Australian Football

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Member Details (Brian Membrey)

Once a Jolly Ruckman ....

...camped by a behind post? Very old Fitzroy fans would turn in their graves, not so old would shake their heads when the club in 1962 moved to change its  song.
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Posted by Brian Membrey, 20th Jun
7,157 views
3 comments

The Camp Team

In 1915, League premiers Carlton took on The Camp Team. As Brian Membrey explains, it was all in a good cause.
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Posted by Brian Membrey, 18th Jun
6,472 views
1 comments

The Association's Day of Days

In 1938, the VFA abandoned a clearance agreement with the VFL, attracting many stars to its ranks. The Grand Final was played after the VFL's, before 50,000 fans.
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Posted by Brian Membrey, 18th Mar
6,772 views
2 comments

The First To The 'G

Which two football teams were the first to officially play on the Melbourne Cricket Ground and when did the match take place? The answer will be a shock to most!
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Posted by Brian Membrey, 20th Dec
7,909 views
0 comments

The Mornington tragedy

Commemorations of the Bali bombing and the loss of Kingsley FC members recall our game's first major tragedy, the drowning of 12 Mornington players in 1892.
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Posted by Brian Membrey, 16th Oct
7,767 views
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1879 Night Footy at the "G"

With 18 teams, the AFL could not survive without regular night football, but it may surprise many that the first night football at the MCG dates all the way back to 1879.
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Posted by Brian Membrey, 5th Oct
10,962 views
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The Last Post

Football being brought to a halt mid-quarter is unusual. Famous examples include lights going out, sprinklers coming on, even "Plugger's Pig". But for a funeral?
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Posted by Brian Membrey, 10th Sep
9,089 views
2 comments

Colliewobbles

The term "Colliewobbles", thought to have been derived from our local game, does not originate from Collingwood's inability to win key finals games.
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Posted by Brian Membrey, 22nd Jun
9,460 views
2 comments
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Brian Membrey

Ranked Senior Player ✭✭✭

Goals 396 What's this?

Joined 21st Jun 2012

Last seen 3rd Jun 2015

Teams

AFL: Fitzroy (VIC)

Local: West Preston Lakeside (VIC)

About Me

A long-time researcher in football in the nineteenth century. Unfortunately I crossed paths with australianfootball.com with my own site ozsportshistory.com. Some of the ozsportshistory.com articles are reposted on the Australian Football site, but most are cut-down versions of the original for the sake of brevity.

Favourite Players

Right about now, Ahmed Saad from St. Kilda, a Bullant when Bullants were allowed to exist, lovely young man who came with a smile on his face and left with an even bigger one.

Favourite Moment

20 August, 1978, second last round of the V.F.A. Preston safely in second place up against arch-rivals Coburg at Coburg. The 'burgers must win to sneak into the finals. After trailing by 39 points at half time, Preston inch their way back without any real burst of scoring, and the crowd is suddenly surprised when a goal with minutes to go has the teams level on the scoreboard. A point to either side follows, then the siren sounds, 17.12 apiece. A draw! Coburg supporters delve into their Records, and yes, two points barring shock final round results will get them in. Thousands are heading for the gates, but just in front of me, a 70-plus man is loudly telling anyone who will listen "I don't care what the scoreboard says, Preston won by a point" (expletives deleted) and waving his Record in the air. "One VB too many" everyone thought, but as I look up, I see Harold Martin and two or three other Preston players practically carrying the goal umpire from the far end of the ground towards the centre, pointing all the while at the scoreboard. Oops, the same scene at the other end and a load murmur goes round the crowd. Rather than leaving, around a thousand people are now pushing back into the ground and suddenly you could hear a pin drop. The field umpires order the Preston players away, the Coburg team are in a huddle, hoping against hope. The goal umpires seem to be taking an interminably long time checking their cards; suddenly a roar goes up as they nod their agreement and start the slow march towards the scoreboard ... Coburg 17.12.114 defeated by Preston, 17.13.115

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.