Australian Football

Match Report

The final match. Melbourne premiers. A magnificent contest.

Twenty thousand people, who contributed nearly £500 at the gates, assembled on the East Melbourne Cricket-ground to witness the final contest for the premiership of the season 1900, and for well-nigh two hours the large crowd was stirred to enthusiasm by magnificent play, the earnestness of the players, and by the fact that to the ringing of the final bell the issue was in doubt.

Fitzroy, who were the favourites, had their picked team afield, while Melbourne had made some slight alterations in their eighteen, C. Gardner and Ryan resuming their places, and Sowden (injured in the Essendon match) and Eric Gardner standing down. Two balls had been specially made for the match by Mr. Tom Sherrin — one for each half—and neither could have been improved upon.

First quarter

Melbourne were defending the railway goal, and on the bounce Drohan got the ball and tried to run, but Hay intervened, and Drohan lost his chance. Wardill opened the scoring with a behind, which but for the watchfulness of Moriarty would have been a goal. Moriarty was specially useful between the posts all day, and in this position saved his side on three occasions when goals seemed certain. A beautiful mark, the forerunner of many more of the same nature, by Grace resulted in Barker putting up a behind, and a moment later he raised the two flags and a tremendous cheer with another running shot. There was a flerce battle on the Jolimont wing for awhile, and Herring and McGinis relieved to such effect that Moodie had a shot, but Grace came at the right moment with a splendid high mark. Ryan, from his kick, got a behind. Clever work by McGinis sent the ball across the goal to Leith, who returned the compliment, but Fitzroy relieved the pressure, only to be twice beaten back by Purse with two good runs, and Leith was again prominent forward. Then Fitzroy got to work with a grand chain of clever marks between Clarke, McSpeerin, McDougall, Kiernan, and Barker, and, the latter returning to Kiernan, the little man placed a behind. Then came Melbourne's turn, Leith, with a wonderful mark, putting up their first goal, and high-marking by Grace and Sloan were prominent features. Parkin was clearing the Melbourne goal well, and three clean half-distance marks between Herring, Wardill, and McGinis took the ball up the centre. McGinis had his shot, and Moriarty stopped it right in goal.

Ryan pounced for the ball, and as it dropped, working and turning cleverly, he got between Moriarty and Sharpe, and tipped it between the posts. It was a clever bit of work, and Melbourne people cheered Ryan for his cleverness as well as for their second goal. Fitzroy went in to equalise matters, and just at the bell rang, McDougall put on a behind, leaving the scores 2-3 to 1-4, in Melbourne's favour. It had been a fine quarter, and there was nothing in it to indicate the winners. Fitzroy had been trying to run with the ball a little too much perhaps, while Melbourne's chief fault lay in leaving their men.

Second quarter

As soon as the teams changed ends Beecham forwarded, and Grace again marked grandly, and dropped a goal. The play was all over the ground, and every man was doing his utmost. McEwan and Robinson relieved their goal, only to find two rushes by Purse bringing the ball back to them again. Fitzroy were having if anything the best of it at this stage, and there was no sparing of friend or foe. The defenders on both sides were very much in evidence, and nothing could have been finer than the work of Brosnan, Barker, Clarke, Grace, Sloan, Kiernan, Robinson, and Jenkins on one side, and of Herring, Moodie, McGinis, Wardill, Purse, Leith, McLelland, and Parkin on the other. Only two points separated the teams at half-time, the scores being 2-7 to 2-5. Fitzroy had the advantage but it was not by more than the scores indicated.

Third quarter

Melbourne began very strongly after the interval, Leith and McGinis interchanging unselfishly, and Wardill, with a clever turn, just missed a goal. A few minutes later he repeated the turn, but made no mistake in direction this time, and the two flags waved again. Jenkins's relief saved Fitzroy, and Grace and Kiernan working cleverly

Melbourne were hard put to it, but the backs, headed by Langley, beat them off again and again. There was a great struggle down in the righthand corner of Melbourne's defence for a while, until McGinis kicked right across his goal, hoping for Sholl to get the ball on a clear run. Sholl was slow in starting though, and the ball went out.

The change of wing made a difference to the Reds, who rallied brilliantly, Wardill, Hay, Geddes, and Ryan getting the ball up. Geddes was pushed, and a fine drop-kick put up fourth goal, and Melbourne, with the premiership—which had been denied to them for 24 long years—well within their reach, were delighted. Langley again relieved the pressure, and Wardill and Hay gave Ryan a chance, which Moriarty just saved.

It was a wonderfully fast game. Then for nearly a quarter of an hour Melbourne had to fight for dear life down in the corner on the Jolimont wing. Fitzroy were playing magnificent football, but they could not break through. The Melbourne backs, Purse and Langley in particular, together with the ruck, defied all opposition, and time and again drove the maroons back. Up and down the wing the battle raged, neither side flinching, though the knocks were hard and the falls numerous. Fitzroy were fighting for a goal, and a premiership was in the balance, but the quarter ended with no alteration. Melbourne had done all the scoring — 2 goals and 3 behinds — during the quarter, but it is only fair to Fitzroy to say their defenders had less work to do than the Melbourne backs.

Fourth quarter

When they changed ends, and the last 25 minutes of the 1900 season had begun, Melbourne led by 13 points, and the Fitzroy people thought that Melbourne's efforts in the third quarter would have told a tale, but Wardill began by attacking, and at no time during the quarter did they look like breaking up. For a long while Melbourne held the maroons back, and Rippon and Gardner, with nice runs, put Fitzroy on the defensive. Beecham lashed forward, and Sholl relieved, but Kieruan and Grace added behinds. A bad kick in by Sholl was marked by Kiernan, whose kick only raised one flag. Geddes took Sholl's place, and from his kick Young, Hay, Leith, and Ryan worked it down to Cumberland, who got Melbourne's 9th behind. Fitzroy were pressing hard forward, Clark and Robinson in the lead, but Langley, Herring, and Wardill were full of go, and Moodie and M'Ginis were working like tigers.

McSpeerin added another behind. A fine mark to McLelland turned the tide once more, and magnificent play by McGinis sent the ball to Leith. In the excitement Sloan threw McGinis heavily, and the crowd cried "Oh!" but in such a finish one cannot be carping, and Fitzroy were taking their gruel like men. They were defending their goal fiercely, but Wardill scored another behind before Hickey with fine dash sent the ball to Grace, and with only four minutes to play the third goal appeared for Fitzroy. Then came a desperate four minutes.

Hickey was working as if his life depended on the issue, and every man on the side threw his weight into the scale, but Gardner, Rippon, Herring, Parkin, and Sholl, in turn, forced back the rushes, until Barker with a running shot put on a behind. Almost immediately the bell rang, and Melbourne were the winners of the match and the premiership, the scores being — Melbourne, 4 goals 10 behinds, 34 points. Fitzroy, 3 goals 12 behinds, 30 points.

Summary

It was a magnificent match, played through-out in the best spirit imaginable. Fast, furious, and full of energy, it never was over rough, and Crapp, the umpire must be highly complimented on his handling of such a game. An interested spectator near me kept a tally of the free kicks, and at the end of the game he showed me his scores; each side had received the same number. Crapp has shown some fine umpiring before, but never has he appeared to such advantage as in this game, and he richly deserved the high praise awarded him afterwards.

Melbourne have every reason to be proud of their team, and in their dressing-room at the finish the scene was an indescribable one. Men whose allegiance to the red stockings has never wavered during all those 24 years were there. Jas. Farquhar, J. Beaumont, H. C. A. Harrison, A. F. Grey Smith, T. Hammill, Major Wardill, and others, perhaps younger, but none the less delighted, thronged the room, and cheered till they could cheer no more.

They chaired Wardill, they toasted him, and speeches were made all round. Then Sloan, the Fitzroy captain, came down from his dressing-room, and in a manly speech congratulated the winners. They had hoped to win, he said, and his congratulations must perforce be tinged with a little regret at being beaten. They had hoped and expected to win, but they had met their Waterloo, and on behalf of his team and himself he wished to congratulate Melbourne. They had been fairly and squarely beaten by a better team on the day, and next to Fitzroy he would have sooner seen Melbourne premiers than any other club. Everyone cheered him, and Sloan had only voiced the feelings of the crowd. The better team had undoubtedly won, and on the merits of the game no other result was possible. It was long after 6 o'clock before the last of the team left the
ground.

Best players

In mentioning the players I should be doing an injustice to both sides were I to attempt to deal with all the players who distinguished themselves and leave out anyone. I therefore propose to mention only a few on each side, and the trouble is where to draw the line. Three men must be singled out on the day — Moodie, Grace, and Wardill, in the order named. Moodie's wonderful work in the ruck was a great factor in Melbourne's success, and to him fell all the hard work in the crush, and he did it from start to finish, with credit to himself and advantage to his side. Wardill was more brilliant, perhaps, and made splendid use of the opportunities which Moodie put in his way. Grace was first in the match for high-marking, and his general play was splendid.

On the Melbourne side Langley's play in the third quarter was wonderful. He is only a school-boy, but during that trying time on the lower wing he was cool and sure as a veteran. With him Purse, Herring, McLelland, and Parkin were associated, and all four were in fine form, Purse especially so. McGinis roved admirably; his kicks were always telling, and his brains always of service to his side. His best work was done in the second half, and particularly in the third quarter.

For Fitzroy, next to Grace I would place Clarke, who played a strong and clever game in the centre, and hardly made a mistake. Jenkins was very effective in defence, and rushed the ball away in grand style; a tendency to roughness at times, though, must be debited against him. Hickey, on the halfback line, came through in fine form, and in the last quarter his dashes were heroic. In that quarter he showed the form which made him the champion last year. Robinson, on the wing, did many clever things, and his persistency was remarkable, Barker and Brosnan were good wherever they were, and both fought hard for their side.