Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

[Twodogs]

I've been meaning to point out for a while now that 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the club's 1913 VFA premiership. It was the club's 5th premiership and the 3rd time we headed the ladder and won the minor premiership.

The Grand Final against North Melbourne was held at the old East Melbourne Cricket ground in front of a crowd of 20, 000. The game was neck and neck all day until Footscray ruckman Art Gregory grabbed the ball at a boundary throw in and snapped a goal with only seconds remaining.

For the record the details are:

Saturday, 6 September


Footscray def. North Melbourne
Q1 4.2 (26) 3.4 (22)
Q2 7.10 (52) 6.4 (40)
Q3 8.13 (61) 10.6 (66)
Q4 10.14 (74) 11.7 (73)

Umpire: Hurley

Goalkickers: Footscray-Banbury 3, Grierson 2, Baxter, Cotton, Gregory, Holmes, Lawson. North-Carpenter 2, Freeman 2, Hardy 2, Hawkins 2, K. Johnson, McKay, Treloar

[Bornadog]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Thanks TD, I love your knowledge on the VFA days.

I was surprised the club didn't make a big deal of this year being our 130th year as a club, although there is a some history of the club in the 1870's. Officialy though its 1883.

[Twodogs]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Thanks TD, I love your knowledge on the VFA days.

I was surprised the club didn't make a big deal of this year being our 130th year as a club, although there is a some history of the club in the 1870's. Officialy though its 1883.

It would have been good if the club gave a nod towards our previous acheivments but I guess it's too late in the year to plan anything now. Maybe when we played North earlier in the year would have been the most appropriate time to celebrate the centenary?

Funnily enough it was your sig that reminded me.

[Twodogs]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Oh and a little bit about the game here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1913_VFA_season

[Bornadog]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Funnily enough it was your sig that reminded me.

Some supporters, especially from other clubs think we shouldn't count premierships pre 1925, but I am a firm believer that the VFA was a strong competition and the original competition and those premierships should not be cheapened. After all we were up against the likes of Hawthorn, North, Richmond (until 1901) and strong clubs like Willi and Port.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Oh and a little bit about the game here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1913_VFA_season

Sad to see the roots of Melbourne tanking have been around for over 100 years

[Twodogs]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Sad to see the roots of Melbourne tanking have been around for over 100 years

Haha! I wonder who the #1 draft pick was in 1914? Melbourne would have mucked it up anyway I guess.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

The Bulldogs captain in 1913 was Johnny Craddock who went on to captain Footscray to two further Premierships in 1919-20. The Coach of the 1913 Premiership team was James Cassidy who went on to serve 50 years with the Club as a player, coach and head trainer. Cassidy's grandson Father Kevin Saunders, a Catholic Priest, is a regular at WB games both in Melbourne and Interstate. Such is the Heritage of our great club.

[Twodogs]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

The Bulldogs captain in 1913 was Johnny Craddock who went on to captain Footscray to two further Premierships in 1919-20. The Coach of the 1913 Premiership team was James Cassidy who went on to serve 50 years with the Club as a player, coach and head trainer. Cassidy's grandson Father Kevin Saunders, a Catholic Priest, is a regular at WB games both in Melbourne and Interstate. Such is the Heritage of our great club.

That Cassidy bloke had an interesting playing career. 3 games spread over fifteen years (1898, 1909, 1913) suggests he must have been a last minute fill in for a player who didn't turn up. His dedication and service to the club is unparalleled. 50 years is a long time.

The 1913 team had some characters. Art Gregory, Tattles Patterson, Tom McClusky, Archie Clarke, Ching Harris (my nana's favourite player!) Vic Sampson (more premierships-5-than any other Footscray player), Roy Cotton and my all time favourite Footscray player Vernon Banbury. Craddock would have had his work cut out keeping them all in line.

[KT31]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Thanks for posting TwoDogs.
Johnston, Hardy and Hawkins, some surnames have just meant to be link with greatness at our club.

[Twodogs]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Thanks for posting TwoDogs.
Johnston, Hardy and Hawkins, some surnames have just meant to be link with greatness at our club.

I often wonder about that Hawkins. Douggie grew up a North supporter due to a family allegiance.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

That Cassidy bloke had an interesting playing career. 3 games spread over fifteen years (1898, 1909, 1913) suggests he must have been a last minute fill in for a player who didn't turn up. His dedication and service to the club is unparalleled. 50 years is a long time.

The 1913 team had some characters. Art Gregory, Tattles Patterson, Tom McClusky, Archie Clarke, Ching Harris (my nana's favourite player!) Vic Sampson (more premierships-5-than any other Footscray player), Roy Cotton and my all time favourite Footscray player Vernon Banbury. Craddock would have had his work cut out keeping them all in line.

Vernon Banbury was considered the finest player of his era. Johnny Craddock was an early part of the Braybrook Football Club that went on to serve the Bulldogs with great distinction, that included 4 members of the WB Team of the Century, Whitten, Hawkins, Bisset and Wally Donald.Craddock's daughter Myrtle Bayliss now in her late '80's went on to represent Australia in two sports, women's cricket and softball. She was also a member of Victoria"s triple lawn bowls champions and in a 4th sport, became the Medway Golf women's champion.

[Webby]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Some supporters, especially from other clubs think we shouldn't count premierships pre 1925, but I am a firm believer that the VFA was a strong competition and the original competition and those premierships should not be cheapened. After all we were up against the likes of Hawthorn, North, Richmond (until 1901) and strong clubs like Willi and Port.

We absolutely, unapologetically, should! When we were dominating the VFA, zoning restrictions did not apply. Our playing strength in those days was right up there with any club in Victoria. We pulled big, big crowds and attracted excellent players. It's forgotten that when we joined the VFL, player zoning restrictions were imposed upon us.

Essendon, who had blocked ours and North's entry into the VFL for decades, insisted upon tight zoning restrictions being placed on both us and North. Seddon, for example, (which is basically another word for South Footscray) was actually zoned to the Swans... All the way down to Willy.. Think of that - virtually the back fence of the Footscray Town Hall - was zoned to South Melbourne!

In short, the calls on which clubs would succeed and which clubs wouldn't we're made in League admin offices long before 'Cost of Living Allowances' and compromised drafts ever came along!

Hawthorn (the league's first geographical expansion club) were actually rubbish in the VFA. (as were St Kilda - who were only admitted because they had the best ground), were the worst club in the VFL for the first 40 years of their existence.. However for the second 40 years, they were the most successful!... The difference? VFL admin re-drew the zoning boundaries. They gifted Hawthorn the entire SFL/Mornington Peninsula zone. It's amazing what 40 years of unparalleled succes will do for membership growth!

North, who were worst affected by crap zoning, to their credit, took best advantage of the VFL's 'genius' 10 year rule. They read the play, exploited the rule, and bought 6 consecutive GF appearances... They were also the first to devise a strategy around building on youth when drafting was introduced.

Point is, the VFL/AFL have always (deliberately and by mistake) influenced the success and failure of clubs... It's just a fact of life. So we shouldn't be shy about celebrating ALL of our successes. Because the VFL/AFL did us very little favours for a long, long time. That said, however, I don't think successive FFC Boards did a hell of a lot of proactive back room work..

Just while I'm on that, Peter Gordon's off-field efforts to lobby the AFL's adoption of the NFL's 'Any Given Sunday' policy should be applauded. Long term club success is made off the field and in back rooms every bit as much as it is on the field (as one leads to the other). Clubs need vision and strategy. That's why, although I didn't want Rocket sacked, I was pleased to see the club taking a brave and different step by approaching Brendan McCartney. It demonstrates a long term vision and strategy. With some patience and support, the Dogs are heading places.

And we should proudly celebrate every ounce of achievement we've had on the way.

[Twodogs]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

Great post Webby. I'm ready to run down the race.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Footscray Football Club. Premiers 1913.

I was just happy to come away with the 4pts that day. We were killed on the inside 50s, and our kicking efficiency was woeful.
Ahhhh footy before all this crap. Good stuff TwoDogs.