| Venue: Arden St | Date: Saturday June 20, 1936 | ||||||||||||||||||
Result: Loss by 19 points | Umpire: Blackburn | Crowd: 15,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
Goalkickers: H.Vallence 3.1, M.Crisp 2.3, R.Cooper 2.1, C.Davey 1.1, G.Dougherty 1.0, Hollingshead 0.4, Clarke 0.2, rushed 0.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best: J. Francis, M. Crisp, R. Cooper, C. Davey, R. Green, A. Clarke | ||||||||||||||||||||
Reports: | Injuries: |
Game Review
In one of the shocks of the season, Carlton went down to a hungry and desperate Nth Melbourne at Arden St. The Blues looked likely winners in the final term but were overrun by inspired play from the Shinboners, who were hunting for only their third win in 46 games. It was Carlton’s first defeat at the ground since 1928, and it was only in the third quarter that Carlton looked like the team of earlier in the season.
Coach Frank Maher was taking no chances in the lead up to the game. At Thursday night’s training, there was a practice match between the seniors and the seconds and keen competition was shown by all players. After that, Harry Hollingshead was given tuition in kicking. Jim Park (broken hand), Don McIntyre (sprained ankle) and Gordon Mackie (knee) were out with injuries, and Frank Anderson was unavailable through suspension. Keith Shea and Mocha Johnson were reported as fit (Johnson played in the seconds and kicked three goals). The only change made to the team was the inclusion of a young Mick Price on debut as 19th man for Anderson. Also on the Thursday night, Keith Shea and Jack Hale were named in the VFL team to play the VFA on 29 June at the MCG.
Shea, whose injured thigh had not quite come up, was a late withdrawal from the team before the game. Bert Butler was his replacement. From the bounce, Green and Clarke worked Carlton forward but the attack broke down across the half forward flank. North mounted three thrusts but Francis was the obstacle in the way each time. It was a very even game at this stage. The young North side were faster but Carlton held sway in the aerial duels. Fifteen minutes of scoreless play went by before Vallence broke the drought with a fine mark and goal, after good work from Cooper. North kicked two excellent goals which seemed to inspire the Shinboners, and they pummelled the Carlton defence, kicking another 3-3 in a great burst. North were playing brilliant football with all their players involved; their defence being particularly strong. Carlton by contrast were rattled, making errors and playing without any structure. The bell to end the quarter would have been welcomed by the beleaguered Blues, looking at a 27 point deficit.
North was into attack early in the quarter but Hale and Francis combined to stop the thrust. Cooper answered with Carlton’s second goal after some great work from Hale. With Carney being well held and Shea not playing, Green was the only centreline player doing well and so the usual avenue of attacks was missing. Carlton’s brilliant marking, particularly from Davey, was the source of most of the drives forward, but chances were going missing through silly handball. Gilby and Francis were defending grandly. Vallence was moved to centre half forward in an attempt to enliven the forward line and had some effect, with Hollingshead scoring a behind, before Dougherty, quiet so far, goaled to make the difference 14 points. Two more chances, to Hollingshead and Crisp, scored only behinds, but North responded well with a great pass leading to their sixth goal. In response, Davey, among Carlton’s best, forwarded the ball to Crisp who goaled from half forward with a lovely running snap. Carlton was scoring through intense battling and effort, and not through any systematic play, whereas North seemed more fluid when they attacked. Right on the bell, a free to North brought a great goal, with a kick from a near impossible angle on the boundary giving them a 19 point lead at half time. Francis, Gilby, Davey, Crisp and Cooper had been noteworthy for Carlton in the half.
At half time, Maher instructed players to give Vallence more room and direct attacks through Crisp. He moved Vallence back to full forward and Dunn went to centre half forward. The Shinboners made the first attack, but Hale, Huxtable and Francis combined well and sent Carlton into attack. Davey, Green and Cooper now started a sustained series of forward moves but the forwards played unsteadily and kicked terribly. In the first 15 minutes of the quarter, Carlton hammered away, but from twelve shots at goal, only eight behinds were scored. In order, Davey, Crisp, Dunn, Crisp again, Hollingshead twice, Cooper and Vallence all missed gettable goals. Some of the play had been brilliant, some had been slipshod and purposeless, but the results were so frustrating. Especially when North went into attack for a good mark and kicked their eighth goal. Undaunted, Carlton kept attacking and improved when Crisp goaled after some great team play. When Davey marked a great pass from Clarke and goaled, and Vallence followed with a prodigious punt after Francis and Dunn combined, the Blues suddenly had a two point lead. North rallied and twice pressed forward but only two behinds came. Carlton regained the lead just before the quarter ended after a brilliant mark from Vallence, for a slim six point lead going into the last term. It had been Carlton’s quarter with the Blues starting to look like winners, but it had been so wasteful.
Again, North was first into attack as the quarter began, but its forwards were out of position and Francis relieved well. Cooper, unguarded and on his own, was the genesis of many attacks and kicked a lovely drop kick goal to extend the lead to twelve points. From another Cooper thrust, Clarke just missed for a behind. It was close, congested play which suited Carlton; their cooler heads prevailing when required. North was determined but couldn’t break through and looked nothing like the team of the first term. To most supporters, the expectation probably would have been that Carlton would now go on with it and record another victory. But the North Melbourne players were having none of that. They kept plugging away and scored two behinds to edge closer. Then a great chain of passes resulted in North’s ninth goal, which cut the margin to just five points. Suddenly inspired, the Shinboners now produced a sensational burst. Turning a Carlton attack, they pressed forward and brought the ball the length of the ground to goal and take a one point lead with eight minutes of play remaining. Both sides were tearing into packs, heedless of danger, with wild cheering marking every act of football. Carlton were held out until they finally thrust forward through Crisp, but McLean dropped the ball and Vallence missed a shot for goal. North, with a series of marks, brought the ball around the wing and goaled again, despite the fine efforts of Davey and Gilby. Another goal, from a straight thrust from the centre gave them a 13 point lead and Carlton looked beaten. The desperate Blues mounted a final challenge, but North, playing brilliantly turned the attack and swept forward for their 13th goal. Pandemonium broke out as the bell sounded with North 19 points up. Their supporters, wild with joy, carried every North player from the field in celebration of a well-deserved victory.
At the end of this round Carlton were in 4th spot on the ladder with a percentage of 136.5.
Team
B: | 6 Fred Gilby | 21 Frank Gill | 30 Clem Neeson |
HB: | 9 Eric Huxtable | 10 Jim Francis (c) | 11 Jack Hale |
C: | 7 Jack Carney | 29 Bert Butler | 32 Bob Green |
HF: | 19 Ron Cooper | 23 Harry Hollingshead | 12 Creswell 'Mickey' Crisp (vc) |
F: | 35 George Dougherty | 22 Harry Vallence | 5 Keith Dunn |
Ruck: | 17 Charlie Davey | 14 Rod McLean | 31 Ansell Clarke |
19th Man: | 33 Albert 'Mick' Price | ||
Coach: | Frank Maher |
Milestones
Debut: Albert 'Mick' PriceLast Game: George Dougherty
200 Goals: Creswell 'Mickey' Crisp
Round 7 | Round 9