Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 17 August 1922, page 26


FITZROY BEAT WEST PERTH.

(By "Onlooker.")

What a crowd! What a glorious da! Trains, trams, vehicles and motors emptied their hordes of football fol-lowers bound for Perth Oval, and the scads carried streams of people there to see the game between mighty Fitzroy

and our own West Perth team last Saturday afternoon. The gate was £820 and the attendance 13,000. Truly the people of the West love their football. And the day. It was perfect—with cloudless sky and little or no wind to hamper the play, whilst the turf, soft and springy, added to the ideal cond-tions. The game printed another page of history in the local football book, for Fitzroy are the first of the mighty Vict-torian league teams to make a visit to the West. Moreover, they are the crack side of Victoria at the moment. Sports-men have looked forward to their visit for month«, expectant of seeing good football, of learning something from their play, and expectant, too that West Perth, with their undoubted pace and aerial ability, would stretch the visitors to the full. Nor were they disappoint-ed. It was good football ; Fitzroy taught a lesson or two, and our own West Perth covered themselves with

glory by the gameness and quality of their fight, and proved East and West that our carnival success of last year was no fluke. It was only a bare point difference at the finish—7.7. to 7.6—and Fitzroy snatched the game on the post. They were 24 points to 9 at the first change—four straight majors against 1.3; but thereafter they were always fighting the cardinals away. Slowly they lost their grip, until half-way through the final term they looked to be outpaced and beaten by Wests, who held a two goals' lead. It was a grand and hard-won pull-back by the cardinals. But the terrier-like tenacity will which they had stood up to the smash-ing charges of the giant maroons all day long just seemed to give way a bit with ten minutes to go, and Fitzroy, pulling themselves together, cleaved a way for-ward with almost vicious whole-team rushes, and that great half-forward, Rattray, pelted through two goals in quick succession, which drew the scores

dead level. Then with five minutes to go it was a grim battle, but Fitzroy forced a minor and held to that margin like leeches, despite a wonderful dying effort from the cardi-nals, who were in attack at the bell. Fitzroy are a giant side, and one can un-derstand how they cleave a way to vic-tory, in tight battles against their adver-saries in the Victorian League. They are relentless in their smashes, exerting their power and size to the full. Rich in giant ruck men, they swing fresh fol-lowers into the packs ever and again. Their handball is grand, with nothing of the thin variety in it, and they knock on without picking up with great effect.

Their forwards fan out well, and in pass-ing always work to the goal mouth rather than to the angle wings. The

shepherding is immense. Our men surely

learnt a lesson here. The man with the ball is always aided, and in going for

marks the flyer is covered by a mate. But greatest of all is the amazing way

in which these big fellows dip for the ball, and whisk it up on the run with rare certainty. Nor do they dwell at

all. They go for everything, and are non-stop in method. And what of the West Perth team. A rare good side of

wonderful pace and for smaller men, wonderful in the air. Giving away height and weight, the cardinal fliers were triumphant. They lived right up to their great aerial reputation. Tenacity, pace, high marking, pluck, and good kick-ing they showed in abundance. On the

play for the day they were ahead of Fitzroy, and were unlucky to lose. With-out doubt they were more often in at-tack than were the visitors, but they played the wings, where Fitzroy played

for the goal front, and it was just this that cost them the game. Umpire Isaachsen had charge of the match. Dis-appointed that Taylor, Sontar, and Bid-strip were not fit enough to play. West Perth were quietly confident. As Joe Webb, their secretary, said:—"The day was made for their aerial champions and flyers." Fitzroy had notable absentees in Freake, Molan, and Collins ; but Cap-tain Lethbridge was confident, with that confidence born of big success, and added that if beaten they would ack-nowledge their conquerers as a fine side, indeed. The teams were :—

Fitzroy : Corrigan, Jenkin, Atkinson,

Lethbridge, Tarbotten, Taylor, Keller, Sherry, Williams, Donnellan, Cockram, Rattray, Carter, Merrick, Hamilton, Mc-

Cracken, McNeil, and Gale.

West Perth : Austin, Fry, Fleming. Boyd, Craig, Gosnell, Fysche, Blundell, Clark, Anning, Wimbridge, S. Tyson, Dans, Braithwaite, Holmes, Moore, G. Tyson, and Sheedy.

When the teams fielded there was little difference in uniform—both being cardinal and blue. Fitzroy drew forth exclamations of surprise at their im-mense stature and weight. Nippy and fast Wests were first away, and two minors gave them the early advantage,

but a shocking decision in giving Merrick a mark right in front enabled the crack goal-getter to pot an easy goal. But this bad luck was nullified immediately by Braithwaite shooting true at the other end. Then Fitzroy took charge. Dipping for the ball with amazing sure-ness, and passing well up forward, they seemed to have the cardinals rattled for a short period, and in quick succession Rathay, Gale, and Hamilton pierced the gap. Fitzroy led 4.0 to 1.3 at quarter-time—an advantage of 15 points. Un-canny in goal-getting and playing well, they looked to have Wests guessing. But the breather in changing over enabled the cardinals to recover poise, and they went after Fitzroy in great heart. Bang through defence method of Lethbridge and Tarbottom failed to keep them out. Moore snapped true, and then a beauti-fully shepherded run down by Wimbridgc, who stabbed through a lovely goal, made the Fitzroy lead only 3 points. A fleet-ing forward move by Fitzroy saw Tay-ler raise their fifth straight major—un-canny kicking—but Wests were back again on attack, and Wimbridge kicked their fourth goal. The local men were having all the best of the game, with the centre line holding a big call over that of the visitors, but their milder methods were hardly as effective as the bang through, non-stop style of Fitzroy. At half-time Fitzroy still led with 5.1 against 4.4. For the half Wests were ahead on the play with 8 shots against 6. They ware doing finely, lacking only in power. Fitzroy's forwards were very fine, and in clever leading and kicking made good use of smaller opportunities. The play had never been really high class, but there were some dazzling bits of play, in which Tarbottom, Keller, Rathay, Fysche, Sheedy, Tyson, and Wimbridge had figured well.

But after half-time the football became brilliant—that of West Perth particularly so. At half-time, I thought with others, that Wests could not last out against the giant force of the maroons. But we were mistaken. Those smaller lads measured bump for bump and rush for rush with rare pluck, and opening the game as much as possible they put in a brilliant run in the third term. Braith-waite scored early for them, and when the clever Sheedy shot true again, the enthusiasm of the crowd knew no bounds. "Come on, Wests," came from thousands of throats, and before the end of the term, Moore, fouled in front, kicked a seventh major leaving the scores at the

lemon bell 7.4 to 5.5. in favour of the cardinals. They had kicked 18 points to 4 and assumed the lead. It was a great quarter, providing the best foot-ball from both sides for the game. The defence work of McCracken on the one side and Craig on the other was the out-standing feature. Neither man made a mistake and they rose aloft to clamp the ball with finger grip of steel time and again. They were glorious. Fitzroy were faced with an eleven points deficit and they went out after reduction in a manner which was almost fierce in the relentlessness of their smashes. They could not, however, shake the cardinals. Once an unpleasant incident occurred

when Lethbridge outed the West skip-per, Blundell, with an inexcusable charge. But with only tea minutes to go Wests wavered for a short period against those fierce smashes and quick as a flash, that beautiful half-forward Rattray, shot true twice and drew the scores level. Then with but five minutes left, the battle was grim. Boyd in the car-dinals' defence once more became the

great man in a crisis and his wonderful relief almost saved the game to be a draw, but Fitzroy forced a minor and hung like leeches to this small advan-tage. Wests in a dying charge were in front of goal at the bell, but Fitzroy won a memorable game with tallies of 7.7 to 7.6.

In a game in which everyone did his

bit it was hard to individualise, but for the winners none caught the eye more than Tarbotton, Rattray, and McCrack-

en. Tarbotton in defence was per-fect, marking well and kicking away with long punts. Rattray is a beautiful half-forward, brilliant and clever with a tell-ing kick. He gathered in three goals. Following or in defence McCracken was

always good. He is a giant of 6ft. 3in., and in knocking out or in bringing down the high marks he is adept. Others in Fitzroy colours to scintillate were Kel-ler (in patches), Atkinson, Gale (cle-ver on the fringes of the pack), Leth-bridge, and Corrigan. For West Perth little Fysche deserves pride of place. Out on the wing he was rarely beaten, He was very clever there, and Sheady, too. Boyd rose to champion class in defence especially in the last quarter, when, cool as ever and marking grandly, he came away in relief time and again. Old "Tony" Tyson stood up to the big men in the welters in a manner which drew forth admiration. Craig marked superbly, and Wimbridge (cool this time, and clever). Anning, Moore, Sheedy (darting round the fringes in his own inimitable way), and Blundell were all tip-top. Goal-kickers—Fitzroy : Rattray (3), Hamilton, Gale, Taylor, Merrick. West Perth : Braithwaite (2), Moore (2), Wimbridge (2), and Sheedy.