Australian Football

Match Report

Melbourne triumphant

On Saturday the Melbourne team met Geelong, and scored an even more decisive victory than against South Melbourne. The plain truth is that when such fliers as Sheehan, Moysey, McGinis, Woods, Goding, Herring, Lewis, and Mitchell play on one side it takes a clipping twenty to beat them, and Geelong were not nearly fast enough for the task. The only point of the game at which the visitors held their own was high marking, but if Melbourne men could not get at the ball in the air they could, and did effectually prevent Geelong getting it often.

The finest things on the Melbourne side were the cool and quick exchanges of their forwards, who were all playing for Leith, and the style in which the half-backs dashed out as a body to meet every assault. With a man like Banks or Burns for their goal front theirs would be a difficult defence to break down. They showed had judgment in still playing for Leith when the Geelong backs had "spotted" the game and were watching him closely.

As will be seen from the scores the game was practically over at half-time, when Melbourne had 34 points to 8, but all through they continued to run rings round their opponents, who with flashes of the true Geelong form, got occasional goals, but were emphatically outpaced in a game marred by scarcely a scrimmage. It was not, however, so fine a spectacle as the match at South Melbourne a week earlier, mainly because the young umpire who had charge of the game was over particular.

The group of players I have already named did great work for Melbourne, and everyone was delighted with the play of Herring, a grammar school boy, who was in it from start to finish, playing most attractive football. Of the others, Robinson, Watson, and Sutton played good football, but Young had bad luck with the snap shots which are his forte, for though he got one through two others hit the post, one of Leith's shots being also a poster. The last named, however, bagged four goals, and it was amusing at times to watch Moodie, Fry, M'Ginis, and Moysey playing hand ball round Leith until one of them got it in the right position for a 10 yards mark.

One of the finest things in the game was a run by young Goding from the half-back line, which he finished up with a goal. Geelong had altogether too many passengers, and had to run in a couple of emergencies just as the train was leaving.

Two men who stood out above all others on their side were Burns and Rankin, the veteran's cool marking in goal and well-timed rushes saving Geelong repeatedly. Whether roving or half-back, Rankin worked gallantly for his colours. Pontin, half-back, had a happy knack of holding marks that seemed to have got clean over his head, though he was once partly stunned when taking one of these, as his feet flew from under him, and his head came on the hard turf with paralysing force. Patterson also played a good defensive game. On the wing both Holligan and McCallum were occasionally seen to advantage: Joe M'Shane worked hard; his brother. Henry was smart at times; and Enfield, whose name promised good shooting, got two of the goals.