Much like today, and perhaps because of matches like this over the years, there was no doubt that the Carlton and Essendon match-up was keenly anticipated. The teams had faced off twice in the season, for one win a piece; 11 points to Carlton then 13 points to Essendon in the quagmire at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground in our only loss for the entire year. As a result, the match itself had received a mass of attention, and a correspondingly enormous crowd was expected to attend, to see all-conquering Carlton versus the emerging Essendon. The Age reported:
The match attracted an immense gathering of spectators, 49,371 persons passing through the turnstiles, and the gate receipts amounting to £1789, which eclipsed all previous records.
The large crowd created issues of its own, with various fights and events causing a distraction to the game (the Age):
On two occasions part of the railing surrounding the playing enclosure succumbed to the pressure of the crowd. Spectators were perched in the branches of the elms on the railway side of the ground, and numbers of people who had paid for admission to the big grand stand being unable to obtain sitting accommodation under cover, sought and found it on the roof. In the vicinity of the western goal some of the over exuberant onlookers came to blows, and some excitement was caused by a woman fainting and being carried on to the playing ground, where, after being fanned and attended to, she recovered.
As an interesting aside to the reporting of the time, the Age reporter clearly was unimpressed with the media facilities of the day:
Notwithstanding the immense attendance, most of the spectators were able to view the game in comfort, an advantage which, however, was not enjoyed by representatives of the press. The inconveniently situated press box on the M.C.C. ground is a disgrace to the club, whose other appointments are irreproachable.
Given the build-up to the match, 2 special balls had also been prepared for the big game (just the two; as distinct from football these days with bags of balls at each end), which appeared to set a new precedent of football for use in our beloved game:
In view of the interest attached to Saturday’s match, two special balls were manufactured by Mr. T. W. Sherrin, of Collingwood, whose footballs, cricket balls and boxing gloves have been pronounced by visiting champion athletes to be equal to any produced in England or America. Mr. Sherrin made the balls for Saturday’s match similar in shape to those which he manufactured for the recent Jubilee Carnival games *1, the ends being rounded and experts agreed that the innovation was a decided improvement.
At team selection, both teams were able to provide strong line-ups. Carlton went with their strongest possible team, but were missing key players in Doug Gillespie and Frank ‘Silver’ Caine through injury. 'Mallee' Johnson went into the match under a cloud as he had bruised his hip in the Semi Final against St Kilda, yet the Age reported ‘but at the request of his comrades he stripped, and proved as useful as usual, being one of the most prominent players on the field’.
Essendon created something of a stir at selection, picking Legge and ‘Wesley College Crack’ Prout over the more experienced Parkinson and Landmann, with the Age considering in regard to the latter’s removal ‘…not at all surprising to find that the latter’s omission proved to be a disastrous mistake’. However, as in football through the ages and until today, team selections remain controversial and a point of great discussion, and Phil Garlick of “Punch” thought them a positive:
A lot of people will condemn the executive on the losing side for changing the team, but they did the correct thing. Prout made a brilliant debut, and in him they have found a star.
Carlton's Ted Kennedy had begun at Essendon, whilst the Same Old's Jim 'Bull' Martin was formerly of the Blues.
Selections and poor media rooms aside, the press and the fans enjoyed a tense opening term, with the Blues striking first (The Herald):
A mighty roar from nearly 40,000 throats was sent up when the ball was set in motion. Kennedy forwarded to Hammond, and a behind followed soon after the start.
The Carltonians were again attacking hard, but Busbridge relieved away to the right and the ball went sailing to the wing centre. Jinks centred from half back and Marchbank played the ball on to the forward line, where Gotz grabbed it. With a running punt he bagged first goal of the day. The Carlton flags were fluttered in thousands round the ring and the barrackers from the north roared with delight.
The Age reported it slightly differently with a snap goal and some physicality in response:
By good play Jinks gave a chance to Marchbank, who kicked short, but Gotz snapped a goal cleverly for Carlton. Then a determined attack by Essendon brought Clark’s powerful defensive play into prominence and the countryman Heaphy apparently losing his head, sent Flynn flying with a vigorous back push.
Carlton went further ahead shortly after:
Then Marchback, marking from Payne drop-kicked Carlton’s second goal. The premiers of the last two seasons were playing right at their top, and a good bit of concerted play by Lang and Elliott enabled Gardiner to cleverly screw another behind, making Carlton’s score 2.3 to nil –a big lead to achieve in the first 20 minutes of a final match for the premiership, and with a cross-wind blowing.
In the last few minutes of the quarter, Essendon were able to strike back. They opened their score with a behind before Shea kicked Essendon’s first major with a snap shot. Carlton were up by 8 points at the first break; incidentally this would be close to the final margin. At the quarter time break, Worrall swung the changes and Jinks, Flynn and Alex ‘Bongo’ Lang replaced Johnson, Hammond and Elliott in the rucks.
Carlton at once attacked, and a nice succession of passes by Kennedy, Lang and Elliott enabled Gardiner to add a behind, and immediately afterwards the Carlton captain, Elliott, out of a crowd, kicked a goal from the ground. (The Age)
Griffiths, who was playing like a Trojan, passed to Legge, who made amends for some previous fumbling by kicking Essendon’s second goal, and a brief period of sharply and evenly contested play ensured before Gardiner passed to Kennedy, who, being left alone, had a good clear space to himself, which clearly indicated lack of observation by the Essendon captain. Several times Kennedy, through being poorly guarded, had streaked away from the centre wing with the ball, and on this occasion he was near enough to score Carlton’s fourth goal with a grand long place kick. (The Age)
The players were making a splendid spectacle. It was full of vim and dash. The pace at times was tremendous. Free kicks were numerous, but these may always be looked for in matches of this kind where the players are apt to be over keen. (The Herald)
Off they went again, Marchbank played over to Kennedy, who made another brilliant dash along the right wing. Gotz next entered into possession and when hard pressed punched the ball to Gardiner. The little man was sent sprawling, but Kelly chipped in and grabbing the ball, drove it between the posts. Fifth goal to Carlton. (The Herald)
On a difficult day for play, with a diagonal wind impacting on everyone’s kicking, Carlton had scored 5 majors to Essendon’s 2 for the first half. Little did the bustling crowd know but only one more goal was to be kicked for the entire second half; potentially this had a little to do with ‘flooding’ about a century or so before the word came into the common footy vernacular….:
The interval lasted for twenty-five minutes. When play was resumed Johnson, Hammond and Elliott went on the ball for Carlton and Bushbridge, Martin and Smith for Essendon... The crowd was so thick on the eastern wing that the iron fence was unable to withstand the strain and collapsed. The crowd streamed in on the ground, but kept well back out of the way of the players. .... The game was now too crowded, far too many men working at close quarters on the ball. (The Herald).
Also of note is the way Carlton would apparently hug the boundary line and use it well before the invention of the ‘deliberate’ rule:
The play became congested and “ragged,” and Gardiner scored a behind, which proved to be Carlton’s last score in the match, although the third quarter had been in progress only a few minutes. In the dressing room during the interval the Carlton players had evidently been instructed to keep their lead, not by attempted attack, but by playing to the wings. This course they pursued for the whole of the remainder of the game, and so earnestly did Clark attempt to carry it out that on one occasion he kicked the ball clean on to and nearly over the roof of the newly erected Harrison Stand *2 on the railway side of the ground. (The Age)
Markwell’s ‘Football Notes’ further explained the Carlton tactics in the low scoring second half:
But Carlton set themselves determinedly to keep Essendon out of range, and rarely took the ball past half-way in the opposite direction. They made the wind their ally, and they hugged the south-east border for all they were worth. What course they would have adopted had Minto scored for Essendon, as he might easily have done on two occasions during the final struggle, it is not possible to say. As things turned out, their policy of “defence not defiance” kept far enough in front to win them the match and the premiership.
Essendon scored their third major in the third quarter, and their still remained some hope for the Bombers “…So the third quarter ended and as Essendon had the wind somewhat in their favor to finish there was still some justification for hope, if not confidence.” (The Age)
The scribes of the day do justice to the challenge at hand, and the last quarter of futile frustration by Essendon and of Carlton’s tactics:
''Essendon’s only hope lay in direct attack, and Carlton’s game was to frustrate it. Consequently whenever a Carlton man got hold of the ball he kicked it –sometimes at right angles –towards the boundary, to keep it as far as possible wide of the line from goal to goal, and Essendon strove with all their might to secure shots within range.
In a momentous period of ten minutes Essendon’s forwards –previously weak, but then more faulty than ever –disposed of any chance their side might have possessed and within a few minutes of time it became evident that Carlton must win, though not by much. Essendon had so far done all the attacking in the last quarter and had played much the better game, Carlton as stated kicked only to the wings but at last, by way of relieving the monotony''
Carlton’s tactics won the day, and the Premiership was ours by 9 points. Interestingly, each of Carlton's 5 goals were scored in different manners; a snap, a drop kick, a hack out of mid air, a long place-kick and the easiest of running shots. The Age reported the joy of the win:
The victory of the Carlton club for the third consecutive season roused intense enthusiasm, and as the players were leaving the ground several of them were seized and carried on the shoulders of their delighted supporters.
As Phil Garlick of “Punch” summarised:
As one of the winning players said after a rub down and a chat: “Well, there was nothing in it, but we got there!” And that’s it in a nutshell. Carlton and Essendon are likely to provide a good game every time they meet, and thousands will go to see them. People say they are lucky, quoting the goal kicked off the ground out of the ruck thirty yards off, but they are a great team and it was brains first, height and weight next, in their favour: and when any team has to give four inches away all round to a team like Carlton, it is a large order to expect them to run away with their opponents.
In Markwell’s “Football Notes” of the game, due recognition was given once again to certain esteemed players and Coaches:
For Carlton’s unqualified success in recent years everyone qualified to express an opinion gives predominating credit to the astute and experienced managing director, Mr. J. Worrall, who when he took up the reins … found the club deplorably weak and disorganized, and seemed to have a hopeless task before him. His advert to the old club however brought about an immediate improvement. His knowledge of the game, his unerring judgment in the selecting of players fitted for the various positions in his team, his excellent ability as a coach, and, above all, his capacity for infusing into his followers something of his own enthusiasm and devotion to the sport, as well as much of his own pluck and determination, have made his side the most formidable and the most evenly excellent in all departments that has been seen in the field since the establishment of Australasian football
However, the Age writer somewhat prophetically pondered what would end Carlton’s glorious run given our three sensational Premierships in succession, a record not matched by Carlton teams of the century following:
“How much longer are they going to hold it, I wonder?” asked one of the occupants of a crowded tram returning to the city, and there was evidence of keen knowledge of what’s what in his friend’s reply –“Until Jack Worrall pegs out!”
History will demonstrate just as factually as Carlton’s third premiership that within a year from this glorious day, Jack Worrall had in fact been forced out of his position at Carlton mid-season and the Club fell agonisingly short of a Premiership in 1909, failing at the last hurdle in the Grand Final by 2 points. But Jack Worrall later ‘put his peg in’ at Essendon, taking them to the 1911 and 1912 flags and bringing up 5 Premierships overall as Coach to create the Legend that is the story of Worrall.
In the end, Carlton had scored its third magnificent Premiership, restoring the pride that developed from our success in the pre-VFL days. Now, due to the efforts of the 1906-1908 Premiership teams, the Blues had gained ascendancy in the relatively new VFL competition as well.
The Final Scores:
Carlton. – 5 Goals 5 Behinds – 35 Points.
Essendon. – 3 Goals 8 Behinds 26 Points.
Goals
Carlton. – Gotz, Marchbank, Elliott, Kennedy, Kelly.
Essendon. – P. Shea, Legge, Martin.
''References:
- The Age football articles; September 28, 1908
- Punch, Phil Garlick; October 1, 1908
- The Herald; September 26, 1908
- ‘Football Notes’, by Markwell; October 3, 1908
Footnotes:
- 1 The first Australian Rules Football carnival was held at the MCG in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the sport, and was played in Melbourne between the States. A team from New Zealand was also included.
- 2 The Harrison Stand was built in the Outer Ground and named in HCA Harrison’s honour during the Football carnival. Erected and completed at a cost of 1850 pounds by 1908, the stand was demolished in 1936 for the Southern Stand.''