Australian football at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Australian football was one of two demonstration sports at the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia. The rules stated that the hosts must organize both a native game and a sport foreign to the organizing country as "demonstration sports".[1]
Australian rules football was chosen as the native sport,[2] and baseball, an American sport, as the foreign sport.[3]
Australian rules football
To an outsider, the game features elements of soccer, gaelic football, and rugby. It is played on a grass surface with an oval ball; in four 20-minute quarters.
Also, at the time of the Olympic Games, a team consisted of eighteen players and two reserve players (each of whom could substitute for a player on the field; with the substituted player being unable to resume their place on the field under any circumstances).
The goal consisted of an inner and outer pair of posts.
The scoring was six points for a goal and one point for a behind.
Demonstration match
The single demonstration match was played on the Main Stadium of the Olympic Games (the Melbourne Cricket Ground).
It started at 4:10 pm on Friday, 7 December 1956, immediately after the "bronze medal" soccer match between Bulgaria and India had finished (Bulgaria won 3–0).
One of the competing teams represented the Victorian Amateur Football Association; the other team was a combined team composed of amateur players from both the Victorian Football League and the Victorian Football Association; professional players from these leagues were unable to compete due to the policies of amateurism of the Olympic Games at the time.[4][5]
Throughout the entire game, a running commentary attempted to explain the umpires' decisions to the audience; and those who were not used to the game found it extremely useful.[6]
VAFA team
White shorts. white socks. Guernsey: White, with emerald green trim, and large olympic rings across diaphragm.[7]
- Coach: J.W. Kelly (coach)
- Players:
- Collegians: Geoff Hibbins (Captain)
- Old Melburnians: Murray Mitchell (Vice-captain), Duncan Anderson, J.N. Hannan, W.B. Thomas
- University Blacks: A.G. (P) Capes, G.J. Gill
- University Blues: J.R. Hayes, M. Keogh
- M.H.S.O.B.: R. Collins
- Commonwealth Bank: G.W. Empey
- Ormond: Dick Fenton-Smith
- Old Scotch Collegians: P.K. Harkness
- Coburg Amateurs: I. Merrick, R.F. Pettigrove, P. Rochow
- Old Paradians: L. J. Wakeling
- Ivanhoe Amateurs: L.E. Williams
- Reserves:
- Powerhouse L. Grant
- Old Scotch Collegians: R. Tindale
- Emergencies:
- State Savings Bank: D. Douglas
- Ormond: J. Byrne
- Old Scotch Collegians: P. Craw
VFL and VFA combined team
Black shorts. Socks emerald green with white tops. Guernsey: Emerald green with white trim, and large olympic rings across diaphragm.[8]
- Coach: Bruce Andrew
- Players:
- Collingwood (VFL): Ray Gabelich, Brian Gray, Ken Turner
- Footscray (VFL): John Westacott
- Hawthorn (VFL): Brendan Edwards
- Melbourne (VFL): Denis Cordner (Captain), Brian Collopy,
- North Melbourne (VFL): Laurie Dwyer, Des Tobin
- Richmond (VFL): Ray Allsop, Frank Dunin, Vic Naismith
- South Melbourne (VFL): Neil McNeill
- St Kilda (VFL): Brian Walsh
- Box Hill (VFA): Dave Plunkett
- Coburg (VFA): Jack Sassella
- Northcote (VFA): Keith Woolnough (vice-captain)
- Prahran (VFA): Barry Gaze
- Reserves
- Northcote (VFA): T.J. Hussey
- Sandringham (VFA): K.C. Marshall
- Emergencies
- Oakleigh (VFA): K. Anderson
- Prahran (VFA): Lindsay Gaze
- Collingwood (VFL): Brian Turner
Positions
The following are the teams, as listed in the programme, in their selected positions, and their allocated guernsey numbers.
| VAFA | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Backs | R. Collins (6) | L.J. Wakeling (19) | G.W. Hibbins (1) (c) |
| H/Backs | L.E. Williams(20) | A.G. Capes (5) | P. Rochow (16) |
| Centre Line | C.W. Empey (7) | L. Merrick (14) | W.B. THomas (17) |
| H/Forwards | W.M. Mitchell (2) (v-c) | J.N. Hannan (10) | G.J. Gill (8) |
| Forwards | R.F. Pettigrove (15) | J.D. Anderson (3) | R.C. Fenton-Smith (4) |
| Rucks/Rover | P.K. Harkness (11) | J.R. Hayes (13) | M. Keogh (12) |
| Reserves | L. Grant (9) | R.W. Tindale (18) | |
| Coach | J.W. Kelly | ||
| Combined VFL & VFA | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Backs | R.A. Gabelich (8) | V.H. Naismith (13) | B.J. Walsh (19) |
| H/Backs | J.S. Sassella (18) | J.B. Westacott (20) | B.T. Collopy (4) |
| Centre Line | L.J. Dwyer | B.J. Gaze (9) | B.C. Edwards (7) |
| H/Forwards | K.E. Turner (17) | N. McNeill (11) | B.J. Gray (10) |
| Forwards | D.X. Dunin (5) | D.J. Plunkett (14) | D.T. Tobin (16) |
| Rucks/Rover | D. Cordner (1) (c) | Woolnough (2) (v-c) | R.A. Allsop (3) |
| Reserves | K.C. Marshall (12) | T.J. Hussey (15) | |
| Coach | C.B. Andrew | ||
Results
The match ended with a convincing win for the amateur team, which had led the professional combined team for the entire match, finally winning 12.9 (81) to 8.7 (55), although the professional team outscored the amateur team in the second and the last quarter.[9]
Score
| Team | 1 Qtr | 2 Qtr | 3 Qtr | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VAFA | 6.1 (37) | 9.4 (58) | 11.8 (74) | 12.9 (81) |
| Comb. VFL & VFA | 1.0 (6) | 6.0 (36) | 6.2 (38) | 8.7 (55) |
Best players and goal-kickers
The best players for the VAFA were Hibbins, Fenton-Smith, Anderson, Thomas, and Pettigrove; whilst those for the combined VFL & VFA team were Edwards, Allsop, Westacott, Woolnough, Collopy and Sassella.
The goal-kickers for the VAFA were Fenton-Smith (4), Pettigrove (4); Anderson (3), and Rochow (1); whilst those for the combined VFL & VFA team were Dunin (3), Turner (1), Woolnough (1), Plunkett (1), Tobin (1), and Allsop (1).
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Football Urged for Games, The Argus, (Friday,11 November 1949), p.20.
- ↑ Rules to be seen at Games, The Argus, (Saturday, 17 July 1954), p.1.
- ↑ 'Rules at Games, The (Sydney) Sun-Herald, (Sunday, 24 October 1954), p.33.
- ↑ "Be ready For A Shock In Olympic Footy.". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956). Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 7 December 1956. p. 14. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ "Football plan for Olympics.". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956). Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 19 January 1956. p. 20. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ↑ "Demonstrations" (1958), p.714.
- ↑ Taylor, P., "They’ll play for Amateurs", The Argus, (Monday, 3 December 1956), p.17; Selection of Amateur Side, The Age, (Monday, 3 December 1956), p.9.
- ↑ V.F.L. – V.F.A. Combined 18, The Age, (Wednesday, 5 December 1956), p.9.
- ↑ Taylor, P., "Yes, They saw OUR Football", The Argus, (Saturday, 8 December 1956), p.13.
References
- Official Olympic Report
- "Demonstrations: Australian Football", pp.713-714 in The Organizing Committee of the XVI Olympiad, Melbourne, 1956, The Official Report of the Organizing Committee for the Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne 1956, Victorian Government Printer, (Melbourne), 1958.