Resource History Thread - Footscray Football Club and Western Bulldogs newspaper archive

[threenewpadlocks]

TNP, I haven’t purposely overlooked your post. At this stage I don’t have the requisite time to trawl through a decade’s worth of sports reports most of which are yet to be digitised.

However, as an alternative I’ve selected a handful of games from the mid-1950s where both Herb Henderson and Wally Donald played and the opposition was held to a ridiculously low score. Hopefully the match reports from those games might illuminate us. They are top of my list to locate next time I’m at SLV.

In the meantime, I’ll be posting some other requested match reports during the next few days - please enjoy!

No worries at all - that's more than enough, and I look for to it!

 

[Vinegar Mess]

Would round 8, 1994 versus Melbourne be possible please?

Added to the list. Any particular reason this one if of interest, worbod? I hope Lachie’s old man gets a good rap - 35 disposals (30 of them kicks), 7 marks and 5 tackles.

How about Round 6 1977 at Windy Hill? We beat the Bombers by 100 points. I met up with a few of my Form 4 students at the ground(all Bomber supporters). The next week class was one of the best I've ever had.

Great choice, Chicago. I was there and remember it vividly. Four of our players switched numbers before the first bounce then proceeded to run riot leaving confused Bombers in their wake. We kicked our highest ever score at the time. Rather than laud our achievement, media chose to focus on Hawthorn who kicked 41 behinds on the same day.

Great thread. First time Ive had a look at it as history doesnt usually interest me. But is does now!! Would it be possible to get all the newspaper stuff from our 1954 grand final win?

TD, it’s stating the bleeding obvious but it’s also a very good request. Will do!

 

[Mr. Walker]

Great choice, Chicago. I was there and remember it vividly. Four of our players switched numbers before the first bounce then proceeded to run riot leaving confused Bombers in their wake.

I assume this is against the rules now but does anyone know for sure? Less likely to work today with all games televised and forward scouts so opposition teams know their opponents so well but would be a good thing for our club to do one day in a larrikin sort of way just to rile the AFL.

 

[worbod]

Added to the list. Any particular reason this one if of interest, worbod? I hope Lachie’s old man gets a good rap - 35 disposals (30 of them kicks), 7 marks and 5 tackles.

I am interested in trying to construct a yearly table of the Bulldogs' greatest comebacks for each season and this one looks to be the likely candidate for 1994. I am hoping there will be a newspaper article which states the biggest margin we trailed by before winning the game.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

I am interested in trying to construct a yearly table of the Bulldogs' greatest comebacks for each season and this one looks to be the likely candidate for 1994. I am hoping there will be a newspaper article which states the biggest margin we trailed by before winning the game.

Game against Adelaide in 98 our best? I think we were 48 down.

 

[scooter600x]

Game against Adelaide in 98 our best? I think we were 48 down.

Round 16, 1999. 40 pts down at 3/4 time and won by two points. Darce kicked the winner.

Two weeks earlier, round 14, we were 40 pts down at 1/4 time v Sydney and won by 22.
Round 17 we were 25 pts down 20 minutes into the last and won by 7. Paul Hudson hacked it out of mid air as it was going over the boundary in the pocket and it was marked by Darcy again.

 

[Chicago1]

Round 16, 1999. 40 pts down at 3/4 time and won by two points. Darce kicked the winner.

Why did we play at the MCG that day? Did we have some arrangement back then to play a few home games there? I can't really remember. I do remember sitting on the 2nd level as a Social Club member. Unbelievable comeback that day. AND it was against Adelaide!

 

[worbod]

Game against Adelaide in 98 our best? I think we were 48 down.

I have managed to go back to 1978, which is when I first started following footy. I still have gaps with 1980, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 2007.
Our greatest comeback was in 1978 when we were 52 points down versus Essendon in round 5, though having read some match reports from The Sunday Press and The Sporting Globe, I have reason to believe the margin may have actually been 53. It's only one point extra, but I e-mailed the AFL telling them the papers and the page numbers, and they said they would look into it, but it doesn't look as though they are going to alter the 52 they have recorded in their AFL Record Season Guide.

 

[Vinegar Mess]

1972 - Round 21
at Western Oval [26 August 1972]

Footscray 17 - 21 - 123
Richmond 18 - 17 - 125

First game ever attended by scooter600x.

My Richmond supporting grandfather took me. Richmond were on their way to the grand final and we were right down the list. He thought Richmond would pump us and I was to be a Tiger for life. Instead I jumped on the underdog and was shattered when Richmond got up.

I still hate Richmond to this day.

According to afltables.com, George Bisset and David Thorpe had 38 and 34 disposals respectively (33 kicks each).


The Age - 28 Aug 1972

Sun News-Pictorial - 28 Aug 1972

Sun News-Pictorial - 28 Aug 1972

 

[scooter600x]

1972 - Round 21
at Western Oval [26 August 1972]

Footscray 17 - 21 - 123
Richmond 18 - 17 - 125

First game ever attended by scooter600x.



According to afltables.com, George Bisset and David Thorpe had 38 and 34 disposals respectively (33 kicks each).


The Age - 28 Aug 1972


Sun News-Pictorial - 28 Aug 1972


Sun News-Pictorial - 28 Aug 1972

Awesome. Thank you.

I had no recollection of Thorpe running into goal at the end at all.

Now I feel even worse about the result

 

[Chicago1]

And yet another reason to hate Richmond. Thanks.

 

[Vinegar Mess]

1979 - Round 19
at Western Oval [11 August 1979]

Footscray 13 - 19 - 97
Richmond 6 - 5 - 41

A bit of a Tiger theme going on here today:

I remember one game at WO against Richmond in the rain when Ian Morrison kept Roach kickless and we won. Was Round 19, 1979. Templeton kicked 6. Always tell others about that game because of Morrison’s effort.

The weather was really shitty - we sat on the fence instead of standing , covered in plastic - so it was one of those classic Dogs beat better side at home games. That kickless stat has stuck in my memory for nearly 40 years.

Roach’s stats literally were 0 kicks, 4 handballs. What makes this achievement even more incredible is that Roach was in form and had kicked ten goals the week before.

We smashed Richmond 97 - 41 and had almost triple the number of scoring shots. It was such an unexpected result given the previous week the Tigers had amassed 28 goals whereas we leaked 31(!) against South Melbourne.

Sunday Press - 12 Aug 1979

The Age - 13 Aug 1979

Sun News-Pictorial - 13 Aug 1979

Sun News-Pictorial - 13 Aug 1979

Sun News-Pictorial - 13 Aug 1979

 

[Mr. Walker]

Awesome. Thank you.

I had no recollection of Thorpe running into goal at the end at all.

Now I feel even worse about the result

I can remember going to a game at the WO and standing on the wing with my mum. David Thorpe had the ball and under no pressure put the ball out on the full. His reaction was to yell "F***,F***,F***". My mother was disgusted at hearing such language in public. It was a long time ago though.

 

[mcgleereturns]

1979 - Round 19
at Western Oval [11 August 1979]

Footscray 13 - 19 - 97
Richmond 6 - 5 - 41

A bit of a Tiger theme going on here today:






Sunday Press - 12 Aug 1979

The Age - 13 Aug 1979

Sun News-Pictorial - 13 Aug 1979

Sun News-Pictorial - 13 Aug 1979

Sun News-Pictorial - 13 Aug 1979

Thanks, Vinegar. Probably the only time Cowton and Williams repaid us on the Dempsey deal as a combo!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

A rare win during the Royce Hart days 8/45 win/loss record. Okay, I’ll try and dig up this one also.

The regulars where we stood referred to Shane Loveless as ‘Pinhead’. Was this a widely used nickname or just by the punters behind the Footscray race who were seeking laughs during the very worst of seasons? Shane had a couple of ripping weeks when he had consecutive hauls of 8 and 7 goals, the latter being the match you’ve mentioned.

I still have his number two on my old jumper although it fits me about as well as Shanes playing jumper would fit him.

I remember a reserves game where I was sitting in the Whitten stand and Loveless ran the full length of the ground to get into a fight!

 

[Bulldogs Legend]

Does anyone remember last round 1977?

Swans had to beat North to make the finals (for the first time in many years) and rely on us (who were not in finals contention) to beat Carlton at the Western oval which we did.

What I remember is all us sensitive Doggies supporters surrounding the Carlton race and chanting "South Won! South Won!" as the Carlton players were leaving the ground and I particularly recall Mark Maclures face as he was absolutely fuming.

 

[Vinegar Mess]

1999 - Round 14
at SCG [4 July 1999]

Sydney 14 - 17 - 101
Western Bulldogs 18 - 15 - 123

I used to travel up to the SCG for games in the 80s and 90s...

There was Rd 14 in 1999 … but my recollection was we were killing it at 1/4 time and still lost, so I don't think that's it. I reckon the one I'm thinking of is Rd 11 1983.

dogwatch, I have the 1983 game you referred to and I’ll post it in the near future but I was inclined to post details of a win today. Also, a more recent game mixes things up a bit as the thread is threatening to be stuck in the mire of the 1970s/1980s.

This match was extraordinary in that we trailed by seven goals at quarter-time but then dominated for the rest of the game as our midfield took over. [A sign of the times is our overall disposal count of 305 - even in our game this year when GWS smashed us our total disposals was significantly higher].

I’ve included the AFL Scoreboard from both major dailies as The Age includes reserves grade scores. I have a total memory blank as to who “Dunn/e” was; he apparently kicked five goals for our seconds. Anyone shed some light?


Herald-Sun - 5 Jul 1999

The Age - 5 Jul 1999

The Age - 5 Jul 1999

Herald-Sun - 5 Jul 1999

Herald-Sun - 5 Jul 1999

Herald-Sun - 5 Jul 1999

 

[littlenails]

I have a request to find out just how much influence Ted Whitten had on the sacking/retirement of umpire Ray Montgomery.

The Age newspaper page 26, Tuesday 1 June 1965: -
"BULLDOGS SEEK ACTION ON UMPIRES"; "Lift Standard". Regarding the appointment of 36-year-old former West Australian Ray Montgomery and outburst by the club's captain-coach Ted Whitten at the weekend.

It would be nice to read this article and others on the subject. I was there that day and think that we got the usual poor deal from the umpires. I remember Teddy getting interviewed on TV and poo-pooed the idea of bringing umpires to Vic from other states. I guess Teddy didn't like the 4 free kicks given against him. It was Montgomery's second and last umpiring gig in Victoria. Montgomery is a WA umpire hall-of-famer.

 

[TempletonTheRat]

Does anyone remember last round 1977?

Swans had to beat North to make the finals (for the first time in many years) and rely on us (who were not in finals contention) to beat Carlton at the Western oval which we did.

What I remember is all us sensitive Doggies supporters surrounding the Carlton race and chanting "South Won! South Won!" as the Carlton players were leaving the ground and I particularly recall Mark Maclures face as he was absolutely fuming.

Yes I was there as an 11yo, balancing on beer cans - Dad usually only took me to the footy once or twice a year and usually Geelong games so not sure why we ended up at that game. I can't remember any details of the game though just that we won

 

[DroopStDanny]

Fossie 32

 

[Fossie 32]

Thanks DroopStDanny

Poor choice of front page pic here for one of our most memorable wins

 

[Fossie 32]

Would have preferred the landing

 

[Fossie 32]

Anyway, they got it right with the back page which is usually the first thing I look at

 

[Fossie 32]

And a fine game by Fossie

[Edit: Though this is actually Rod McPherson in the pic ]

 

[Fossie 32]