albeit narrowly, and were confident of winning again. Wade was injured again and would miss. Melrose had a broken bone in his thumb which would end his season. It was bad luck for the Western Australian rover, who had played every match this year up till now. In came Icke, who had managed just 8 games, and Farrant, who had not played a senior match since Round 4.

Richmond had dreams of winning a third consecutive premiership, but these were shattered when North held on to beat them in a tight, desperate match. On the first dry day of the finals, North led at every change and withstood a late Richmond challenge to win
by 17 points. Best on the ground was captain Barry Davis, who played one of his best ever games for North, despite pulling a back muscle during the pre-match warm-up. Other good players were Greig, Cable, Crosswell, Burns, Chisnall and Feltham, who replaced Icke at half-time and made a difference.

NORTH MELBOURNE 10.16 - 76 RICHMOND 8.11 - 59


GRAND FINAL HAWTHORN

North now prepared themselves for just their third attempt at winning a Grand Final and a premiership. Six players from their 1974 Grand Final team were missing - Pagan, B Smith, Montgomery, Baker, Ryan and Peterson. Icke was out injured. Farrant, who had only five possessions against Richmond, and Cowton were relegated to the bench. In came Goodingham, who was an unused Reserve against Richmond, and Wade, who had pleaded with Barassi and the selection committee to be included. He was selected based on his finals experience and his offer to stay behind the packs and crumb goals.

Barassi pulled a surprise on the day, bringing Farrant off the bench to line up at centre-half-back and relegating Goodingham to the bench. Goodingham had been named in the side to tempt
Hawthorn to include their big man Bernie Jones. It was thought he would be easier to contain than Meagher, who had starred in the Second semi-final. The ploy worked and Meagher was relegated to the bench. Over 110,000 were present at the MCG and most were hoping North would win.

Barry Davis won the toss and North got off to a good start with Burns kicking a goal and looking a real threat. Rantall was tagging the dangerous Leigh Matthews and Blight, named at centre-half-back, was on the forward line. Burns soon had another goal and Crosswell, who was in for a good day, ran through the centre and punted a long goal. Briedis kicked a fourth one and North led by 12 points at quarter time.

The lead was increased to 20 points by half-time. Burns and Wade each kicked two goals and Schimmelbusch kicked an “impossible” angle goal after a chain of passes involving 10 North players. North’s defence was playing well, as was Hawthorn’s, with Knights keeping North’s lead from blowing out. Matthews was in for a quiet day and Cooke, who had had a great debut two weeks ago, was dragged and replaced by Meagher, who was not suited to the firm, dry ground.

In the third quarter goals were scored by Blight, Kekovich and Wade and the lead increased to 29 points. North looked safe, but Barassi strode out and reminded them that the match was not yet won, and that history was in their grasp.

The final quarter began with Hawthorn missing several shots for goal. North also missed a couple of chances, but then, with over half the quarter gone, North cut loose. Briedis, who been held by Knights for most of the game, kicked four goals and helped blow out the margin to 55 points. During this quarter Cowton replaced Farrant and Goodingham replaced Nolan, so the two reserves could get a taste. As the siren sounded to signal North’s first VFL premiership, there were incredible scenes. The players celebrated wildly. Some older fans wept openly. North was the last of the then VFL clubs to win a premiership, breaking a 50 year drought.

The only sour note for North was Peter Chisnall being reported in the last quarter, along with Hawthorn’s Peter Welsh.

NORTH MELBOURNE 4.2 9.2 12.6 19.8 - 122

HAWTHORN 2.2 5.6 7.7 9.13 – 67

Goals: Briedis 5, Burns 4, Wade 4, Schimmelbusch 2, Kekovich, Blight, Crosswell, Feltham.
Best: Crosswell, Rantall, Greig, Burns, Dench, Nolan, Kekovich.


The following month, the premier teams of the Victorian, South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian competitions played off for the “Winfield Cup” Australian championship in Adelaide. Kekovich was left out of the squad for disciplinary reasons. North won the competition, defeating West Perth and Norwood, Blight kicking nine goals against the South Australian premiers.

This proved to be the last season that Barry Davis, Doug Wade, Gary Farrant, Barry Goodingham and John Rantall would play for North. Davis, Wade and Farrant announced their retirements. Goodingham was involved in a three way trade at the start of 1976 which saw him go to South Melbourne and Melbourne’s Peter Keenan come to North. After two seasons with South, he would go on to play a further three seasons with Woodville in South Australia. Rantall, having achieved his dream of playing in a premiership side, moved back to South Melbourne.

It was a memorable season for the club and it would continue its time at the top with regular finals matches for another five years, although only one more premiership would be achieved under Barassi.

 

[Hojuman]

You actually go to the stats from the qual.final there were 96 free kicks paid in that game !
North 40 - Carlton 56.

My endearing memory from that game is a contested ball with a few players swooping in near the h.f.f.city end. You could see Vinny Waite decide to line up Wayne Schimmelbusch and charge at him like a rampant bull ( hard man Vinny )
Last second Wayne could see it coming and side stepped just in time and Vinny came crashing into the fence in front of us. Still remember the noise it made.
I've tried a few places and asked a few people if there is any vision of this game without luck

 

[Hojuman]

Actually K7 i.i.r.c. there were no sunny days for footy that Sept.maybe just our prelim.out at VFL park ?
Most days were cloudy & overcast.

 

[Groucho]

You actually go to the stats from the qual.final there were 96 free kicks paid in that game !
North 40 - Carlton 56.

My endearing memory from that game is a contested ball with a few players swooping in near the h.f.f.city end. You could see Vinny Waite decide to line up Wayne Schimmelbusch and charge at him like a rampant bull ( hard man Vinny )
Last second Wayne could see it coming and side stepped just in time and Vinny came crashing into the fence in front of us. Still remember the noise it made.
I've tried a few places and asked a few people if there is any vision of this game without luck

The number of frees awarded back then was insane. It wasn’t unusual for there to be 100+. I remember when Harry Beitzel took over as head of umpiring in the late 70’s early 80’s his stated aim was to get the total frees down to 60 per game. Anyway looks like we still got screwed in that Carlton final, some things never change.

 

[kangaroo7]

Actually K7 i.i.r.c. there were no sunny days for footy that Sept.maybe just our prelim.out at VFL park ?
Most days were cloudy & overcast.

I remember the weather was OK on Grand Final day. It rained for the Carlton match. I was right up the top of one of the stands and no shelter.

 

[kangaroo7]

And now we look at North's first season in the VFL 100 years ago.


1925 FIRST SEASON IN VFL


North Melbourne had finally achieved their long-time dream of playing in the state’s top competition. All but five of their existing players from the VFA were available and several more were recruited. They looked forward to giving a good account of themselves and making the club competitive.

The club’s Annual Meeting on 3rd February was eagerly looked forward to. A total of 54 candidates were standing for 28 available posts. It was the old executive opposed by a new Reform Party formed by a section of the club, with some independents thrown in. The voting went into the early hours of the morning, so none of the Meeting attendees knew the result that night. In the end it was a resounding defeat for the Reform Party, only one of their members retaining his place on the committee. All the old executive nominees were elected, including retiring Secretary Stan Thomas. The beaten Reformers at first contemplated requesting an inquiry over some “irregularities” in the voting, but then decided against it in the interests of unity and promised to give the committee any assistance it could.

The new committee got to work, adopting the club’s colours of royal blue and white and trying to find a coach. The club was hopeful of former North players Hardy, Shorten, Irwin, May and Jenkins returning from Essendon, where they had gone in 1921. But there was little chance of Essendon releasing them. After considering 20 applications for the coaching job, including one from Charles Hardy, former Fitzroy captain Gordon Rattray was appointed. Rattray had spent the previous season as non-playing coach of Melbourne. Five days after his appointment, Rattray sensationally resigned and applied for a permit to play with Brighton in the VFA, saying he wanted to start a business in that suburb. North accepted Rattray’s resignation and quickly approached St Kilda captain Wels Eicke. In view of his past service to his club, St Kilda cleared him. The club eagerly looked forward to the start of the season.







ROUND 1 GEELONG



North had to travel to Corio Oval, which was then Geelong’s home ground, for their first VFL match. Although they had not met for 28 years, the two clubs had had a great rivalry in the past. For many years the Queen’s Birthday match played on 24 May every year in Melbourne was an annual fixture between them and drew huge crowds.

North were given a warm welcome by the Mayor of Geelong and the Football Club’s Secretary. The weather was perfect with a slight breeze, which Geelong had first use of. The first score of the game, a behind, was all North could manage, but Geelong wasted chances and led by only 16 points at the first break. North then put in a good second quarter when they scored 4.7 to 1.1 and led by eight at half-time. Geelong’s two rovers were injured in this quarter and another of their players was limping. In the second half the scoring was equal. North’s rover Harry Johnston played on with a broken rib. Geelong hit the front at the start of the last quarter. North edged back in front with a series of behinds and then Geelong goaled again to lead by two points. North’s Metcalf, who was playing well at centre-half-forward, had to leave the field. Geelong then gave away a holding the ball free kick and the ball went into North’s forward zone. Geelong’s Haggar, who had been sent down into defence, sent a hurried kick out of bounds. From the resultant free kick Clapson goaled to put North back in front. Lewis then added another goal just before the end.

North were best served by Eicke, Johnston, Lewis, McIntosh, Walsh and Gomez. But the whole team played well to pull off a shock result against Geelong who were considered invincible on their own ground. Geelong would lose only one more match for the year on the way to the premiership.

GEELONG 8.11 – 59 NORTH MELBOURNE 9.13 – 67








ROUND 2 FITZROY

North made only one change to their Round 1 side, Melville, a Junior, replacing the injured Giles. It was North’s first home game as a VFL team, and supporters turned up in large numbers after the previous week’s success, resulting in a rather large attendance of around 20,000. North’s players were a little over-anxious at the start, allowing Fitzroy to establish a lead they never lost. Both sides wasted chances and Fitzroy’s forwards were somewhat inaccurate. Eicke again was best for North (and on the ground) and Walsh kept Fitzroy’s Moriarty in check. Gomez, Johnston, Lewis, Lock and Goonan also played well. North fought the match out to the end, but Fitzroy were too experienced and combined better.

NORTH MELBOURNE 6.3 – 39 FITZROY 8.26 – 54


ROUND 3 SOUTH MELBOURNE

Again North made only one change – another Junior, Kirkley replacing Melville. In a hard game, for almost three quarters North were the better side in general play, but made crucial errors in holding on to the ball too long and giving away foolish free kicks. North’s forwards became over anxious in the last quarter, missing chances. In the final 10 minutes, South put on a withering five goal burst to win by 21 points. It was a missed opportunity for North’s second win. Best performers were Eicke, Linton, Walsh, Gomez, Lambe,Lewis and Johnston.

SOUTH MELB 12.10 – 82 NORTH MELB 8.13 – 61




Metcalf (14) centre & Goonan (5) front

 

[kangaroo7]

1925 (Cont.)

ROUND 4 ESSENDON

North included Giles, Shorten, Rutley, Melville and Port Fairy recruit Lynch at the expense of Smith, McIntosh, Doherty, Kirkley and Lindsay. The Essendon team contained four former North players in Rawle, Irwin, Jenkins and Hardy, the latter three making up the forward line. Once again North took the game right up to their opponents. The much vaunted Essendon centre line was held in check for the first time for the season. The main difference was accuracy. North had only one less scoring shot than Essendon. But whereas North scored mainly behinds, Essendon got goals, their full-forward Jenkins kicking nine. For the second week in a row, North let slip a match they could have won. The game became rough towards the end and North player Linton was reported. He was one of North’s best as well as the wingers Russ and Lock. Gomez, Giles and Walsh did well in defence. Lewis, Lambe, Lynch, Eicke, Clapson and Johnston also tried hard.

NORTH MELBOURNE 5.17 - 47 ESSENDON 13.10 – 88




ROUND 5 MELBOURNE

North replaced Linton (suspended for six weeks), Rutley (injured) and Shorten with Doherty, Lindsay and another new player in Healey (West Melb CYMS) The match was played in two halves. Melbourne got away in the first half to lead by 39 points at half-time. But North rallied in the second half, particularly in the third quarter when they shocked Melbourne with their determination and ball handling, reducing the deficit to 18 points. In the last quarter, Melbourne manged to get a couple of goals to make the game safe. Lewis, Russ and Johnston were North’s three best. Trevaskis, Metcalf, Gomez and Lynch (four goals in his second game) were also good.

MELBOURNE 12.13 – 85 NORTH MELBOURNE 10.5 – 65


A. Lambe (22)





ROUND 6 HAWTHORN

North faced their old VFA rivals at home without Metcalf (ill). Goonan and Doherty were omitted. In came Shorten, Meeking and McCasker. Both sides were confident of winning, Hawthorn having beaten Footscray the week before to register their first win. The first half of the match was sub-standard. North lost Lambe in the second quarter, who was carried off with a broken leg. This disorganised the back line and enabled Hawthorn to gain a lead of 17 points at half-time. North did better in the second half. Despite playing a man short they outscored Hawthorn 5.6 to 2.3 to win by four points. Eicke was again North’s best. Trevaskis, Johnston (four goals), Lewis, Clapson, Russ, Walsh and Gomez also did well.

NORTH MELBOURNE 8.13 – 61 HAWTHORN 8.9 – 57


ROUND 7 FOOTSCRAY

The club was late announcing the team on Thursday night and the Argus newspaper complained about the club’s tardiness and that North had much for which to thank the paper. The club press correspondent (Rev D Daly) explained that the telephone at the North Melbourne ground had been out of order and that he communicated the team when he got home at 11.50pm. Joe Wood, the clubs’ full-forward from last season, came in for his first game. Vice-captain Bill Smith returned from injury as did Metcalf, McIntosh and Rutley. McCasker, Meeking, Melville, Clapson and Lambe made way.

Footscray had had a successful season in the VFA in 1924, but North Melbourne was the only team to stop their unbeaten run. A good match was anticipated and fans were not disappointed. It was fast and open and played in a good spirit throughout. Footscray’s inaccuracy in the first quarter and North’s dominant second quarter saw North lead by 25 points at half-time. Metcalf had a bad fall going for a mark in the second quarter and had to go off. But he returned in the last quarter and kicked the final goal of the match. North won by 24 points. Russ was North’s best, easily winning in the centre. Others to do well were Lewis and McIntosh,who followed all day, Johnston, Trevaskis, Eicke, Gomez, Walsh and Rutley. The only downside was Gomez’s report and three week suspension.


FOOTSCRAY 7.12 – 54 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.12 – 78


ROUND 8 ST KILDA

Gomez (suspended) and Shorten (injured) were replaced by two club debutantes - Harper, a former St Kilda player, and Greensmith, who played with North in the VFA.

This was another match that North could have won. In one of the finest displays of the season, fast and clever football was seen in a match that was close all day. The St Kilda team looked much bigger and heavier than North, but the home team played with a determination that almost won them the game. Trailing by six points in the dying minutes, a shot by Lynch was marked on the goal line by St Kilda. Then Rutley hit the post. Lewis, playing against the doctor’s advice, received a nasty knock in the first quarter and was virtually useless from then on. There was great relief among St Kilda supporters when the final bell rang, which incidentally was barely heard by the umpires, who said that they intended to complain about it to the VFL. Rutley was best man on the ground. Other North players to do well were Russ, Johnston, Eicke, Metcalf, Trevaskis, Walsh and Greensmith. Backup ruckman McIntosh was reported and suspended for two matches.

NORTH MELBOURNE 9.9 – 63 ST KILDA 10.8 – 68






To be continued