Image TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage Tile
Image size: 5120x7168 Scale: 35% - PanoJS3
Page overview thumbnail

Article text

MONDAY'S MARCHES.
CARLTON'S UNEXPECTED DEFEAT.
After winning on Saturday against Fitz
roy, and semiring first place on the league
premiership list, Carlton Went down sur
prisingly and unmistakably against Mel
bourne, who up to then had not won a
game for the season. The absence of Jo.
M'Shatlre and nec«£&tily upset Catl
ton's ruck; the division of this team which
in previous encounters laid proved irresist
ible.fi.nd there was also a good man sway ]
in Topping, whose play up forward had i
previously been of great assistance.
Allowing fully for these losses, however,
there was still much that required account
ing for in the team's utter failure against ]
the reds, for they were not only beaten in ,
the ruck, but in all parts of the field and j
tame, and their strong point of the Satur
ay, namely, their handling of the ball, was
decidedly that wherein they. failed worst
on the Monday. My theory is that the se
verity of their struggle with Fitzroy, into
which they had thrown themselves with
sustained and most tremendous energy,
rendered them limp and lifeless in their
tussle with Melbourne. I do not write this
to disparage in the least degree Melbourne's
excellent win, for Melbourne, though they
had won no games before, bad played well
enough on more than one occasion to really
deserve success. It is gratifying to find
that, notwithstanding the heavy casualty
list that has been theirs during the past
month, they are still manned sufficiently
ably to score a Merited victory against a
previously triumphant company.
Melbourne owea much of tneir superiority
on Monday to the fact that they did not
too often try to handle the greasy ball, but
judiciously kicked it from the ground; and
they found their finest performer for the
occasion in Strong, who, whether forward •
or in the ruck, was always quick, clever,
and full of resource. They had a splendid
worker in Bremner half-back, and M'CJel
land, Parkin, and Purse were likewise stub
born defenders. C. Gardiner, on the wing,
beat Roland unmistakably; and Langlev
roving, Coutie forward, and Young in the
centre helped largely towards the team's
success. Few amongst the Carlton repre
sentatives earned special eulogy, but Bar
low was the pick of the defenders, with
! Walton running him close for the honour;
: Ford was good in the centre; Snell, roving,
[acquitted himself well, and Elliott, in the
I ruck, and Sullivan forward were con
spicuous performers. Carris umpired the
game really well.
I ST. HILDA AGAIN VICTORIOUS.
| There was evidently no fluke about St.
Iviida's win on Saturday, for they followed
it up on Monday with a first-class victory
at the expense of South Melbourne, whose
noteworthy absentees were Howson, the
Rippon3, and Fogarty. South were
baaly beaten in the nick, especi
ally in the earlier half, and in
places the Saints were the faster to the
ball, and the cleverer manipulators of it. The
] second term was far advanced before the
j Southerners were permitted to notch even
. a behind, whilst their adversaries had run
I up 4 goals and 8 behinds. It was an even
[and interesting battle in the third term,
t and afterwards South, who had four goals
I to make up in the last quarter, seemed to
I be always attacking. They gradually re
i-duced tne gap that separated them from
the Saints, but the quarter terminated when
they were still nine points to the bad.
It was palpable to onlookers that St.
Kilda, in massing their men back in
the final bout, and acting purely on
defensive lines, committed a serious
error, since in previous portions of
the match _ they had snown that
they were quite capable of keeping their
advantage m open and fearless football.
Their timorous tactics towards the finish,
to my thinking, robbed their victory of
much of its merit, and really gave their
opponents a bigger chance of success. I
am delighted to see the Saints winning
matches, and I feel sure, from what they
-showed me for three-fourths of this game,
they are a very talented body of foot
ballers.
Every individual amongst them came fre
quently into prominence during the after
noon, and showed himself a capable player.
The star of the company was Barwick,
whose roving more than sustained his Tas
manian reputation. Cumberland, in the
ruck, performed brilliantly, J. Smith did
well in the same department, M'Kay, Mor
gan, Bahne, M'Leoa, and Hogan were ex
cellent defenders, Quten shone in the centre,
Dowding and Stanlake were the pick of a
fine batch of forwards, and Jackson, though
one arm was useless and in bandages for
the greater part of the day, pluckily stuck
to his post, and kicked a brace of goals.
South's best performer was Hassett, who
followed magnificently, and others of the
team who earned a word of praise were
Jennarett, A. Adamson, and Hickey half
back, M'Gee in the centre, Scott on the
wing, Windley forward, Pleass and Boles
placed and following, and, after half-time,
Gent and Canavan roving. Gibson um- j
pired the match very satisfactorily.
ESSEXDON MAKE COLLIXGWOOD GO.
Neither of these teams was equipped at;
its best, but the absentees on either hand ]
about balanced each other. Rain and an
extremely moist ground were dead against j
the 'Woodsmen's system of quick passing,
and this feature of their play was conse- j
quently lacking. The side showed no
superiority over the visitors; and, after a
close and exciting struggle in which, de
SDite the surroundings, there was exhibited
much really excellent play, they were con
tent to find themselves in front by a
smallish majority of points. Had Essen
don's shooting been at all up to standard,
there must have been a different tale to
tell.
Collingwood's crack centreman, F. Leach,
played the finest football of the match, and
for general excellence the rover, Condon,
gained a high place in the estimation of the
critics. Pears used the ball to much ad
vantage; Panam on the wing, playing in
fair and manly fashion, had the better of
Vollugi, who did not dash in with his cus
tomary zest: Monahan's skill and earnest
ness saved the side in the later stages; and
Drohan, M'Haile, E. Lockwood, and Dunne
did sound work in their respective positions.
For Essendon, Cochrane, half-back, played
better than ever before, and Geggie, Marr,
and Trehev were also skilled defenders.
Hedley ana Carkeek following, Baxter on
the wing, Smith forward and roving, Barry
roving, and Barker forward, all lent mate
rial help, and Hastings in the centre was
one of the hardest workers in the field.
FITZROY REGAIN TOP PLAGE.
The conditions were as bad at Fitzroy as
at Victoria-park, and the game between
the locals and Geelong was robbed of much
of its attractiveness. Nevertheless, it was
surprising how well the majority of con
testants acquitted themselves. There were
bursts of fast, open, and clever football
that would have done credit in dry sur
roundings, and for the first three terms the
contest was keen enough to be highly en
tertaining. Geelong nad, however, shot
their bolt before the final, and Fitzroy fi
nishing strongly, as is their wont, sailed
in easy winners. For the victors, Trotter,
Brosnan, Barker, Wilkinson (who kieked
four goals), Beecham, Kiernan, Jenkins,
Fop tame, and Naesmith all did their club
good service: whilst Geelong were chiefly
beholden to Rankin, Bailiff, Bowey, Gronin,
M'Kenzie, Stephens, and Forbes. The
conditions were altogether against H.
Young, but be must be credited with hav
ing tried lmrdj^ late in the last
..... .jkjwxsw
was again far
^ • ■ ~mi
$