Cockle Diver
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Thank you Garibaldi Red.
Resource General Footy History thread
- Thread starter RussellEbertHandball
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Thank you Garibaldi Red.
![IMG_1566[1].JPG](https://www.bigfootycontent.com/attachments/1317/1317540-202a5677ea993a0de017aea6fef6e6cc.jpg "IMG_1566[1].JPG")
So the swannies will be wearing their heritage south Melbourne jumper in ALL games in Victoria...
www.sydneyswans.com.au
How the hell is this different to us wearing our heritage jumper? Double standards much?
Swans honour heritage in Victoria
The Sydney Swans will honour their South Melbourne roots by wearing the club’s iconic red-V guernsey as the away strip for all Victorian games going forward.
How the hell is this different to us wearing our heritage jumper? Double standards much?
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #29
In the late 1990's Jerry Lewis came to Oz several times to do the last of his live shows, plus his charity work with muscular dystrophy. He had an annual telethon for over 50 years and raised around $3bil for MDA in USA. He was taken to a few AFL games and fell in love with the sport. This was him from 2 different games from 2 different trips in 1999.
A few weeks later he clowned around before the game for a couple of minutes.
A few weeks later he clowned around before the game for a couple of minutes.
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #30
GremioPower asked me about the scoring history in AF and I said behinds were kept but ignored for years. But I couldn't tell him why they were kept and why they changed the scoring.
This 2016 Herald Sun article explains why. The main driver was going from a rectangle pitch in a park to an oval pitch and playing on cricket fields. And cricket's top score of a six may have influenced a goal being 6 points and a behind 1 point.
SCORING from a behind didn’t exist in the earliest days of Australian rules football.
From 1878, points for behinds were listed — but only goals counted towards the score.
As a result there were a lot of drawn games.
So out of frustration, the scoring rules were changed when the VFL was established in 1896 and the behind point was born.
It remains one of the quirks of our national game — rewarding players for a miss — that bamboozles foreign observers.
So why were the behind posts even included on the footy field?
Right back at the beginning of footy in the 1850s, cricket clubs were reluctant to allow football matches to be played on their beautifully manicured ovals — relegating footy matches to parks where players had no physical boundaries.
Players had to mark the field out themselves and it started as a rectangular shape.
“The easiest way to set out a playing area in a park was with a rectangle rather than an oval,” says Col Hutchinson, the AFL’s historian.
“The playing area was usually just marked out with a few sticks in the ground rather than trying to mark out a boundary in chalk.”
The main boundary was the four extremities of the rectangle, with posts to mark to outer corners and two goalposts set up in the positions we know it today, Hutchinson explains.
“So if a team kicking to their attacking end kicked the ball between the goalpost and the corner post then the expression used was: ‘The ball has gone behind the goal line’.”If that happened, a player from the defending team would kick the ball back into play, as happens in modern AFL.
Then by the late 1800s, football was becoming popular and the cricket clubs suddenly thought they could cash in if they allowed games to be played on their grounds.“The cricket clubs thought, if we let footy clubs use our grounds for matches we can charge them some sort of rental, and at the same time charge admission for the spectators,” says Hutchinson.
Suddenly the shape of the footy pitch changed from a rectangle to an oval, but the football administrators kept the corner posts as part of the concept, placed where the behind posts are today.
It was at this time that a new scoring system was introduced to reduce the number of draws.
A score of 12.15 against 12.9 would have been a draw under the old system but a win to the first team under the new system.
The six points for a goal and one for a miss is most likely related to cricket scoring, Hutchinson says.
“Cricketers hitting the ball over the fence were rewarded with six runs. So perhaps the cricket minded football administrators might have said: ‘OK, we’ll reward a good shot at goal as a six and we’ll regard a near miss as one’.”
There is a lot of debate over whether the behind is needed in the modern game since players now kick goals with far more accuracy.
Across the history of the sport, the conversion rate for goal ranged from a low of 38.1 per cent in 1900 to a high of 55.2 per cent in 2000, with far fewer behinds being kicked in the modern game.
Some say the behind in AFL became like a two cent coin — so worthless in the modern game it was being thrown away with the deliberate rushed behind.
That forced the AFL had to introduce a deliberate rushed behind rule in 2009, to try to stop players from forcing a point to prevent the attacking team from scoring a goal. Umpires are often accused of being too lenient with the deliberate rushed behind rule, with the AFL warning earlier this year it would launch a crackdown.
This 2016 Herald Sun article explains why. The main driver was going from a rectangle pitch in a park to an oval pitch and playing on cricket fields. And cricket's top score of a six may have influenced a goal being 6 points and a behind 1 point.
SCORING from a behind didn’t exist in the earliest days of Australian rules football.
From 1878, points for behinds were listed — but only goals counted towards the score.
As a result there were a lot of drawn games.
So out of frustration, the scoring rules were changed when the VFL was established in 1896 and the behind point was born.
It remains one of the quirks of our national game — rewarding players for a miss — that bamboozles foreign observers.
So why were the behind posts even included on the footy field?
Right back at the beginning of footy in the 1850s, cricket clubs were reluctant to allow football matches to be played on their beautifully manicured ovals — relegating footy matches to parks where players had no physical boundaries.
Players had to mark the field out themselves and it started as a rectangular shape.
“The easiest way to set out a playing area in a park was with a rectangle rather than an oval,” says Col Hutchinson, the AFL’s historian.
“The playing area was usually just marked out with a few sticks in the ground rather than trying to mark out a boundary in chalk.”
The main boundary was the four extremities of the rectangle, with posts to mark to outer corners and two goalposts set up in the positions we know it today, Hutchinson explains.
“So if a team kicking to their attacking end kicked the ball between the goalpost and the corner post then the expression used was: ‘The ball has gone behind the goal line’.”If that happened, a player from the defending team would kick the ball back into play, as happens in modern AFL.
Then by the late 1800s, football was becoming popular and the cricket clubs suddenly thought they could cash in if they allowed games to be played on their grounds.“The cricket clubs thought, if we let footy clubs use our grounds for matches we can charge them some sort of rental, and at the same time charge admission for the spectators,” says Hutchinson.
Suddenly the shape of the footy pitch changed from a rectangle to an oval, but the football administrators kept the corner posts as part of the concept, placed where the behind posts are today.
It was at this time that a new scoring system was introduced to reduce the number of draws.
A score of 12.15 against 12.9 would have been a draw under the old system but a win to the first team under the new system.
The six points for a goal and one for a miss is most likely related to cricket scoring, Hutchinson says.
“Cricketers hitting the ball over the fence were rewarded with six runs. So perhaps the cricket minded football administrators might have said: ‘OK, we’ll reward a good shot at goal as a six and we’ll regard a near miss as one’.”
There is a lot of debate over whether the behind is needed in the modern game since players now kick goals with far more accuracy.
Across the history of the sport, the conversion rate for goal ranged from a low of 38.1 per cent in 1900 to a high of 55.2 per cent in 2000, with far fewer behinds being kicked in the modern game.
Some say the behind in AFL became like a two cent coin — so worthless in the modern game it was being thrown away with the deliberate rushed behind.
That forced the AFL had to introduce a deliberate rushed behind rule in 2009, to try to stop players from forcing a point to prevent the attacking team from scoring a goal. Umpires are often accused of being too lenient with the deliberate rushed behind rule, with the AFL warning earlier this year it would launch a crackdown.
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GremioPower
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I don’t see a behind as a miss at all.
A goal gets extra five points, but a behind still awards a team for getting the ball through the opposition’s endline.
It’s similar to other football codes like rugby, American, and calcio.
The oddity in Australian is that the endline is tiny, because of the shape of the field.
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #32
The difference in those games that get called football, is you get a higher score for getting the ball over/through the opposition's end line, and a lower score for kicking a goal.
Have you ever seen (Irish) Gaelic Football? They basically have a rugby goal set up with a cross bar but also a soccer net. Get the ball under the bar and in the net past the goalie, by hand or foot and its 3 pts for a goal, and kick it thru the goals and the ball goes over the cross bar, its called an over and worth one point.
When Australia plays Ireland in that hybrid rules game called International Rules Series, they introduce behind posts, have 1 pt for a behind, 3pts for an over and 6pts for what I call an undet, ie put the ball in the net and they call a goal.
The usual score might be 1.15.10 = 61 pts.
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It's why it's called a behind.
GremioPower
Taking notes of policy re: bikini/lingerie images
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In calcio, there are two scores as well, but no goal posts. If I am not mistaken, the difference would be carrying the ball or kicking/throwing it. I will check it.
I know Celtic/Irish/Gaelic football, and I’ve watched a few International games. It’s a really interesting concept. (I still think the field should be oval or ovalized, but I digress.)
GremioPower
Taking notes of policy re: bikini/lingerie images
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RussellEbertHandball, I've checked it.
In Florentine football (calcio), regardless of the way the ball reaches the end net, it's one point.
However, the game indeed has two scores. If the ball goes above the net (a "behind", if you will), then the opposing team gets half point.
--
P.S.: Calcio has also something I wanted footy to at least try. Teams change sides after every goal...
In Florentine football (calcio), regardless of the way the ball reaches the end net, it's one point.
However, the game indeed has two scores. If the ball goes above the net (a "behind", if you will), then the opposing team gets half point.
--
P.S.: Calcio has also something I wanted footy to at least try. Teams change sides after every goal...
GremioPower
Taking notes of policy re: bikini/lingerie images
- May 26, 2017
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- Port Adelaide
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- Grêmio, DC United, Pistons
This is what I mean by "ovalized field":
Just cut the corners out.
Just cut the corners out.
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #37
Last night in the sports documentaries thread on the Black Diamond Corner board chiwigi and tribey had a discussion about the 1979 doco on North Melbourne that was bundled up as a DVD with the 1996 Year of the Dogs DVD.
I found its still available to buy from the National Film and Sound Archives.. There are snippets of Russell Ebert in it.
1980, 26 Minutes
A behind-the-scenes look at the Victorian Football League team, North Melbourne, and the preparation and physical build-up that goes into getting a team ready for the premier Australian Rules football competition.
Ron Barassi, from North Melbourne, is shown in his role as a leading VFL coach and we follow the team through its early training sessions to the opening match of the season. The film highlights some of the spectacular action from the North Melbourne-Carlton challenge of 1979.
© 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
And thanks to you tuber Gezza 1967 (more in my next post) he has put the full doco up in 3 parts.
And this is the Big Footy thread on the North board from 2010 about the game they include in the doco
www.bigfooty.com
I found its still available to buy from the National Film and Sound Archives.. There are snippets of Russell Ebert in it.
A behind-the-scenes look at the Victorian Football League team, North Melbourne, and the preparation and physical build-up that goes into getting a team ready for the premier Australian Rules football competition.
Ron Barassi, from North Melbourne, is shown in his role as a leading VFL coach and we follow the team through its early training sessions to the opening match of the season. The film highlights some of the spectacular action from the North Melbourne-Carlton challenge of 1979.
© 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
And thanks to you tuber Gezza 1967 (more in my next post) he has put the full doco up in 3 parts.
And this is the Big Footy thread on the North board from 2010 about the game they include in the doco
1979 North Melbourne Vs Carlton at Arden St.
gnmllG5kauY Not many views so figured a few here haven't seen it. :thumbsu:
www.bigfooty.com
chiwigi
I’ll make tears from your Wines.
Awesome, thanks!
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #39
This guy Gezza 1967 started his You Tube account in 2008 with the aim to - "I'm interested in collecting, sharing, preserving and recording footage, film, photos and videos of old school Melbourne town and Australia that I grew up in between the age of 6 y.o in 1973 to when I was 22 y.o in 1989 mainly, though I will upload more from the entire 20th century & some of the noughtie's."
However he has ended up with a shit load of footy videos among his 3,700+ videos, as well as other sports, Oz TV stuff, Oz music, ( he's the guy that has put up the Jimmy Barnes at Alberton concert 1996 NYE), news reports of major events, car stuff etc. He is still adding to them.
Footy probably makes up 3/4 of 3,700+ videos mainly 10 seconds to 5 minute long with some 15-30 minute videos and some half games and full games as well.
He has VFL games from the 1970's, 1980's AFL stuff mainly to mid 1990's, but also stuff to the end of 90's, / early 00's with the odd footage from 1950's and 60's, a lot of VFA footage, match of the day was on Sunday's and was on ABC, the odd SANFL and WAFL game, state games inc VFA vs the minor states, footy docos, footy shows like 9's Footy Show, old Channel 7 world of sports footy stuff etc.
No doubt some of you have watched and posted from Gezza 1967's videos over the years. I will be post some of his classic ones in the future.
Here are 3 I found last night.
The first one is of news report of Alan Schwab's death in Sydney in June 1993. Schwab was #2 at the AFL and was sent up to Sydney to help save the Swans after private owners Peter Weinert and media personality Michael Willesee handed back their Swans licence to the AFL a few weeks earlier.
Schwab was from club land, ex Richmond general secretary (old term for CEO) when they won 3 flags and was a bit pissed off he wasn't made CEO of the VFL in 1986 when they set up the VFL Commission in late 1985 and offered the job to Ross Oakley, when Schawb had been worked as Jack Hamilton's 2IC at VFL House for a decade. Jack was gracefully retired by the new commission at the start of 1986.
He and Oakley and the commissioners clashed as he didn't like all their business type decisions and was the footyhead at the top of the tree and the rest were businessmen types even though Oakley had played VFL for Saint Kilda in the 1960's.
Schwab was very pro Port Adelaide. He signed the deal with Bruce Weber when Oakley was on holidays. He was very positive about Port wearing the Prison Bars, but said we had to get rid of the Magpies nickname.
He died having a heart attack when he was with a hooker in the hotel mentioned in the video below. I had lived in Sydney for a year at the time and had visited the office block next to the hotel either the day he died or the day before he died, to see a customer of the firm I was working for. The reporting of the circumstances behind his death, was reported very differently in Sydney compared to Melbourne and Adelaide. Sydney they didn't hold back, Melbourne in particular they were sensitive about how it was reported.
The day Schwab died was probably the day our chance to regularly wear the Prison Bars died.
Oakley and the commission wanted Port in, but they didn't really give a stuff about our heritage like Schwab did. Dr Norman Ashton's 2018 book, Destiny - How Port Adelaide put itself on the national stage, documents very well Schwab's interactions with and beliefs about Port and what they could contribute to a national league.
Who knows how much Alan would have pushed for Port to be allowed to wear the Prison Bars in the AFL. He died before we had started to put our proposal together in 1994 and what the AFL wanted from us re colours and guernsey designs.
This is a video where Choco lashes out at Collingwood for snubbing him in 1986 re his contract negotiations, when the club was in its usual dire financial straits in the 1980's and 90's, and were low balling their captain regarding his contract offer.
The Jarman's were on The Front Bar last night and they talked about the crows debut game against Hawthorn in 1991, they stood each other and that it was a sell out, 45,000 people, place packed out.
Contrast that to the first WCE game at Subi in 1986. Half full and a relaxed atmosphere. There was a stuff up with the TV rights. 7's Ron Casey and previous VFL boss Jack Hamilton had a handshake deal about the rights, new CEO Ross Oakley, 12 months into the job became very concerned at the way Casey was handling the negotiations for the first season of the expanded VFL, and ended up doing a deal with some mob called Broadcom who on sold the rights to TEN Network and ABC. ABC paid $1mil for their share the first time they had ever paid for sporting rights.
It didn't last long, 7 became more professional and won back the rights in 1988.
Commentators are Tim Lane and the great Doug Hayward and special comments from Hayden Bunton Jnr.
However he has ended up with a shit load of footy videos among his 3,700+ videos, as well as other sports, Oz TV stuff, Oz music, ( he's the guy that has put up the Jimmy Barnes at Alberton concert 1996 NYE), news reports of major events, car stuff etc. He is still adding to them.
Footy probably makes up 3/4 of 3,700+ videos mainly 10 seconds to 5 minute long with some 15-30 minute videos and some half games and full games as well.
He has VFL games from the 1970's, 1980's AFL stuff mainly to mid 1990's, but also stuff to the end of 90's, / early 00's with the odd footage from 1950's and 60's, a lot of VFA footage, match of the day was on Sunday's and was on ABC, the odd SANFL and WAFL game, state games inc VFA vs the minor states, footy docos, footy shows like 9's Footy Show, old Channel 7 world of sports footy stuff etc.
No doubt some of you have watched and posted from Gezza 1967's videos over the years. I will be post some of his classic ones in the future.
Here are 3 I found last night.
The first one is of news report of Alan Schwab's death in Sydney in June 1993. Schwab was #2 at the AFL and was sent up to Sydney to help save the Swans after private owners Peter Weinert and media personality Michael Willesee handed back their Swans licence to the AFL a few weeks earlier.
Schwab was from club land, ex Richmond general secretary (old term for CEO) when they won 3 flags and was a bit pissed off he wasn't made CEO of the VFL in 1986 when they set up the VFL Commission in late 1985 and offered the job to Ross Oakley, when Schawb had been worked as Jack Hamilton's 2IC at VFL House for a decade. Jack was gracefully retired by the new commission at the start of 1986.
He and Oakley and the commissioners clashed as he didn't like all their business type decisions and was the footyhead at the top of the tree and the rest were businessmen types even though Oakley had played VFL for Saint Kilda in the 1960's.
Schwab was very pro Port Adelaide. He signed the deal with Bruce Weber when Oakley was on holidays. He was very positive about Port wearing the Prison Bars, but said we had to get rid of the Magpies nickname.
He died having a heart attack when he was with a hooker in the hotel mentioned in the video below. I had lived in Sydney for a year at the time and had visited the office block next to the hotel either the day he died or the day before he died, to see a customer of the firm I was working for. The reporting of the circumstances behind his death, was reported very differently in Sydney compared to Melbourne and Adelaide. Sydney they didn't hold back, Melbourne in particular they were sensitive about how it was reported.
The day Schwab died was probably the day our chance to regularly wear the Prison Bars died.
Oakley and the commission wanted Port in, but they didn't really give a stuff about our heritage like Schwab did. Dr Norman Ashton's 2018 book, Destiny - How Port Adelaide put itself on the national stage, documents very well Schwab's interactions with and beliefs about Port and what they could contribute to a national league.
Who knows how much Alan would have pushed for Port to be allowed to wear the Prison Bars in the AFL. He died before we had started to put our proposal together in 1994 and what the AFL wanted from us re colours and guernsey designs.
This is a video where Choco lashes out at Collingwood for snubbing him in 1986 re his contract negotiations, when the club was in its usual dire financial straits in the 1980's and 90's, and were low balling their captain regarding his contract offer.
The Jarman's were on The Front Bar last night and they talked about the crows debut game against Hawthorn in 1991, they stood each other and that it was a sell out, 45,000 people, place packed out.
Contrast that to the first WCE game at Subi in 1986. Half full and a relaxed atmosphere. There was a stuff up with the TV rights. 7's Ron Casey and previous VFL boss Jack Hamilton had a handshake deal about the rights, new CEO Ross Oakley, 12 months into the job became very concerned at the way Casey was handling the negotiations for the first season of the expanded VFL, and ended up doing a deal with some mob called Broadcom who on sold the rights to TEN Network and ABC. ABC paid $1mil for their share the first time they had ever paid for sporting rights.
It didn't last long, 7 became more professional and won back the rights in 1988.
Commentators are Tim Lane and the great Doug Hayward and special comments from Hayden Bunton Jnr.
Last edited:
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #40
Saw this story on ABC News last night about the AFL discovering an 85 year old radio interview on 6PR of Haydn Bunton a day or two after he had played in the carnival in Perth in 1937. This carnival only had the big 3 teams, WA, SA and Victoria.
He enjoyed his time so much the triple Brownlow medallist moved to Perth and played with Subiaco and won the Sandover medal in 1938, 1939 and 1941. 3 Brownlows + 3 Sandovers.
He was in the army in 1943 and 1944 and in 1945 played with Port, 17 games, and was roving with Bob Quinn - what a duo. Port made the GF but lost it to West Torrens by 13 behinds, 15.25 to 15.12. It was his last game of senior football. He was 34.
Its a fantastic tale of the carnival games, and footy crowds in Perth. Here is the wiki link to the 1937 carnival games.
1937 Perth Carnival - Wikipedia
The National Film and Sound Archives has remastered the audio and matched it to some rare footage of Hayden. They also sent the recording to his 2 sons who haven't hear their dads voice since he tragically died a few days after a car crash near Gawler in September 1955.
The audio was recorded in Perth, 85 years ago, on 14 August 1937, and is the only known surviving recording of Bunton’s voice – and one of the earliest live Australian radio broadcasts in the NFSA collection.
Read the full article and listen to the audio, married with surviving footage of Bunton, who tragically died in a car crash in 1955.
'THE BRADMAN OF FOOTBALL' SPEAKS
SHARE
BY
SIMON SMITH
On the 85th anniversary of its original radio broadcast in 1937, the only known audio recording of one of the most revered Australian Rules footballers has been rediscovered, preserved and released by the NFSA.
Newspapers called him ‘the Bradman of football’. The most decorated of all Australian Rules footballers, Haydn Bunton dominated 2 league competitions in the 1930s.
Possessing great speed and uncanny ball sense, the champion rover collected 3 Brownlow Medals in Victoria and three Sandover Medals in Western Australia within a dozen seasons.
Tragically leaving behind 2 teenage sons in 1955 following a serious car accident in South Australia, Bunton’s passing at age 44 occurred just prior to the birth of television in Australia, robbing the next generations of football followers with the personal reminder of his deeds.
However, the recent discovery of several unique lacquer discs featuring a live 6PR Perth radio broadcast in August 1937 provides the first opportunity to hear the voice of a sporting icon, absent since his passing 67 years ago.
1934 cigarette card. Source: Graeme Dickenson
The Age newspaper called him 'the first true star of Australian Rules' and 'by far the League’s most colourful personality'.
Bunton was an outstanding all-rounder at sports. In a ‘City versus Country’ cricket match, he and future test stars Don Bradman and Archie Jackson were singled out. But the Albury-raised teenager focused his natural abilities on football.
Debuting in 1931 as a 19-year-old player for the Fitzroy Maroons (now Brisbane Lions), the boom recruit instantly dominated, winning 2 Brownlow Medals, the award for the VFL’s highest individual honour, in his first 2 seasons. By August 1937, Bunton had added a third and was captaining the Victorian state team at the 9th Australian National Football Carnival being held in Perth.
In an exciting championship final watched by a packed crowd of 38,022 at Subiaco Oval, an attendance The West Australian declared 'was easily a record for a sporting fixture in this state', Victoria overcame a spirited Western Australian side by 8 points (97 v 89). The crowd was so large that the fence collapsed with fans spilling out onto the boundary line, an astonished Bunton exclaiming 'it was something in football I’ve never seen before'.
Advertisement from The West Australian, 13 August 1937. Source: Trove
That evening, on Saturday 14 August 1937, prior to the Victorian team’s return trip east by train, the skipper visited the studios of Perth radio station 6PR for the second of 2 appearances.
Giving an overview of the carnival, a gracious Bunton was effusive in his praise for both opponents and fans alike.
Whether for posterity, given the visiting footballer’s star power, the excitement of the day’s events or the opportunity for 6PR to test out its recently acquired lacquer disc cutting equipment, Bunton’s 6.30pm summary was recorded live to 2 single-sided 10-inch 78 rpm blank lacquer discs.
The surviving 6-minute speech is slightly truncated because, with a limited recording time of 3 to 4 minutes per blank disc, a changeover from first disc to second would have ensured some words were not captured. Existing NFSA holdings and contact with 6PR suggest the footballer’s words here likely form the earliest known surviving station recording.
The discs are also among the earliest live Australian radio broadcasts in the NFSA collection. Bunton’s sons Haydn Jnr and David, when recently contacted, also believe this is the only known recording of their famous father.
Label of disc one. NFSA title: 1659051
During the COVID-19 lockdown of 2021, the AFL decided to renovate their boardroom area and boxes that had been stored there were opened.
As the AFL’s Patrick Keane recalls, 'we were clearing all memorabilia that had been on display to go into storage, and then clearing out all cupboards of stationery, crockery and electrical items. Also in there were a couple of boxes which I hadn’t previously opened.'
Among scrapbooks and assorted football memorabilia from the 1940s to the 1970s were the 2 discs. As to how long these had been in the possession of the AFL Keane speculates, 'As best as I’ve been able to work out, the boxes moved from storage in the previous boardroom at the MCG to storage here [AFL HQ at Docklands], without anyone ever opening them. The discs could well have been with us for 30 to 40 years.'
A lacquer disc, by its very fragile nature, degrades with each replay. The digitised results of the NFSA transfer indicate the discs, though exhibiting scratches and examples of ‘stitching’ (when a stylus has jumped across the surface), had not been played frequently in the intervening years.
Working from the raw digitised preservation files, NFSA Audio Technician Gerry O’Neill undertook a full audio restoration, removing much of the surface disc noise and boosting audio levels for a significantly improved listening experience.
As surviving footage of Bunton is equally rare, we have accompanied the newly discovered 1937 audio with Bunton’s sequences performing training drills for the instructional film How to Play Australian Rules Football (Bruce Andrew, 1936), recently digitised from the best surviving 16mm print in the NFSA collection.
Combining the 2 discs into a single audio file, this is the first time Haydn Bunton’s voice has been heard since 1955:
Audio courtesy Nine Entertainment. NFSA title: 1659051
Accompanying vision courtesy News Corp Australia and Estate of Bruce Andrew. NFSA title: 16391
In 1996, Bunton became an inaugural AFL Hall of Fame inductee, later elevated to Legend status, and selected in the forward pocket in the AFL Team of the Century.
In 2005, Bunton’s greatness was acknowledged in bronze, when he became the seventh of 17 (at the time of writing) Australian sporting icons to have had their statue unveiled within the MCG precinct. With both sons – Haydn Junior, himself an AFL Hall Of Fame inductee, and David – in attendance, Network Ten cameras recorded the significant event:
Video is embedded in story
Haydn Bunton statue unveiled. Ten News Melbourne, 16 April 2005. Courtesy: Network Ten. NFSA title: 653065
The original discs have now been generously donated by the AFL and digital copies supplied to the AFL, 6PR and the Bunton family.
And for everyone else, this is the first chance in nearly 7 decades to hear the voice of one of the first Australian Rules football superstars.
With thanks to the AFL, the Bunton family (Haydn, Maggie and David), Michael Roberts at the Collingwood Football Club, Graeme Dickenson, 6PR, Network Ten, News Corp Australia, Mike Sexton, Fran Thomas and Chris Donald’s biography Haydn Bunton – Best and Fairest (Pennon Publishing, 2003).
Main image: statue of Haydn Bunton at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photo by Simon Smith.
He enjoyed his time so much the triple Brownlow medallist moved to Perth and played with Subiaco and won the Sandover medal in 1938, 1939 and 1941. 3 Brownlows + 3 Sandovers.
He was in the army in 1943 and 1944 and in 1945 played with Port, 17 games, and was roving with Bob Quinn - what a duo. Port made the GF but lost it to West Torrens by 13 behinds, 15.25 to 15.12. It was his last game of senior football. He was 34.
Its a fantastic tale of the carnival games, and footy crowds in Perth. Here is the wiki link to the 1937 carnival games.
1937 Perth Carnival - Wikipedia
The National Film and Sound Archives has remastered the audio and matched it to some rare footage of Hayden. They also sent the recording to his 2 sons who haven't hear their dads voice since he tragically died a few days after a car crash near Gawler in September 1955.
The audio was recorded in Perth, 85 years ago, on 14 August 1937, and is the only known surviving recording of Bunton’s voice – and one of the earliest live Australian radio broadcasts in the NFSA collection.
Read the full article and listen to the audio, married with surviving footage of Bunton, who tragically died in a car crash in 1955.
'THE BRADMAN OF FOOTBALL' SPEAKS
SHARE
BY
SIMON SMITH
On the 85th anniversary of its original radio broadcast in 1937, the only known audio recording of one of the most revered Australian Rules footballers has been rediscovered, preserved and released by the NFSA.
Newspapers called him ‘the Bradman of football’. The most decorated of all Australian Rules footballers, Haydn Bunton dominated 2 league competitions in the 1930s.
Possessing great speed and uncanny ball sense, the champion rover collected 3 Brownlow Medals in Victoria and three Sandover Medals in Western Australia within a dozen seasons.
Tragically leaving behind 2 teenage sons in 1955 following a serious car accident in South Australia, Bunton’s passing at age 44 occurred just prior to the birth of television in Australia, robbing the next generations of football followers with the personal reminder of his deeds.
However, the recent discovery of several unique lacquer discs featuring a live 6PR Perth radio broadcast in August 1937 provides the first opportunity to hear the voice of a sporting icon, absent since his passing 67 years ago.
THE FIRST TRUE STAR OF AUSTRALIAN RULES
With his matinee idol good looks, superior fitness and humble disposition, Haydn Bunton enjoyed enormous popularity in the 1930s playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL).1934 cigarette card. Source: Graeme Dickenson
The Age newspaper called him 'the first true star of Australian Rules' and 'by far the League’s most colourful personality'.
Bunton was an outstanding all-rounder at sports. In a ‘City versus Country’ cricket match, he and future test stars Don Bradman and Archie Jackson were singled out. But the Albury-raised teenager focused his natural abilities on football.
Debuting in 1931 as a 19-year-old player for the Fitzroy Maroons (now Brisbane Lions), the boom recruit instantly dominated, winning 2 Brownlow Medals, the award for the VFL’s highest individual honour, in his first 2 seasons. By August 1937, Bunton had added a third and was captaining the Victorian state team at the 9th Australian National Football Carnival being held in Perth.
In an exciting championship final watched by a packed crowd of 38,022 at Subiaco Oval, an attendance The West Australian declared 'was easily a record for a sporting fixture in this state', Victoria overcame a spirited Western Australian side by 8 points (97 v 89). The crowd was so large that the fence collapsed with fans spilling out onto the boundary line, an astonished Bunton exclaiming 'it was something in football I’ve never seen before'.
‘HEAR AUSTRALIA’S GREATEST FOOTBALLER’
Advertisement from The West Australian, 13 August 1937. Source: Trove
That evening, on Saturday 14 August 1937, prior to the Victorian team’s return trip east by train, the skipper visited the studios of Perth radio station 6PR for the second of 2 appearances.
Giving an overview of the carnival, a gracious Bunton was effusive in his praise for both opponents and fans alike.
Whether for posterity, given the visiting footballer’s star power, the excitement of the day’s events or the opportunity for 6PR to test out its recently acquired lacquer disc cutting equipment, Bunton’s 6.30pm summary was recorded live to 2 single-sided 10-inch 78 rpm blank lacquer discs.
The surviving 6-minute speech is slightly truncated because, with a limited recording time of 3 to 4 minutes per blank disc, a changeover from first disc to second would have ensured some words were not captured. Existing NFSA holdings and contact with 6PR suggest the footballer’s words here likely form the earliest known surviving station recording.
The discs are also among the earliest live Australian radio broadcasts in the NFSA collection. Bunton’s sons Haydn Jnr and David, when recently contacted, also believe this is the only known recording of their famous father.
DISCOVERY AT THE AFL
In the years following, the pair of discs found their way to VFL (now AFL) headquarters in Melbourne, where they were boxed up, placed in storage and forgotten. Not even the AFL’s archives department were aware of their existence.
Label of disc one. NFSA title: 1659051
During the COVID-19 lockdown of 2021, the AFL decided to renovate their boardroom area and boxes that had been stored there were opened.
As the AFL’s Patrick Keane recalls, 'we were clearing all memorabilia that had been on display to go into storage, and then clearing out all cupboards of stationery, crockery and electrical items. Also in there were a couple of boxes which I hadn’t previously opened.'
Among scrapbooks and assorted football memorabilia from the 1940s to the 1970s were the 2 discs. As to how long these had been in the possession of the AFL Keane speculates, 'As best as I’ve been able to work out, the boxes moved from storage in the previous boardroom at the MCG to storage here [AFL HQ at Docklands], without anyone ever opening them. The discs could well have been with us for 30 to 40 years.'
'SOMETHING IN FOOTBALL I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE'
With no means to play these unique discs, the AFL contacted the NFSA for our appraisal. Once we established the rarity of the material, our Audio Services team in Canberra examined and digitised the discs.A lacquer disc, by its very fragile nature, degrades with each replay. The digitised results of the NFSA transfer indicate the discs, though exhibiting scratches and examples of ‘stitching’ (when a stylus has jumped across the surface), had not been played frequently in the intervening years.
Working from the raw digitised preservation files, NFSA Audio Technician Gerry O’Neill undertook a full audio restoration, removing much of the surface disc noise and boosting audio levels for a significantly improved listening experience.
As surviving footage of Bunton is equally rare, we have accompanied the newly discovered 1937 audio with Bunton’s sequences performing training drills for the instructional film How to Play Australian Rules Football (Bruce Andrew, 1936), recently digitised from the best surviving 16mm print in the NFSA collection.
Combining the 2 discs into a single audio file, this is the first time Haydn Bunton’s voice has been heard since 1955:
Audio courtesy Nine Entertainment. NFSA title: 1659051
Accompanying vision courtesy News Corp Australia and Estate of Bruce Andrew. NFSA title: 16391
LEGACY
In the 80 years since Haydn Bunton ran out for his last VFL game, no player has surpassed his Brownlow Medal feats, with only 3 other players matching his triple-award accolade.In 1996, Bunton became an inaugural AFL Hall of Fame inductee, later elevated to Legend status, and selected in the forward pocket in the AFL Team of the Century.
In 2005, Bunton’s greatness was acknowledged in bronze, when he became the seventh of 17 (at the time of writing) Australian sporting icons to have had their statue unveiled within the MCG precinct. With both sons – Haydn Junior, himself an AFL Hall Of Fame inductee, and David – in attendance, Network Ten cameras recorded the significant event:
Video is embedded in story
Haydn Bunton statue unveiled. Ten News Melbourne, 16 April 2005. Courtesy: Network Ten. NFSA title: 653065
The original discs have now been generously donated by the AFL and digital copies supplied to the AFL, 6PR and the Bunton family.
And for everyone else, this is the first chance in nearly 7 decades to hear the voice of one of the first Australian Rules football superstars.
With thanks to the AFL, the Bunton family (Haydn, Maggie and David), Michael Roberts at the Collingwood Football Club, Graeme Dickenson, 6PR, Network Ten, News Corp Australia, Mike Sexton, Fran Thomas and Chris Donald’s biography Haydn Bunton – Best and Fairest (Pennon Publishing, 2003).
Main image: statue of Haydn Bunton at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photo by Simon Smith.
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RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #41
The conversation about Jim Michalanney's son Max and if he qualifies with 211 games because SANFL counted night series/preseason cup games in their totals, made me think of how many games are possible that he played in those comps and are ineligible to count as part of the 200 eligible season games. To do that you have to look at the different comps SA players were involved in.
Did Michalanney only play 11 or less ineligible games? Its possible but he would have had to have missed a lot of games.
At the end of 1977 he had played 20 games that season and only 61 games in total inc night series and pre season cup games. He finished in 1986 with 211 games.
So 150 games in 9 seasons means he missed a lot of games with injuries and form given some years SANFL players could add 31 games to their totals in a year, if they played 22 minor round games + 4 finals + 5 preseason games.
Below is what happened in SA and the various comps between 1954 and 1994 with only comps between 1982 and 1994 where all teams participated, along with 1959-62 seasons.
Explanation of Numbers of Teams Entering
1954-6 Non-finalists.
1957 Advertiser Cup. Non-finalists played a knock-out series, with the winner playing the loser of the SANFL 1st semi final, and the winner of that match taking on the loser of the SANFL preliminary final in the final.
1958 Advertiser Cup. Non-finalists played a knock-out series, with the winner playing the loser of the SANFL 1st semi final in the final.
1959-61 Advertiser Cup. All 8 league clubs.
1962 Advertiser Cup. All 8 league clubs plus Central District and Woodville.
1968 Non-finalists played the first round, with the winners being joined in the second round by the losers of the SANFL first semi final. The two second round winners faced one another in the third round, with the winner of that match then confronting the loser of the SANFL preliminary final in the final.
1971 & 1972 Coca-Cola Cup. Teams placed 5th-8th at the conclusion of the SANFL minor round.
1973 Coca-Cola Cup. Teams placed 6th-8th at the conclusion of the SANFL minor round, plus loser of the league elimination final.
1975 Datsun Cup. Top 8 clubs in the SANFL competition after round 6.
1982-90 All 10 SANFL clubs.
1991-94 All 9 SANFL clubs, following the merger at the end of the 1990 season of Woodville and West Torrens.
The Australian National Football Council's NFL Night Series. Vic teams only participated in 1976.
en.wikipedia.org
Then between 1979 and 1986 you had The Australian Football Championships (AFC) night series, as the WA teams played in it and the SA teams didn't join until 1980.
en.wikipedia.org
But as the Vics won all the titles between 1979 and 1986 they just called it VFL night series winners
en.wikipedia.org
From 1956 to 1971, the first VFL Night Series was a consolation knock-out competition held in September at the Lake Oval in Albert Park amongst the eight teams who failed to reach the finals in the VFL premiership season, apart from 1957, when all twelve teams competed.[1]
There were no official VFL night series held during the 1972 to 1976 seasons, however in 1976 the National Football League (the national governing body at the time) held their own night series mid-week during the season, known as the NFL Wills Cup.
In 1977, the VFL revived their own night series, also held mid-week during the season and televised on Channel 7 to rival the NFL series that was shown on Channel 10.[2] Whilst the 1977 series only featured the twelve VFL teams, between 1978 and 1986 a selection of teams from the SANFL, WAFL and representative teams from Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania also competed.[3] This became known as the Australian Football Championships Night Series and ran until 1987.
From 1988 until 2013, the competition was played in its entirety before the premiership season began and is competed for by only the VFL or AFL teams (the VFL was renamed the AFL in 1990), and became the Australian Football League pre-season competition. The preseason competition was abandoned in 2014, and replaced with discrete practice matches
Did Michalanney only play 11 or less ineligible games? Its possible but he would have had to have missed a lot of games.
At the end of 1977 he had played 20 games that season and only 61 games in total inc night series and pre season cup games. He finished in 1986 with 211 games.
So 150 games in 9 seasons means he missed a lot of games with injuries and form given some years SANFL players could add 31 games to their totals in a year, if they played 22 minor round games + 4 finals + 5 preseason games.
Below is what happened in SA and the various comps between 1954 and 1994 with only comps between 1982 and 1994 where all teams participated, along with 1959-62 seasons.
Explanation of Numbers of Teams Entering
1954-6 Non-finalists.
1957 Advertiser Cup. Non-finalists played a knock-out series, with the winner playing the loser of the SANFL 1st semi final, and the winner of that match taking on the loser of the SANFL preliminary final in the final.
1958 Advertiser Cup. Non-finalists played a knock-out series, with the winner playing the loser of the SANFL 1st semi final in the final.
1959-61 Advertiser Cup. All 8 league clubs.
1962 Advertiser Cup. All 8 league clubs plus Central District and Woodville.
1968 Non-finalists played the first round, with the winners being joined in the second round by the losers of the SANFL first semi final. The two second round winners faced one another in the third round, with the winner of that match then confronting the loser of the SANFL preliminary final in the final.
1971 & 1972 Coca-Cola Cup. Teams placed 5th-8th at the conclusion of the SANFL minor round.
1973 Coca-Cola Cup. Teams placed 6th-8th at the conclusion of the SANFL minor round, plus loser of the league elimination final.
1975 Datsun Cup. Top 8 clubs in the SANFL competition after round 6.
1982-90 All 10 SANFL clubs.
1991-94 All 9 SANFL clubs, following the merger at the end of the 1990 season of Woodville and West Torrens.
The Australian National Football Council's NFL Night Series. Vic teams only participated in 1976.
NFL Night Series - Wikipedia
Then between 1979 and 1986 you had The Australian Football Championships (AFC) night series, as the WA teams played in it and the SA teams didn't join until 1980.
Australian Football Championships night series - Wikipedia
But as the Vics won all the titles between 1979 and 1986 they just called it VFL night series winners
List of VFL/AFL pre-season and night series premiers - Wikipedia
From 1956 to 1971, the first VFL Night Series was a consolation knock-out competition held in September at the Lake Oval in Albert Park amongst the eight teams who failed to reach the finals in the VFL premiership season, apart from 1957, when all twelve teams competed.[1]
There were no official VFL night series held during the 1972 to 1976 seasons, however in 1976 the National Football League (the national governing body at the time) held their own night series mid-week during the season, known as the NFL Wills Cup.
In 1977, the VFL revived their own night series, also held mid-week during the season and televised on Channel 7 to rival the NFL series that was shown on Channel 10.[2] Whilst the 1977 series only featured the twelve VFL teams, between 1978 and 1986 a selection of teams from the SANFL, WAFL and representative teams from Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania also competed.[3] This became known as the Australian Football Championships Night Series and ran until 1987.
From 1988 until 2013, the competition was played in its entirety before the premiership season began and is competed for by only the VFL or AFL teams (the VFL was renamed the AFL in 1990), and became the Australian Football League pre-season competition. The preseason competition was abandoned in 2014, and replaced with discrete practice matches
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Butters and Pepper
Club Legend
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As a kid following footy on tv or radio, I always thought "what a strange surname "Annie".
But then again, I had also thought that the former Sydney & Carlton player's name was Reece (or Rhys) Jones.
But then again, I had also thought that the former Sydney & Carlton player's name was Reece (or Rhys) Jones.
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Last night in the sports documentaries thread on the Black Diamond Corner board chiwigi and tribey had a discussion about the 1979 doco on North Melbourne that was bundled up as a DVD with the 1996 Year of the Dogs DVD.
I found its still available to buy from the National Film and Sound Archives.. There are snippets of Russell Ebert in it.
1980, 26 Minutes
A behind-the-scenes look at the Victorian Football League team, North Melbourne, and the preparation and physical build-up that goes into getting a team ready for the premier Australian Rules football competition.
Ron Barassi, from North Melbourne, is shown in his role as a leading VFL coach and we follow the team through its early training sessions to the opening match of the season. The film highlights some of the spectacular action from the North Melbourne-Carlton challenge of 1979.
© 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
And thanks to you tuber Gezza 1967 (more in my next post) he has put the full doco up in 3 parts.
And this is the Big Footy thread on the North board from 2010 about the game they include in the doco
1979 North Melbourne Vs Carlton at Arden St.
gnmllG5kauY Not many views so figured a few here haven't seen it. :thumbsu:
I've long held the opinion Barrassi is a bit of a campaigner and some of the above only adds to that opinion.
He first lost me as a `football legend' in a late 1960's end of season game at Adelaide oval against Sturt when he was captain coach of Carlton.
It was fairly early in the game and he was roughing up a few of the Sturt smaller types when a bloke named John Murphy decided enough was enough and gave Ron a bit of a seeing to.
Murphy was a very tough on baller type, he was way too good for Barrassi during their altercation and Ron ended up on the turf.
Barrassi's response was to spit the dummy big time and walk off the ground, resulting in him taking no further part in the game.
He copped plenty from the mainly Sturt supporting crowd and later in the press, and it was well deserved.
From memory Sturt won that game by something like 10 goals.
Murphy was a seriously tough player, almost un-Sturt like the way he played. Owned a tyre retail outlet before heading to Victoria.
1958, a night game at Norwood between Port and a Victorian side whose name I do not recall. About the only thing I can remember was Rex Johns was playing.
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Agreed RJ, Murphy definitely didn't fit the Sturt image of the time.
I reckon that 1958 night game was against Melbourne, after the Maggies had won their 5th in a row, and they were the dominant team in the then VFL.
My family was still living in the sticks back then so we didn't go, but I think it was the game where the crowd got a tad excited and pushed a section of the fence over at the Parade end, and Melbourne ended up winning by a couple of points.
Assuming Barrassi played, his opponent would have been either Geoff Motley or Chicken Hayes as both had good records against him in interstate footy, and I believe that after he retired Barrassi acknowledged Motley as one of his toughest opponents.
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Many thanks for filling in the spaces mate. It was definitely an end of season match. The more I ponder, it was Melbourne and I do recall things getting a tad noisy but I was at the northern end as usual.
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RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #48
Thanks to Janus in this year's draft thread, re the Jim Michalanney eligible games discussion, here are links to info to my post #41 above about the 1976 NFL Willis Cup series and then the next 3 years when the Vics didn't participate and the WA teams didn't in 1979 and its referred to as The Australian National Football Council's NFL Night Series.
And this is the main page for all non premiership season games
NFL 1977 Ardath Cup
A history of the NFL 1977 Ardath Cup featuring the SANFL, WAFL and VFA clubs - a rival night series to the VFL's Amco-Herald Cup (includes match reports)
www.hardballget.net
NFL 1978 Escort Cup
A history of the NFL 1978 Escort Cup featuring the SANFL, WAFL and VFA clubs - a rival night series to the VFL's Amco-Herald Cup (includes match reports)
www.hardballget.net
NFL 1979 Escort Cup
A history of the NFL 1979 Escort Cup featuring the SANFL, WAFL and VFA clubs - a rival night series to the VFL/AFC's Escort Championships (includes match reports)
www.hardballget.net
And this is the main page for all non premiership season games
VFL Night Series & AFL Pre-Season Cup - every season
A history of the AFL pre-season competition and Night Series (1956-71 and 1977-2013).
www.hardballget.net
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #49
This is hardballget's website link to representative / state games between 1870's and 1940's.
Then after the 1940's, the 1950's is linked at bottom of that page. They say at bottom of 1950's the 1960's is coming.
This is the wiki main page on representative / state games. It has links to individual carnivals between 1908 and 1993 and some links to individual other games.
en.wikipedia.org
Wki's page that has links to all articles under the Australian Rules Interstate Football category. including underage and women's games.
en.wikipedia.org
And John Devaney's Full Points Footy archived main page on interstate footy plus links that still work.
Representative and Interstate Australian Football matches
Results of all Australian football representative, intercolonial, interstate and State of Origin matches (1877-today)
www.hardballget.net
Then after the 1940's, the 1950's is linked at bottom of that page. They say at bottom of 1950's the 1960's is coming.
This is the wiki main page on representative / state games. It has links to individual carnivals between 1908 and 1993 and some links to individual other games.
Representative matches in Australian rules football - Wikipedia
Wki's page that has links to all articles under the Australian Rules Interstate Football category. including underage and women's games.
Category:Australian rules interstate football - Wikipedia
And John Devaney's Full Points Footy archived main page on interstate footy plus links that still work.
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
- Thread starter
- #50
Over the off season I was going to do the 2018 podcast series - 1993 The Greatest Season That Was and go thru each program in this thread and why 1993 was such a greatest season, but also such a pivotal year in changing the face of footy and the national league.
Basically between October 1992 to December 1993, the game made massive changes that lead to the game we have today both on the field, and for off the field - especially the Crawford Report and the powers being transferred from the clubs to the AFL Commission which a decade later would be from the Commission to the executives.
I re-listened to all 22 episode for a second time in January this year, when I was going for long walks and runs, but alas never got around to doing anything about it in this thread.
Even before I listened, I had long come to the conclusion 1993 was the greatest season I have seen because it was so even, only 20 games, top two teams had 13 wins and a draw, and 12th - St Kilda won 10 out of 20 games. Only the Brisbane Bears, Richmond and Swans were hopeless.
The podcast series is done by 3 guys who are all footy and cricket commentators or journos. First one is Adam Collins who went from Labor politics in Canberra with Rudd and Wayne Swan to doing guerrilla podcasts of test cricket watching the TV feed with a couple of English guys, as well as his Aussie mate Geoff Lemon, and together they purchased the radio rights to the 2018-19 test series Oz v Pakistan in the UAE, when nobody wanted them in Oz, a few months after the sandpaper ball tampering in South Africa. Both these guys are now the main stays of the SEN cricket coverage of the last 3 years or so.
Collins is joined by Shannon Gill who works in marketing / communications and has worked for both AFL and Cricket Oz as well as in the corporate world and Daniel Bretting, who started work at the Advertiser, moved around a bit, worked for many years at Cricinfo as a senior writer, wrote the 2019 book Bradman and Packer about Packer coming and meeting Bradman at his home in Adelaide to settle the cricket war. About 2 years ago he became a cricket and footy sports writer for the Age.
After The Greatest Season That Was, they did more podcasts about cricket and more footy. I discovered them in January 2021 when they did a series of podcasts about India v Oz cricket history going back to the 1930's and how it had evolved, to go with the then tour of Oz by India.
You can find all their podcasts at this link, just keep hitting load more at the bottom of the page. There is over 70 episodes.
omny.fm
Their Twitter page is
In the middle of all this they did 8 podcast shows on footy in the USA. In this series of shows its Shannon Gill and Ed Wyatt an American who came to Oz around 30 years ago and has worked in sports broadcasting and spent many years at SBS, are joined by Mason Cox. The main 4 are;
1) About how ESPN in the mid 80's bought rights to VFL when they had no big US sports rights, so they showed the game of the week on Tuesday and some packaged up highlights at 11pm NY time - 8pm LA time on a Tuesday night. It got a cult following and TSN in Canada picked it up as well and basically took ESPN's feed. Betweem 1985-1987 I met 50-70 Americans and Canadians who would stay up and watch ESPN's coverage. Then ESPN got some $$$ and started buying big US sports rights in the early 1990's and AFL was banished to 3am on their 2nd or 3rd sports channel.
omny.fm
2) They talk to Paul Roos who spent 1999 in USA and became an ambassador for the game and with some $$$ from the AFL promoted it for over a few months all over USA. He took a footy trip holiday to US in the 1980's, meet an American women, bullshited to her a bit, they fell in love, married and US has been his 2nd home ever since with him spending time there every year.
omny.fm
3) Yank Ed Wyatt and his Aussie wife Michelle, they met in Oz, and they became evangelists for the game in USA. Michelle was a producer for 7's footy coverage, Ed working SBS then they went to US and Michelle worked for Fox Sports World in LA - ie sports from around the world. She brought Ed in as he was a yank with a big passion for soccer, so he could contribute to producing the show for Euro soccer part. They basically got the AFL TV rights from ESPN for Fox Sports.
Edit this podcast was done in late June 2020 when US sports were still closed down and AFL was back up and running and they talk about people watching the game, a spike in interest again - from the 37 minute mark.
omny.fm
4) They talk to Mason Cox in the first of the 8 podcasts and what he has done in Oz as well as supporting USAFL
omny.fm
Mason Cox was on 60 minutes CBS last Sunday in US. Their viewership is between 8mil and 10mil a show. I can't find a video of the whole segment but here is the 5 minute 60 Minutes Overtime video and some tweets with videos.
https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/1652823642244370434?s=20
www.cbsnews.com
Basically between October 1992 to December 1993, the game made massive changes that lead to the game we have today both on the field, and for off the field - especially the Crawford Report and the powers being transferred from the clubs to the AFL Commission which a decade later would be from the Commission to the executives.
I re-listened to all 22 episode for a second time in January this year, when I was going for long walks and runs, but alas never got around to doing anything about it in this thread.
Even before I listened, I had long come to the conclusion 1993 was the greatest season I have seen because it was so even, only 20 games, top two teams had 13 wins and a draw, and 12th - St Kilda won 10 out of 20 games. Only the Brisbane Bears, Richmond and Swans were hopeless.
The podcast series is done by 3 guys who are all footy and cricket commentators or journos. First one is Adam Collins who went from Labor politics in Canberra with Rudd and Wayne Swan to doing guerrilla podcasts of test cricket watching the TV feed with a couple of English guys, as well as his Aussie mate Geoff Lemon, and together they purchased the radio rights to the 2018-19 test series Oz v Pakistan in the UAE, when nobody wanted them in Oz, a few months after the sandpaper ball tampering in South Africa. Both these guys are now the main stays of the SEN cricket coverage of the last 3 years or so.
Collins is joined by Shannon Gill who works in marketing / communications and has worked for both AFL and Cricket Oz as well as in the corporate world and Daniel Bretting, who started work at the Advertiser, moved around a bit, worked for many years at Cricinfo as a senior writer, wrote the 2019 book Bradman and Packer about Packer coming and meeting Bradman at his home in Adelaide to settle the cricket war. About 2 years ago he became a cricket and footy sports writer for the Age.
After The Greatest Season That Was, they did more podcasts about cricket and more footy. I discovered them in January 2021 when they did a series of podcasts about India v Oz cricket history going back to the 1930's and how it had evolved, to go with the then tour of Oz by India.
You can find all their podcasts at this link, just keep hitting load more at the bottom of the page. There is over 70 episodes.
The Greatest Season That Was Presents... clips
The first season explored Australian Football's greatest season: 1993. Season two made the case that the 1999 Cricket World Cup is Cricket's greatest season. Season three told the story of a failed footy merger that saw one club eventually fade away and the other reach the highest level of...
omny.fm
Their Twitter page is
In the middle of all this they did 8 podcast shows on footy in the USA. In this series of shows its Shannon Gill and Ed Wyatt an American who came to Oz around 30 years ago and has worked in sports broadcasting and spent many years at SBS, are joined by Mason Cox. The main 4 are;
1) About how ESPN in the mid 80's bought rights to VFL when they had no big US sports rights, so they showed the game of the week on Tuesday and some packaged up highlights at 11pm NY time - 8pm LA time on a Tuesday night. It got a cult following and TSN in Canada picked it up as well and basically took ESPN's feed. Betweem 1985-1987 I met 50-70 Americans and Canadians who would stay up and watch ESPN's coverage. Then ESPN got some $$$ and started buying big US sports rights in the early 1990's and AFL was banished to 3am on their 2nd or 3rd sports channel.
Bob Ley: The Host - The Greatest Season That Was Presents...
The Greatest Season That Was Presents...US Revolution...exploring the links between AFL and the US
omny.fm
2) They talk to Paul Roos who spent 1999 in USA and became an ambassador for the game and with some $$$ from the AFL promoted it for over a few months all over USA. He took a footy trip holiday to US in the 1980's, meet an American women, bullshited to her a bit, they fell in love, married and US has been his 2nd home ever since with him spending time there every year.
Paul Roos: The Coach - The Greatest Season That Was Presents...
Exploring the links between AFL and the USA
omny.fm
3) Yank Ed Wyatt and his Aussie wife Michelle, they met in Oz, and they became evangelists for the game in USA. Michelle was a producer for 7's footy coverage, Ed working SBS then they went to US and Michelle worked for Fox Sports World in LA - ie sports from around the world. She brought Ed in as he was a yank with a big passion for soccer, so he could contribute to producing the show for Euro soccer part. They basically got the AFL TV rights from ESPN for Fox Sports.
Edit this podcast was done in late June 2020 when US sports were still closed down and AFL was back up and running and they talk about people watching the game, a spike in interest again - from the 37 minute mark.
Michelle and Ed Wyatt: The Footy Evangelists - The Greatest Season That Was Presents...
US Revolution features Mason Cox, Shannon Gill and American broadcaster Ed Wyatt in an exploration of Australian Rules Football's US connections. The 8-part series features additional interviews with Paul Roos, Mason Cox, Jason Holmes, ESPN's Bob Ley and former VFL / AFL star John Ironmonger...
omny.fm
4) They talk to Mason Cox in the first of the 8 podcasts and what he has done in Oz as well as supporting USAFL
Mason Cox: The Walk On - The Greatest Season That Was Presents...
A new series from the team at The Greatest Season That Was Presents.. The Greatest Season That Was Presents... US Revolution. Episode one features Collingwood FC's Mason Cox. US Revolution features Mason, Shannon Gill and American broadcaster Ed Wyatt in an exploration of Australian Rules...
omny.fm
Mason Cox was on 60 minutes CBS last Sunday in US. Their viewership is between 8mil and 10mil a show. I can't find a video of the whole segment but here is the 5 minute 60 Minutes Overtime video and some tweets with videos.
https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/1652823642244370434?s=20
Texas man becomes unlikely Australian rules football star, mastering world's "roughest sport"
A Texas man had an engineering job lined up, but then an opportunity came knocking from across the globe. Mason Cox tells Jon Wertheim how he became an unlikely Australian rules football star.
www.cbsnews.com
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