1909 VFL Grand Final, South Melbourne vs Carlton Footage

[fabulousphil]

Excellent work - the buildings in Bath Street either side today appear to match as well.
If someone from the 1910 match walked down Bath Street today, they wouldn't notice too many changes - as a street-scape it is a real time capsule.
There is also the clue that the next segment in the film is "Yarra Scenes at Studley Park".
Do you want to tell the National Film and Sound Archive (they like to know these things) or shall I?

Players perhaps glimpsed in the film could be Collingwood's Dick Lee the leading goalkicker 1907-09, 1910, 1914 (equal), 1916-17, 1919, 1921 and Jock McHale who went on to coach the Magpies to 8 Premierships.
For University there would have been Dr. Edward Cordner (you had to be qualified for university entrance, be studying at university or have a degree to play for University) father of the 4 Cordner boys who played in Melbourne's successful teams of the 1940s and 50s.

Footnote:
In 1910 'Marvelous' Melbourne was the biggest city in Australia.

Just out of interest RR, Collingwood FC's first President W.D Beazley lived at number 1 Bath Street untill his death in 1912.

He was also a former Collingwood mayor.

Very handy for Football meetings i would imagine

 

[fabulousphil]

Just out of interest RR, Collingwood FC's first President W.D Beazley lived at number 1 Bath Street untill his death in 1912.

He was also a former Collingwood mayor.

Very handy for Football meetings i would imagine

Can't imagine Eddie living here


http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=e...a=X&ei=qpV6UMqNPObqiAfyoIGYAg&ved=0CCIQ8gEwAA

 

[Last of the Roys]

So is it definite that this 1909 footage is the earliest ever footage currently unearthed of Aussie rules football? For someone that loves history and loves Aussie rules I must say it is pretty bloody awesome.

I am also very grateful that people in this thread seem to have discovered the earliest known footage of Fitzroy Football Club, even if it is only a few seconds.

It made me wonder if anyone knows of any other old footage of Aussies rules that is on the internet, besides what is in this thread?

And in relation to Fitzroy in particular I would be interested in any footage that is say pre 1970.

Currently I am aware of:
- (obviously the Marvelous Melbourne video from 1910)
- footage in the Fitzroy First 100 Years videos on youtube that includes:
- some footage from a game in the late 1920's or early 1930's at Brunswick St Oval
- footage from a game in 1954
- and some pretty good footage from the 1960 preliminary final vs. Collingwood
- A dvd from FFC that has some short footage from a few Fitzroy games from 1958

Does anyone know of any other old Fitzroy footage that is on the internet?

 

[fabulousphil]

So is it definite that this 1909 footage is the earliest ever footage currently unearthed of Aussie rules football? For someone that loves history and loves Aussie rules I must say it is pretty bloody awesome.

I am also very grateful that people in this thread seem to have discovered the earliest known footage of Fitzroy Football Club, even if it is only a few seconds.

It made me wonder if anyone knows of any other old footage of Aussies rules that is on the internet, besides what is in this thread?

And in relation to Fitzroy in particular I would be interested in any footage that is say pre 1970.

Currently I am aware of:
- (obviously the Marvelous Melbourne video from 1910)
- footage in the Fitzroy First 100 Years videos on youtube that includes:
- some footage from a game in the late 1920's or early 1930's at Brunswick St Oval
- footage from a game in 1954
- and some pretty good footage from the 1960 preliminary final vs. Collingwood
- A dvd from FFC that has some short footage from a few Fitzroy games from 1958

Does anyone know of any other old Fitzroy footage that is on the internet?

Hoped you watched Jack Irish on tele tonight, few Fitzroy tragics there.

 

[Gibbke]

1:13 - That chick's hat...!
4:03 - A place kick...
4:39 - Watch this bit closely - there are two Carlton players who appear to be wearing different variations of the Carlton jumper...most of them are in all navy with the monogram, but these guys are in a slightly lighter shade with a light bar across the shoulders...

 

[krisholio14]

I have the VFL On Film first video with pretty much everything NFAS has from the period on there. It's awesome.

Being a railway buff from way back, I also have hours of old footage and short film on railways and the likes, including 'Marvelous Melbourne' which is also awesome.

One very interesting piece on there is a video an old mate took from the top of the Rialto when it was first built. It shows all of Southbank and Docklands when the St Kilda and Port Melbourne railway lines were still there and they were still mainly covered in old factories. Of course it looks absolutely nothing like that now.

 

[Wallaby]

Even by 1909 standards, he wasn't exceedingly tall. The AFL's historical stats pages listed heights and weights for about half the 354 players used that season, and there were 42 taller players (up to 193cm for Dave McNamara). Franks was one of the heaviest players though - only four were heavier (up to 96kg).

Average player height through the years:

Weight:

A fun way of wasting time is looking up past players size and seeing how they rate compared with today's players.

Gordon Coventry (1920s) was smaller than Dane Swan.

Jack Titus (970 goals as Richmond Full-forward in 1930s-40s)) was smaller than Robbie Nahas.

Richmond's 2-time brownlow medal ruckman from the 1950s, Roy Wright, was the same height as Brett Deledio.

In 1952 Geoff Leek was 'officially' measured as the VFL's tallest player - 194cm - 1 cm taller than Michael Hurley.

 

[NFSA Simon]

quote="Last of the Roys, post: 26085845, member: 48072"]So is it definite that this 1909 footage is the earliest ever footage currently unearthed of Aussie rules football? For someone that loves history and loves Aussie rules I must say it is pretty bloody awesome.

I am also very grateful that people in this thread seem to have discovered the earliest known footage of Fitzroy Football Club, even if it is only a few seconds.

It made me wonder if anyone knows of any other old footage of Aussies rules that is on the internet, besides what is in this thread?[/quote]

Hi - Simon Smith here from the NFSA. Thanks for all the great posts about the 1909 VFL Grand Final Film we recently uploaded to our Youtube channel.

For those interested I believe these are the oldest surviving film fragments of Aussie Rules footy action:

1. 2 Oct 1909. South Melbourne v Carlton. MCG. (Grand Final)
2. 6 Aug 1910. Collingwood v Fitzroy. Victoria Park. (Rd 15)
3. 17 April 1911. Ballarat v Geelong. Ballarat City Oval (Easter Monday - annual clash)
4. 29 July 1911. Essendon v Geelong. East Melbourne Cricket Ground. (Rd 15)
5. 9 Sept 1911.Cananore v North Launceston. TCA Ground, Hobart (State Premiership)
6. 18 May 1912. Essendon v South Melbourne. Lake Oval (Rd 4)
7. 27 Sept 1913. Fitzroy v St Kilda. MCG (Grand Final)

Most are brief. All bar the 1911 Tassie film were seen on the NFSA 'Marking Time - VFL On Film Vol. 1' compilation released in 1996 on VHS, a release coinciding with the centenary of the VFL. There has been no DVD release of this or Vol.#2.

Interestingly, the longest, most complete of the above listing is the 1909 film. I love the fact that some spectators are watching from trees perched INSIDE the MCG! Anybody know when these were pulled out?

Also, if anyone is interested, we've recently IDed the earliest known football action in Tasmania from 1911 - check out the clip and accompanying blog here:
http://nfsa.gov.au/blog/2012/09/18/tasmanias-earliest-football-film-uncovered/

Other snippets of Tassie footy also survive from this time including perhaps film of a game the month before (Aug 1911) that is not 100% positively confirmed - still looking into this with Apple Isle locals.

I agree with other posters - would be amazing to see some film of University in action. Or Haydn Bunton for that matter. There is some brief film of Bunton doing some drills for a training film but I don't think any film of him in action for Fitzroy (or Subiaco or Port Adelaide for that matter) is known to survive.

Thanks.

 

[childeric]

A fun way of wasting time is looking up past players size and seeing how they rate compared with today's players.

Gordon Coventry (1920s) was smaller than Dane Swan.

Jack Titus (970 goals as Richmond Full-forward in 1930s-40s)) was smaller than Robbie Nahas.

Richmond's 2-time brownlow medal ruckman from the 1950s, Roy Wright, was the same height as Brett Deledio.

In 1952 Geoff Leek was 'officially' measured as the VFL's tallest player - 194cm - 1 cm taller than Michael Hurley.

St Kilda's ruckmen in the 1966 GF were Alan Morrow (183 cm) and Brian Mynott (193 cm)

The suspended ruckman Carl Ditterich was also 193 cm

Richmond's legendary ruckman Jack Dyer was 185 cm

 

[SJ]

3. 17 April 1911. Ballarat v Geelong. Ballarat City Oval (Easter Monday - annual clash)

Anyone know why Ballarat played Geelong in season during the VFL era?

 

[Ron The Bear]

Anyone know why Ballarat played Geelong in season during the VFL era?

VFL season started April 29.

 

[childeric]

Here is a film from 1966 about Melbourne which has about 30 secs of 1964 GF good quality colour footage

It was shown to prospective migrants and might provide some laughs

 

[Ron The Bear]

Here is a film from 1966 about Melbourne which has about 30 secs of 1964 GF good quality colour footage

It was shown to prospective migrants and might provide some laughs

Amazing, left me feeling a bit melancholy. Even if it was purposely presented as idyllic, 1966 Melbourne seemed so comparatively easy-paced, whereas now I just wanna aaaaarrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

 

[childeric]

Amazing, left me feeling a bit melancholy. Even if it was purposely presented as idyllic, 1966 Melbourne seemed so comparatively easy-paced, whereas now I just wanna aaaaarrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I liked the bit when the guy picked up his GF from her swanky new Housing Commission block (the girl was Elspeth Ballantyne from Prisoner)

 

[fabulousphil]

Thought i would bump this up, hope people who have not seen the thread find it interesting.

 

[Doss]

I wonder if there is any footage of a University game taken from their (brief) VFL era?

Hard_to_Beat, you seem to be a good man for these sort of things..

 

[Sebastian Balboa]

Very, very cool piece of history and the first known filming of Aussie Rules football.

Prepare for a history lesson folks:


Also, lol at 2:50 where the dude looks visibly awkward for having the Sash on the wrong way.

How's old mate from Carlton skipping at 2.18

And a nice hip and shoulder at 3.34

 

[SJ]

I wonder if Dame Elisabeth was there.

 

[fabulousphil]

I wonder if Dame Elisabeth was there.

Possibly, thats the year she was born.

Up untill the 1970/80's, probably would not have been to hard to find someone who was.

 

[SJ]

Possibly, thats the year she was born.

Up untill the 1970/80's, probably would not have been to hard to find someone who was.

She would have been seven months old. There was some talk earlier in this thread that the entire crowd would no longer be alive, but it is possible she was there!

 

[fabulousphil]

She would have been seven months old. There was some talk earlier in this thread that the entire crowd would no longer be alive, but it is possible she was there!

Pretty sure no-one would be alive today, but what freaks me out is the obvious massive change in that 100 years.

Will the changes be as massive in the next hundred years, things change fast, but it is only on relfection that you actually notice it.

 

[Gibbke]

It's also interesting that in 1909, the idea of airplane travel for the masses, tv, space, multiculturalism, and the events and causes of the two world wars, never mind the nuclear age, were totally non-existent in the minds of these people...you're looking at a huge crowd of people who know nothing about these things...

A hundred years later, as we sit in exactly the same position at the start of a new century, I wonder what the 2000's have in store for us, things we couldn't possibly imagine, that people a hundred years from now will look back on at us and laugh at...?

 

[SJ]

It's also interesting that in 1909, the idea of airplane travel for the masses, tv, space, multiculturalism, and the events and causes of the two world wars, never mind the nuclear age, BigFooty.com were totally non-existent in the minds of these people...you're looking at a huge crowd of people who know nothing about these things...

A hundred years later, as we sit in exactly the same position at the start of a new century, I wonder what the 2000's have in store for us, things we couldn't possibly imagine, that people a hundred years from now will look back on at us and laugh at...?

Fixed.

 

[giggler99]

Those men in the panarama shot of the crowd look so happy as if life is perfect in that video, pity what most of them had to all go through some five six years later.

High hats rule lets all go back to wearing them again, i've always wondered why men stopped wearing hats, when was the point in history it changed? Would have been the fifties I'm guessing with the James Dean, Marlene Brando Influence making it cool for a man to have a hair style or was there a shortage of hat production around that time?

 

[Visions]

Love the goal umpires in their suits and top hat. Should make it mandatory for current day ones. Chelsea would look so dapper.