What's in a Name?

[shinboner_99]

Been asked a couple of times via my website the origin of the name "Shinboners".

Here's my understanding of its origins althought there doesn't seem to b a definitive answer.
It seems the real reason has been lost in the mists of time.

1. North Melbourne footballers were made up from lots of meatworkers from meatworks in the area hence shinboners.

2. Soup made from shinbones was a cheap feed for those in the North Melbourne area.

3. A controversial tactic in the early stages of the development of football was hacking". A practice where players kicked the shins of opponents to make them drop the ball. North Melbourne players used this tactic hence shinboners.

4. A popular game around North Melbourne and played on the football ground was the Irish game of hurling where the stick resembled an animals shinbone. Players from North got the name shinboners.

Which story is right or indeed if any are right no-one seems to know but when North were playing important games local butcher shops used to decorate shinbones in blue and white ribbons to show their support. This practice continued into the 1950's.


Does anyone else have any ideas?

 

[NeoBlaze]

reason 1 is what i came to understand we got our nickname from....

 

[myee8]

The shinboner tag comes from the fact that North Melbourne was once a prime butcher and abbatoir area. Many North players worked in the abbatoirs and supporters used to tie blue and white ribbons around the shinbones of slaughtered cows, take them to the footy and wave them in support of the struggling side. The suburbs tough, blue-collar, hardworking background has infiltrated the club's culture completely and the culture has influenced the way North play.

 

[66MunsterT]

Originally posted by shinboner_99
Been asked a couple of times via my website the origin of the name "Shinboners".

Here's my understanding of its origins althought there doesn't seem to b a definitive answer.
It seems the real reason has been lost in the mists of time.

1. North Melbourne footballers were made up from lots of meatworkers from meatworks in the area hence shinboners.

2. Soup made from shinbones was a cheap feed for those in the North Melbourne area.

3. A controversial tactic in the early stages of the development of football was hacking". A practice where players kicked the shins of opponents to make them drop the ball. North Melbourne players used this tactic hence shinboners.

4. A popular game around North Melbourne and played on the football ground was the Irish game of hurling where the stick resembled an animals shinbone. Players from North got the name shinboners.

Which story is right or indeed if any are right no-one seems to know but when North were playing important games local butcher shops used to decorate shinbones in blue and white ribbons to show their support. This practice continued into the 1950's.


Does anyone else have any ideas?

In the 40s and 50s we were also called the Butcher Boys as back
in those days Butchers wore Blue and White Striped Aprons.

cheers,
The Munster

 

[NeoBlaze]

Originally posted by myee8
Many North players worked in the abbatoirs and supporters used to tie blue and white ribbons around the shinbones of slaughtered cows, take them to the footy and wave them in support .

we should do this more often start doing some hannibalector stuff, get the opposition really psyched out

 

[Aussie_Roo]

Funny you should ask, at my GF BBQ yesterday, my 7 year old told her grandmother that we were called the Shinboners because in the old days our team was mainly made up of butchers. This is what I told her when she asked earlier on in the year.

Well her grandfather jumped in, joined by her grandmother telling her that it was because the players kicked the opposition in the shins. The child ran off to play with her cousins, whilst the adults spend the next 20 minutes arguing about it.

Should know tomorrow the true answer - as my mother is ringing the club.

 

[shinboner_99]

Originally posted by Aussie_Roo
Well her grandfather jumped in, joined by her grandmother telling her that it was because the players kicked the opposition in the shins.

According to Geoffery Blainey "hacking" (kicking the opposition in the shins) was seen to be a legitimate tactic in the early days. Apparently there was quite a heated debate about whether it should be included in the rules at one time!

 

[Rooboy 34]

Originally posted by shinboner_99
Been asked a couple of times via my website the origin of the name "Shinboners".

Here's my understanding of its origins althought there doesn't seem to b a definitive answer.
It seems the real reason has been lost in the mists of time.

1. North Melbourne footballers were made up from lots of meatworkers from meatworks in the area hence shinboners.

This was my understanding as well (along with the hanging of Blue & White streamers or whatever in the butchers shops).

However, I do know as a fact that the reason the club became the Kangaroos was that the President at the time, Phonse Tobin, didn't particularly like the name Shinboners. One Xmas, Myers had a big Kangaroo as part of their Xmas Windows, which was borrowed by the club, put in a trailer and driven around town with the driver using a megaphone telling people to come down and support the North Melbourne Kangaroos hop to the top of the ladder in the new season. Unfortunately we struggled again, but the name stuck and became official a couple of seasons later.

(Sorry to move away from the topic at hand, but I just thought that I'd add that little story into the post).