A footy match 'behind the lines'
A WWI match at the Queen's Club, Kensington in London is famous but there were other matches, in far less pleasant surroundings, writes Brian Membrey.
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AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game
A WWI match at the Queen's Club, Kensington in London is famous but there were other matches, in far less pleasant surroundings, writes Brian Membrey.
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...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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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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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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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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Offences against umpires are luckily few and far between these days, but what of an incident way back in 1905 when an umpire was found guilty on a striking charge?
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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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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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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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A remarkable story of Port Melbourne's first visit to the so-called "Land of Bacon and Milk" to play the season's Association newcomers, Preston.
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Brian Membrey tells the remarkable story of a humble coastal trading vessel that had a significant impact on the local game for over 100 years!
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Final score : 14.18.102 to 4.6.30. Take a 12 goal win any day of the week. Right? Well, maybe not ..
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A remarkable piece of memorabilia sits in Essendon’s Windy Hill museum, a silver cup presented to their first "best and fairest", Archie Graham, in 1874.
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We have upsets all the time in our great game, but perhaps one in 1936 was notable in the way it was achieved ...
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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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Brian Membrey
Ranked Senior Player ✭✭✭
Goals 396 What's this?
Joined 21st Jun 2012
Last seen 3rd Jun 2015
AFL: Fitzroy (VIC)
Local: West Preston Lakeside (VIC)
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.
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.
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