Resource The NMFC History thread

[Hojuman]

1975 G.F. programme ? I know it was in one of them. Still got it l think.

 

[Gumble Frankieton]

1975 G.F. programme ? I know it was in one of them. Still got it l think.

From the 14th September ‘74 Footy Record.
I’m a fan of the 2nd jumper worn by Sam. Cheeky looking Mick Nolan is also good value.

 

[KMcManus]

Does anyone know who the woman in the photo is?
- Paul McManus, Keith Greig, ??? , Frank McManus (NM #1 Ticket Holder - Past)

 

[kangaroo7]

Does anyone know who the woman in the photo is?
- Paul McManus, Keith Greig, ??? , Frank McManus (NM #1 Ticket Holder - Past)View attachment 1622161

Is it Mrs Marj Aylett? She unfurled the 1975 pennant.

 

[KMcManus]

Is it Mrs Marj Aylett? She unfurled the 1975 pennant.

I send that info to the NM History Archivist. Thanks.

 

[Bertie22]

I'm pretty sure it is not Marj Aylett. Depending on the year of the photograph, could the man on the right be Frank McManus' brother whose name escapes me? He and his wife were actively involved in NM coteries so the lady is probably his wife. If the man on the left next to KG is Paul McManus, he is their son, who won the Stawell Gift in the early 90s. Frank McManus had a son called Paul also, so it all gets murky. Hope this helps and very happy to be corrected.

 

[kangaroo7]

I'm pretty sure it is not Marj Aylett. Depending on the year of the photograph, could the man on the right be Frank McManus' brother whose name escapes me? He and his wife were actively involved in NM coteries so the lady is probably his wife. If the man on the left next to KG is Paul McManus, he is their son, who won the Stawell Gift in the early 90s. Frank McManus had a son called Paul also, so it all gets murky. Hope this helps and very happy to be corrected.

You could be right. Considering the year it looks a bit old for her. Could be Mrs McManus.

 

[KMcManus]

Yo
I’m Kieran McManus, Mum showed me the photo and being a NM fan, I immediately loved it and it’s now proudly mounted in my Man Cave.
Anyway, in the photo, it’s Dad on the left hand side (Paul McManus), then Keith Greig, then the mystery woman holding the 1975 Premiership Cup and then my Grandfather (Senator Frank McManus) on the right.
The woman in the photo is not Mum but thanks anyway and the mystery continues!

P.S. Unfortunately it’s not Manj Ayett,
as her wedding ring is different to the one the woman in the photo is wearing.
View attachment 1622581

 

[Gumble Frankieton]

 

[Hojuman]

Actually, here's a question. Was a M.B. thread about the Team of the Century, blah, blah, blah.
Now, there were a few saying how Robbie Flower should have been in the side over Keith Grieg. One argument put forward was the amount of Big V games that Robbie had over Keith and him being the better player.

Oldies ITK will correct me if l'm wrong but when these teams were picked back in day they had to pick 2 players from each VFL club so each team had representation. The Demons being so shyte only ever had 3 players possibly picked;
. Flower
. Alves
. Hardeman
Wayne Judson used to get picked in the back pocket as a Saint. Remember him ? No ? Well St.Kilda needed 2 reps, hence Judson.

 

[Bertie22]

Actually, here's a question. Was a M.B. thread about the Team of the Century, blah, blah, blah.
Now, there were a few saying how Robbie Flower should have been in the side over Keith Grieg. One argument put forward was the amount of Big V games that Robbie had over Keith and him being the better player.

Oldies ITK will correct me if l'm wrong but when these teams were picked back in day they had to pick 2 players from each VFL club so each team had representation. The Demons being so shyte only ever had 3 players possibly picked;
. Flower
. Alves
. Hardeman
Wayne Judson used to get picked in the back pocket as a Saint. Remember him ? No ? Well St.Kilda needed 2 reps, hence Judson.

Yes Hoj, I recall that was the system back in the 60s and 70s. Some times it was different, but I recall that being the prevailing policy. Sometimes if the match was played interstate the VFL continued here in Melbourne. (No Brownlow votes given.) So I think the policy was to ensure that all teams were equal in terms of players unavailable for that round. There may well have been other issues in play, like ensuring that all clubs were part of it, etc. but certainly the 2 reps per team was the go for most of the time.

Wayne Judson was a handy player, but I take your point!!

 

[Luke72]

Actually, here's a question. Was a M.B. thread about the Team of the Century, blah, blah, blah.
Now, there were a few saying how Robbie Flower should have been in the side over Keith Grieg. One argument put forward was the amount of Big V games that Robbie had over Keith and him being the better player.

Oldies ITK will correct me if l'm wrong but when these teams were picked back in day they had to pick 2 players from each VFL club so each team had representation. The Demons being so shyte only ever had 3 players possibly picked;
. Flower
. Alves
. Hardeman
Wayne Judson used to get picked in the back pocket as a Saint. Remember him ? No ? Well St.Kilda needed 2 reps, hence Judson.

Brian Wilson went alright

 

[Passmore]

Actually, here's a question. Was a M.B. thread about the Team of the Century, blah, blah, blah.
Now, there were a few saying how Robbie Flower should have been in the side over Keith Grieg. One argument put forward was the amount of Big V games that Robbie had over Keith and him being the better player.

Oldies ITK will correct me if l'm wrong but when these teams were picked back in day they had to pick 2 players from each VFL club so each team had representation. The Demons being so shyte only ever had 3 players possibly picked;
. Flower
. Alves
. Hardeman
Wayne Judson used to get picked in the back pocket as a Saint. Remember him ? No ? Well St.Kilda needed 2 reps, hence Judson.

Flower was an all time great player. But, he’s romanticised to a degree because he played in such a s**t team. Melbourne supporters of that era had nothing else. We had champions on every line.

 

[giantroo]

 

[Kanga Glory]

The old lady who yells out “you dirty blugger st kilda” we use to sit a couple pie of sits from them. They would abuse every opposition player every week

 

[see see]

I was there that day. Very spicy.

 

[Bertie22]

I was there that day. Very spicy.

Ironically the goal umpire involved was himself a high ranking cop.

 

[kangaroo7]

1973 -- THE START OF SOMETHING BIG.


With only 10 wins and a draw to show from 66 matches over the past three seasons, things looked bleak for North. They finished last in 1972, and their coach, Brian Dixon, had earlier announced his intention of quitting to concentrate on his political career. But the club's executives had been busy towards the end of the year to improve the club's future performance.

In August 1972, the VFL, concerned about "restraint of trade" threats that had occurred in the NSW Rugby League at the time, introduced the "10 year rule." This would give players with 10 years continuous service permission to transfer from one club to another without the need for a clearance. Of the 22 players who were eligible, only 6 would take advantage of it.
North had originally voted against this rule being brought in, but the club's president Allen Aylett, their VFL delegate Albert Mantello and Secretary Ron Joseph very soon saw the advantage of it to them and quickly went through the 22 players who were eligible to use it.

North lured big-name players Barry Davis (Essendon), John Rantall (South Melbourne) and Doug Wade (Geelong) by literally throwing money at them. They were offered around $10,000 each to sign plus $5,000 a season for two and three years. St Kilda's Carl Ditterich was also approached, but he opted to go to Melbourne. The club used cash received for finals tickets, then set about raising funds to cover it. The other clubs soon realised how North benefited from the 10 year rule, although they also had the chance to use it, and persuaded the VFL board to rescind it in May 1973.

But an even bigger coup was about to happen, when Albert Mantello visited retired coach Ron Barassi at his furniture store and told him of the club's plans, inviting him to breakfast the next day at the Old Melbourne Motel. Aylett, Mantello and Joseph there hammered out a deal on a paper serviette, offering Barassi $15,000 a year for three years, and backing a $50,000 loan for him. After being out of football for a year, Barassi accepted the challenge.

Besides the 3 players already mentioned, North recruited Wayne Schimmelbusch, an old team mate of Keith Greig's at Brunswick, the Farrant brothers Gary and Doug were coaxed back from Cohuna, Richard Michalcyk was purchased from East Perth for $30,000 and Darryl Sutton recruited from Glenorchy. Also a huge ruckman called Mick Nolan was signed from Wangaratta Rovers. Midway through the season, another East Perth player, John Burns was picked up.

In March North played 3 practice matches against St Kilda, Geelong and Richmond, losing all 3, but certainly not disgraced. They showed glimpses of what was to come. Barassi's play on and handball game was on display. Fans looked forward to the season proper starting. Barry Davis was appointed captain, replacing David Dench.

to be continued.

 

[kangaroo7]

1973 (Cont)



ROUND 1 -- HAWTHORN

North started the season in sensational style, beating Hawthorn for the first time in 10 meetings - their last win over Hawthorn was Round 17 1967. New players Davis and Wade fired - Wade and Rob Peterson getting 5 goals each. After an even first half, North went away in the third quarter scoring 6 goals to none, then equalled Hawthorn's scoring in the last quarter against the wind. Other good players were Greig, Goodingham, Gumbleton,Dench, Kekovich and Smith.

NORTH MELB 14.14-98 HAWTHORN 9.16-70



ROUND 2 -- CARLTON

North travelled to Carlton and watched the reigning premiers unfurl their 1972 flag. Former North player and coach, Keith McKenzie, had charge of the Blues due to regular captain-coach John Nicholls being suspended. North took the game right up to Carlton, forcing them to produce their best football and draw on all their experience to shake North off. Kekovich was North's best, having a great battle with future team mate Brent Crosswell at centre half forward and kicking 4 goals. Other good players were Dench, Greig, Davis, Schimmelbush, Goodingham and Feltham. Despite the loss, North's improvement was obvious. Carlton had won last season's two encounters by 62 and 89 points.

CARLTON 18.15-123 NORTH MELBOURNE 14.12-96



ROUND 3 --- FITZROY

North recorded their second win after a close game with Fitzroy. But Barassi was not impressed by it and blasted the team behind closed doors after the match. Fitzroy were forced to make 3 last minute changes. In a match where there was a wind advantage, North led by 2 goals at half-time, then kicked 3 goals against the wind to restrict Fitzroy's three quarter time lead to just 4 points. But with the wind to come home with, North managed only 1.7 to 0.3. Davis was best on ground for North, with Rantall, Goodingham, Dench, Cowton and G. Farrant also playing well.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.18-84 FITZROY 10.18-78



ROUND 4 --- RICHMOND

In front of a big crowd at the MCG on Anzac Day, North had one of their most impressive wins for years when they defeated the powerful Richmond team. The Tigers were coming off a big win over St Kilda, and were left shocked and bewildered at North's form, handing Richmond their first defeat. Kekovich was far too good for Dick Clay and Rantall outplayed Sproule in the centre. As North began to get on top in the third quarter, Richmond were forced to make many changes, but none of them worked. The large crowd enjoyed Richmond's embarrassment and got behind North. Rantall, Kekovich, Cowton, Dench, Greig and Peterson were North's best.

NORTH MELBOURNE 14.20-104 RICHMOND 11.18-84



ROUND 5 --- COLLINGWOOD

The Arden St grandstand was packed to capacity as over 27,000 came to see North take on Collingwood, who they had not beaten since 1963. North squandered chance after chance in the first quarter and from 16 shots could only manage 2.14. It was Collingwood's turn for inaccuracy in the second quarter when they kicked 4.11, but led by 23 points at half-time. North outscored Collingwood by 2 goals in the second half to go down by 11 points. Wade, who was out injured may have made a difference and Kekovich and Davis, two of North's better players, both went off in the last quarter. North's leading goal scorer was Phil Ryan with 3. Other good players were Schimmelbusch, Greig, Feltham, Gumbleton, Rantall, Goodingham.

COLLINGWOOD 15.19-109 NORTH MELBOURNE 13.20-98



ROUND 6 --- SOUTH MELBOURNE

North headed out to VFL Park to take on South. Injuries were beginning to mount. With Wade still injured, Kekovich and Davis were also carrying injuries. Kekovich took his place in the side, but Greig and Rantall had both been selected for the State team. Seeking their first win of the year, South troubled North in the first half when their little men cut through the bigger North players and Peter Bedford dominating. Barassi made numerous moves, including moving Kekovich to the forward line, and South began to collapse before half-time. North sealed the win with a 7 goal third quarter, Kekovich scoring 4 of them. The final margin was 44 points. Robbie Peterson was best on the ground and back-up full forward Doug Farrant seized his chance in Wade's absence to kick 4 goals.Other good players were Kekovich, Briedis, Henshaw, Goodingham and Baker.

NORTH MELBOURNE 18.16-124 SOUTH MELBOURNE 11.14-80


ROUND 7 -- ESSENDON

North were brought back to earth with a 70 point thumping by Essendon, despite the return of Greig, Rantall, Davis and Wade to the team. Only Essendon's inaccuracy prevented an even bigger hiding. They won in every position, except the wings, where Greig and Feltham held their own. Wade managed to kick 6 goals. Other good players were Peterson and Rantall. The press were quick to point out that it was the "North of old" relapsing into bad habits.

ESSENDON 20.24-144 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.8-74


.........to be cont.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

I was very young but went to most of those games and remember some more than others. That Windy Hill game was a shocker. The (packed) crowd chanted "traitor" every time Barry Davis went near the ball and I recall thinking that it put him off his game.

 

[Groucho]

I remember that Collingwood game. 2.14! I mean the wind was certainly tricky but you’d reckon on a couple of more goals from so many chances. The Pies found it hard too in the second but did get those couple of extra goals which in the end were the difference.

 

[kangaroo7]

1973....continued

ROUND 8 -- FOOTSCRAY

North's ruckman, Goodingham, had a shoulder injury and could not play against the Bulldogs and their top ruckman, Gary Dempsey. Mick Nolan, who had made his debut in Round 6 as 20th man, came into the side, along with another ruckman in Jeff Hopgood. It was a scrambling and disappointing match with many errors by both sides - and umpire Artso, who confused everyone with his decisions. Footscray led for most of the day in a low-scoring affair, but North began to peg them back in the third quarter and hit the front for the first time late in the last quarter. But Footscray managed to goal just before the end to force a tie. The earlier Reserves match had also been tied. Although Footscray's Dempsey dominated as expected, Nolan acquitted himself well, although very few of his hit-outs went to North's rovers. Other good North players were Rantall, Greig, Feltham, Gumbleton, Davis and Cowton.

NORTH MELBOURNE 8.8-56 FOOTSCRAY 8.8-56



ROUND 9 -- GEELONG

North regained Goodingham but lost Peterson to injury. At Kardinia Park, Geelong fans vented their hatred for Doug Wade for leaving his old club. This did not bother him as he kicked 6.7 in windy conditions to help North win. An incident close to half-time upset Geelong, when the ball, which was going out of bounds, ricocheted off the boot of the boundary umpire into the arms of Schimmelbusch, who quickly got it to Wade, who goaled. This gave North a 15 point lead at half-time. In the second half North kicked 11 goals to 9 to run out 31 point winners. Davis was easily best on the ground. Others to play well were Rantall, Schimmelbusch, Feltham , Greig, Doolan and Baker, who provided a fine target at centre-half-forward after Kekovich was injured and did not return after half-time.


NORTH MELBOURNE 18.13-121 GEELONG 14.6-90




ROUND 10 -- ST KILDA

North had not beaten StKilda since 1969. Denis Pagan replaced the injured Kekovich in the team. The first two quarters were even, with inaccuracy plaguing both sides. In the third quarter, however, St Kilda, coming off a hard match against Hawthorn the previous week, began to tire and North started to draw away, with Goodingham and Nolan controlling the ruck. Dench. who had received a heavy knock in the second quarter, went off in the third with a leg injury. The win consolidated fifth spot for North for the time being. Best were Gumbleton, Goodingham, Schimmelbush, Nolan, Rantall and Baker.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.14-80 ST KILDA 7.12-54



ROUND 11 -- MELBOURNE

Kekovich was named in the side, but was a late withdrawal and replaced by Robert Smith. Dench was also out injured. After leading for most of the match, North forgot their handball game and allowed themselves to be overrun in the last quarter to go down by 9 points. Melbourne's big-time expensive recruit, John Tilbrook, who had barely impressed since coming over from South Australia in 1971, picked this match to star. Davis was best on the ground despite the loss. Other good North players were Rantall, Schimmelbusch, Henshaw, Muir, Greig and Goodingham.

MELBOURNE 13.12-90 NORTH MELBOURNE 19.9-81

So at the half-way mark of the season, North were just in the top 5, half a game clear of St Kilda and Melbourne. It was certainly an improvement on past years, but could they hold their place? On the day of the Melbourne match, it was reported that Ron Joseph had obtained the signature of Western Australian star John Burns.


ROUND 12 -- HAWTHORN

North fell out of the top 5 when they lost to Hawthorn under heavy playing conditions. Trailing by almost 5 goals at half-time, they stormed back with a 6 goal third quarter, but could not go on with it. Wade had an off day, leaving Schimmelbusch to be North's leading goalkicker with 4. Best for North were Davis, Schimmelbusch, G Farrant, Rantall, Peterson and Feltham.

HAWTHORN 12.13-85 NORTH MELBOURNE 10.10-70



ROUND 13 -- CARLTON

John Burns made his debut for North and Kekovich returned from injury. North had probably their most significant win of the year when they downed Carlton by 8 points in a hard and fierce game. Carlton were having a good second quarter when Robert Walls took a heavy knock. He played on, but shortly after was flattened by Baker as he took a pack mark. Players converged from everywhere. Umpire Artso angered Carlton when he chose to bounce the ball when Walls couldn't take his kick. Shortly after, Peterson of North was flattened, then Kekovich ran through his opponent Brent Crosswell. Some of the crowd joined in the mayhem, leaning over the fence and thumping and pushing players who came close enough. Walls and Crosswell did not return after half-time and North put on 6 goals to lead by 11 points at three quarter time. In the last quarter, Carlton slammed on 4 goals in 12 minutes, but then North took over, kicking the last 3 goals of the match. It was a good team effort, with North needing a win to keep its finals hopes alive. Goodingham was best for North, doing a great job on Carlton's Nicholls. Other good players were Baker, Davis, Montgomery, Kekovich and Feltham.

NORTH MELBOURNE 16.19-115 CARLTON 16.11-107


ROUND 14 -- RICHMOND

Dench came back into the side, and Richard Michalczyk was named for his first match. From the start North were caught on the back foot. Burns was a late withdrawal from the side with the flu and replaced by Pretty, whose place on the bench was taken by Henshaw. Michalczyk's game lasted just two minutes, when he pulled a hamstring while going for the ball. Two minutes later he was off the ground - for the day. Henshaw, who had not even been named in the original 20, found himself on the ground almost immediately. North were outclassed by the strong Richmond side, who increased their lead each quarter. And Kekovich was reported in the third quarter. This third loss in four matches sent North down to seventh on the ladder. Peterson, Goodingham, Rantall, Pretty, Schimmelbusch, Gumbleton, Wade and G. Farrant tried hard for North.

RICHMOND 17.15-117 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.12-78


to be concluded.

 

[kangaroo7]

1973 (cont.)

ROUND 15 -- FITZROY

In a match they really needed to win to regain a place in the top 5 , North let lowly Fitzroy overrun them with an 8 goal second quarter. They fought back in the last quarter against the wind, and got within 8 points at the end. But it was too late. Fitzroy's John Murphy beat both Burns and Rantall in the centre, Greig was beaten on the wing and Kekovich was beaten by veteran Kevin Murray. Goodingham won most of the hit outs, but North lacked effective rovers, with Peterson injured in the second quarter. Other good players were Davis, Schimmelbusch, Dench, Feltham, Baker and Wade (5 goals)

FITZROY 16.12-108 NORTH MELBOURNE 13.18-96

This mid-season slump would prove costly to the club.



ROUND 16 -- COLLINGWOOD

North faced the return match against Collingwood with Kekovich relegated to the bench, Nolan omitted and Peterson out injured. John White was selected for his one and only senior match. Collingwood got off to a great start kicking 5 goals to none in the first quarter. As in the Round 5 match at Arden St, North wasted many scoring opportunities, Wade being the chief offender. Over the next three quarters, however, North clawed their way back. Kekovich replaced Sutton in the second quarter, but he also could not find the goals. But North persisted and a time-on goal in the last quarter drew them to within 1 point. Then Ryan kicked the ball deep into attack and Wade pulled down the mark and received a 15 metre penalty which put him right in front. As the final siren sounded, Wade, who did not hear it, kicked the winning goal. It was only Collingwood's second loss for the season, and the win kept North within striking distance of the 5. Best were Rantall, Davis, Goodingham, Greig, Burns, Gumbleton, Dench and Pagan

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.10-76 COLLINGWOOD 10.11-71


ROUND 17 -- SOUTH MELBOURNE

North's finals hopes were dealt a blow when they were badly beaten by South, giving the Swans only their third win for the season. It was disappointing after the previous weeks effort. South champion Peter Bedford dominated the game, and Kekovich was injured in the first quarter and had to be replaced. Barassi in desperation moved full back Dench to centre half forward in the second half. He kicked two goals, but South were too good on the day. Best for North were Davis, Rantall, Burns, Montgomery, Greig, G Farrant and Goodingham.

SOUTH MELBOURNE 19.16-130 NORTH MELBOURNE 14.7-91


ROUND 18 -- ESSENDON

North had another costly loss when Essendon pipped them by three points with a goal in the dying minutes. Coaches Ron Barassi and Des Tuddenham clashed as the quarter time player huddles were breaking up. The incident appeared to fire North up and they kicked 7 goals to lead by 13 points at half-time. But Essendon whittled the lead back and the game was very close up until the end. Peterson, a last minute inclusion, had the chance to put North 8 points clear towards the end, but missed. He wasn't the only one. Good players for North were Rantall, Goodingham, Davis, Burns, Cowton, Schimmelbusch, Greig, Wade (5 goals) and Hopgood (3 goals)

The quarter time incident was the subject of a written report by field umpire Dellar. Both coaches were summoned by the VFL board of directors and given a reprimand. North were now a game and a half outside the top 5.

ESSENDON 14.10-94 NORTH MELBOURNE 13.13-91



ROUND 19 -- FOOTSCRAY

North were without Kekovich and Baker (both injured) for the return match against Footscray. North got off to a good start, but were outscored in the second half and just hung on to win by a goal. All 3 of North's imports played well, Wade kicking 7 goals, and Dench dominated at full-back. Footscray's Dempsey was best on the ground, but Davis roved to him, cancelling out any advantage of his winning hit-outs. Best for North were Davis, Wade, Rantall, Montgomery, Cowton, Gumbleton and Schimmelbusch. Barassi was angry that North had played so well against Essendon and lost, yet played poorly against Footscray and won. It was a match they should have easily won. But other match results for the round went North's way and the top 5 was now only 2 premiership points away again.

NORTH MELBOURNE 10.14-74 FOOTSCRAY 10.8-68


ROUND 20 -- GEELONG

North kept their final hopes alive with a 16 point win over Geelong in muddy conditions. Their 6 goal second term and Geelong's scoreless third term gave North a match winning lead. Barassi had considered making changes to the team that was named due to the conditions, but didn't. Best players were Schimmelbusch, Davis, Greig, Ryan, Montgomery,Baker, G. Farrant, Cowton, Kekovich and Rantall.North moved to sixth on the ladder as Hawthorn dropped out of the five. They were 2 points behind St Kilda, who they would play next.

NORTH MELBOURNE 9.10-64 GEELONG 7.6-48


ROUND 21 -- ST KILDA

North travelled to Moorabbin, where they had never won, to attempt to grab fifth place on the ladder. The match was close for most of the day, and it looked good for North when they quickly increased their three quarter time lead of 12 points to 23 early in the last quarter. But then things fell apart. Goodingham, who had dominated play in the ruck and around the ground and was exhausted, was moved to the forward pocket, and St Kilda began to get back into the game. Their pressure began to tell, and they kicked the last 6 goals of the match to win by 18 points. It was the end of North's finals chances as the win put St Kilda 6 points clear in fifth place with just one match to play. North's best were Goodingham, Greig, G.Farrant, Davis, Pagan, Peterson, Schimmelbusch and Wade (5 goals)

ST KILDA 16.18-114 NORTH MELBOURNE 14.12-96


ROUND 22 -- MELBOURNE

Showing symptoms of the previous week's letdown, North just managed to hold Melbourne off in a poor match in front of a low crowd at Arden St. With the scores level at halftime, North gained a 19 point lead in the third quarter, then withstood a late fightback by the Demons. Melbourne's innacuracy (2.8 in the final quarter) let them down, although it was claimed that two behinds were actually goals. Both coaches were disappointed by their respective team's efforts. Best for North were Goodingham, Gumbleton, Dench, Greig, Davis, Briedis and Peterson.

NORTH MELBOURNE 11.5-71 MELBOURNE 9.12-66


So North ended the season in sixth place on the ladder, an agonisingly close two points behind St Kilda, who lost their last match against Carlton. But it was a huge improvement. They won more games this year than they had over the past 3 seasons combined. And Keith Greig won the Brownlow medal-- the first one for the club ever. Wayne Schimmelbusch was voted Football Life's recruit of the year.

It was the beginning of a new era for North after being down for so long. With the addition of more new players, notably Cable and Blight, they would make the finals the following season and for 6 seasons after to win 2 flags.

 

[Whippet1]

I went to most of these games as an 11yo in my second year of attending matches. A vivid memory is Phil Baker flattening Robert Walls in round 13 as mentioned. Right in front of the North Social Club Walls came streaming out from full forward to mark and Baker came charging in from the opposite direction and just smashed him. It was pretty nasty and Walls was carried off. 8 weeks these days I would have thought.

 

[kangaroo7]

1896 -- THE VFL BREAKAWAY -- NORTH NOT INVITED.

Since its formation in 1877, the Victorian Football Association had controlled all aspects of the flourishing game of Australian Football in Victoria. However, in the 1890s, cracks were beginning to appear in this ruling body. Dissensions between clubs was threatening to cause a division. Although initially featuring a number of provincial and junior clubs, the competition quickly became metropolitan, with the exception of Geelong and, for a short time, Ballarat.

The most popular clubs - South Melbourne, Geelong, Carlton and Essendon - attracted the highest attendances, and used their gate money to further strengthen their position. The other clubs had to make do with lower gate money and fixtures that favoured the stronger clubs, who arranged to play each other first to increase the gate takings. This was creating a virtual two tiered competition. The VFA eventually took control of the fixtures, and pushed to equalise club funds, which upset the wealthy clubs, who complained that they were carrying the poorer ones.

VFA secretary, T.S.Marshall was fighting a losing battle against the increasing professionalism and the illegal paying of players. He was a firm believer in the game being strictly amateur and refused to consider open payments to players. This served to drive many good players to move to Western Australia, where good money was on offer, and the VFA standard declined. When Marshall suggested that the VFA take over all clubs finances, collecting the gate money, paying the clubs' bills and handing what was left over to charity, this was the last straw for the wealthier clubs, and plans were made to secede and form a new competition.

The most powerful clubs who drew the biggest crowds were South Melbourne, Geelong, Carlton and Essendon. After them came the clubs who were connected to the strong teams by professional and personal ties - Melbourne and Fitzroy. St Kilda were not particularly affluent, but its administrators were middle class gentlemen with contacts. Relatively newcomers Collingwood (1892) had solid local support and had quickly become a power. These eight teams broke away to form the Victorian Football League, leaving North Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Williamstown, Footscray and Richmond.


North had finished the 1896 season in sixth place, well above StKilda, Geelong and Carlton. And they were one of the most centrally located clubs. Yet they were not invited to join the new competition. Here are the probable reasons:

1. THE CLUB ITSELF

During its twenty years in the VFA, North had never finished first. The closest it went was third in 1877 and 1884, and fourth in 1878.(All times as "Hotham") North had never been regarded as one of the stronger clubs and lacked the big money other clubs generated. The suburb had become heavily industrialised and there were few local businesses to financially support the club.

2. OPPOSITION FROM OTHER CLUBS.

Two clubs, Essendon and Collingwood, were not keen for North to join. Essendon felt threatened by the proximity of North Melbourne. They shared a common area in their recruiting zones of Kensington and Flemington, which Essendon would lose if North were admitted. This was still a sticking point years later when North were finally admitted.
There was bad blood between Collingwood and North due to violence occurring at their last two matches. The 1895 match at Victoria Park was friendly enough until the last ten minutes. With scores level at three goals each (behinds didn't count), Collingwood were desperately trying to score a winner. Play became heated and fights broke out among players. Children in the crowd threw stones at the North players and North's Tuckwell was hit above the eye. The North team had to remain in the dressing room after the match until extra police arrived.
The match at Arden St the following year saw disgraceful scenes at the end. Further details are provided below under 5. NORTH'S FANS.


3. THE NORTH MELBOURNE RECREATION RESERVE.

Although centrally located, conditions at Arden St. were not pleasant. Perhaps the fact that it was originally part of a swamp had something to do with it. For good reason, it was known as "the glue-pot" with the surface quite muddy with large pools of water for most of the season. The amenities were also rather primitive.

There was also the problem of who controlled the ground. As Crown land, the local council had control, but declined to make any ground improvements and stopped either the Football or Cricket clubs from doing so. The Cricket club battled for some time to get control of the ground but was not successful. By 1896 the ground was controlled by a committee consisting of two representatives from the Cricket club, two from the Football club and three from the North Melbourne council. It was not until 1897 that the council made substantial improvements, eventually making it the best ground surface in the VFA. The dressing rooms were not upgraded until 1910, when two new rooms were erected and the kerosene lamps were finally replaced by electric light.


4 .THE NORTH MELBOURNE CRICKET CLUB.

Although they shared the same ground, the Cricket and Football clubs were often at loggerheads, particularly when the seasons overlapped. In May 1895 the cricketers, who were playing a match against Fitzroy, were obliged to leave the ground when the footballers, who had a match against Port Melbourne scheduled, arrived. The agreement was that the Football club had the use of the ground from May to September. The Cricket team, premiers the previous season, were equal bottom with Fitzroy and were playing to see who would be relegated to B division. The interruption resulted in Fitzroy being awarded the match and North being fined 1/-

The following year, again at a match against Port Melbourne, heavy rain struck. The Port officials sought shelter in the cricket pavilion but were refused admittance. North Melbourne former office-bearer and now councillor J.H.Gardiner took matters into his own hands and, forcing his way in, cleared a path for the visiting officials to enter. The Cricket club took legal action, but lost the case on the grounds that the reserve was Crown property and no part could be fenced off for the benefit of one particular section. The legal costs almost broke the club. And it caused ill-feeling between Gardiner and Cricket club secretary Ernie Bean, a former player and treasurer of the Football club. To have any chance, North required the combined influence of these two powerful men to overcome opposition to their gaining admittance to the new league.


5. NORTH MELBOURNE'S FANS

Some of the supporters of the club did it no favours with their violent behaviour at matches. Other clubs dreaded playing there. Some of the women could be worse than the men. They were known to stand where the visiting team entered and left the playing arena and slap and spit at the players, or stick long hat pins into them. North also now had the unwanted support of the notorious "Crutchy Push", a stand-over gang of crippled larrikins who terrorised the suburb for a decade and at times made their unpleasant presence felt at North's matches. Of course this didn't happen only at North. Most teams had their own unsavoury fans. Port Melbourne was another ground where visitors took life into their own hands.

In 1896 at Arden Street in a match against Collingwood, won narrowly by the visitors, there were shocking scenes at the end of the game when the umpire was attacked by fans, many of whom appeared to come from the local pavilion. Players from both teams attempted to protect him. North player McDougall was struck on the head and Collingwood player Proudfoot, a police officer, was badly battered in his efforts to shield umpire Roberts. The newspapers had a field day, umpires threatened to not officiate at the ground in future, and the VFA considered not playing any further matches there. The club got off with a warning, but the damage was done.

So a combination of unfortunate circumstances forced North to bide their time in the VFA. Finally in 1925, after two disastrous and abortive attempts to get in, the club was admitted. During the intervening years 1897-1924, the club at times was served by many good players who would have helped North be competitive in the VFL. But by 1925 the club was still recovering from the 1921 failed attempt to merge with Essendon and the subsequent loss of players, and struggled for many years in the new League.