Australian Football

Match Report

Geelong's inexperience

Essendon opened the season at Geelong, where they found the turf on the Corio Oval as hard as asphalt, and a twenty awaiting them composed largely of new men. Both sides sought luck in new leaders, Conway handling Geelong, while G. Stuckey was Essendon's elect.

Essendon, like Melbourne, began the game with a fine exhibition of half-distance kicking, and the Geelong novices playing wildly in first rate company were powerless to check them, so that the Red and Black bagged twenty points to nothing in the first quarter. In the second quarter Geelong began to hold their opponents and though few points were scored Geelong had the best of it.

In the second half both sides took the fullest advantage of the relaxed laws as to pushing behind, and men were sent spinning to earth whenever opportunity offered without, however, any exhibition of ill feeling on either side. The rules permitted it, and both sides were apparently anxious in illustrate the folly of the change. Geelong improved their play very greatly in this last half, their recruits showing altogether better form, and the toughness of the battle was proved in the points won - Essendon 25, Geelong 20.

From the half-line back Essendon's disposition was unquestionably sound. Officer was playing with his accustomed determination and dash until he injured his leg, and he had a strong support in the half-back line. where Collins, Anderson and Darey - the latter a West Melbourne junior, all did their work thoroughly, Anderson especially playing plucky and clever football. Groves in the centre was one of the best men on the field, but George Stuckey found his anxieties as captain greatly increased by the persistent attentions of Quilligan, a Geelong colt, who kept the Essendon dasher well in hand throughout. Wright played first rate football in the later stages of the game. Waugh and Hastings forward contributed breeze, attractive football- the first-named getting two goals, while Graham also secured two. Forbes and Barry, who were so conspicuous in Essendon's close play last year, were right up to form. "Tracker" going through the two hours hard play with wonderful vim. Essendon have found a very useful assistant for this class of work in O'Loghlen a Brunswick junior.

It was the greenness of the Geelong colts that so greatly contributed to Essendon's advantage, and with each succeeding game this defeat will disappear. Of their older players, McCallum decidedly took the lead, and held it against any player on the ground, and J. McShane, who is lieutenant of the twenty, backed him up with a sound game. Rankin, as rover, was at his best, but Leathy, though he shone out frequently, was patchy in his work. H. McShane played his used smart game forward, where James got a couple of goals. of the new men, in addition to Quilligan, already mentioned, McKay showed much promise as a follower of the right stamp, for thank heaven, the slow plodder has had his day in Victorian football.