The Camp Team
Controversy raged as to whether football should continue after the outbreak of the Great War in August, 1914.
With just three weeks to play in the home-and-away season plus finals, the "professional" Victorian Football League somewhat controversially opted to play out the 1914 season (a decision perhaps influenced by the fact that the League had incurred significant losses following a decision the play the Third Australian National Football Council championships in Sydney in an attempt to develop a national code).
After the initial burst of British nationalism and the excitement of the chance to serve the "Mother Country", the reality was that any immediate contribution from Australia to the Great War was in effect, impossible, given Geoffrey Blainey's classic phrase "the tyranny of distance".
But attitudes were a little different prior to the 1915 season, despite the fact that Australians were yet to see action on the battlefield. Many commentators bemoaned the reluctance of Victoria's leading footballers and cricketers to join up with the Expeditionary Forces, and despite the criticism, an unknown spokesman from the 1914 premiers, Carlton, made a major faux pas in boasting "we have so many players remaining that we have little room for recruits ...". The unfortunate remarks were widely quoted in local newspapers following an address to the students at Wesley College by the famous educator and fierce adversary of professionalism in any form of sport, Lawrence "Dickie" Adamson ... "the premiers of the League furnished one soldier, and in The Argus yesterday are reported to "have so many players that they have little room for recruits". But the premiers of the Amateur Football Association], South Yarra, have given to the war no less than 18 of those who played with them at various times last year. These are startling figures, although the general war odds could scarcely be so much as 18 to 1 on amateur versus professional".
The 1915 V.F.L. football season commenced on Saturday, April 24 – ironically the games played at the same time as many thousands of Australian volunteers were boarding troopships for their fateful voyage to the bloody shores of Gallipoli in the early hours of the following morning, April 25, the day that became embedded as perhaps the significant in the Australian psyche - Anzac Day.
As something of a rearguard action, the League attempted to raise a combined side, unsuccessfully as clubs were reluctant to interrupt the regular season, but eventually the two Grand Finalists, Carlton and Collingwood struck up an arrangement that premiers would play the “camp” team, the runners-up in a rare example of co-operation providing the jumpers and trainers for the soldiers.
Ultimately it was Carlton that played the Camp Team, the Football Record of 29 September 18, 1915 noting:
CAMP TEAM V. LEAGUE PREMIERS
Proceeds to be devoted to the Fund for Wounded Soldiers
The following League players now in camp have been selected to play against the winners of this afternoon's match on the Melbourne ground next Saturday:- Burleigh, Baud, Challis (Carlton); Rowan, Seddon, Jackson (Collingwood); Evans, Lilley (Melbourne); Sloss, Thomas (South Melbourne); Orchard, Heinz (Geelong); Sheehan, Danks, Nolan (Richmond); McIntosh (Essendon); King (Fitzroy); Lowrie (St. Kilda). If any of these cannot play they are requested to notify Mr. Wilson, secretary of the League, as early as possible.
If any vacancies occur in the team chosen they will be filled by the following:- Collins, Heron (Fitzroy); Fraser, Lowell (Melbourne); Triplett, Fielding (Carlton); Freeman (South Melbourne).
The match attracted a somewhat disappointing 6,000 spectators to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, £218 collected at the gate for the Wounded Soldier's Fund, with another £30 contributed by M.C.C. members who sportingly opted not to use their entitlement to free entry (the day was described as somewhat warm with a strong dusty wind that may have deterred many spectators).
The two teams lined up as follows -
Camp:
Backs: | Percy Rodriguez (Melbourne) | Arthur Danks (Richmond) | Fred McIntosh (University/Essendon) |
H-Backs: | J. A. Evans (Melbourne) | Alf. Baud (Carlton) | Charlie Lilley (Melbourne) |
Centres: | James Jackson (Collingwood) | Jack Sheehan (Collingwood/Richmond) | Claude Thomas (St. Kilda) |
H-Forwards: | George Challis (Carlton) | Herb Burleigh (Carlton) | William Orchard (Geelong) (captain) |
Forwards: | Percy Heron (Fitzroy) | Fred Fielding (Carlton) | Bruce Sloss (South Melbourne) |
Followers: | George King (Fitzroy) | Harry Collins (Fitzroy) | George Heinz (Haines) (Geelong) |
and the Carlton lineup:
Backs: | Frank Rigaldi | Ernie Jamieson | McDonald |
H-Backs: | Steven Leehane | William "Billy" Dick (captain) | Edward "Ted" Brown |
Centres: | William Robinson | Rod McGregor | Harvey Kelly |
H-Forwards: | Vivian Valentine | Charlie Fisher | Joe Shortell |
Forwards: | Charlie Hammond | Vin Gardiner | Jack Howell |
Followers: | Paddy O'Brien | Percy Daykin |
There was, of course, no concept of an "interchange bench" or even substitution of injured players for another 15 years in League circles - the old show-business saying (in wishing someone good luck) of "break a leg, and the go out in slay them in the aisles", applied, quite literally, to the football field!
The Soldiers were led by 1914-15 Geelong captain, Billy Orchard.
It was no great surprise that most of the modest crowd were barracking for the soldiers - as was apparently the umpire, Jack Elder in the first half . Many of the reports on the game suggested that "... the soldiers were difficult to identify in the black-and-white stripes". Carlton led by just four points at quarter time, but with a freshening wind, the volunteers dominated the second term to lead by 17 points at half-time, 7.4 to 4.5.
The Leader noted 'the game was hardly as earnest as a club fixture, but both the players and spectators appeared to enjoy it thoroughly ... but the soldiers understandably were a little lacking in teamwork". Over the years, the third term has become known as "the premiership quarter, and thus it appeared, Carlton kicking six goals in nine minutes, the final scores:
1st | 2nd | 3rd | FULL TIME | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carlton | 3.5 | 4.5 | 12.8 | 13.11(89) |
Soldiers | 3.1 | 7.4 | 9.4 | 10.9(69) |
Best : Carlton : O'Brien, Valentine, McGregor, Robinson, Fisher, Daykin and Sharp. The soldiers were best represented by Evans "whose dashing back play was the one of the features of the game", Baud, Orchard, Fielding and Heinz.
Carlton throughout the season earned something of a reputation for strong last quarters. "The Leader", a weekly digest of news items extracted from the daily Argus newspapers perhaps revealed the secret ... :
"The secret of Carlton's great last quarters is attributed by the "hon. coach", Norman "Hackenschmidt" Clarke, to the invigorating qualities of the beef tea which is given to players at three-quarter time. The coach was enlarging on the virtues of this special tonic the other day when a controversy took place on the respective merits of beef tea and sherry and lime juice as stimulants. Clarke has been in other branches of athletics than football, and he has seen, and perhaps tasted, many brands of liquids with alleged sustaining qualities, but he gives beef tea his first choice. Collingwood, it might be mentioned, relies chiefly on sherry and lime juice and chewing gum".
Footnotes
For the complete article including Adamson's full speech, a military history of the Camp players and just why Heinz and Haynes were one and the same, check out www.ozsportshistory.com/melbournerules/1915campteam.html
Comments
Brian Membrey 19 June 2013
On viewing this after posting, I suddenly realised I had Carlton as one man short - the missing rover was Athol Sharp.
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