Jump to content


Recommended Posts

Posted

1921 by Whispering Jack

The selection of eight players in Melbourne's squad for Sunday's game against Port Adelaide recalls the season opener for 1921 when Harry Bruce, Harry Coy, Joe Flanagan, Clarrie Lethlean, John Lord, Enos Thomas, Ted Thomas and Percy Tulloh and captain coach Percy Wilson who had crossed from Collingwood all lined up for the club against Essendon on 7 May making it nine newcomers to the club on the one day.

Two years earlier, Melbourne had made an inauspicious return to the VFL after a three year wartime break failing to win a game in 1919. It improved marginally in the following season rising to 8th place in what was then a nine team competition.

The club then looked to new captain coach Wilson, who the Magpies felt had passed his prime as a player, in the hope of lifting it to a finals appearance for the first time since 1915.

Melbourne certainly needed something to bring about a lift. Its membership number for 1921 stood at a mere 397. A crowd of only 3,500 turned up at the East Melbourne ground which was then home for Essendon, known as the "Same Olds" in those days, and they started the game strongly kicking five goals to Melbourne's solitary major for the opening term.

This was the first year in which scores from other grounds were displayed on the scoreboards of the grounds, with codes to decipher the scores available in the Football Record.

The new Melbourne coach introduced the tactics employed at Collingwood and his inexperienced side went a long way to reeling in the deficit by half time and before going ahead by the end of the third term by 8 points.

Essendon was not to be denied and clawed back the lead but a mistake by one of its defenders gifted Melbourne a goal. When the final bell rang the scoreboard showed Melbourne leading by two points, but the scores were actually level. The error was corrected leaving the result as a draw. Ironically, the Redlegs also drew their game against St. Kilda a few weeks later after a Saints' protest against a point given to Melbourne during the game was dismissed.

The newcomers were all impressive eapecially Lord in the ruck, Ted Thomas at centre half-back and Lethlean at full-back. Wilson was instrumental as one of the players who gave his team the edge in the middle of the ground.

The team finished two games out of the final four in sixth place with six wins and two draws in a 16 game season - a big improvement on its last two seasons although it would take another five years before the club would taste premiership glory in 1926.

Melbourne 1.2.8 5.6.36 11.6.72 12.6.78

Essendon 5.6.36 6.8.44 9.10.64 11.12.78

Goals George Haines Harry Harker 3 Bill Allen 2 Jack Brake Enos Thomas Percy Tulloh Percy Wilson

Thanks to Supermercado's DemonWiki - a great source of information about the MFC.

  • Like 1

Posted

You could get a pie for 3 pence in those days..........sigh

Posted

You could get a pie for 3 pence in those days..........sigh

Yes, but the going rate outside of the G was a tuppence, thrippence seems a lot for a Pie. They were getting their pound of flesh then as well..... ;)

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Demonland Forums  

  • Match Previews, Reports & Articles  

    TRAINING: Wednesday 22nd January 2025

    Demonland Trackwatchers were out in force for training at Gosch's Paddock on Wednesday morning for the MFC's School Holidays Open Training Session. DEMONLAND'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS REHAB: TMac, Chandler, McVee, Tholstrup, Brown, Spargo Brown might have passed his fitness test as he’s back out with the main group.  Sparrow not present. Kozzy not present either.  Mini Rehab group has broken off from the match sim (contact) group: Max, Trac, Lever, Fullarton

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Monday 20th January 2025

    Demonland Trackwatcher Gator attended training out at Casey Fields to bring you the following observations from Preseason Training. GATOR'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS There were 5 in the main rehab group, namely Gawn, Petracca, Fullarton, Woewodin and Lever.  Laurie was running laps by himself, as was Jefferson.  Chandler, as has been reported, had his arm in a sling.  Lindsay did a bit of lap running later on. Some of the ''rehab 5'' participated in non contact drills and b

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Wednesday 15th January 2025

    There were a number of Demonland Trackwatchers at Gosch's Paddock this morning to bring you their observations from Preseason Training. KEV MARTIN'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS They were going hard at each other. The sims were in two 15 minute blocks. The second block finished a few minutes early, they gathered and had another 7 minutes at it. I think they were asked to compete, as they would play against an opposition. There was plenty of niggle, between some of them. At the end o

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Monday 13th January 2025

    Better late than never … and quite frankly, there’s very little to report other than that training took place at Casey Fields this morning, that Tracc was there nursing his rib injury and that some photographs are on the club’s social media including this one of Clarrie in Raging Bull stance that gives rise for confidence. The other news is that the club has a new train on player in 185cm Dandenong Stingrays midfielder Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves (love the hyphenated name which is just so fitti

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Thursday 9th January 2025

    Welcome back to Demonland for those like me who have been on vacation. I’m posting this with some trepidation because of a certain amount of uncertainty surrounding the return of preseason training in 2025 after a flurry of weddings including those of our coach, one of our superstar players and a former premiership champion player and bloke, not to mention the recent mysterious incident that occurred on the Mornington Peninsula.  I believe that the team reassembles this morning at Casey Fie

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Wednesday 18th December 2024

    It was the final session of 2024 before the Christmas/New Years break and the Demonland Trackwatchers were out in force to bring you the following preseason training observations from Wednesday's session at Gosch's Paddock. DEMONLAND'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS TRAINING: Petracca, Oliver, Melksham, Woewodin, Langdon, Rivers, Billings, Sestan, Viney, Fullarton, Adams, Langford, Lever, Petty, Spargo, Fritsch, Bowey, Laurie, Kozzy, Mentha, George, May, Gawn, Turner Tholstrup, Kentfi

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Monday 16th December 2024

    Demonland Trackwatchers braved the sweltering heat to bring you their Preseason Training observations from Gosch's Paddock on Monday morning. SCOOP JUNIOR'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS I went down today in what were pretty ordinary conditions - hot and windy. When I got there, they were doing repeat simulations of a stoppage on the wing and then moving the ball inside 50. There seemed to be an emphasis on handballing out of the stoppage, usually there were 3 or 4 handballs to

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports 1

    TRAINING: Friday 13th December 2024

    With only a few sessions left before the Christmas break a number of Demonlander Trackwatchers headed down to Gosch's Paddock to bring you their observations from this morning's preseason training session. DEMONLAND'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS PLAYERS IN ATTENDANCE: JVR, Salem, McVee, Petracca, Windsor, Viney, Lever, Spargo, Turner, Gawn, Tholstrup, Oliver, Billings, Langdon, Laurie, Bowey, Melksham, Langford, Lindsay, Jefferson, Howes, McAdam, Rivers, TMac, Adams, Hore, Verrall,

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    TRAINING: Wednesday 11th December 2024

    A few new faces joined our veteran Demonland Trackwatchers on a beautiful morning out at Gosch's Paddock for another Preseason Training Session. BLWNBA'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS I arrived at around 1015 and the squad was already out on the track. The rehab group consisted of XL, McAdam, Melksham, Spargo and Sestan. Lever was also on restricted duties and appeared to be in runners.  The main group was doing end-to-end transition work in a simulated match situation. Ball mov

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports
  • Tell a friend

    Love Demonland? Tell a friend!
×
×
  • Create New...