Australian Football

Matson's Great Influence on W.A. Football

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ALL football followers are eagerly awaiting the clash between South Australia and Western Australia, at the Adelaide Oval next Saturday.

The team chosen to represent Western Australia this season is very much lighter than those of former years but spectators can rest assured that they will see a hard-bumping, vigorous, and skilful eighteen. Since the days when the late Phil Matson took over the task of remodelling West Australian football, that State has improved considerably.

Always a hard player himself, Matson set himself out to build a team able to match Victoria in every way. The climax came in the 1924 carnival at Hobart when Victoria and Western Australia fought a stirring battle. It was a battle in every sense of the word, for no quarter was asked and none was given. Every man on each side threw every ounce of his strength into the game. I was not fortunate enough to see this game, but those who saw it described it as the greatest ever played.

Many years later, during my sojourn with the Lefroy Club in Hobart, I often had this game played over again for my benefit. Victoria won this great game, but the match created a lot of ill-feeling which did not die down for years. Although, as I have stated, Victoria won, Western Australia definitely established themselves as Victoria's greatest rivals.

Two years after this game I was a member of the South Australian team to visit Western Australia, and Matson was still carrying on the good work. He had some wonderful talent to work on, namely "Staunch" Owens, Gosnells, Craig, Sherlock, Guhl, "Bonnie" Campbell, Johnny Leonard, Sparrow, and many other fine players whose performances are still fresh in our memories.

Matson would have no truck with a player whose courage was in doubt, and every man was taught to hit hard and often. But football skill was not abandoned for this type of game. The players were disciplined and taught to play as a combined team, with wonderful results.

Matson has since passed away, but his great work still lives, and each succeeding West Australian team bears the mark of Matson's greatness as a football coach. It was indeed a good day's work done by West Australian officials when Matson was appointed in that capacity. But after seeing many of their leading players transfer to Victoria, the officials quickly realised that they must act if West Australian football was to continue to prosper.

Good offers were made to players from other States, and in the past two or three years many fine players have gone westward. This season alone three Victorian champions — Bunton, Shea, and Hardiman — decided to make their homes in Perth. What an acquisition to any State! I do not know many of the West Australian visitors personally, but the western State is very proud of its football, and one can rest assured that the side this season is a first-class one which will worthily uphold the prestige of Western Australia.

Probably the team chosen to represent South Australia will be altered somewhat from that which was trounced by Victoria, and maybe some of the lessons learnt from that game will be put into practice. Such being the case, a fine game would result.