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South Melbourne vs St. Kilda

Scoreboard | Match report | Match statistics

Round: 5   Venue: Lake Oval   Date: Sat, 23-05-1914 3:00 pm   Crowd: 28,000  
South Melbourne 2.2.145.5.358.8.5611.11.77 C:  Vic Belcher
St. Kilda 4.3.276.8.447.11.539.12.66 C:  Dave McNamara
  STK by 13STK by 9STH by 3STH by 11  

Match Report

THE UMPIRE'S MATCH

SPOILED BY THE WHISTLE - SOUTH'S' NEGATIVE VICTORY

There were over 28,000 people to see the match between South Melbourne and St. Kilda on the South Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. With all the circumstances favourable, there was expectation of a keen, fast, and great game, and all the expectations would no doubt have been realised but for the fact that a novice in umpiring had been appointed to the match. His knowledge of the rules was simply fatal. It was not that he knew too little; he knew far too much. He interpreted everything to the letter, looked for trivial faults—they could hardly be called offences—and managed to spoil utterly what should have been one of the great games of the season.

Apparently new instructions had been issued on certain points, and the umpire, conscientious, no doubt, injudicious always, was determined that nothing should escape him. He had the courage of his convictions, his eyesight was fatally keen; the result was that, whenever the game looked like brightening up, the umpire's whistle stopped it. Players finally got confused, they began to look for free kicks, instead of devoting themselves to legitimate effort, and some of the best men in both teams found their brightest play wasted. It was the more to be regretted because both sides were playing in a fine, sporting spirit, there was not during the day a single case of what might be called rough or unfair play. The things that were punished were technical, even trivial, in the extreme. When so much has been said, there is very little else left to say about the match that can be of any public interest.

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The one thing which probably counted for South Melbourne's victory—because, on the merits, it should have been a draw—was that the vagaries of a shifting wind rather favoured them. It was never a very great advantage, because goals were got freely at both ends, but at half-time when each side had had all the benefit that lay in the wind for a quarter, it shifted suddenly from the north east to north west so that South Melbourne got it got two terms in succession. Then, half-way through the last quarter, it shifted again, so that the home team's share in the benefit was seen by 2½, as against St. Kilda's 1½. That, however, did not wholly account for their victory. In the last term, when St. Kilda had points to make up, when they were driving it hard down the centre, and concentrating there, the only policy that could have reasonably served them, South Melbourne showed themselves tacticians, and this was notably true of their backs. They invariably drove it out to the wings, and at that particular stage their wing men were doing more than those of St. Kilda, because they were almost invariably left alone, and got the ball without opposition. South Melbourne's wing play during that particular term was one of the few features that, by permission of the umpire, was allowed to develop. Just towards the end he did give the players a little more rope but it was very little, in comparison to earlier stages; but it was then too late to save the game from failure. I will run briefly only over the leading incidents of the match.

1st Quarter

It started with success for St. Kilda. From and within a few seconds Cazaly scored a goal with a running shot. Then Mullaly, Caldwell, and Kelly got the ball up to the St. Kilda posts, and Morgan missed from a hurried kick. Tandy gave Freeman a chance to score South Melbourne's first goal. St. Kilda's second was got by Cazaly as a result of good play by Eicke, Cumberland, and Schmidt. Morgan soon made it even again by tipping it through from a scramble in front for the South. Kelly had a shot, which went to the left of the posts. Then a pass from McNamara with a punt gave the Saints their third goal, and from a free kick in front McNamara scored the fourth. St. Kilda had 4 goals 3 behinds at quarter-time to South Melbourne's 2 goals 2 behinds.

2nd Quarter

After good play by Sloss and Rusich, S. Hiskins scored the third goal for the South. Then Charge got it out cleverly to Freeman, who scored fourth, and they were equal with 4 goals 3 behinds apiece. From that point St. Kilda went ahead again. Hiskins had a shot for the South, and hit the goal post. Soon afterwards Jory, from a difficult angle, did the same thing for St. Kilda, and before the pressure was raised Phillips got their fifth goal. So it went on, goal for goal, for clever little Freeman snapped the ball through for the South. Next, from the efforts of Baird and McNamara, Gant was enabled score sixth for St. Kilda, and at half-time they were 6 goals 8 behinds to South Melbourne's 5 goals 5 behinds.

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1914 R6b

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3rd Quarter

Early in the third term South Melbourne began to make up their leeway. Kelly got their sixth goal, and Sloss, from a difficult shot on the wing, scored the seventh, so South Melbourne were for the first time ahead by 2 points. They never lost that lead again. Kelly played to Rusich, who with a running shot got the eighth goal, and just on the change, Woodcock placed it with McNamara, who coolly punted seventh for St. Kilda. The scores at three-quarter time were:—South Melbourne, 8 goals 8 behinds; St. Kilda, 7 goals 11 behinds.

4th Quarter

There was every promise of an exciting finish, but South Melbourne had a burst of success in the early part of the last term, which practically settled it. Hair passed the ball to Kelly, who with a running shot got their ninth goal. Soon afterwards Kelly tried a longer shot. Morgan marked it right between the posts and easily scored tenth goal. St. Kilda made gallant but unavailing efforts, Cumberland doing splendidly then. He got it from Gant, and scored their eighth goal, but the advantage was lost in a few seconds for Freeman got it from Belcher, went in with a rush, and got eleventh and last goal for the South. Before the finish McNamara scored St. Kilda's ninth, and the final was:

SOUTH MELBOURNE, 11 goals 11 behinds (77 points).
ST. KILDA, 9 goals 12 behinds (66 points).

On the winning side I have not often seen Mullaly to greater advantage. He was a cool, effective, and clever player all though, while Rusich, although he had to be warned about the childish habit of hitting the ball out of his opponents' hands after a mark, also played very good football. Both Prince and Tandy were very nearly at their best, Prince's coolness being especially valuable. Belcher's consistency and his clever hand play in a crush were useful. Charge was much below his form of recent games, yet a prominent man. Deas was doing splendid work for them as a full back, until he hurt his knee, and was unable to kick off afterwards. Sloss, as usual, played his best game towards the finish. Both Freeman and Kelly were conspicuous amongst the forwards, the first-named getting three goals and Kelly two. Hair seems to be playing on, and Payne made a satisfactory first appearance.

On the St. Kilda side Jory was a useful man, both in the ruck and a place. Eicke, as usual, shaped exceedingly well back, and Cumberland was at his best when St. Kilda needed his best, but no man on either side was more puzzled and baulked by the decisions of the umpire, and Cumberland is above all a fair player. There was probably no better man in St. Kilda ranks than Baird on the half-back line, and they greatly regret his impending departure for Sydney. Neither McNamara nor Schmidt were so conspicuous as in recent games. McNamara took a fair number of marks, and had an even greater number of free kicks given to him through the technical offences of a novice (Payne), who was trying to stop him, and did it remarkably well. Cazaly played a first-rate game forward. Woodcock struggled manfully in their ruck, and Phillips was brisk and useful.

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Footnotes

Title: The umpire's match. Spoiled by the whistle. South's negative victory.
Author: Observer
Publisher: The Argus (Melbourne, Vic: 1848 - 1957)
Date: Monday, 25 May 1914, p.8
Web: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article7246495

PHOTOS
Title: Snapshots at the League football match. St Kilda v. South Melbourne. Played at South Melbourne Cricket Ground and won by South Melbourne.
Photographer: Allan Studios, Collingwood
Publisher: Punch (Melbourne, Vic: 1900 - 1918; 1925)
Date: Thursday 28 May 1914, p.22
Web: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129698810

Thanks to Stephen Wade for helping to prepare this report.

Match stats

South Melbourne Match Stats Career
# Player K M H D G B HO T FF FA Age Games G
1 Belcher, Vic 0 25y 272d 138 59
2 Caldwell, Jim 0 25y 285d 84 11
5 Charge, Les 1 22y 300d 47 40
8 Deas, Bob 0 27y 248d 73 70
9 Freeman, Jack 3 22y 189d 8 14
6 Hair, Ben 0 21y 236d 5 0
11 Hennington, Bill 0 23y 2 0
15 Hiskins, Stan 1 23y 355d 19 25
14 Kelly, Harvey 2 31y 60d 76 117
24 Morgan, Harry 2 25y 60d 5 5
17 Mullaly, Dick 0 21y 338d 31 6
29 Payne, George 0 20y 176d 1 0
19 Prince, Joe 0 28y 235d 74 6
20 Rademacher, Arthur 0 24y 177d 24 0
18 Rusich, Les 1 25y 14d 35 21
22 Saltau, Harry 0 22y 248d 29 0
21 Sloss, Bruce 1 25y 122d 71 33
27 Tandy, Mark 0 21y 262d 31 2
  Rushed   11  
  Totals         11 11         24y 165d 753 409
St. Kilda Match Stats Career
# Player K M H D G B HO T FF FA Age Games G
14 Angwin, Bill 0 23y 71d 9 1
9 Baird, Des 0 25y 331d 36 7
22 Cazaly, Roy 2 21y 130d 31 10
19 Chapman, Bert 0 22y 173d 4 0
18 Collins, Ted 0 20y 243d 25 7
4 Cumberland, Vic 1 36y 323d 146 77
25 Donald, Bobby 0 20y 74d 3 1
11 Eicke, Wels 0 20y 238d 77 26
17 Ellis, Reg 0 23y 90d 24 0
23 Foo, Ernie 0 22y 297d 2 0
27 Gant, Wally 1 23y 320d 45 6
16 Hattam, Harrie 0 23y 320d 59 2
5 Jory, Percy 0 25y 153d 33 12
1 Lever, Harry 0 28y 138d 141 6
2 McNamara, Dave 3 27y 121d 69 86
6 Phillips, Len 1 24y 39d 5 6
7 Schmidt, Billy 1 26y 145d 114 112
24 Woodcock, Bill 0 25y 328d 112 37
  Rushed   12  
  Totals         9 12         24y 215d 935 396

‡ Approximate age

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.