1934-1937 MORE HARD TIMES (Concluded)
1936
The club announced this year it would concentrate on getting new players from other clubs- VFL and VFA- and junior players, rather than looking to the country and interstate, possibly due to limited employment opportunities. Paddy Scanlon had been appointed coach once more. Quite a bit of experience was gone. Dwyer, Egan, Fitzmaurice, Gregory, J Lynch and Wells had all retired or gone to other clubs. Also pre-season the club would lose Lewis (Melbourne) and Llewellyn and Egan (Maryborough) Huggins, Jerram and Patterson were cleared to Williamstown in exchange for their ruckman Dellar and vice-captain Taylor. Taylor would manage only three matches and returned to Williamstown mid-year. Other new players to appear were David Burke (Tasmania), Horrie Farmer (Richmond), Bernie Guthrie (Collingwood) Ron McLeod (Second Eighteen), Herb Jones, Don Kemp and Bill Montgomery (all South Kensington) and Roy Sitch (Fawkner) James Bicknell, who had missed all last season also reappeared.
Many donations were received and promised. Newly elected vice-president, Eli Phillips, a racehorse breeder and hotel licensee, along with George Harrison, a racehorse trainer, collected a large sum and claimed they had been promised the support of several leading businesses. Phillips promised to donate £10.10 to the club if they won their opening match. There was the usual optimism and huge number of recruits training, many of which never made the grade.
North lost their opening match to Essendon by 47 points. The following week they lost narrowly by six points to Geelong, only inaccuracy preventing them from winning. Some of the new players performed well. But promising Port Melbourne recruit Tom Brooker, who had his jaw broken in the Geelong match, would never play again. Four losses followed to Richmond, South Melbourne, Melbourne and St Kilda. Frank Crapper's nine goal haul in the St Kilda match was the best goal performance in a match by a North player up until then.
There was some joy in Round 7 when North had their first win. Trailing Footscray by 41 points at three quarter time, North scored 7.6 to 0.1 in the last quarter to win by six points, former Footscray player Findlay kicking the winning goal. It was the club's second win in 45 matches. But they did not have to wait so long for the next one, for the following week they put in another splendid last quarter to upset Carlton by 19 points. When the final scores were posted on the scoreboard at the MCG, Johnny Lewis, now playing for Melbourne, was overjoyed for his old team. About £60 was shared among the players and trainers from donations and incentives to win.
The next round North were brought back to earth with a heavy loss to Collingwood, but they bounced back in Round 10 to defeat Fitzroy in a game of two halves. North were goalless in the first half scoring only 0.5, whereas Fitzroy scored only 0.4 in the second half, resulting in a 35 point win to North. North had definitely improved this year. Their defenders Bicknell, Adamson, Ellis and Gaudion were solid and reliable. Their centre line was the best in the competition and they had targets on the forward line in Crapper, and Cassidy. But the wins were still few.
The day after the Fitzroy match, North lost a very good player in Jack Wrout. Originally recruited from West Melbourne CYMS in 1931, he had shown undoubted talent. He was a good centre-half-forward despite being relatively short for that position and could take a spectacular overhead mark. Possibly he was hungry for greater success and attracted the interest of several clubs. The club came to an agreement with South Melbourne for a player swap, but the South player concerned did not want to be traded. Carlton then entered the discussion and managed to secure Wrout. In exchange North took an untried ruckman who was playing in Carlton's Third Eighteen side. It appeared to be a lopsided deal, but Alan Crawford in time would develop into a fine dominant ruckman.
North lost their next three matches, but Round 14 saw them defeat Richmond for the first time since joining the VFL. Richmond were shocked to find that their three quarter time 17 point lead was not enough, and North stormed home to win by eight points. The following week, they pushed South Melbourne all the way to go down by one point after leading all day. The last three matches saw a big loss to Melbourne, a brave effort against St Kilda, going down by 11 points, and a 10 point loss to Footscray.
The club certainly deserved more that the four wins achieved. It now had some very good players. Besides the established and imported ones, first year players in Burke, Dellar, Kemp, McLeod, Montgomery, L. Smith and Sitch all showed promise. In September North played a match against Essendon at Hamilton and was soundly beaten. North had managed to reduce their debt, Paddy Scanlan was re-appointed coach, and all executives were returned unopposed at the annual meeting in December. It's prospects in 1937 looked bright.
1937
It was decided that North would not need too many recruits this season, so only around 60 players were invited to train instead of the usual 100. Besides Wrout, not much experience was lost from 1936. Players to debut for the club included Stewart Anderson (StKilda/Oakleigh), Syd Dyer, George Kennedy (both South Kensington), Harry Green (Pascoe Vale), Roy Lyons (North Melbourne CYMS), Michael McFarlane (Essendon), Eddie Morcom, Sel Murray (both West Melbourne), Colin Mitchell (Footscray) and Frank Penney (Ballarat). Ben Whittam, who had not played with the club since 1933 after being transferred to Darwin by the army, returned.
In February the club found out they would be without David Burke for some months. Burke, a gunner in the Australian army, was chosen to be part of the Australian militia contingent to travel to the UK for the Coronation of King George V. He was the only footballer to have this honour and was given gifts and a send-off by the club. Several players looked impressive in practice matches and it was hoped that North were in for a more successful year.
The opening match against Hawthorn was lost by two points due to inaccurate kicking. North dominated in the ruck and across the centre but fell down on the forward line despite many chances. New player Morcom impressed. The selectors had surprised by omitting goal sneak Cassidy. The following week North evened matters when they defeated Fitzroy by two points. Round 3 saw them put up a brave performance against Collingwood. In the first half, at least seven of North's men were beating their opponents, but a 0.10 third quarter did not help, the club going down by 34 points. The match, however, was overshadowed by an incident at half-time. As the Collingwood players were walking off the ground to the players race, a section of the crowd were expressing displeasure at one of them. An action by Collingwood player A. Collier turned the attention of the crowd to him. Collier resented this and spat through the players race and got a young girl at the front of the crowd in the face. North Melbourne committeeman, W. Carroll, saw this and remonstrated with Collier as he walked past him. Collier turned and spat in Carroll's face. The young girl, it was reported, later received an apology from Collier, but Carroll reported the matter to the club, which in turn lodged a complaint to the VFL. Collier was later suspended "at the pleasure of the League" when he walked out of the hearing, meaning that Collingwood would have to apply to the League for him to play again. He was back for the return match against North in Round 14. North player Ted Ellis was reported and suspended for four weeks.
North's pace, accurate passing and position play gave them a two point win over Carlton in Round 4. In a sometimes spiteful match, Lyons was knocked out behind the play and a North defender was kicked in plain view of the crowd who roared their disapproval. But there were no reports. It would be the last game for captain Charles Gaudion, a bad leg injury forcing his eventual retirement from football.
Over the next few weeks, North would suffer from injuries to several players. Besides Gaudion four other players were injured in the Carlton match. In the Round 5 match against Footscray, Lyons' replacement, Frank Crapper, who had just come down from Bendigo and not trained with the club, kicked eight of North's 14 goals in a 43 point loss. New captain Adamson led well by example. Another player, Len Smith, was injured and would not appear again. Cassidy was cleared to Ringwood East and Guthrie went to coach Yarram. Against St Kilda in Round 6, three players - Dyer, Stubbs and Penney - made their debut. Crapper was injured in the first quarter which weakened North's forward line and this, together with inexperience, contributed to the 17 point loss. Crapper's injury kept him out for the rest of the season. The following week against Melbourne, former St Kilda player Stewart Anderson made his debut. Lyons also returned, but sustained a leg injury and it would be his last match for the season. North lost by 122 points, once again partly due to a disorganised forward line.
For the King's Birthday holiday Round 8 match against South Melbourne, Ellis returned from suspension and former Essendon player Mick McFarlane made his debut. After North dominated the first quarter for little return, South controlled the game to win by 44 points. North questioned the eligibility of South forward Evans, who had kicked six goals. He had played a match for Naval Depot in the Mornington Peninsula League without a clearance or League permit. Many players played for country teams or mid-week leagues such as the Police or Fire Brigade teams, but required a clearance from their club as well as a permit from the VFL. North could have been awarded the match if Evans was found guilty, but the protest was dismissed.
The Round 9 match against Richmond saw an 11 point win for North. With Cordner and Skinner back in the side and McLeod (a last minute inclusion) and Stubbs playing superbly, North overcame Richmond's rough house tactics and came home strongly in the last quarter. The following week North fielded a strong team to take on Geelong but were overwhelmed by 86 points, the forward line disappointing once again. Round 11 saw the club do better against Essendon, losing by 11 points, Essendon's inaccuracy keeping the game close. Players like Ellis, Carter, Morcom, Bicknell and Adamson were playing consistently well. Findlay suffered a broken collarbone which ended his season. Mitchell injured his shoulder and would miss three weeks. Tyrell was reported, but the tribunal hearing was delayed for a week due to illness. He was suspended for six weeks after Round 12, also ending his season.
Dave Burke returned from his Coronation duties in the UK and was named in the side to play Hawthorn. In a low standard game, North went down by 18 points. The small bored crowd at Glenferrie whiled away the time either "booing" the umpire or abusing the two North wingers, who played extremely well. McLeod and Stubbs showed that they were future stars. The lack of a dominant forward was being felt, although Stewart Anderson was doing well as a fill-in. The following week North faced Fitzroy. Their ruckman Dellar returned to the side but Ellis was out injured. Crapper was named in the team but was a last minute withdrawal being replaced by Crawford. But the forward line again was a weakness, only five goals being scored, and one good quarter by Fitzroy (the third) was enough to give them a 21 point win. Then in Round 14 the club received a 113 point thrashing from Collingwood and a host of injuries. Burke, who was playing well, had his brief season ended when he wrenched his knee. Bicknell suffered a fractured rib, Carter a split chin, McLeod a back injury and Crawford an injured thigh. Ruckman Dellar had many boot stop marks on his back besides a bruised hip. Sel Murray made his debut in this game as nineteenth man.
Of the injured players, only Burke and Bicknell could not be selected for the next match against Carlton. It would be Bicknell's first time not playing this season. Stewart Anderson came back into the team and lined up at full-back for the first time. He was best on the ground as he eclipsed former Northerner Jack Wrout. North put up a brave performance to go down by 21 points. Again it was the forward line that let the team down, North having only one less scoring shot than Carlton. The following week North went down to Footscray by 27 points. Sel Murray, after coming on as 19th man against Carlton the previous week, lined up at full forward and kicked five of North's eight goals against Footscray. Charles Skinner, who had been dropped for the Carlton match, failed to attend and play for the Second Eighteen against Footscray and was suspended at the pleasure of the committee. The final two matches resulted in an 80 point loss to St Kilda and a 39 point loss to Melbourne. Murray kicked three goals in each.
It was another disappointing season with only three wins and last on the ladder. It was the worst season for injuries to players and had taken its toll on and off the field - it cost the club £300. However, several good players were unearthed which boded well for the future. The club improved their financial situation and reduced their overdraft by £100 and their League loan by £80. For the next two years, with a new President and coach, the club improved marginally until the war took a hand in 1939, interrupting or ending the careers of some and disrupting the game generally.
1936
The club announced this year it would concentrate on getting new players from other clubs- VFL and VFA- and junior players, rather than looking to the country and interstate, possibly due to limited employment opportunities. Paddy Scanlon had been appointed coach once more. Quite a bit of experience was gone. Dwyer, Egan, Fitzmaurice, Gregory, J Lynch and Wells had all retired or gone to other clubs. Also pre-season the club would lose Lewis (Melbourne) and Llewellyn and Egan (Maryborough) Huggins, Jerram and Patterson were cleared to Williamstown in exchange for their ruckman Dellar and vice-captain Taylor. Taylor would manage only three matches and returned to Williamstown mid-year. Other new players to appear were David Burke (Tasmania), Horrie Farmer (Richmond), Bernie Guthrie (Collingwood) Ron McLeod (Second Eighteen), Herb Jones, Don Kemp and Bill Montgomery (all South Kensington) and Roy Sitch (Fawkner) James Bicknell, who had missed all last season also reappeared.
Many donations were received and promised. Newly elected vice-president, Eli Phillips, a racehorse breeder and hotel licensee, along with George Harrison, a racehorse trainer, collected a large sum and claimed they had been promised the support of several leading businesses. Phillips promised to donate £10.10 to the club if they won their opening match. There was the usual optimism and huge number of recruits training, many of which never made the grade.
North lost their opening match to Essendon by 47 points. The following week they lost narrowly by six points to Geelong, only inaccuracy preventing them from winning. Some of the new players performed well. But promising Port Melbourne recruit Tom Brooker, who had his jaw broken in the Geelong match, would never play again. Four losses followed to Richmond, South Melbourne, Melbourne and St Kilda. Frank Crapper's nine goal haul in the St Kilda match was the best goal performance in a match by a North player up until then.
There was some joy in Round 7 when North had their first win. Trailing Footscray by 41 points at three quarter time, North scored 7.6 to 0.1 in the last quarter to win by six points, former Footscray player Findlay kicking the winning goal. It was the club's second win in 45 matches. But they did not have to wait so long for the next one, for the following week they put in another splendid last quarter to upset Carlton by 19 points. When the final scores were posted on the scoreboard at the MCG, Johnny Lewis, now playing for Melbourne, was overjoyed for his old team. About £60 was shared among the players and trainers from donations and incentives to win.
The next round North were brought back to earth with a heavy loss to Collingwood, but they bounced back in Round 10 to defeat Fitzroy in a game of two halves. North were goalless in the first half scoring only 0.5, whereas Fitzroy scored only 0.4 in the second half, resulting in a 35 point win to North. North had definitely improved this year. Their defenders Bicknell, Adamson, Ellis and Gaudion were solid and reliable. Their centre line was the best in the competition and they had targets on the forward line in Crapper, and Cassidy. But the wins were still few.
The day after the Fitzroy match, North lost a very good player in Jack Wrout. Originally recruited from West Melbourne CYMS in 1931, he had shown undoubted talent. He was a good centre-half-forward despite being relatively short for that position and could take a spectacular overhead mark. Possibly he was hungry for greater success and attracted the interest of several clubs. The club came to an agreement with South Melbourne for a player swap, but the South player concerned did not want to be traded. Carlton then entered the discussion and managed to secure Wrout. In exchange North took an untried ruckman who was playing in Carlton's Third Eighteen side. It appeared to be a lopsided deal, but Alan Crawford in time would develop into a fine dominant ruckman.
North lost their next three matches, but Round 14 saw them defeat Richmond for the first time since joining the VFL. Richmond were shocked to find that their three quarter time 17 point lead was not enough, and North stormed home to win by eight points. The following week, they pushed South Melbourne all the way to go down by one point after leading all day. The last three matches saw a big loss to Melbourne, a brave effort against St Kilda, going down by 11 points, and a 10 point loss to Footscray.
The club certainly deserved more that the four wins achieved. It now had some very good players. Besides the established and imported ones, first year players in Burke, Dellar, Kemp, McLeod, Montgomery, L. Smith and Sitch all showed promise. In September North played a match against Essendon at Hamilton and was soundly beaten. North had managed to reduce their debt, Paddy Scanlan was re-appointed coach, and all executives were returned unopposed at the annual meeting in December. It's prospects in 1937 looked bright.
1937
It was decided that North would not need too many recruits this season, so only around 60 players were invited to train instead of the usual 100. Besides Wrout, not much experience was lost from 1936. Players to debut for the club included Stewart Anderson (StKilda/Oakleigh), Syd Dyer, George Kennedy (both South Kensington), Harry Green (Pascoe Vale), Roy Lyons (North Melbourne CYMS), Michael McFarlane (Essendon), Eddie Morcom, Sel Murray (both West Melbourne), Colin Mitchell (Footscray) and Frank Penney (Ballarat). Ben Whittam, who had not played with the club since 1933 after being transferred to Darwin by the army, returned.
In February the club found out they would be without David Burke for some months. Burke, a gunner in the Australian army, was chosen to be part of the Australian militia contingent to travel to the UK for the Coronation of King George V. He was the only footballer to have this honour and was given gifts and a send-off by the club. Several players looked impressive in practice matches and it was hoped that North were in for a more successful year.
The opening match against Hawthorn was lost by two points due to inaccurate kicking. North dominated in the ruck and across the centre but fell down on the forward line despite many chances. New player Morcom impressed. The selectors had surprised by omitting goal sneak Cassidy. The following week North evened matters when they defeated Fitzroy by two points. Round 3 saw them put up a brave performance against Collingwood. In the first half, at least seven of North's men were beating their opponents, but a 0.10 third quarter did not help, the club going down by 34 points. The match, however, was overshadowed by an incident at half-time. As the Collingwood players were walking off the ground to the players race, a section of the crowd were expressing displeasure at one of them. An action by Collingwood player A. Collier turned the attention of the crowd to him. Collier resented this and spat through the players race and got a young girl at the front of the crowd in the face. North Melbourne committeeman, W. Carroll, saw this and remonstrated with Collier as he walked past him. Collier turned and spat in Carroll's face. The young girl, it was reported, later received an apology from Collier, but Carroll reported the matter to the club, which in turn lodged a complaint to the VFL. Collier was later suspended "at the pleasure of the League" when he walked out of the hearing, meaning that Collingwood would have to apply to the League for him to play again. He was back for the return match against North in Round 14. North player Ted Ellis was reported and suspended for four weeks.
North's pace, accurate passing and position play gave them a two point win over Carlton in Round 4. In a sometimes spiteful match, Lyons was knocked out behind the play and a North defender was kicked in plain view of the crowd who roared their disapproval. But there were no reports. It would be the last game for captain Charles Gaudion, a bad leg injury forcing his eventual retirement from football.
Over the next few weeks, North would suffer from injuries to several players. Besides Gaudion four other players were injured in the Carlton match. In the Round 5 match against Footscray, Lyons' replacement, Frank Crapper, who had just come down from Bendigo and not trained with the club, kicked eight of North's 14 goals in a 43 point loss. New captain Adamson led well by example. Another player, Len Smith, was injured and would not appear again. Cassidy was cleared to Ringwood East and Guthrie went to coach Yarram. Against St Kilda in Round 6, three players - Dyer, Stubbs and Penney - made their debut. Crapper was injured in the first quarter which weakened North's forward line and this, together with inexperience, contributed to the 17 point loss. Crapper's injury kept him out for the rest of the season. The following week against Melbourne, former St Kilda player Stewart Anderson made his debut. Lyons also returned, but sustained a leg injury and it would be his last match for the season. North lost by 122 points, once again partly due to a disorganised forward line.
For the King's Birthday holiday Round 8 match against South Melbourne, Ellis returned from suspension and former Essendon player Mick McFarlane made his debut. After North dominated the first quarter for little return, South controlled the game to win by 44 points. North questioned the eligibility of South forward Evans, who had kicked six goals. He had played a match for Naval Depot in the Mornington Peninsula League without a clearance or League permit. Many players played for country teams or mid-week leagues such as the Police or Fire Brigade teams, but required a clearance from their club as well as a permit from the VFL. North could have been awarded the match if Evans was found guilty, but the protest was dismissed.
The Round 9 match against Richmond saw an 11 point win for North. With Cordner and Skinner back in the side and McLeod (a last minute inclusion) and Stubbs playing superbly, North overcame Richmond's rough house tactics and came home strongly in the last quarter. The following week North fielded a strong team to take on Geelong but were overwhelmed by 86 points, the forward line disappointing once again. Round 11 saw the club do better against Essendon, losing by 11 points, Essendon's inaccuracy keeping the game close. Players like Ellis, Carter, Morcom, Bicknell and Adamson were playing consistently well. Findlay suffered a broken collarbone which ended his season. Mitchell injured his shoulder and would miss three weeks. Tyrell was reported, but the tribunal hearing was delayed for a week due to illness. He was suspended for six weeks after Round 12, also ending his season.
Dave Burke returned from his Coronation duties in the UK and was named in the side to play Hawthorn. In a low standard game, North went down by 18 points. The small bored crowd at Glenferrie whiled away the time either "booing" the umpire or abusing the two North wingers, who played extremely well. McLeod and Stubbs showed that they were future stars. The lack of a dominant forward was being felt, although Stewart Anderson was doing well as a fill-in. The following week North faced Fitzroy. Their ruckman Dellar returned to the side but Ellis was out injured. Crapper was named in the team but was a last minute withdrawal being replaced by Crawford. But the forward line again was a weakness, only five goals being scored, and one good quarter by Fitzroy (the third) was enough to give them a 21 point win. Then in Round 14 the club received a 113 point thrashing from Collingwood and a host of injuries. Burke, who was playing well, had his brief season ended when he wrenched his knee. Bicknell suffered a fractured rib, Carter a split chin, McLeod a back injury and Crawford an injured thigh. Ruckman Dellar had many boot stop marks on his back besides a bruised hip. Sel Murray made his debut in this game as nineteenth man.
Of the injured players, only Burke and Bicknell could not be selected for the next match against Carlton. It would be Bicknell's first time not playing this season. Stewart Anderson came back into the team and lined up at full-back for the first time. He was best on the ground as he eclipsed former Northerner Jack Wrout. North put up a brave performance to go down by 21 points. Again it was the forward line that let the team down, North having only one less scoring shot than Carlton. The following week North went down to Footscray by 27 points. Sel Murray, after coming on as 19th man against Carlton the previous week, lined up at full forward and kicked five of North's eight goals against Footscray. Charles Skinner, who had been dropped for the Carlton match, failed to attend and play for the Second Eighteen against Footscray and was suspended at the pleasure of the committee. The final two matches resulted in an 80 point loss to St Kilda and a 39 point loss to Melbourne. Murray kicked three goals in each.
It was another disappointing season with only three wins and last on the ladder. It was the worst season for injuries to players and had taken its toll on and off the field - it cost the club £300. However, several good players were unearthed which boded well for the future. The club improved their financial situation and reduced their overdraft by £100 and their League loan by £80. For the next two years, with a new President and coach, the club improved marginally until the war took a hand in 1939, interrupting or ending the careers of some and disrupting the game generally.
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