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1926 - 1931 HARD TIMES (CONT.)

1929

There was the usual optimism from the outset. It was the club's Diamond Jubilee (60th) year and a "Back to North Melbourne" carnival was held in April to raise funds. The club had decided very early to refuse any clearances to players who had been approached to join other clubs and to pay each player a flat rate of £3 per match - an increase of £1. The club also appealed for more local support.

Player-wise, Lewis returned after a year's suspension, and another ruckman, Frank Melville returned to the senior list, having not played a senior match since 1925. This year also saw the debuts of R.J. "Jimmy" Adamson, Wally Carter, Edmund Clauscen, a full-back from Williamstown, and Cyril Kemp from Fitzroy. But the forward line would continue to be the club's Achilles' Heel. Their 1928 leading goalkicker, Clarrie Nolan, was lost to the club when he moved to Albury to start a sportswear business. Their N.S.W. recruit, Bob Smith, went to Yarraville. The club was plagued with injuries early in the season, thirty five men having been used by the end of Round 5.

The season began badly as there was no success on the football field, despite some fine individual efforts. After the club's poor performance against Melbourne in Round 4, Charles Tyson resigned as coach. Tyson had injured himself while playing for the Fire Brigade team in the Wednesday League. He aggravated this injury during the Melbourne match and could not move freely and direct the play of the team. His direct opponent kicked nine goals.

The committee were not impressed that Tyson had sustained this injury while playing in the mid-week League and Tyson, sensing the ill feeling, possibly jumped before he was pushed (sacked). He said he would continue as a player, but after playing in the Round 7 loss to Carlton, he requested a transfer to Yarraville. "Paddy" Noonan, who had played for North in the VFA, was appointed as replacement coach after Round 4, and he coached the club to their only win for the season — a 13 point win over Footscay in Round 14.

Rumours of North and Hawthorn being excluded again surfaced in September and the VFL had to issue a denial that this was being contemplated. The onset of the Depression as the season was ending was about to make things even harder for the club.

1930

The year began on a sad note with the death of three people who had helped the club at different times. First, former club Secretary Andy Curran, who had orchestrated North's 1910 VFA premiership, died in January aged 58. A week later, one of the players involved with that premiership, Frank Caine, died aged just 48. But it was the third death which cast a pall over the club - that of former champion Syd Barker who died aged just 42. Barker had been a megastar for the club in their VFA years before and after World War I. A bronze memorial tablet containing a life-size photo of Barker was erected in the Arden St. pavilion. His son Syd junior would play with North this year.

Johnny Lewis was appointed captain-coach, continuing the club's preferred policy of having a playing coach. A.W. "Tim"Trevaskis, who had been with North since 1921 and had taken over the captaincy last season after Tyson resigned, was appointed coach of Coburg. Leo Dwyer and Arthur Lowe crossed over to Yarraville and Coburg respectively, both without a clearance. Ed Clauscen left after Round 8 to take up employment in Portland. Ben Kavanagh was also gone. Not having money to recruit big names from other clubs, the club concentrated more on local juniors and some country players. But one player they did get from another VFL club was Geelong's George Jerram. Jerram, a policeman, was an established key position player with Geelong, but had been transferred from the Geelong police station and wished to play for a Melbourne based team. North stressed to Geelong that they were not trying to drag him away from them. Other new players included Roy Atkins (Korumburra), Albert Peters (Wonthaggi), Frank Wells (Chiltern), Mowbray Weir (Poowong) James Heenan (Northcote) and local Juniors Robert Matthews and Syd Barker Jnr. But the search for good big men was largely unsuccessful and the club was still heavily dependant on Lewis and had no dominant forwards.

North opened the season with nine new men in the side to face Geelong. They scored only two goals, both in the first quarter, and went down by 102 points. Unfortunately, this would set the scene for most of their games. They gave a false hope when they pressed second team Melbourne all the way in Round 4 to go down by 21 points, then played brilliantly in Round 5 to beat St Kilda by 28 points - their only win of the season. After that, however, there was no joy. The closest they came to another win was their Round 10 four point loss to Hawthorn after leading all day. They lost all matches bar one by an average of 54 points. Lewis was the outstanding player for North, trying his heart out week after week with little support. At the end of July, Fred Rutley, who had received a life disqualification in 1925 after the infamous match against Geelong, had it lifted by the VFL. He played in the last four rounds and kicked seven goals. A total of 47 players were used over the year.

The club, like most others, was feeling the pinch financially. Membership had dropped to the extent of £250 and match gate receipts and the VFL's finals matches distribution had both decreased. The balance sheet showed a debt of £361.

1931

Success would elude the club entirely this year. Former Carlton player Norman "Hackenschmidt" Clark, who had coached North in the VFA in 1924, was appointed non-playing coach and Lewis retained the captaincy. Twenty four men who had played in 1930 were gone. Besides Clauscen, worthwhile players to leave were Dea, Healey, Wells and Pitchford. Due to the lack of employment, the club did not go after many country or interstate players as it could not guarantee jobs for them. Many young locals trained but many did not make the grade. New players who made some impression were Frank Donnellan (returned after a four year absence and became the club's full-back), Charles Gaudion (former Footscay player who transferred to North after a season with Coburg), Neville Huggins (former Fitzroy player who came to the club after two seasons with Northcote) and Ben Whittam (Coburg) Another to make his debut this year was local junior Jack Wrout, a future star who would be lost to the club far too soon.

After the first ten matches were lost by an average of 64 points, Clark resigned as coach. Jack Pemberton, who had played with North in the VFA from 1909-1914, stepped in as caretaker coach for the remaining eight rounds but was no more successful. North was capable of matching it with other clubs, even outplaying them at times, but could not sustain the efforts for four quarters. The forward line was a weak point, constantly wasting chances when the ball was driven down by the centre line.

The club's plight was highlighted by sports writer W.S Sharland in the Sporting Globe. Eleven wins over seven seasons and no sign of improvement. Thirty seven men used up to Round 8 this season. The smallest membership in the League and low gate takings at home games. Forced to reduce payments to their players. Besides the problem of finance, North's district was not big enough. Part of it included non-residential areas of shops and factories, who's owners had no interest in supporting the club as they did not live there. West Melbourne, once a district producing many players for the club, now had a community of Italians and Maltese who had no interest in the game. The part covering Kensington and Flemington was shared with Essendon. North requested that this area be conceded to them for its exclusive use in view of Essendon's growing population compared to North's dwindling one. But Essendon refused, saying it had already lost much territory in 1925 to North and Footscay and alienated some supporters. The League had considered revising the districts in the past but had taken no action. There were suggestions of abolishing districts altogether, pooling gate receipts among all the clubs and dividing the entire state into zones.

In July the club requested and received a £200 advance from the League. This was paid from the finals dividend for the season. Around the same time, Geelong generously donated its share of the gate money received from the match at Arden St. back to North.

"Poor old North" was becoming a catch-cry among other clubs' supporters. Despite the eternal optimism of Secretary Johnny Meere, dissatisfaction with the club's position was shown by the fact that four "Progressive" candidates were seeking election at the Annual general Meeting. Meere himself was opposed by J.E Heffernan, who had been North's Secretary during their successful VFA era. But the reform movement was defeated with most of the retiring members returned. VFL Secretary L. McBrien, who was at the meeting, had to again deny rumours of amalgamation or dropping of clubs.

The dismal year ended with the death of past club champion player Joey Tankard, according to many the creator of the fingertip mark.

The club's fortunes would improve over the next two seasons before 1934 would start another horror stretch.