Bulldogs Bark in '54
Background
The 1954 VFL grand final featured Footscray, which was contesting its first such match, having never previously finished higher than 3rd on the ladder, and Melbourne, which was emerging as a force once more after three seasons of demoralising under-achievement. Footscray was the warm pre-match favourite, both sentimentally and among the pundits, but the Demons had overturned the odds in both their previous finals, and could be expected to offer stern resistance.
Journalist Hugh Buggy, who covered the match for 'The Argus' newspaper, estimated that at least 70,000 of the 80,897 spectators at the ground were cheering for the Bulldogs, who thus found themselves in a similar position to the North Melbourne side of four years earlier. On that occasion, however, the shinboners had been rank outsiders, and during the course of a one-sided encounter had seldom given their temporary aficionados much cause for hope, let alone exuberance. It would be a different matter entirely in 1954: Charlie Sutton's Bulldogs may not have been the most flamboyantly attacking team in the VFL, and there had been times during the year when they had been blighted by inconsistency, but come the major round and they had been transformed into a resolute, spirited, determinedly single-minded combination that gave every indication of being on a crusade. Coach Sutton directed affairs with trademark determination laced with impressive imagination and insight, and his team combined the seasoned with the youthfully energetic in noteworthy measure, and to admirable effect.
Among the former were robust and resourceful follower Dave Bryden; the year's top goal kicker in Jack Collins; full back Herb Henderson, arguably the best in the league at the time; and ultra reliable half back flanker Jim Gallagher. All four had played interstate football for the VFL, and had been among the most eye-catching performers of 1954.
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Providing the youthful vigour were the likes of twenty-one year old Ted Whitten, still in the early phase of a career that would ultimately see him heralded as one of the game's all time greats, and who this year would win the first of an eventual five Footscray best and fairest awards; future Brownlow Medallist Peter Box, also twenty-one; and livewire rover John Kerr, twenty.
Overall, the Demons had a much younger and less experienced side than the Bulldogs. Four of their players - Ron Barassi junior, Brian Dixon, Geoff Case and Don Williams - were only eighteen years of age, and there were two nineteen year olds, a twenty year old, and two twenty-two year olds as well. Much of the experience was housed in the redoubtable form of thirty year old Denis Cordner, who remained one of the league's most effective ruckmen, and who would end up winning the Demons' club champion award - his second - in 1954. The 1954 grand final would ultimately find Melbourne falling well short in many areas, but it was all part and parcel of a rapid learning experience for the side, and the ensuing decade would end up being predominantly navy and red, not red white and blue.
The 1954 VFL Season
The two teams had met one another only once during the 1954 home and away series. In round 10 at the Western Oval Footscray had sprinted to a 7.10 (52) to 1.4 (10) half time lead before letting the Demons claw their way back to within a couple of goals at the final change. A 3.1 to 2.3 last quarter had ultimately seen the Bulldogs home by 16 points after a patchy and uneven display that, in some respects, had reflected their entire home and away campaign. However, the VFL competition of 1954 was extremely evenly contested, and Footscray, despite managing only 11 wins and a draw from 18 matches, was still able to claim 2nd spot on the ladder heading into the finals. Included in the team's half a dozen reversals was an embarrassing loss at home against eventual wooden spooner St Kilda, while only a couple of its wins could really be described as convincing.
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Melbourne, too, stuttered rather surged into the finals, ultimately finishing 4th with an 11-7 record, one win plus percentage ahead of 5th placed Richmond. The Demons were probably a touch more predictable than Footscray, but their best was nowhere near as good. In addition, they had not beaten the Bulldogs since 1952.
The 1954 finals series got underway with Melbourne coming from a goal behind at half time of the 1st semi final to beat North Melbourne comfortably in the end by 30 points. Although the Demons had finished below North on the ladder, their win did not really constitute a major upset - although it was certainly heralded as one in certain quarters - as records clearly proved that they had had the wood on their opponents over recent seasons.
The 2nd semi final saw superior fitness and a watertight defence enable Footscray to outlast minor premier Geelong, which had won its previous 8 matches in succession, by 23 points - a margin that would have been considerably wider had the Bulldogs kicked straighter during the final term. It was a performance of considerable authority, vim and purpose, easily the Bulldogs' best of the year, and saw them supplant the Cats as popular favourites for the flag.
The Demons showed they would be no pushovers, however, as they performed with great energy and vigour to overcome Geelong by 17 points in a torrid, bruising preliminary final. Given that they had finished second from last in 1953, reaching the grand final probably exceeded the expectations of most people associated with the club, but coach Norm Smith was never one to be satisfied with coming second, and would doubtless ensure that there would be no resting on laurels prior to the club's biggest game in six seasons.
The pre-match build-up
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The afternoon of Saturday 25th September 1954 was warm and sunny, and although the grand final attendance was the smallest for six years, large numbers of spectators found themselves forced to squat or sprawl on the grass in between the perimeter fence and boundary line. The Bulldogs hit the track first, eliciting almost universal acclaim from the crowd, and commenced a slow, jogging circuit of the vast arena, awaiting the arrival of their adversaries. Next came the umpires who, after a brief warm-up, strode to the centre of the ground ready to start the game.
Melbourne, however, had still to appear, and the crowd looked on in increasing bemusement as the scheduled starting time for the match came, and went. Finally, five minutes late, the Demons ambled out onto the oval amidst a chorus of catcalls, hisses and boos. Their late arrival had clearly been premeditated, and in engineering such a blatant act of gamesmanship Melbourne supremo Norm Smith had unequivocally thrown down the gauntlet to the opposition.
1st Quarter
Smith's move had no doubt been designed to unsettle the Bulldogs by exaggerating any feelings of nervousness and anxiety that already existed. In this, it proved successful, at least for a few minutes. From the opening bounce, Melbourne surged into attack and, with Footscray's defenders appearing strangely flat-footed and tentative, soon had the first goal of the match on the board. That was as good as it would get for the Demons, however, while from the Bulldogs' point of view it provided just the wake up call that was needed.
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With Charlie Sutton constantly bellowing encouragement, Footscray quickly settled down to reproduce the same brand of fast, relentless, methodical football that had overwhelmed Geelong in the last quarter of the 2nd semi final. Key features of their play were long, driving kicks to position, predominantly along the goal to goal line, ferocious but fair tackling and bumping, and focused, asphyxiating defence - all over the ground, not just in the backlines - whenever the Demons were in possession.
Charlie Sutton, who began the match in the uncustomary position of forward pocket, reinforced his verbal encouragement with two inspirational feats of physical courage during the opening term, clashing fiercely with first, John Beckwith, and then Ron Barassi, leaving the Melbourne players discernibly worse off in both cases.
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The main reason that Sutton had stationed himself in the forward pocket was to enable him to oversee and marshal his team's forward line set up, which involved leaving full forward Jack Collins with plenty of space in order that he could compete one on one with Melbourne full back Lance Arnold. The reasoning behind this was that, if given room to maneuver, Collins would be able to exploit his perceived pace advantage to the full, by leading fast into space in order to get on the end of the low, bullet-like passes that his team mates had been instructed to deliver. The plan worked faultlessly, and there was even a bonus, for on this particular day Collins proved to have the edge in strength over Arnold, meaning that he was often able to collect the ball even when the pair were forced to jostle or wrestle for it. On no fewer than five occasions during the opening term Collins marked cleanly either after out-pacing Arnold on the lead, or out-muscling him in a direct physical contest. The Melbourne man resorted to intimidation of several kinds, but Collins, who earlier in his career would almost certainly have risen to the bait and had his concentration impaired as a result, remained calm, unflappable and intensely focused - indeed, he even appeared to be enjoying himself. By the first change he had 3.2 on the board, and the Bulldogs, who had rattled on 6 unanswered goals after Melbourne's opener, had carved out a formidable if not quite unassailable lead.
QUARTER TIME: Footscray 6.3 (39); Melbourne 1.4 (10)
2nd Quarter
During the first few minutes of the second quarter play continued in much the same vein as the first. A couple of minutes into the term Collins again broke free of his shadow to mark on the chest with almost effortless ease. His fourth major of the match ensued, putting Melbourne 35 points in arrears. In both the 1st semi final and the preliminary final, this had been the stage of the match when the Demons had suddenly and dramatically upped the ante, and such proved to be the case again. However, there was a difference. Whereas both North Melbourne and Geelong had ultimately capitulated in the face of the increased tempo and pressure, the Bulldogs were made of sterner stuff and, for the most part, rode the punches superbly.
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For ten minutes the Demons attacked relentlessly, with the Footscray defenders matching them stride for stride. It was tough, frenetic, no-holds-barred finals football, and the crowd roared its appreciation. Only twice during this ten minute spell of incessant but laboured attacking did Melbourne find chinks in the Bulldogs' defensive armoury, and the effort was clearly staminasapping. The middle period of the quarter was like the eye in the storm, with both teams equally ineffectual, as though gathering their breath, but as time-on approached the Demons summoned up the strength for one final, frantic effort. Once again the crowd was jolted into life by football that was as exhilarating as it was desperate and frenzied. Another goal to Melbourne reduced the margin to 16 points, and from the ensuing centre bounce the Demons poured into attack again.
Then came a sequence of events which, in hindsight, probably decided the game. With the ball deep in Melbourne's forward lines, Footscray suddenly mounted a counter-assault which saw the ball propelled swiftly and purposefully along the central corridor. Within seconds, the play had been transferred to the other end of the ground, and a goal to the Bulldogs looked certain. However, no doubt to a huge collective sigh of relief from the Demons supporters, Melbourne full back Lance Arnold, finding himself alone in space in the goal square, marked safely. With only a couple of minutes to go before the half time siren, the sensible thing for Arnold to do would have been to take his time, measure his options, and propel the ball out of reach of any Footscray players - over the boundary line if necessary. Instead, perhaps feeling that he had a point to prove after being so comprehensively out-played by Collins, he elected to play on immediately, and galloped off in the direction of the right back pocket. Seconds later he was hit by a guided missile in the shape of Bulldogs skipper Charlie Sutton, and he crashed to the turf. The umpire awarded a free kick for holding the ball, and Sutton gleefully slammed through the easiest of goals.
A Footscray behind moments later pushed the half time margin out to 23 points, and, although no-one was aware of it at the time, Melbourne's chance had effectively gone. There could be no doubt that, overall, it had been the Demons' quarter. Denis Cordner had been comprehensively winning the rucks and was in imposing form around the ground, and players like half forward flanker Laurie Mithen, wingman Ian McLean and half back flanker and skipper Geoff Collins had been dynamic, spirited and persistent - albeit rather less incisive and effective than might have been wished. This was because the Bulldogs had defended superbly, seldom allowing their opponents sufficient time and space to do what they wanted. Thus, although the Demons dominated both territorially and in terms of possession of the football, they were unable to translate this into scoreboard superiority, and indeed managed just one goal more than Footscray for the term.
HALF TIME: Footscray 8.5 (53); Melbourne 4.6 (30)
3rd Quarter
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During the half time interval Charlie Sutton enjoined his charges to keep playing the ball and avoid getting sucked into retaliating if, as he expected might happen, the Demons tried to ruffle feathers; if the Bulldogs maintained their concentration and focus, he assured them, they would 'put Footscray on the map'.
Shortly after the resumption, Bulldog half forward flanker Ron Stockman snapped truly from close range to stretch his team's lead to 29 points. Not long afterwards, Peter Box kicked towards Sutton in the forward pocket, and the Footscray skipper managed to gather the ball and throw it onto his boot before his opponent John Beckwith knew what was happening. The ball sailed through for full points, and suddenly the margin was a potentially match-winning six goals.
The next few minutes saw both defences on top as the ball travelled repeatedly from end to end, but it was the Bulldogs who appeared to be moving with greater fluidity and purpose. With the likes of John Kerr and Ron McCarthy snaring most of Cordner's hit-outs one of Melbourne's key areas of supremacy was being nullified, and it was in fact this pair who combined to manufacture a sweeping move that culminated with the ball nestling in the safe hands of Jack Collins, who duly registered his fifth goal of the match.
At the other end of the ground, the Demons' Tasmanian full forward Noel Clarke was enduring a much more torrid time as he struggled to shake off the limpet-like attentions of his 5cm taller and equally fleet-footed opponent, Herb Henderson. On a couple of occasions, in fact, he did manage to break free and mark the ball, but he was too far out from goal to trouble the scorers. Melbourne did manage a couple of goals for the term but just before the siren another six pointer to Sutton, his third of the match, stretched the margin at the final change to 38 points.
THREE QUARTER TIME: Footscray 12.9 (81); Melbourne 6.7 (43)
4th Quarter
Melbourne coach Norm Smith made wholesale positional changes early in the final term in a last ditch effort to turn things around, but although there was a noticeable increase in energy and commitment on the part of many of his players, it was all too no avail. The Bulldogs, whose goal to goal line of Henderson, Whitten, Ross, Box and Collins was simply indomitable, gave the impression of doing more or less as they pleased throughout most of the last quarter, and their final winning margin of 51 points arguably flattered the Demons.
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Footscray added 3.3 to 1.2 during the final stanza, with full forward Jack Collins registering his 7th goal, which equalled the record for a Page-McIntyre system grand final, held jointly by Norm Smith (Melbourne, 1940), Richmond's Dick Harris and Essendon's Tom Reynolds (both 1943), and Gordon Lane of Essendon (1946). Collins could all too easily have had the record to himself, as moments before the final siren he had marked within goal kicking range but, spotting Brian Gilmore in an even better position, had unselfishly passed to him rather than taking a shot. Before Gilmore could take his kick, the siren sounded, and he promptly threw away the ball in order to run and celebrate with his team mates.
Footscray's first rover John Kerr, who managed a game high 32 disposals, was a widespread choice as best afield, with the Bulldogs also well served by robust centreman Don Ross, dogged ruckman/ defender Dave Bryden, full forward Collins, relentless follower Harvey Stevens (25 possessions), and the irrepressible future 'Mr. Football' E. J. Whitten at centre half back. Best by far for the Demons was veteran ruckman Denis Cordner, who pulled down 10 marks - more than any other player in the match - and accumulated 26 possessions. Others able to leave the ground with heads held high included lively half forward flanker and centreman Laurie Mithen, the indefatigable Ron Barassi, and sturdy half back flanker and skipper Geoff Collins.
FINAL SCORE: Footscray 15.12 (102); Melbourne 7.9 (51)
Match Summary
1st | 2nd | 3rd | FULL TIME | |
Footscray | 6.3 | 8.5 | 12.9 | 15.12.102 |
Melbourne | 1.4 | 4.6 | 6.7 | 7.9.51 |
BEST
Footscray: Kerr, Ross, Collins, Bryden, Stevens, Whitten, Reynolds
Melbourne:
Cordner, Collins, Mithen, Barassi, McLean
GOALS
Footscray: Collins 7; Sutton 3; Duffy, Kerr, Reynolds, Stevens, Stockman
Melbourne: Albiston, Barassi, Clarke, Johnson, McLean, Mithen, Spencer
ATTENDANCE: 80,897 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Statistics
Footscray
K | H | M | K | H | M | K | H | M | ||||
B | Bryden | 17 | 4 | 7 | Henderson | 14 | 6 | 5 | Donald | 15 | 3 | 3 |
HB | Gallagher | 9 | 3 | 2 | Whitten | 16 | 2 | 7 | Martin | 10 | 5 | 3 |
C | Reynolds | 14 | 3 | 2 | Ross | 15 | 5 | 4 | McCarthy | 11 | 3 | 3 |
HF | Stockman | 10 | 3 | 4 | Box | 19 | 5 | 3 | Duffy | 16 | 2 | 3 |
F | Sutton | 13 | 3 | 3 | Collins | 15 | 1 | 8 | Gilmore | 15 | 3 | 5 |
Foll | Stevens | 19 | 6 | 4 | Edwards | 10 | 2 | 2 | Kerr | 24 | 8 | 1 |
19th | Nuttall (not used) |
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20th | Abbey (not used) |
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Team | Totals | 271 | 67 | 70 |
Melbourne
K | H | M | K | H | M | K | H | M | ||||
B | Beckwith | 9 | 1 | 1 | Arnold | 6 | 6 | 3 | Christie | 10 | 0 | 2 |
HB | Collins | 14 | 4 | 3 | McMahon | 15 | 2 | 3 | Williams | 12 | 4 | 6 |
C | McLean | 20 | 4 | 1 | Melville | 7 | 0 | 1 | Lane | 8 | 1 | 0 |
HF | Mithen | 13 | 4 | 6 | McGivern | 10 | 1 | 4 | Case | 9 | 0 | 1 |
F | Johnson | 4 | 1 | 0 | Clarke | 13 | 2 | 6 | Albiston | 20 | 3 | 4 |
Foll | Cordner | 22 | 4 | 10 | Barassi | 19 | 2 | 3 | Spencer | 16 | 3 | 3 |
19th | Dixon | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
20th | Adams (not used) | |||||||||||
Team | Totals | 241 | 43 | 57 |
KEY: K = Kicks; H = Handballs; M = Marks
Postscript
Many experts believed that Footscray would remain the team to beat for several years to come. Jack Dyer, for instance, writing in 'Sporting Life' prior to the start of the 1955 season, could not see any of the other eleven clubs seriously challenging the Bulldogs, who he believed were on the verge of genuine greatness. In fact, Footscray failed even to qualify for the finals in 1955 - albeit with a better win/loss record than in 1954 - and the remainder of the 1950s would generate only frustration, unfulfilled promise and heartache. The Bulldogs were the first of the three former VFA clubs admitted to the VFL in 1925 to land a premiership, but the other two clubs, Hawthorn and North Melbourne, have since far outstripped them in terms of on-field achievements.
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In contrast to Footscray, Melbourne would go on to dominate the remainder of the decade to a degree and with a style and conviction seldom, if ever, equalled. The Demons would contest every grand final between 1955 and 1960, losing only in 1958. Equally impressively, they would finish atop the ladder going into the finals in every single one of those seasons, an utterly phenomenal record. Out of a total of 108 minor round games Melbourne won 85, drew 2, and lost just 21, for an overall success rate of 79.6%. In finals, the side's record was even more impressive - 11 victories and only 2 losses (the 1957 2nd semi final against Essendon, and the following year's grand final versus Collingwood), for a success rate of 84.6%. As so often seems to be the case, a major catalyst for all this success was the intense disappointment experienced in losing a grand final. It might not strictly or invariably be the case that "you need to lose one (or even two) before you can win one", but many great sides in history have found this to be true. (In the VFL alone, think Carlton 1904, Richmond 1919, Collingwood 1925-6, Hawthorn 1975 and Essendon 1983, for example.)
On Saturday 25 September 1954, however, it was Footscray fans who were celebrating, as recalled almost thirty years later by Greg Hobbs:
Footscray went mad with joy. Bands played, train whistles blew, cars honked and men women and children cried with delight. The drought was over.
Bursting rockets in red, white and blue intermittently lit up the Footscray sky. Traffic jammed the Footscray streets and police were forced to cordon off the Town Hall area in Napier Street where about 6,000 ecstatic fans surged to pay homage to the victors. And, on the Footscray Oval, a group of revellers lit a fire and warmed their hands over the roasting effigy of a demon. For many, the celebrations raged on for days. Some still tell you of the most beautiful hangover they've ever had. ¹
Footnotes
1. The Bulldog Book: Sons Of The 'Scray (1883-1983) by Greg Hobbs, page 8.
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