Round 11 – Collingwood Vs Fitzroy

Round 10 – Essendon Vs Collingwood

The headline at the Argus summed up the result of this clash very nicely: “Don ‘Tornado’ Hits Collingwood”, as Essendon defeated the Magpies by 28 points, thanks to a 6 goal haul by John Coleman.

Round 9 – Melbourne Vs Collingwood

Round 7 – Footscray Vs Collingwood

June 6, 1953

Wells looks at the game at the Western Oval

Collingwood tired badly in the last quarter after dominating their match early against Footscray at the Western Oval, but held on to win by a single point.

Early on the Magpies pace and system, and their dominance on the wings and in the air, gave them many chances, but their shocking forward play was costly. Despite only kicking four points after half-time the Magpies held on as the Bulldog’s inaccuracy at the finish cost them chances.

It was a scrambling game with the defences on top and early on Collingwood were faster and much more systematic. Luckily for Footscray the Magpies kicked badly. Collingwood outmarked and outpaced the Bulldogs, while Thorold Merrett’s roving was upsetting the Footscray defence. Footscray had no counter for Collingwood’s dominance to half-time, of the wings or in the air.

Footscray were always a step behind with the Magpies pace leaving them at times flat-footed, whilst the Bulldogs gave away several free kicks with unnecessary scragging. The Magpie Machine displayed the art of handball and shepherding to perfection. Merrett and Mann provided much of the drive, with the hornet-like Merrett daintily pirouetting around the packs and scampering off with glorious stab-passes proving to be a menace to the Dogs’ defence.

Footscray’s tactics were very poor and they kept kicking the ball high even though they were constantly being outmarked. Herb Henderson at full-back was one of the main offenders, with Neil Mann goaling in the first quarter after marking an errant Henderson kick-in.

Harvey Stevens in his first game against his old club rucked tirelessly and battled gamely for Footscray. He sent the Dogs forward several times but the Footscray forwards were never in front of their men. Stevens was playing so well that Alf Brown of the Herald wondered if the Collingwood selectors had been too hasty when they dropped him from their list earlier in the season.

Collingwood’s forward line broke down after half time, with their inaccuracy being inexcusable. In the third quarter alone they had at least ten direct shots at goal but could only manage four behinds. It was not Footscray’s much heralded backline holding Collingwood but the Magpies lack of forwards. In fact the Footscray backs at time were too man-conscious and tried to overmind their men.

In the hectic final quarter the Dogs finally started to show some dash and spirit, whilst Collingwood had tired badly. The Magpies never looked like scoring while Footscray were continually in attack and had whittled the Magpies lead to 8 points with just three minutes to go. Charlie Sutton inspired his men with clever roving and robust bustling whilst Stevens started to outmark Mann. When Jack Hickey goaled in time-on, there was just a single point the difference between the two teams. Collingwood had run themselves into the ground while Footscray did everything in their power to get the two extra points needed for a win. When the siren sounded the ball was in the Bulldog’s half-forward line, robbing them of what would likely have been a great fighting victory.

Collingwood vice-captain Neil Mann played a dominating game. He kicked an excellent goal from 65 yards out and his great marking saved the Magpies day.

Scores

Teams	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	Final Score
Footscray	0.0.1	4.1.25	4.3.27	7.9.51
Collingwood	5.4.34	7.6.48	7.10.52	7.10.52

Goalkickers

Collingwood – M Twomey (3), Hickey, Clarke, Mann, R Richards

Footscray – Duffy (3), Kerr (2), Collins (2)

Best

Collingwood – Mann, Healey, Lucas, Merrett, Finck, Hickey, M Twomey, Parker

Footscray – Stevens, Sutton, Ross, Donald, Collins, Henderson, Martin, Warren, Henderson, Box, Gallagher, Whitten

In Other Magpie News

Jack Hamilton was sensationally dropped from the Collingwood team for this game. It was the first time he had been out of the side, except because of injury, since the start of the 1949 season. Jack Finck replaced Hamilton at full-back.

19-year-old Terry Waites played his first senior game, as did Footscray’s John Kerr. Kerr would go on to be best on field for the Bulldogs in the 1954 premiership match.

Before the match Mrs Twomey, husband of former Collingwood captain Bill Twomey Sr and proud mother of Magpie stars Pat, Mick and Bill Jr, was presented by the Club with a framed photograph of her boys in their football uniform.

The Sporting Globe called for umpires to try to curb Collingwood’s exasperating habit of refusing to give the ball to their opponent after a free kick has been called. The Magpies are notorious at holding and fooling with the ball until every opponent is covered and only then giving up the ball. While the Sporting Globe called for offending players to be reported, the Australian National Football Council has made a recommendation for a rule change that will give a 15 yard penalty against any offending side.

In Other Footscray News

Only 28 goals have been kicked against Footscray’s frugal defence in the last 5 games, an average of just 51/2 goals per match.  Two weeks ago they kept Fitzroy to just one goal for the whole match, while today Collingwood kicked just four behinds after half time.

In Other Games

South Melbourne thrashed the hapless Saints by 71 points and Geelong defeated Melbourne by 24 points. North Melbourne came crashing out of the four after being thumped by Carlton by 52 points. Other winners included Essendon and Fitzroy. John Coleman kicked 6 goals to take his tally to 46 for the season. Comparisons have been made between Coleman and South Melbourne’s past goalkicking legend Bob Pratt, who kicked a record 150 goals in the 1934 season. In that stellar season by round 7 Pratt had kicked 56 goals, leaving Coleman just 10 goals off this margin.

VFL Ladder After Round 7

Team	Win	Draw	Lose	Premiership Points
Geelong	7	0	0	28
Footscray	5	0	2	20
Collingwood	5	0	2	20
Fitzroy	5	0	2	20
Essendon	4	0	3	16
Carlton	4	0	3	16
North Melbourne	4	0	3	16
South Melbourne	3	0	4	12
St Kilda	2	0	5	8
Melbourne	1	0	6	4
Richmond	1	0	6	4
Hawthorn	1	0	6	4

 

Leading Goalkickers

Player	Team	Goals In Round	Goals For Season
J Coleman	Essendon	6	46
G Goninon	Geelong	3	33
J Hickey	Footscray	0	22
J Collins	Footscray	2	21
G Marchesi	North Melbourne	0	19
P Bennett	St Kilda	0	19
N Trezise	Geelong	0	17
R McKenzie	Melbourne	2	17
A Aylett	North Melbourne	3	17
A Walsh	Carlton	4	17
J Spencer	North Melbourne	2	16
B Rose	Collingwood	0	15

__________________________________

Acknowledgements

• Brown A – The Herald – June 6 1953 – page 22
• Baggot J – The Sun – June 8 1953 – page 24
• Buggy H – The Argus – June 8 1953 – page 10
• The Age – June 8 1953 – page 7
• Reynolds D  – The Argus – June 8 1953 – page 9
• The Argus – June 8 1953 – page 9
• The Sporting Globe – June 10 1953 – page 4

Round 6 – Collingwood Vs Richmond

May 30 1953

Jack Dyer in the Sun predicted that Collingwood would easily account for the young Tigers  in their round 6 clash at Victoria Park, which they did  by 23 points.The Magpie’s stocks were buoyed by the returns of Mocha Dunstan and Bill Twomey from injury. However vice-captain Neil Mann, a star in recent weeks, was out of the team to injury sustained in the match against Hawthorn.

Former Collingwood captain Dan Minogue wrote in the Sun that the Magpie’s strong back line, greater anticipation and intelligent handball were the main factors in Collingwood’s success. (1) The strong wind blowing across Victoria Park caused some congestion but the Maggies use of the whole ground was excellent. (2) The highlight of the match was the battle between Mick Twomey and Roy Wright in the ruck, with each player rising to great heights in ruck play and marking around the ground. (3) Wright in particular had no peer in the air but was forced to play defensively. (4) Minogue noted that despite the great ruck work of Twomey and Wright, the  rovers failed to capitalise by breaking free of the packs. (5)

Despite showing fighting spirit (6) and some fine defensive work (7) Richmond’s forward work was lamentable (8) and what Minogue called below League standard (9). The Tigers attacked the goals without purpose or plan and the Magpies were easily able to counter them. (10)

Scores

Teams	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	Final Score
Collingwood	2.1	5.1.31	7.7.49	9.8.62
Richmond	1.2	2.5.17	3.7.25	5.9.39

Goals

Collingwood – B Twomey 4, B Rose 3, M Twomey 2

Richmond – Branton 2, Wright, Ritchie, Hafey

Best

Collingwood – Merrett, B Rose, Dunstan, Finck, Lucas, Healey, Kingston, Hamilton

Richmond – Wright, Oppy, D Rowe, Wright, H Rowe, Patterson, Collins, D Rose

In Other News

Geelong remained at the top of the ladder with a 53 point thrashing of South Melbourne at Kardinia Park. Footscray cemented second spot by beating St Kilda, while North Melbourne dropped to fourth after being defeated by Essendon by 17, with Coleman kicking 3 goals for the victors and Marchesi 4 for the losers. Hawthorn recorded their first win of the season over a hapless Carlton by 20 points, with former Collingwood player Kevin ‘Skeeter’ Coghlan and Pat Cash kicking 3 goals each.

VFL Ladder after round 6

Team	Win	Draw	Lose	Premiership Points
Geelong	6	0	0	24
Footscray	5	0	1	20
Collingwood	4	0	1	16
North Melbourne	4	0	2	16
Fitzroy	4	0	2	16
Essendon	3	0	3	12
Carlton	3	0	3	12
South Melbourne	2	0	4	8
St Kilda	2	0	4	8
Melbourne	1	0	5	4
Richmond	1	0	5	4
Hawthorn	1	0	5	0

Leading Goalkickers

Player	Team	Goals In Round	Goals For Season
J. Coleman	Essendon	3	40
G. Goninon	Geelong	2	30
J. Hickey	Fitzroy	0	22
G. Marchesi	North Melbourne	4	19
J. Collins	Footscray	3	19
P. Bennett	St Kilda	3	18
N. Trezise	Geelong	0	17
B. Rose	Collingwood	3	15
R. McKenzie	Melbourne	4	15

In Royal News

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II occurred at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. The entire ceremony was broadcast on television in the around the world and was the first major international event to be broadcast on the new medium. We Australians missed out, as TV would not arrive down under for another 3 years.

In World News

On May 29 Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest, the news of this remarkable event reaching the world’s media on June 2, with Queen Elizabeth knighting the New Zealander as a thankyou for this Coronation gift. The Herald headline to mark this event was “British Claim Everest”. I know that things were different then and that the British Empire was still shining, yet it is difficult to think of a New Zealand beekeeper and a Nepalese sherpa as being British.

The Potts went to London for the Coronation and got to watch it on television, something that their friends back home in Melbourne could not do!

_________________________________________

Footnotes

1. Minogue. D – The Sun – Monday June 1 1953 – page 32
2. Minogue. D – The Sun – Monday June 1 1953 – page 32
3. Minogue. D – The Sun – Monday June 1 1953 – page 32
4. Minogue. D – The Sun – Monday June 1 1953 – page 32
5. Minogue. D – The Sun – Monday June 1 1953 – page 32
6. The Herald – Saturday May 30 1953 – page 19
7. The Herald – Saturday May 30 1953 – page 19
8. The Herald – Saturday May 30 1953 – page 19
9. Minogue. D – The Sun – Monday June 1 1953 – page 32
10. The Herald – Saturday May 30 1953 – page 19

Round 5 – Collingwood Vs Hawthorn

Saturday May 23 1953

Collingwood were expected to dominate their Round 5 encounter with Hawthorn at Victoria Park and ended up winning by 70 points. In front of just 9,627 people (1) in atrocious conditions both teams struggled with their being just 12 points separating the two teams at three quarter time. The Magpies finally broke the shackles with a devastating 9 goal final quarter.

The Hawks were tenacious for the first three quarters (2) and held a ruck advantage (3), with John Kennedy’s ruckwork being a highlight of the match. (3) Hawthorn also proved to be more adept at handling the greasy ball. (4) Unfortunately for the Hawks Kennedy’s efforts were often nullified by the roving of the Richards brothers Lou and Ron. (5)

The Magpie ‘Machine’ could not slip into gear until the final quarter when every player started producing his best. (6) Hawthorn were swept off their feet as Collingwood took control (7), the Hawks being unable to halt the sudden, systematic brilliance of the Magpies. (8) This final 9 goal burst boosted Collingwood’s percentage enough to put them into the four for the first time since Round 1. (8)

Bob Rose playing on the half-forward-flank proved to be the moving force behind the majority of Collingwood’s attacks with great ball-handling and kicking despite the conditions. (9)

Scores

Teams	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	Final Score
Collingwood	3.3.21	3.10.28	4.13.37	13.18.96
Hawthorn	3.3.21	3.3.21	3.7.25	3.8.26

Goals

Collingwood – Tebble 2, B Rose 2, Hickey 2, R Richards 2, Kingston, Merrett, Finck, Clarke, Healey

Hawthorn – McCann, Coghlan, Collins

Best

Collingwood – B Rose, L Richards, Healey, Merrett, Tebble, R Richards, Mann, Waller, Kingston

Hawthorn – Kennedy, Simmonds, Crane, O’Mahoney, Philp, Robison, Coghlan, Pearson

In Other Games

Footscray went to second place on the ladder with a 60 point victory over Fitzroy at the Western Oval that the Argus’ Hugh Buggy said resembled a swamp. (10) If it was not for a goal from Alan Ruthven late in the last quarter the Maroons would have had the dubious distinction of being the first team in VFL history to have gone through a match scoreless. (11)

Geelong beat Richmond by 54 points with Goninon kicking 11 goals. John Coleman could only manage 2 goals in Essendon’s 11 point loss to Melbourne.

In Financial News

Alf Brown reported in the Herald that whilst it costs Collingwood £250 to field a side each week, Collingwood lost £240 on this game. (12) The gate for the match in which less than 10,000 fans attended due to inclement weather and Hawthorn’s poor form, was just £212. (13)

In Injury News

Jock McHale was injured during the week when a log fell on his left foot and badly bruised his big toe. The former coach received treatment for this injury at half-time. (14)

VFL Ladder after round 5

Team	Win	Draw	Lose	Premiership Points
Geelong	5	0	0	20
Footscray	4	0	1	16
North Melbourne	4	0	1	16
Collingwood	3	0	2	12
Carlton	3	0	2	12
Fitzroy	3	0	2	12
Essendon	2	0	3	8
South Melbourne	2	0	3	8
St Kilda	2	0	3	8
Richmond	1	0	4	4
Melbourne	1	0	4	4
Hawthorn	0	0	5	0

Leading Goalkickers

Player	Team	Goals in Round	Goals For Season
J. Coleman	Essendon	2	37
G. Goninon	Geelong	11	28
J. Hickey	Fitzroy	0	22
N. Trezise	Geelong	0	17
J. Collins	Footscray	3	16
P. Bennett	St Kilda	3	11
G. Marchesi	North Melbourne	2	15
A. Aylett	North Melbourne	2	14
A. Walsh	Carlton	2	13

___________________________________________________________________

Footnotes

1. The Argus, Monday May 25 1953 – page 12
2. The Argus, Monday May 25 1953 – page 12
3. The Argus, Monday May 25 1953 – page 12
4. The Argus, Monday May 25 1953 – page 12
5. The Age, Monday May 25 1953 – page 7
6. The Argus, Monday May 25 1953 – page 12
7. The Argus, Monday May 25 1953 – page 12
8. The Argus, Monday May 25 1953 – page 12
9. The Age, Monday May 25 1953 – page 7
10. The Age, Monday May 25 1953 – page 7
11. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 25 1953 – page 12
12. Brown. A – The Herald, Monday June 1 1953 – page 12
13. Brown. A – The Herald, Monday June 1 1953 – page 12
14. The Sun, Monday May 25 1953 – page 25

Round 4 – Carlton Vs Collingwood

May 16, 1953

Collingwood ventured to Princes Park in May to meet their oldest foe Carlton. The Magpies‘s stocks were still depleted with injury, while Carlton were just outside the four after defeating Melbourne and Richmond and suffering a narrow loss to Footscray in round 1.

37,500 crammed into the Blues’ home ground to see the Magpies prevail by just 8 points in a fiery clash in which Collingwood was in charge for the whole game despite the closeness of the scoreline. Carlton’s Jack Howell had a great ruck duel with Neil Mann, with the Blues’ big-man just prevailing in this evenly fought battle, showing a brilliant display of marking power. (1) In the end however, Collingwood simply played smarter, faster and more expert football in snatching the win from their rivals. (2)

The Magpies showed great fighting spirit and in the last desperate few minutes they overcame a 4 point deficit to ultimately win by 8 points. (3) Jack Finck was a success at full-forward in Bill Twomey’s absence, kicking 4 goals including the match-winner after Carlton’s George Stafford kicked into the man on the mark. (4) Even when the pressure was great in the last few minutes the Magpies’ players kept their cool heads to hold on. (5)

Throughout the match the Magpies used handball to devastating effect, although this was occasionally overdone. (6) For much of the game Collingwood showed superior pace and a slight superiority in the air and across the centre, while Mann was slightly more effective in the ruck for much of the match. (7)

Scores

Team	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	Final Score
Carlton	2.1.13	6.5.41	9.5.59	14.11.95
Collingwood	5.5.35	7.10.53	11.17.83	14.19.103

Best

Collingwood – Mann, Healey, Parker, R Richards, B Rose, Kingston, Tuck, Clarke

Carlton – Hands, Howell, Beasy, Dern, Spencer, Ferry, Malony

Goal Kickers

Collingwood – Finck 4, B Rose 3, R Richards 2, Kingston 2, Tebble 2, Clarke

Carlton – Spencer 5, Beasy 3, Warburton 2, Mills, Walsh, Milroy, Kerr

In Other Football News

Geelong kept up their unbeaten run with a 14 point victory over Essendon. Goninon kicked 6 goals and Trezise 3 while the Bombers’ Coleman had an off day by his standards and could only manage 4 majors, in what was the battle of the VFL’s best goal-scorers. North Melbourne suffered their first defeat of the season to Fitzroy who had crept into fourth place on the ladder, while Footscray was now placed second with a 45 point win over lowly Melbourne, with Ted Whitten being amongst the best on the ground.

Hawthorn and Melbourne were languishing on the bottom of the ladder winless while Richmond were 10th with just one win.

VFL Ladder after round 4

Team	Win	Draw	Lose	Premiership Points
Geelong	4	0	0	16
Footscray	3	0	1	12
North Melbourne	3	0	1	12
Fitzroy	3	0	1	12
Essendon	2	0	2	8
Carlton	2	0	2	8
Collingwood	2	0	2	8
South Melbourne	2	0	2	8
St Kilda	2	0	2	8
Richmond	1	0	3	4
Melbourne	0	0	4	0
Hawthorn	0	0	4	0

Goalkickers

Player	Team	Goals in Round	Goals For Season
J. Coleman	Essendon	4	35
J. Hickey	Fitzroy	8	22
N. Trezise	Geelong	3	17
G. Goninon	Geelong	6	17
J. Collins	Footscray	5	13
G. Marchesi	North Melbourne	3	13
A. Aylett	North Melbourne	1	12

Oddities

In his preview of the match the Sporting Globe’s H.A. de Lacy referred to Collingwood’s Mick Twomey as Mike Twomey. I’m not sure if this is his fault or that of his editor/subeditor though.

Mick Twomey did not play the match due to a torn ‘monkey’ muscle according to Percy Taylor in the Argus. Google told me that a ‘monkey muscle’ is a calf muscle.

Jack Finck only kicked 8 goals in his entire career at Collingwood, with half that tally coming in this match.

In Other Sports News

Rocky Marciano retained the World Heavyweight Boxing Title with a knockout victory over Jersey Joe Walcott in the first round of their highly anticipated bout in Chicago.

_____________________________________________________

Footnotes

1. The Argus – Monday May 18, 1953 – page 10
2. Taylor. P – The Argus – Monday May 18, 1953 – page 10
3. Taylor. P – The Argus – Monday May 18, 1953 – page 10
4. The Age Monday May 18, 1953 – page 7
5. Taylor. P – The Argus – Monday May 18, 1953 – page 10
6. Taylor. P – The Argus – Monday May 18, 1953 – page 10
7. Taylor. P – The Argus – Monday May 18, 1953 – page 10

Round 3 – Collingwood Vs Geelong

May 9, 1953

Round 3 Action

Round 3 was the match that everyone wanted to see, the Grand Final rematch between Collingwood and Geelong at the Magpies‘ home ground Victoria Park. Collingwood however was reeling from injuries to several key players. Full-forward Bill Twomey who kicked nine goals in round 1 and wingman Des Healey both were injured in the Exhibition Match at the Showgrounds two weeks earlier, while Lou Richards, Mick Twomey, Peter Lucas and ‘Moccha’ Dunstan all suffered injuries in round 2 against North Melbourne. (1) George Hams and Dave Little were both dropped. (2) First gamers Tom Tarrant, Kevin Flint, Kevin Clarke and Neville Waller were selected, with Tarrant given the job of trying to stop Trezise and Pianto when they rested in the Cats’ forward pocket (3), whilst Waller was given the Herculean task of trying to curb Geelong skipper and centre-half-forward Fred Flanagan. (4)

Geelong fans celebrate at Victoria Park

Before the match Percy Beames said that the odds were stacked so high against Collingwood that if they won the match it would be a victory to overshadow all of the Magpies greatest triumphs (5), while H.A de Lacy from the Sporting Globe predicted that the Cats would simply ‘murder’ the Magpies. (6)

Unfortunately for the Magpies the Cats notched up yet another victory at their expense, this time by a margin of 25 points. Surprisinglyit was  a spirited Collingwood who were just one point down at three-quarter time, after leading by as much as 28 points at half-time, before the under-strength and exhausted Magpies finally bowed to Geelong’s superior stamina. (7)

Geelong, a team that prior to the game Essendon coach Dick Reynolds said played class football all the time (8), had their system torn to tatters by Collingwood’s vigor and tenacity. (9) The Magpies clearly resolved to make the Cats fight for every kick. (10) Dick Reynolds was so impressed by Collingwood’s effort that he declared that a full-strength Magpie side could beat Geelong (11)

Neil Mann

Stand-in skipper Neil Mann provided the inspiration for the Magpies in the ruck (12) and with his high marking. (13) Bob Rose was never beaten whether he was roving to Mann or playing on the wing (14), while Thorold Merrett was another dangerous player. (15) Des Healey outclassed the Geelong centreline with his sheer artistry (16) and magnificent ball handling (17), while Jack Parker was solid (18) and John Hickey showed great heart and worked tirelessly. (19) Ron Richards also fought gallantly. (20)

More action at Victoria Park

Geelong got back into the game in the second half after coach Reg Hickey made the tactical change of shifting Bob Davis into the centre, which dragged his opponent Frank Tuck away from defence. (21) Noel Raysun at centre-half-forward was rarely beaten and was responsible for several Geelong goals. (22) Bernie Smith was another stumbling block for the Magpies with his full-blooded dashes that got the Cats out of trouble time and time again. (23) George Goninon eclipsed Jack Hamilton, kicking four goals, resulting in Hamilton being shifted to the ruck in the last quarter. (24) Both Peter Pianto and Neil Trezise had quiet first halves but were effective in Geelong’s comeback. (25) In the end the Magpies’ courage was not sufficient against Geelong’s great strength. (26)

Scores

Team	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	Final Score
Geelong	2.1.13	4.4.28	9.9.63	14.14.98
Collingwood	3.5.23	8.8.56	8.14.62	9.19.73

Best

Geelong – Smith, Flanagan, Sharpe, Swarbrick, Raysun, Morrison, McMaster

Collingwood -Mann, Healey, B. Rose, Hickey, Merrett, Tuck, R. Richards

Goals

Geelong – Goninon 4, Flanagan 3, Trezise 2, Swarbrick 2, Raysun, Pianto, Sharpe

Collingwood – B. Rose 3, Healey 2, Mann, Merrett, Tuck

In other news

Footscray and Essendon both had great victories, with the Bombers John Coleman again kicking 10 goals. North Melbourne retained second spot on the ladder with a lucky 1 point victory over bottom of the table Melbourne, while Fitzroy and Carlton both enjoyed wins.

The Sporting Globe’s Alan Fitcher must have been watching a different game to the one described by the other scribes of the day. He claimed that Geelong had the game well and truly wrapped up at three quarter time despite only being a point up. (27) The Sporting Globe also claimed that the Magpies had been ‘thrashed’. (28)

Ladder after round 3

Team	Win	Draw	Lose	Premiership Points
Geelong	3	0	0	12
North Melbourne	3	0	0	12
Essendon	2	0	1	8
Footscray	2	0	1	8
Carlton	2	0	1	8
Fitzroy	2	0	1	8
Richmond	1	0	2	4
Collingwood	1	0	2	4
South Melbourne	1	0	2	4
St Kilda	1	0	2	4
Melbourne	0	0	3	0
Hawthorn	0	0	3	0

.

Leading Goalkickers

Player	Team	Goals in Round	Goals For Season
J. Coleman	Essendon	10	31
N. Trezise	Geelong	2	14
J. Hickey	Fitzroy	5	14
A. Aylett	North Melbourne	3	11
G. Goninon	Geelong	4	11
G. Marchesi	North Melbourne	4	10
A. Walsh	Carlton	6	10
P. Bennett	St Kilda	4	9
B. Twomey	Collingwood	0	9

__________________________________________________________________

Footnotes

1. Buggy. H – The Argus – Friday May 8 1953 – page 8
2. Beames. P – The Age – Friday May 8, 1953 – page 9
3. Buggy. H – The Argus – Friday May 8 1953 – page 8
4. Buggy. H – The Argus – Friday May 8 1953 – page 8
5. Beames. P – The Age – Saturday May 9, 1953 – page 7
6. de Lacy. H. A. – The Sporting Globe – Wednesday May 6 – page 2
7. Beames. P – The Age – Monday May 11, 1953 – page 7
8. Reynolds. D & Buggy. H – The Argus, Saturday May 9, 1953 – page 13
9. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 11, 1953 – page 11
10. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 11, 1953 – page 11
11. Reynolds. D & Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 11, 1953 – page 10
12. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 11, 1953 – page 11
13. Beames. P – The Age – Monday May 11, 1953 – page 7
14. Beames. P – The Age – Monday May 11, 1953 – page 7
15. Beames. P – The Age – Monday May 11, 1953 – page 7
16. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 11, 1953 – page 11
17. The Age – Monday May 11, 1953 – page 7
18. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 11, 1953 – page 11
19. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 11, 1953 – page 11
20. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 11, 1953 – page 11
21. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday May 11, 1953 – page 11
22. Beames. P – The Age – Monday May 11, 1953 – page 7
23. Beames. P – The Age – Monday May 11, 1953 – page 7
24. Beames. P – The Age – Monday May 11, 1953 – page 7
25. Beames. P – The Age – Monday May 11, 1953 – page 7
26. Fitcher. A – The Sporting Globe – Saturday May 9, 1953 – page 11
27. Fitcher. A – The Sporting Globe – Wednesday May 13, 1953 – page 2
28. The Sporting Globe – Saturday May 9, 1953 – page 11

Round 2 – North Melbourne Vs Collingwood

May 2, 1953

North Melbourne dominated the round 2 clash with Collingwood

Going into the round 2 clash against North Melbourne at Arden Street Collingwood was missing their full-forward Bill Twomey who had sustained an injury in the exhibition match against Fitzroy a week earlier. (1) Also out injured was Collingwood’s centre-half-forward Maurice ‘Mocha’ Dunstan, which ultimately caused problems for the Magpies’ forward line. (2) North Melbourne’s Jock Spencer was also out of the match, playing in the reserves after being  injured preseason. (3)

North Melbourne thrashed the Magpies by 43 points. Collingwood were never in the match with the Kangaroos being too quick and tough for the Magpies. (4) They outclassed the Magpies with an all-round flawless display that made a shocked Collingwood look second rate. (5) The only two Collingwood players to show any initiative on the day were rovers Lou Richards and Bob Rose, (6) although Rose never looked dangerous whilst roving,  he much looked better while resting in the forward pocket where he kicked two goals. (7) Unfortunately injury forced the Magpie skipper Lou Richards from the ground at half-time and he was not able to come back onto the field. (8) His loss came at a critical stage in the game and contributed to the defeat. (9) He had kicked three of the Magpies’ five goals up until that stage. Jack Hamilton at full-back was well beaten by North’s stop-gap full-forward Gerald Marchesi. (10)

The speedy Allan Aylett demoralised the Collingwood defence (11) kicking two goals in the second quarter (12), while a powerless Collingwood put on a deplorable display in which they all too often spoilt each other while marking and collided into each other on the ground. (13) Many Collingwood players were too reckless when going into packs, whilst North Melbourne were much too strong, which enabled them to trade bumps with the Magpies whilst still retaining their devastating pace and teamwork. (14)

Team	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	Final Score
North Melbourne	5.2.32	10.5.65	14.7.91	18.10.118
Collingwood	3.1.19	5.5.35	7.8.50	11.9.75

Goals

North Melbourne – Brady 4, Marchesi 4, Aylett 4, Grambeau 3

Collingwood – B. Rose 2, L. Richards 3, Batchelor 3

Best

North Melbourne – Parkes, Aylett, O’ Halloran, Brooker, Hamilton, Brady

Collingwood – Finck, Mann, B. Rose, Kingston, Batchelor, M. Twomey

Around the Grounds

Carlton recorded their first win of the season defeating the hapless Melbourne. Geelong were much too strong for Footscray defeating them by 41points, with Trezise kicking 8 goals and Goninon 3 for the Cats, cementing their place at the top of the VFL ladder. John Coleman kicked 11 of Essendon’s 13 goals in their 10 point loss to the Swans, while Fitzroy recorded a 1 point victory over Richmond, with Joe Hickey kicking 6 goals for the Gorillas.

Ladder After Round 2

Team	Win	Draw	Lose	Points For	Points Against	Percentage	Premiership Points
Geelong	2	0	0	180	99	190.9	8
North Melbourne	2	0	0	233	132	168.9	8
Carlton	1	0	1	150	124	121.0	4
Essendon	1	0	1	200	187	107.0	4
Richmond	1	0	1	153	148	103.4	4
Collingwood	1	0	1	193	195	99.0	4
St Kilda	1	0	1	149	162	92.0	4
Fitzroy	1	0	1	169	101	88.5	4
South Melbourne	1	0	1	176	207	85.0	4
Footscray	1	0	1	128	163	77.8	4
Melbourne	0	0	2	126	163	77.3	0
Hawthorn	0	0	2	95	179	53.1	0

Goalkickers

Player	Team	Goals in Round	Goals For Season
J. Coleman	Essendon	11	21
N. Trezise	Geelong	8	12
B. Twomey	Collingwood	0	9
J. Hickey	Fitzroy	6	9
A. Aylett	North Melbourne	4	8
G. Goninon	Geelong	3	7
G. Marchesi	North Melbourne	4	6
P. Cash	Hawthorn	4	6

In other news

It is quite interesting reading the old newspaper reports of the matches and seeing the different styles that each journalist/commentator uses while writing their match report. One thing I found odd was that twice in his article on this match, the Herald’s Alf Brown referred to North as Melbourne. I guess this was a mistake on behalf of the editor and shows the perils with trying to get the paper out in the evening after the conclusion of the match. This is something that is not so much of a problem these days as there are no longer any ‘evening editions’ of the Melbourne newspapers.

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Footnotes

1. Reynolds. D & Buggy. H – The Argus – Saturday May 2, 1953 – page 13
2. Reynolds. D & Buggy. H – The Argus – Saturday May 2, 1953 – page 13
3. Reynolds. D & Buggy. H – The Argus – Saturday May 2, 1953 – page 13
4. Bickford. G – The Argus – Monday May 4, 1953 – page 10
5. Brown. A – The Herald – Saturday May 2, 1953 – page 25
6. Bickford. G – The Argus – Monday May 4, 1953 – page 10
7. The Age – Monday May 4, 1953 – page 7
8. Bickford. G – The Argus – Monday May 4, 1953 – page 10
9. The Age – Monday May 4, 1953 – page 7
10. Bickford. G – The Argus – Monday May 4, 1953 – page 10
11. Brown. A – The Herald – Saturday May 2, 1953 – page 25
12. Brown. A – The Herald – Saturday May 2, 1953 – page 25
13. Bickford. G – The Argus – Monday May 4, 1953 – page 10
14. Bickford. G – The Argus – Monday May 4, 1953 – page 10

Round 1 – Collingwood Vs South Melbourne

Bill Twomey kicked nine goals against the Swans

April 18, 1953

Collingwood played South Melbourne in the opening round of the 1953 VFL season at Victoria Park, and won convincingly by 41 points, with Bill Twomey kicking 9 of the teams’ 17 goals.

Former Magpie great Harold Rumney summed up the game for the Sun by saying the Magpie’s won through an aggressive ‘battering-ram‘ attack, supported by a tough and resilient defence. (1) He went on to say that Collingwood had splendid teamwork and outstanding defence with the teams’ fleet of rucks and rovers in command throughout the day. (2) Ron Richards caught Rumney’s eye as he singled captain Lou Richards‘ brother out as being particularly impressive with his crumbing of the ball and breaking the packs which kept the South Melbourne forwards starved of opportunities. (3) In the Argus Hugh Buggy said that Collingwood’s smooth, calculated, and relentless football totally bewildered the hapless Swans. (4)

Rumney thought that Collingwood had improved in its’ overall strength since 1952. (5) He was impressed by Bill Twomey’s tenacious and clever ball-handling in front of goal and even apologised for his previous criticism of Twomey’s perceived lack of efficiency. (6) Hugh Buggy called Twomey the ‘dashing D’Artagnan’ of league football, who could enable the Magpies to be a shattering force in 1953. (7) In fact Buggy said that everything that Twomey did was touched by an elegance and artistry that made the game a delight to watch. (8) Buggy was also impressed with Twomey’s ‘panther-like’ leads and classic marking. (9)

Collingwood’s small men were confident and aggressive (10) and baffled the opposition with their uncanny handball which continually disorganised the South defence. (11)

Buggy also praised Collingwood’s tactics, saying they were the masters of cool, high quality, ‘chessboard’ football (12) and played with a common purpose and determination that would have worn any opposition down. (13

) The Magpie ‘machine’ was fully geared up and in devastating form. (14)

 

Teams	1st Quarter	2nd Quarter	3rd Quarter	Final Score
Collingwood	5.5.35	10.8.68	16.14.110	17.16.118
South Melbourne	1.1.7	5.4.34	8.6.54	11.11.77

The Magpies outnumber the Swans here 5-1

Goals

Collingwood – B. Twomey 9, L. Richards 3, R. Richards 2, B. Rose 2, Batchelor

South Melbourne – Sibun 4, McPherson 3, Lane, Gunn, Deagan, Gillett

Best

Collingwood – Hams, Mann, Hamilton, Fincke, Lucas, B Twomey, Tuck, R. Richards, Healey, P Twomey

South Melbourne – Dorgan, Clegg

In Other Magpie News

Collingwood sold 3300 memberships at the game on Saturday and is confident that they will break the 10,000 member mark for the first time in their history. (15)

In Other Games

Geelong defeated Hawthorn by 49 points, Essendon beat Fitzroy by 23 points with Coleman kicking 10 goals. Footscray scraped home over Carlton by just 5 points.

Ladder after round 1

Team	Win	Draw	Lose	Points For	Points Against	Percentage	Premiership Points
Geelong	1	0	0	87	38	228.9	4
North Melbourne	1	0	0	105	57	184.1	4
Collingwood	1	0	0	118	77	153.2	4
Essendon	1	0	0	111	88	126.1	4
Richmond	1	0	0	73	67	108.9	4
Footscray	1	0	0	65	60	108.3	4
Carlton	0	0	1	60	65	92.3	0
Melbourne	0	0	1	67	73	91.7	0
Fitzroy	0	0	1	88	111	79.2	0
South Melbourne	0	0	1	77	118	65.2	0
St Kilda	0	0	1	57	105	54.2	0
Hawthorn	0	0	1	38	87	43.6	0

1953 Leading Goal Kickers

J. Coleman (Essendon) – 10
B. Twomey (Collingwood) – 9
G. Sibun (South Melbourne) – 4
G. Goninon (Geelong) – 4
N. Trezise (Geelong) – 4
A. Aylett (North Melbourne) – 4

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Footnotes

1. Rumney. H – The Sun, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 28
2. Rumney. H – The Sun, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 28
3. Rumney. H – The Sun, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 28
4. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 10
5. Rumney, H – The Sun, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 28
6. Rumney, H – The Sun, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 28
7. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 10
8. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 10
9. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 10
10. The Age – Monday April 20, 1953 – page 8
11. The Age – Monday April 20, 1953 – page 8
12. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 10
13. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 10
14. Buggy. H – The Argus, Monday April 20, 1953 – page 10
15. The Sun – Monday April 20, 1953 – page 29