Sat 31 Mar 1990 Essendon v Fitzroy North Hobart Crowd 18960 141-60 G. Anderson 27
A. Antrobus 27
M. Werner 5
In July 1926, Essendon travelled to Tasmania to play a number of matches against local sides. The Hobart Mercury took the opportunity to look back on previous visits by the ‘Same Olds’.
Match preview: Essendon
The ‘star’ football attraction of the season will be provided tomorrow, when the visiting Essendon team will meet the selected league combination at the North Hobart oval. In view of the league’s engagement at Melbourne tomorrow week, there is a good deal at stake, as defeat for the home team would mean an impaired reputation when they reach Melbourne. Essendon have brought across one of the strongest club combinations that has ever visited Tasmania, and, providing the weather is fine, it should be a good game.
It is generally recognised that the league team are up against a stiff proposition, as Essendon is undoubtedly one of the finest club combinations in Australia at present, and holds fifth position in the Victorian premiership. The visitors are recognised as a team of fast and clever players, trained to the minute, and their system and vigorous style of play have won for them many hard fought games during the present season.
Usually when a mainland club team visits Tasmania, at least half a dozen of their most prominent players are unable to make the trip, but, with the exception of two, the Essendon team are the regular players, and their manager (Mr. E. J. Martin) makes no secret of the fact that they are out to win.
It is not very often that the public has had the opportunity of seeing the league’s combined team put to a real test in Hobart. Against the union and association teams the margin of scoring in the past several years has been such that the league team has not been hard pressed to win. Last season’s match against Fitzroy was undoubtedly the best of the year, with players going hard from start to finish. The league team won on that occasion after a contest that had the crowd keyed up to the highest pitch of excitement.
Essendon teams are by no means strangers to Tasmania, although it is over 20 years since they paid their last visit to the State. They first made the trip across the straits in 1882. Usually two matches were played at Hobart, one against the leading club on the Wednesday following their arrival, and the second against the combined team on the Saturday.
The players that donned their colours in those days were amongst the champions of their time. The first team that came across included such players as a big ‘Jumbo’ Carter and the diminutive ‘Gobo’ Cairns. Other teams included Charles ‘Tracker’ Forbes, ‘Joker’ Hall, Billy Flemming and Charles Pearson, all champions whose names are still fresh in the memory of old-time enthusiasts.
Essendon were the first Victorian team to play on the old Risdon ground. That was in 1887, the team including Mick Madden, a great player at that time, whose initiative and resourcefulness saved the visitors from what might have proved a serious accident. The team were enjoying a drive through the Huon, when the horses when going down Coombe’s Hill got out of the control of the driver: Madden took the reins, and after an exciting few minutes succeeded in pulling the horses up.
It is also interesting to recall that several of Tasmania’s most prominent players were at one time or another members of the Essendon Club. They included W. H. ‘Billy’ Cundy, the pioneer of the game in Tasmania; Kenny Burn, George Vautin, Len Webb, and Colin Campbell. These Tasmanians were amongst Essendon’s most prominent players, and came to be regarded as champions. The present team
With the passing of the years Essendon have always retained their combination and have won their way to the top of the premiership on several occasions. This year they started the season well, by winning their first five matches. They then met with reverses, but have won their last few matches. Out of the twelve matches they have played they have won eight, and, although they have yet to play Collingwood, Richmond, Footscray, St. Kilda, Carlton, and Melbourne, they are very confident of being in the ‘big four’.
Their ranks include several of the leading exponents of the Australian code in the Commonwealth. Frank Maher, their captain, is regarded as a shrewd and clever tactician, and was chosen to lead the combined Victorian team against South Australia recently. He is a clever and resourceful rover, and it will be interesting to compare his style with that of the Tasmanian champion, Horrie Gorringe.
George Shorten is a player football enthusiasts have been looking forward to seeing in action. He one of the cleverest playes for his inches that I have ever seen on a football field. His cunning and deft handling of the ball is great to watch, whilst he is also as elusive as a hare. Tomorrow will be the first occasion on which Shorten has stripped for Essendon since he incurred the displeasure of the investigation tribunal eight weeks ago. In the interval he has been keeping fit by playing with one of the junior clubs.
Norm Beckton is another player who is well known outside Victorian League circles. He is a sturdly type with a fine reach that enables him to pull down spectacular marks. As a follower he has few superiors, and he invariably plays up to the top of his form in every match.
George Stockdale is a wonderfully acurate kick in front of goal, and a few seasons ago headed the list of goal-kickers for Victoria. May has won a big reputation as a centre player, and has two clever flanksmen in Carman and Simpson. Hudd and Hammond have fought many stirring duels in the ruck in club games, and are looked upon as two of the club’s mainstays.
The back line is particularly strong, the only regular player missing from the defences being Gregory. Jack Garden is a clever and nippy forward, whose scouting has won him a permanent place in the team for the past four or five years, and Vasti, the centre half-forward, is a fine high mark and long kick.
Despite the inclemency of the weather, the whole team engaged in practice at the North Hobart ground yesterday. They showed little signs of their two days travelling, and although the ball and ground were greasy, the players marked and kicked in finished style. They handled the wet ball like champions, and showed that they are pastmasters at adapting themselves to conditions.
The league team
… It is unfortunate that Charlesworth and Pringle are not available. They are the type of players invaluable in a match like tomorrow’s is likely to be.
There was some doubt as to whether Ford would be able to strip owing to having injured his leg last Saturday, but he has recovered, and will be available.There should be some fine individual tussles during the game. M. Hislop and May should provide a stirring duel in the centre, and Leitch and Dalton should be able to hold their own against Carman and Simpson on the wings. It will probably be found that the league team will be beaten in the ruck, but in all other directions the teams appear to be very evenly matched, and should the weather be fine, a first-class exhibition of football should be witnessed, with the scoring close throughout.
Previous visits, 1882 to 1905: An interesting hark back
‘Chapple’ writes: - The Essendon Club is no stranger in Tasmania. Early records of the game show that inter-State visits to Hobart were first started by the Hotham Club, which came in 1881, and were beaten on the old lower ground by South Tasmania. The following season (1882) Essendon came, and won both games that were played against South Tasmania and returning in 1884; they had three games, of which they won two and lost one. In 1886 at Risden,when they opened the new ground, honours were even, each side annexing a win.
When Essendon came again in 1890 two terrificalty strenous games were played, and neither side claimed a victory, draws resulting. In 1891 they won both games, and repeated the feat in 1893. They came across again, and were victorious in the game played in 1901. In 1902 South won one match. Fred Chancellor, then a clinking line player for Lefroy, kicked the winning goal - a real beauty - just on the stroke of time, but in the second game Essendon won comfortably. When Essendon returned in 1905 they won both games rather easily.
It may here be recalled that when the first Tasmanian team visited Victoria in 1887 under the captaincy of W. H. Cundy, they played Essendon on the South Melbourne ground on the morning of May 21. The writer was present at that match, and well remembers Tom Bagley, shepherded by the late Albert Nicholson, making a magnificent run almost the length of the ground. It was a brilliant struggle, and honours were even: 2 goals, 7 behinds each. The match was played in the morning because in those days Hotham and Geelong provided the monster football attraction for Melbourne on the East Melbourne ground.
Tasmania has always had a softy spot in its heart for the “Same Old,” and one can recall some of the names of the giants who came with them – Charles ‘Commotion’ Pearson (what a wonderful high mark he was), Reg ‘Bung’ Wilmot, ‘Snowy’ Griffiths, (who afterwards played for Melbourne), Dunn, ‘Billy’ Fleming, Alex ■■■■ (a prince of captains), Meader, Charles ‘Tracker’ Forbes, Mick Madden, ‘Joker’ Hall (the young and the old), Danny Sebire, Vollugi, Lou Dallas (a genial and popular secretary), Billy Crebbin (a champion centreman, who always regarded Kenny Burn as probably the most finished rivall he over played against), George Stuckey (we played cricket together as boys on the old lowerground at Hobart), Sam McMichael (the famous cricketer, who I think, came as manager in 1905), Powell (who was captain in 1882), ‘Jumbo’ Carter, Shaw, ‘Gobo’ Cairns, McShane, Nully, Martin, D. Aitken (captain in 1884), Pilcher, J.Wickham, and Graham (manager in 1884).
Tasmania gave to Essendon three of the most brilliant footballers Australia ever possessed, namely, Leonard Webb, George Vautin, and Colin Campbell. This trio, and Fred McGinis, admittedly the greatest player Australia has ever produced (and who went across and played for Melbourne), made the Victorian football public stare with amazement and inquire what sort of a place was Tasmania when she could turn out such veritable champions of the great Australian winter pastime. Albert Eady, who played for City (Hobart), also joined up with Essendon, as also did Ken Burn and Billy Cundy, when they went across to Melbourne.
The ‘same old’ have had a good run in the Victoria League premiership competition, which they have won six times - in 1897, 1901, 1911, 1912, 1923, and 1924. They were runners-up in 1898, 1902, and 1908.
One recalls those happy times when the Essendon players; singing their war-song, “The Same Old Essendon that used to be”, aroused great public interest as they were driven around the principal streets of Hobart prior to being dropped at the Carlton Club Hotel, which always was their headquarters in the days when their host was a Mr. Cherry, formerly of Ballarat, who gave to Hobart football sterling players in Ted Cherry (afterwards a fine field umpire), Charlie Cherry (a regular sky-scraping mark), and Bert Cherry (a very proficient wingman).
Now after so many years, the “same old” red and blacks revisit Hobart, and return to "the Carlton Club Hotel, where they are being looked after by an old time footballer in Jack Donnellan, whose health, one is sorry to say, has been somewhat precarious of late.
http://australianfootball.com/articles/view/essendon+visits+tasmania/280
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And may that continue.
We should never, ever play down there not even in a Mickey Mouse game.
Keep sending Norf and the Dorks down there
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It’s part of our penance for the Wangaratta Debacle ™
We have to play there every year for perpetuity.
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I was at a Doctor Who convention in Sydney that weekend. For some bizarre reason that game was on FTA there.
Why? If they have to go play in places like Wangaratta why cant they come down here to a much better quality ground for the occasional pre season game? Collingwood, Carlton and Richmond have all made the trip down at least once in the past 10 years.
It might not mean much to people living in Melbourne who can see them play live nearly every week, but we have a fairly big supporter base down here who would love even a ‘Mickey mouse’ game.
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I was at that game with Dad. Had a great day!
We should fly the team there for a laugh.
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I’m not sure if the FTA detail is the bizarre part of that couple of sentences.
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Yeah that’s what a was thinking too. Also imagine if tigers did the same.
Wheres the team!!! FARKKKEN!
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Essendon v Richmond should be played at Eithad send ■■■■■■ North and Dogs out that way.
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Apparently Wangaratta has a large Richmond supporter base so it looks like we have 2 truly away games. Do us good to have a solid hit out in the pre-season.
Ah the good old days when journalists could string together coherent sentences in an entertaining manner.
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Wasn’t Wangaratta the beginning of our downfall?
Flights and accommodation booked!
It’s great to have footy to look forward to!
ohno.jpg
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The Wangaratta ground is actually probably the best ground in the ovens and Murray league. Great lights, but hate the concrete cycle track around the oval.
Fark carlton again and hawks.
Not even hawks fans want to see hawthorn in the preseason in tassie as they can watch them during the season.