West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Monday 21 May 1934, page 14


VICTORIA PARK BRILLIANT.

Swan Districts Badly Beaten.

In defeating Swan Districts by more than 100 points at the W.A.C.A. ground on Saturday, Victoria Park played better football than it has been customary to ex

)ect irom that club in recent years. Al'hough. for a considerable time the Swan Districts team showed its characteristic grit and fighting spirit, it was hopelessly beaten and, as tbe game drew to a close, it was totally unable to cope with the swift attacks of the opposing forwards. Victoria Park included no 'passengers'' and many players excelled themselves. The systematic play of the team reflected great credit on the coach (W. J. Truscottj who apparently has -instilled into the men something of the remarkable skill in teamwork which has always characterised the botball of his old team, East Fremantle. Swan Districts failed not only because -its men were beaten but because its 'passing was poor and its forwards badly astray. Victoria:, Park, on the other hand, played faultless . system ; its tall men rarely missed a mark, and its small men held a considerably advantage on' the ground. The teams were: — SWAN DISTRICTS. — Backs: Mclnerney, Perham, Richards, Half-backs: Clarke,' Zilko,' Ford. Centres: Mosey, Grieve, Krepp. Half-forwards: Cook, Parks, Bee. Forwards: Kneebone, : Gorn, Dawes. Followers; Forbes, Millward,' Burge (rover). 10th man: G. Fitzgerald (did not play). PARK. — Backs: Cooper, Brown, Crooks. Half-backs: O'Callaghan, Shepherd, P. Fitzgerald. Centres: Ransom, . H. Grigg, H. Dayey. Half-forwards: W.. Fitzgerald, Wilson. Johnson: Forwards: A. Grigg, Gook, Robeon. Followers: G. Davey, Lucas, Keightley (rover). Nineteenth man: Hetherington (did not play). UMPIRE.— F. Collins. The game opened at a fast pace and within two- minutes of the start Johnson goaled for Victoria Park from a mark. Swan Districts had difficulty in coping with the pace of Victoria Park, and its centre line was strangely ineffective. Victoria Park was also the stronger in the air and P. Fitzgerald almost invariably stopped attacks attempted by way of Bee's Jialf-forward wing. Poor footpassing made mueh of Swan District's hard work ineffective and only the strength of the defenders held the team together. Victoria Park played the long-kicking game effectively, interspersing passages of fast, short-passing in the forward line. The scones at the close of the quarter were:— Victoria Park, 4.5; Swan Districts, 1.2. Victoria Park played brilliant football at the start of the second term., and three ©^'f&were scored in as many minutes, aook was outstanding in a strong Victoria

jrarKitorward. division. Swan Diatrictf rallied in' characteristic fashion, but the presence of Shepherd, P. Fitzgerald and Crooks in the opposing backlines prevented scoring.' Still Swan Districts persisted. What the team lacked in polish itv compensated for in determination. The swan Districts centre line found its feet and led the side forward. For almost Sfteenj, minutes Victoria Park defended lesperately 'until the pressure was eased by Lucas, who started a pretty passing movement which resulted in the team's eighth;goal. Swan Districts was in a bad Dosition1. when A. Grigg 'soecered' the ball through the goal, and Victoria Park, by. a fine fighting effort, had re-established its_bupremacy- when .the bell, rang with the Bcores at:— Victoria Park, 12.1&; Swan Districts, 4.4. , 'Victoria- Park dominated the 'game for the first' ten minutes of the third quarter. Griggj; Gook and Keightley goaled and other-attacks produced points. Gook was in brilliant form and at that stage had kicked'- almost half of his team's score. Swan ') Districts was outclassed. W. Fitzgerald: put the home team further ahead with a. goal and Gook kicked his seventh

and the team's 17th goal. Victoria Park played a brilliant quarter, which ended withithe scores:— Victoria Park, 19.16; Swan- Districts; 6.7. With Swan Districts in a hopeless position, there was. little interest in the play in the. final quarter. Although playing well within itself Victoria Park was responsible for several passages of splendid combined play. As in the previous. quar-ters, its small menN provided a large part in most of the scoring movements. A number of times the ball was taken from the centre to the goal^ without a Swan Distrist player touching it. Swan Districts failed to produce its hard finish, and the game ended with the scores at:— fl VICTORIA PARK .. 27.20 (I82pts.) SWAN DISTRICTS . 9.10 (64pts.) Goal-kickers.— Victoria Park: Gook (8), Johnston (6), Lucas (5), Keightley (3), A. 'Grigg (2), Wilson (2), and W. Fitzgerald. Swan Districts: Bee (2), Gorn (2), Gook, Richards, Millward, Burge and Parks. Every man on the winning side played a notable part in the team's success. In their respective divisions Keightley, Lucas and Davey and Gook, P. Fitzgerald,

Shepherd and Johnston were outstanding Perhaps the most brilliant was Keightley, who roved tirelessly and gave the forwards many, opportunities. _ Davey beat his immediate opponent pointless and Lucas, besides kicking five goals; gave' a fine exhibition of roving. P. Fitzgerald was never faulted. Gook, by brilliant marking dominated the forward line; Johnston played unusually clever football and Shepherd was solid at half-back. Most of the Swan Districts players showed little of the ability of the earlier games. -Zilko at centre-hafrback did many fine things, Forbes followed in courageous style and, in*fact, was one of the best followers in the game, but he received little support from his rovers. Grieve showed glimpses of form at ? centre and Parks fought hard at half-forward.