Laurie Nash's big day out
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Kicking a record score for interstate games between the two States, Victoria inflicted an overwhelming defeat by 105 points on South Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today. The final scores were:
Victoria. 30.19 199 d South Australia. 14.10.94.
The previous best score in these games was Victoria's 21.19 in Melbourne in 1927.
The outstanding figure in the game was Nash, who gave a brilliant exhibition at the goalfront. He kicked 18 goals, including 13 in succession — easily a record. Although this tally is a record between these two States, it is five goals behind the biggest total scored in interstate matches; Bonny Campbell kicked 23 goals for Western Australia against Queensland in the 1924 carnival in Hobart. The South Australians, except for patches in the first half, were badly beaten at all points. The visitors' small men were the only players to hold their own against Victoria.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Backs: Quinn, Fisher, Reval.
Half-backs: Read, Cockburn, Jarvis.
Centres: MacKay, Sallis, Dermody.
Half-forwards: Murdy, Pontifex, Walter.
Forwards: Parry, Farmer, Bender.
Ruck: Johnston., Woodroote, Hooper.
Reserve: Bridgman
VICTORIA
Backs: A. Collier, Regan, O'Neill.
Half-backs: Huxtable, Davis, Gaudion.
Centres: Muller, La Fontaine, Reynolds.
Half-forwards: Shea, Nash, Collins.
Forwards: Beames, Mohr, Stewart.
Ruck: Bissett, Ware, Bunton.
Reserve: Anderson
Umpire: R. Scott
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Bisset won the toss and gave Victoria first use of a fair breeze that blew towards the Richmond goal. The Victorians were too fast for South Australia in the first five minutes, winning in the rucks, and leading in the race for the ball. Cockburn burst through once to relieve the pressure, but not until goals had come from Mohr and Bunton did the attacks ease.
Strong work by Woodroofe in ruck, aided by dashing work by Dermody. got South Australia through to goal, where Hender snapped a major. Then Farmer kicked one of the best goals of his career to level the scores. Marking over Davis on the boundary, he drop-kicked the ball through from an acute angle. Parry missed an easy chance soon after, running into an open goal and kicking only a behind.
South Australia was now matching Victoria in pace and vigor, and there was little between the teams in any department. The Victorians were going all out now, but the South Australian backs held them safely. But under constant pressure, the South Australian backs showed a tendency to wander and Victoria, quick to take advantage of any lapse, made a paralysing burst that saw four goals go up in quick succession from Shea, Nash (2), and Mohr. Parry went down as a result of a hard bump and had to be carried from the ground. Bridgman replaced him and was immediately sent into the ruck in an attempt to steady the Victorian rush.
The Victorians were now playing fine, dashing football and the South Australian forwards were practically spectators, watching the backmen fight valiantly to stem the tide. The home side was superior in the rucks and and centre. Nash was playing a fine game at centre half-forward. Ware goaled twice and Mohr once for Victoria before the end of the term giving Victoria a lead of 47 points at the first change.
First Quarter: VICTORIA. 9.6.60 v SA. 2.1.13
Mohr left the field with a broken finger at quarter time, and Anderson replaced him. It was learned that Parry had not been seriously hurt, having suffered a kick behind a leg.
Realising the seriousness of their position South Australia set out with a will to retrieve the position. Playing fine, open football, and going through with determination. South Australia had three goals on the board in quick time. Hender kicked the first, Bridgman twisted out of a pack into an open goal for the next, then Sallis dashed through from centre to goal again, all in the space of five minutes. It was a great burst.
Only for inaccurate passing, South Australian would have scored more in the play that followed. Bad kicking allowed the Victorian backs to make many interceptions. Beames found no trouble in scoring Victoria's tenth goal. A pass found Fisher out of position and Beames ran 60 yards into an open goal.
Hender, starring for South Australia, was scouting well in the forward lines and going into the crushes strongly. Jarvis was switched to centre halfback in an endeavor to give South Australia more height and to block the direct route to goal for Victoria. At the other end Pontifex went to half-forward right, bringing Murdy to centre half-forward. Cockburn was now at half-back left.
Nash got the eleventh goal for Victoria with a lucky shot. The ball landed in front of goal from an angle shot and bounced through. Making a game fight, South Australia burst through for Johnston to goal at long range. They were holding Victoria everywhere now. Goals from Collins and Ware and a fine angle goal from Nash were sandwiched in between full points from Hender, Bridgman, Farmer, and Hooper for South Australia. South Australia's small men had given the side an opportunity to make up part of their leeway, but the rucks at best were only breaking even with Victoria. At half-time Victoria's lead had been whittled down to 27 points. South Australia would have been much closer but for inaccurate passing.
Half-time: VICTORIA. 14.7.91 v SA. 10.4.64
Victoria, playing with exceptional pace and tearing through the crushes, soon had South Australia defending desperately. Bunton, who was now roving in brilliant fashion, kicked the first goal, and then Nash, playing the full forward game effectively, got his fifth and the team's sixteenth, major.
South Australia was not reproducing the form that paralysed Victoria in Adelaide. The players were wandering from their positions, and were overdoing handball. Their pace, too, had dwindled, while the Victorians were going as fast as when they started. Dermody was the only man of South Australia's centre line to hold his own, few others in the side were playing anywhere near their best form.
Four more goals from Nash, with five singles for the quarter, gave Victoria a lead of 68 points. Nash was beating Fisher pointless at the goal front. Up to this stage he had kicked five goals for the term and nine for the whole game. Interest in the game began to die with Victoria more than double South Australia's score. Victoria was winning everywhere now and when Nash snapped his tenth goal Victoria had put on 51 points for the quarter, with only one point scored for South Australia. South Australia still battled on but most of their attacks petered out at half-forward, where the Victorians were too strong for the opposition. When Nash goaled again he had kicked seven goals for the quarter. At the last change Victoria had an unbeatable lead of 82 points—a crushing revenge for the defeat in Adelaide earlier in the season.
Third Quarter: VICTORIA. 22.16.148 v SA. 10.6.66
The only point of interest in the game now was the margin Victoria would win by. A single from Hooper was all South Australia could manage, and then Nash flashed into the picture again with two goals. He had kicked the last nine goals for Victoria from 11 shots. His tally so far was 13 for the game. Victoria was now 91 points in front. Regan outmarked Farmer at the goal front three times when South Australia went forward. The best the Adelaide men could do was two singles from Walter and Bridgman. When Pontifex goaled for South Australia half-way through the quarter it was South Australia's first goal since before half-time.
Nash's tenth goal in succession came after he had outmarked Fisher. Then he equalled Pratt's record in Victorian league football this season by kicking his fifteenth goal. He had booted the last 11 goals scored by Victoria. Chief interest now centred on Nash, and the crowd roared lustily every time he got near the ball. He was certainly giving them thrills. Nash carried his goal tally to 17 before his run of successive shots was interrupted. After Hooper had kicked South Australia's fourteenth goal. Bunton got a major, and then Nash hoisted his eighteenth just as the bell sounded, giving Victoria victory by 105 points.
Final Quarter: VICTORIA. 30.19.199 v SA. 14.10.94
GOALKICKERS
Victoria: Nash (18), Bunton, Ware, Mohr (3), Shea, Collins, Beames.
South Australia: Hender (4), Hooper, Farmer, Bridgman, Johnston (2), Pontifex, Sallis.
BEST PLAYERS
Victoria: Nash, Bunton, La Fontaine, Reynolds, Shea, Davis, Collier.
South Australia: Hender, Hooper, Woodroofe, Johnston, Dermody, Quinn, Bridgman.
Footnotes
Title: SA Crushingly defeated in Melbourne
Author: Mail Staff Writer
Publisher: Mail (Adelaide, SA: 1912 - 1954)
Date: Saturday, 11 August 1934
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