Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

DEMONS TAKE PREMIERSHIP
IN
VFL
?
By H. A. de LACY
MELBOURNE are the 1948 Victorian Football League
premiers.
Playing real premiership football, they outclassed Essendon in
the replayed game at the MCG today. Instead of the huge
crowd expected, only 52,226 attended.
With rain and no curtain-raiser, the replay began in an anti-climax
atmosphere.
BOB SYME (Essenton) baked bewildered w hen the umpire Mew hit whistle as Shane fMeGrath (Melboarne) skidded over the boundary Uae in the grand final re-play today. The ball was out of bounds. Help
BOB SYME (Essenton) baked bewildered w hen the umpire Mew hit whistle as Shane
fMeGrath (Melboarne) skidded over the boundary Uae in the grand final re-play today.
The ball was out of bounds.
"Hie football all day was
bitter. Shortly before the
end, there was a melee of players
on the Melbourne forward
line, where Mueller, after
marking, was knocked down by
Ian Essendon defender.
There was also an incident in
front of the Grey Smith Stand,;p
where blows were exchanged be-
twene spectators.
j
It was said that one man had (
tried to elbow his way through
the crowd and another spectator
his him.
Melbourne will wrap the
t atwui their e*actt
Hughes. After »
years- tn the game, Hughes
retires this year.
BEST MEMENTO
It was spirited, unbeatable
ffort by a game team to give
heir coach his final and his
est memento of a great career.
On the other hand, Essendon
ust be feeling very sad. Last
eek, they had a premiership
inner with cakes inscribed as
Premiers 1948."
Essendon never looked like
inning today. Every suspectd
weakness was revealed.
There were two reported play-j
rs—Chris Lambert (Ess.) forj
llegedly hacking < kicking »
raddock, and Ruddell for
llegedly elbowing. |
Rain made the ball greasy
nd the ground treacherous: |
onsequently there were many
fumbles. Unsparing physical
clashes stirred the crowd.
Melbourne had not won a
premiership since 1941 when,
by coincidence, they beat
Essendon in the Grand
Final. Two years ago the
teams met in the Grand
Final and Esendon won by
10 goals.
Today's attendance created
an aggregate record of 345,293,
beating the 1946 figures of
336,240—when there was also
a replay in the final series
Mr L. H. McBrien. League
Secretary, said that the VFL
scoured Victoria to get a curtain-raiser.
They would have been glad k
to put on a country match, but
none was available. |
Early in the morning, the t
queues had been better than;
any previous occasion this S
year. Massed bands tried to
whip up the enthusiasm of the 1
;
eople with community sing-,
mg but it fell flat. j
However, if the crowd had a,
drab beginning they saw aj
fiery game. It began with
heavy physical clashes and
1
almost ended in fisticuffs.
T h e
Essendon forwards who ^
icked 27 behlnds last week
layed panic football *U day
rying to avoid the hard-hiting
Melbourne defence,
For Melbourne Norman
mith and Jack Mueller were
unbeatable.
$