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Port Melbourne vs Yarraville

Scoreboard | Match report

GF   Venue: Junction Oval   Date: Sat, 03-10-1953 2:10 pm   Crowd: 40,000  
Port Melbourne 2.4.167.9.5112.10.8221.15.141  
Yarraville 2.2.143.5.239.8.6212.9.81  
  PORT by 2PORT by 28PORT by 20PORT by 60  

Match Report

"Jitters" hamper Yarraville

FINAL PORT BURST CLINCHES PENNANT

By Max Crittenden

A mighty last quarter scoring effort by Port Melbourne completed the massacre of Yarraville in the V.F.A. Grand Final on Saturday.

Port outclassed Yarraville in every position of the field, with non-stop, direct, fearless football. The youthful Yarraville side seemed overawed by the record crowd. It was not the same team that had toppled Prahran and Williamstown through sheer grit and determination in the semi-finals.

However, it attacked with such fury in the third term that Port was laboring to hold it back, and it slammed on six goals to Port's five. But just when it could have pulled "the game out of the fire its burst of spirit died, and its play fell back into the doldrums.

Port showed outstanding stamina and condition for a heavy side under a hot sun. Its win was largely due to the expert training of captain-coach Don "Mopsy" Fraser, who led it through the season with the loss of only two home-and-home games. Fraser lifted Port's usual jostling and bustling play to a smooth flowing, intelligent game.

Right from the start yesterday it set out to build up a big early lead before the younger and inexperienced Yarraville could settle down to its renowned handball and teamwork.

The plan worked even better than expected.

Attacks crumble

Baffled and playing disjointed football, Yarraville's frenzied attempts to get under way in the first half crumbled under the unrelenting Port Melbourne onslaughts. Half-hearted attacks were turned easily.

Fraser had trained his men well in the "one up and one down" policy when going for marks. The strategy paid handsomely. Yarraville could not take a trick in the air all day. A constant loose man in the forward area and intelligent, unselfish understanding between players were other telling features of Port's game.

Yarraville planned to keep the ball low and wide, but it frittered away fine opportunities by useless inaccurate punt kicking. Port, quick to realise that the dry conditions were ideal for long drop kicks, successfully abandoned short passing in the forward zone in favor of long shots from far out.

Seitz missed

Yarraville sorely missed match-winning follower Wally Seitz. as Port's carnival rucks in Murray, Johnson and Miller dominated the game. Johnson hardly missed a knockout, while his brilliant high marking and long drop kicks while resting in the back pocket saved many dangerous situations. Murray's menacing 16 and a half stone met no opposition as he crashed gaily through the packs, and Bernie Miller ran rings around the Yarraville big men.

Port's full forward Bon nett and centre half-forward Fraser indulged in an orgy of goal-kicking.

But things were different at the other end of the ground. Yarraville's spearhead Waghorne again proved a failure in the "big occasion" atmosphere. He failed to kick a goal. Salt played an outstanding game at centre half-forward, but there was no one to carry on his good work.

Even start

Play was fairly even in the first quarter, but Yarraville lost countless opportunities with hurried and short kicking. Port, gaining great drive from the rucks and Storey in the centre, were two points ahead at the change. Yarraville was still suffering from "jitters" in the next term, and Port raced way to lead by 28 points at half-time.

Yarraville plunged into the attack for two quick goals early in the third, but Port soon regained control. The margin between the two teams began slowly to increase again when Yarraville suddenly turned on a dazzling display of football to whip through four quick goals.

Lead cut

The burst whittled Port's lead to 20 points, but it also sapped Yarraville of much needed strength.

Port, although limp after building up its big lead in the first half and fighting back heated Yarraville onslaughts in the third term, rose to the occasion splendidly. With Murray using his weight errectiveiy in the rucks, it stormed non-stop through the Yarraville defences to kick 9.5 for the quarter, and race on to a well deserved pennant.

GOALS
Port Melbourne: Fraser 7; Bonnett 6; Miller, Murray 2; Owens, Laffey, Bragg, Atkinson
Yarraville: Salt, Smallwood 3; H Mason, N. Rohleder, Marchesi 2

BEST
Port Melbourne: Fraser, Johnson, Kelsey, Murray, Miller, Storey, Walsh, Leehane, Laffey
Yarraville: Taylor, Salt, J. Rohleder, N. Rohleder, Marchesi, Smallwood.

ATTENDANCE: 40,000 (Record for V F A. matches held at St Kilda ground)

RECEIPTS: £3,111.

Footage from the 1953 VFA Grand Final

Source

The Argus, Monday 5 October, 1953

Footnotes

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/23314470

Footnotes

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