Western Oval Memories

[ledge]

Does anyone remember the famous peanut seller ? "peanuts, shilling a bag!" I think he was at every Williamstown game as well. He strolled around the outer with his big brown bag over his shoulder.
I also remember the league trying to kick him out for selling food and not having the rights to, but the people kicked up a stink they gave in and let him back.
Other memories, drinking cans quickly so u could stack them up to stand on them and get a better view.
Running onto the ground at quarter time breaks , having a kick or milling around the players and listen to the coaches speech.
I remember not paying to sit in the stand, first in best seat.
As a 12 year old me and my best freind Zeno kicking goals from centre half forward after a game until it got dark.
Standing in the outer watching fans scream at Mick Malthouse after he just moved to Westcoast and he had to hide in that box upstairs.
Trying to ring the Coon Dog back in 77 to go watch bulldogs and saints, couldnt get hold of him so went to see polly woodside with parents, Templeton kicked 15, i will never forgive you for not answering your phone Coon Dog!

[The Coon Dog]

I went to that game against the Saints! Bloody ripper too, funny, I've never been to the Polly Woodside.

Remember a game against the Saints when Robert Elphinstone walked past & being a young smartarse I told him Templeton was going to carve him up. KT, playing at CHF took 20 marks (not uncontested ones you see these days) & had 30 kicks.

I used to catch the bus in South Road, Braybrook & get off on the corner of Barkly Street & Gordon Street, buy the footy record on the way in & race up into the EJ Whitten Stand, where as you rightly point out, seating was free.

I used to love to go the the souviner stall under the stand & buy the iron on names for my duffel coat.

These were the days when the reserves played so you got there early (there was a reason), & watched the seconds, as well as hanging around the entrance between the 2 stands so that when the senior players came in you could get their autograph.

I remember sliding down the stones on cardboard boxes.

I once watched a game from the coaches box used by Michael Malthouse. A friend of mine hired it out for a couple of seasons. Great view, but bloody scary going up & down the ladder.

Who could ever forget the Hyde Street School Band? They used to go around at half time along with a group who had a huge blanket. People used to throw coins onto the blanket.

It was a great bus trip home if we won, not so good if we lost!

Sorry I didn't answer the phone!

[Desipura]

I went to that game against the Saints! Bloody ripper too, funny, I've never been to the Polly Woodside.

Remember a game against the Saints when Robert Elphinstone walked past & being a young smartarse I told him Templeton was going to carve him up. KT, playing at CHF took 20 marks (not uncontested ones you see these days) & had 30 kicks.

I used to catch the bus in South Road, Braybrook & get off on the corner of Barkly Street & Gordon Street, buy the footy record on the way in & race up into the EJ Whitten Stand, where as you rightly point out, seating was free.

I used to love to go the the souviner stall under the stand & but the iron on names for my duffel coat.

These were the days when the reserves played so you got there early (there was a reason0, & watched the seconds, as well as hanging around the entrance between the 2 stands so that when the senior players came in you could get their autograph.

I remember sliding down the stones on cardboard boxes.

I once watched a game from the coaches box used by Michael Malthouse. A friend of mine hired it out for a couple of seasons. Great view, but bloody scary going up & down the ladder.

Who could ever forget the Hyde Street School Band? They used to go around at half time along with a group who had a huge blanket. People used to throw coins onto the blanket.

It was a great bus trip home if we won, not so good if we lost!

Sorry I didn't answer the phone!

Not everyone used to throw coins, hey I was a fair bit younger

[craigsahibee]

[QUOTE=The Coon Dog;27428]I went to that game against the Saints! Bloody ripper too, funny, I've never been to the Polly Woodside.

Remember a game against the Saints when Robert Elphinstone walked past & being a young smartarse I told him Templeton was going to carve him up. KT, playing at CHF took 20 marks (not uncontested ones you see these days) & had 30 kicks.

I used to catch the bus in South Road, Braybrook & get off on the corner of Barkly Street & Gordon Street, buy the footy record on the way in & race up into the EJ Whitten Stand, where as you rightly point out, seating was free.

I used to love to go the the souviner stall under the stand & but the iron on names for my duffel coat.

These were the days when the reserves played so you got there early (there was a reason0, & watched the seconds, as well as hanging around the entrance between the 2 stands so that when the senior players came in you could get their autograph.

I remember sliding down the stones on cardboard boxes.

I once watched a game from the coaches box used by Michael Malthouse. A friend of mine hired it out for a couple of seasons. Great view, but bloody scary going up & down the ladder.

Who could ever forget the Hyde Street School Band? They used to go around at half time along with a group who had a huge blanket. People used to throw coins onto the blanket.

It was a great bus trip home if we won, not so good if we lost!

Sorry I didn't answer the phone! [/Mocca Dunstan kicked 7 that day also and Ian Morrison kicked one running the length of the ground from full back. Does anyone remember the ground being invaded by fans and coaches before the siren went?]

[craigsahibee]

When the Hyde Street School Band came around, the trick was to position yourself just short of the single row seat that went around the perimeter of the fence and catch all the short throws coming from the back of the terrace. We used to stand in the drill hall pocket where the bar was just behind us and all the pissed blokes would unleash their change at half time and almost always it wall fall a long way short of the tartan blanket. Happy days

[Twodogs]

[QUOTE=craigsahibee;30988]

I Does anyone remember the ground being invaded by fans and coaches before the siren went?]

I've got a DVD of the last 1/4 of that game. Templeton takes a mark, goes back to have a shot and as he's walking in to kick a little kid strolls up, taps him on the back and sticks an autograph book under his nose. Doug Hawkins is standing there trying to get people of the ground, spots a mate and walks over and shakes his hand.


I still dont know how no-one was ever killed or maimed running onto the ground back then. Geez it was fun though.

[The Underdog]

[QUOTE=Twodogs;36943]

I've got a DVD of the last 1/4 of that game. Templeton takes a mark, goes back to have a shot and as he's walking in to kick a little kid strolls up, taps him on the back and sticks an autograph book under his nose. Doug Hawkins is standing there trying to get people of the ground, spots a mate and walks over and shakes his hand.


I still dont know how no-one was ever killed or maimed running onto the ground back then. Geez it was fun though.

I still have great memories of running onto the ground. Imagine if someone gets to 100 goals this year. Can you see the crowd just tearing over the fence to mob them?
Have awesome memories of kicking the footy on the ground after the game, nothing more amazing than running onto the ground patting your favourite players on the back then taking your footy and putting a snap through the (what seemed like) enormous goalposts.

Speaking of shedding blood at the footy, although it wasn't at the WO, but at the Junction Oval, my brother managed to slice open his eyelid on a piece of wire poking out from an old fence at the scoreboard end. Left that game early and spent the afternoon at the Royal Children's. Back in the days before mobiles, so mum was at home getting pissed off cos she thought dad had gone off to the pub with us after the game and that's why we were so late. I was just annoyed at my bro cos we had to leave the footy early.

[LostDoggy]

I've got a DVD of the last 1/4 of that game. Templeton takes a mark, goes back to have a shot and as he's walking in to kick a little kid strolls up, taps him on the back and sticks an autograph book under his nose. Doug Hawkins is standing there trying to get people of the ground, spots a mate and walks over and shakes his hand.


I still dont know how no-one was ever killed or maimed running onto the ground back then. Geez it was fun though.

I really miss being able to do that.

[1eyedog]

Climbing up and down the rocks at the Geelong Road end (all day in a footscray jumper 3 sizes too big for me). Got invited up into the main scoreboard to trade some of my 1980 Scanlen footy cards with the 16 year old operator. That was a real highlight.

[Mofra]

As a 12 year old me and my best freind Zeno kicking goals from centre half forward after a game until it got dark.

That wouldn't be a much-loved (now) former full-back by any chance? Surely there aren't that many Zenos floating around outside of Athens?

I used to really enjoy the crowd banter at WO, never heard anything that compares. I also remember the Hyde Street band carrying the blanket, although a few of them probably needed crash-helmuts on the outer against the rowdier opposition (as 50c coin in the noggin must hurt like buggery).

One of my favourite memories was the "bouncers" who used to guard the players race after a game to stop fans from getting into the rooms too early. My dad's friend leant over one game and yelld "righto, let em in" and the bouncers did, realising their mistake just a fraction of a second too late. The look on his face was priceless!

The Glen Coleman goalpost incident was another favourite, as was Jason Watt's late goal against Freo (also a cultural day from memory) which gave us a win.

Another goal I'll never forget was Osbourne from around the players race. He motioned for someone to lead, but no forward get a clear run. He just ran back and unleashed a mighty torp that sailed straight through.

One of the sadder memories was Choco on crutches at the start of a game, waving the crowd goodbye stranded on 199 games, 299 goals. Most people would've had him carried out there just to get to his 200, but like Bubbha's retiremnet decision on 298 games with finals to play, Chocho was never that selfish (when a shot on goal wasn't concerned!)

[Sockeye Salmon]

I used to really enjoy the crowd banter at WO, never heard anything that compares. I also remember the Hyde Street band carrying the blanket, although a few of them probably needed crash-helmuts on the outer against the rowdier opposition (as 50c coin in the noggin must hurt like buggery).

We played a pre-season charity match v Collingwood at Waverley to raise money for the Ash Wednesday bushfire victims in 1982. I was roped into helping carry the blanket for donations and copped a 50c piece above my left eye. 6 stitches, thanks for helping.

[westdog54]

We played a pre-season charity match v Collingwood at Waverley to raise money for the Ash Wednesday bushfire victims in 1982. I was roped into helping carry the blanket for donations and copped a 50c piece above my left eye. 6 stitches, thanks for helping.

Be grateful, you join Twodogs in the elite group that has shed blood on the Whitten Oval.

[Mofra]

Be grateful, you join Twodogs in the elite group that has shed blood on the Whitten Oval.

What about shedding blood in the stands? I tore the sleeves out of 5-6 jackets on the rusty barbed wire over the players race (and on a couple of occasions, my arms as well); I used to stand on the concrete rise so I was head-height with the adults.

[Twodogs]

What about shedding blood in the stands? I tore the sleeves out of 5-6 jackets on the rusty barbed wire over the players race (and on a couple of occasions, my arms as well); I used to stand on the concrete rise so I was head-height with the adults.

I've shed blood on both sides of the fence.

[Twodogs]

We played a pre-season charity match v Collingwood at Waverley to raise money for the Ash Wednesday bushfire victims in 1982. I was roped into helping carry the blanket for donations and copped a 50c piece above my left eye. 6 stitches, thanks for helping.

Both my kids go to Hyde street-which is called Footscray City Primary School now-and both would like to thank you for your sacrifice.


Well they would if they knew about it.