The 1870 Melbourne football season preview
Winter has at length come round, and I emerge from my retirement, and again take up the pen to chronicle the doings in the foot-ball field. For a weary period, I have been anxiously looking forward towards this season, looking for the time when football would be again played, and I could indulge in the luxury of a shoulder to shoulder rush, or a scientific dodge. My thoughts by day have been all connected with football, and my dreams of nights have been about fabulous drop kicks, which have secured almost impossible goals at most critical points of hardly contested games. From all this, my readers may perceive that my ardour for this game by no means abated: In truth, if anything, it has increased by contrast with other games and sports.
During the summer I have taken my place in the cricket-field, with, I must confess, no very great success; my face has become well known on the river as one of our promising rovers, and in most other branches of athletics I have indulged, but at none of them have I had so much enjoyment as at a game of football. All were wanting in the animation which is to be obtained on a fine cold day in a game after a few kicks, and all seemed to me as mere accessories to help passing away the summer until suitable weather for football should arrive. So when cricketers pulled long faces at the continuance of the wet and cold weather, and aquatics become rather stale after the regatta, my soul rejoiced as the first notes of preparation were sounded by the different clubs, and my heart expanded as I walked through the town, and contemplated the piles of balls in the shops.
There could not be better weather for playing than what we have at present, and there is every prospect of its continuance, and of our having a fine long season. All the clubs are waking into activity early this year, and everything gives promises of a good season's play, better perhaps than any for the last two or three years. The programme of matches will, no doubt, this year be a very good one and will excite a great deal of interest. All the club from the last year will be well and worthily represented, and, in addition, there is some talk of a new one being formed, viz. the Hotham, through a division in the Carlton Club, the same as took place in the cricket club. If this occurs, it may somewhat weaken Carlton, but not perhaps to any appreciable extent; as it would cause another good club to spring up, it may be desirable that division should take place.
The Melbourne Club will be as strong as it was last year and will maintain its title of premier club, both in respect to the age of the club and by the play. I am sorry to see that the ground in the Richmond-paddock on which the Melbourne Club is accustomed to play is in such a bad state, worse than ever it was before. In addition to the ground in most places being quite hard and bare, and having several deep ruts, or rather gullies, a path has been lately made across it at the Richmond end. Altogether, I do not well see how the club can, without some great improvement is made, play on this ground, and I would advise the members to look out for a fresh one.
All the other clubs have very good grounds, that of Carlton especially being very fine, though in rather an out-of-the-way situation. The Albert-parkites will present a very good team this year, and their club being an improving one it will take a good deal to beat them. They have a great many members and have commenced practice early so that they have every opportunity to make a successful season—perhaps to beat both Melbourne and Carlton, the disputants for the championship. The South Yarra will also, it is to be hoped, make a good show this year. As there has not been so much talk as there was at the beginning of last year and more earnest action there is a chance of the club coming out strong. Towards the end of last year they had a very fair team, mostly youngsters, in whom there will be a great improvement.
Besides matches between the above-mentioned clubs, there will very likely be one or two with the University, Civil Service, &c. and I believe the soldiers of the 18th Regiment, if they stay long enough here, will be willing to try conclusions with some of the clubs. It would also be a very amusing match, and one that would take very well, if the policemen would again play. Twenty picked men from the police force ought, with a little practice, to be able to hold their own with the best team that could be brought against them.
As the meeting of secretaries will shortly take place for the purpose of arranging the programme for the season, I would again urge them to come to some arrangement for the purpose of decreasing the number of drawn games. During last season I suggested a plan by which a goal was to be scored if the ball was kicked behind the goal posts a certain number of times. If this plan were agreed to be tried, it would be almost certain to have a good effect, and I know that some of our best players are pretty confident of its efficacy.
Footnotes
Title: Prospects of the season
Author: Fair Play
Publisher: The Australasian (Melbourne, Victoria, 1864-1946)
Date: 30 April 1870, p.12 (Article)
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