How has footy changed over years?

[LostDoggy]

Over the past 25 years we have seen Aussie Rules change dramatically into the great game we know and love today but let's think back and remember what has been lost to our game forever?

My memories of days gone by include:

- A reserve grade game played before all senior games

- Waterlogged grounds with barely a blade of grass to be seen

- Police on horseback at the Whitten Oval standing in the Cross St pocket

- The Hyde Street School Band circulating around the Whitten Oval at half time

- Being allowed onto ground for a kick at the end of all games

[The Coon Dog]

- Having your season ticket clipped when you entered the ground.

- Seeing senior players watching the reserves & getting their autographs.

- Throwing coins onto a blanket at half time.

- Looking at how long in the quarter had been played & having to estimate.

[GVGjr]

Watching games from the Can Bar for home game
Being called Footscray
Listening to Harry and Tommy on 3WRB, a channel dedicated to the Dogs
Those hot jam donuts

[LostDoggy]

- Having your season ticket clipped when you entered the ground.

- Seeing senior players watching the reserves & getting their autographs.

- Throwing coins onto a blanket at half time.

- Looking at how long in the quarter had been played & having to estimate.


I remember the throwing of coins into a blanket. I always sat on the fence and copped a couple of stray 50 cent pieces in the back of the head!!

Does anyone remember who the money went to?

[KT31]

- Under 19's before reserve game.
- The original Super Dog
- A flooded centre area.
- Being able to stand without some some goose telling you to sit in a seat.
- buying a beer without missing any off the game.
- Crownies for a dollar in the ground staff shed.
- Watching kids try to land a coin in the tuba.
-Mixing with the player in the trainers room.
-Leather screw ins.

[Scraggers]

* No seats

* Very little security

* Footballers having a smoke and a beer during / after the game

* Scoreboard attendants

[LostDoggy]

- Wind socks at grounds
- Kids (including myself back then) collecting thousands of aluminium cans after the game
- Lace up guernseys
- A5 sized Football Records instead of A4 size - A4 used to be used for the finals only back in the 80's
- Two interchange players per team
- Army Reserve Cup games played at the old Lakeside Oval
- Footy on Saturday afternnon @ 2:10 every week!!!

[ledge]

Black and white footy records,
Fourntwenty pies,
Sliding down the hill on the way to the toilet,
Getting soaked on a rainy day,
Catching the bus home and the middle of Footscray was empty due to 12 noon shops closed.
Sitting in the stand for nothing,
Standing on cans so you could see the game over peoples heads.

[Happy Days]

Paying less than $4 for a thing of chips

[Scraggers]

Black and white footy records,
Fourntwenty pies,
Sliding down the hill on the way to the toilet,
Getting soaked on a rainy day,
Catching the bus home and the middle of Footscray was empty due to 12 noon shops closed.
Sitting in the stand for nothing,
Standing on cans so you could see the game over peoples heads.

Oh the memories ... I remember waiting for Dad to finish his second big steel can of Fosters so you could stand on his cans and watch the footy

[The Coon Dog]

- Black shorts for the home team, white for the away.

- Marking the scores from the other grounds at the end of each quarter as they all played at the same time & the other games were denoted: A&B, C&D, G&H, L&M, R&S etc..

- Watching the scoreboard at 3/4 time of the reserves to see which umpire numbers would be displayed.

- Fitzroy.

- Suburban grounds.

- Toilets that stunk!

- Floggers behind the goals.

- Banners that were humorous.

[Before I Die]

-
- Two interchange players per team
- Army Reserve Cup games played at the old Lakeside Oval


And further back....
-No interchange players, only two replacement players
-The night competition being played after the seasaon proper instead of before it and only between the teams that didn't make the finals

[ledge]

TCD and his coloured pens!
Running onto the ground at all breaks and having a kick.
Crowding in to listen to the coaches rants.

[LostDoggy]

-Race results on the scoreboard.
-Getting a season membership with my Vic kick joining fee which was like $30
-The secound Siren after the game.
-VicKick compared to Auskick
-Norwich Rising Star
-The cartoon on the winning team mascot in 1990 on CH7 Coverage

[ledge]

Peter Landy and his silly hair styles and serious results face.
Drew Morphett and the winners on ABC.

[mighty_west]

- A REAL full forward

- wearing a duffel coat with players name patches & logo's

- jumpers with collars

- white shorts for away games

- no jumper clashes [even with the muddy grounds]

[azabob]

- Wind socks at grounds
- Kids (including myself back then) collecting thousands of aluminium cans after the game
- Lace up guernseys
- A5 sized Football Records instead of A4 size - A4 used to be used for the finals only back in the 80's- Two interchange players per team
- Army Reserve Cup games played at the old Lakeside Oval
- Footy on Saturday afternnon @ 2:10 every week!!!

Yep A5 size was better and a hell of a lot cheaper I think they were 0.80cents when I started going, now how much are they like $6 and full of crap? I dont even buy them anymore.

What about home ground advantage and supporter ratio of 90/10 in favour of the home team....

[KT31]

-Race results on the scoreboard.
-Getting a season membership with my Vic kick joining fee which was like $30
-The secound Siren after the game.
-VicKick compared to Auskick
-Norwich Rising Star
-The cartoon on the winning team mascot in 1990 on CH7 Coverage

Kellogs Supporters Club - free club membership and entry to each game.
Not to mention the TV raffles each Sunday morning with Trevor Barker.

[OLD SCRAGGer]

That dude who walked around the ground selling peanuts with the catch cry "PEANUTS, SHILLING A BAG". And I also remember if you were on the EJ Smith side of the ground (the outer as we called it) and you wanted to get to John Gent side of ground (or Members side) you had to pay 2 shillings (20 cents) at a box that was on the hill at the scorebord end of ground Ahhhh, memories

[BulldogBelle]

- Being able to drive to the footy, and park 10 minutes walk away (Western Oval)

- Seeing heaps of drunks at the footy...and a few less women attending games then than now

- The players getting covered in mud, and at times, the fans as well

[Twodogs]

Yelling the results to other teams suporters across the platforms at Flinders St after away games.




"How'd ya's go?"


" We ****in lost again!"

[LostDoggy]

Going with $10 and still having change

[Dancin' Douggy]

Actually being able to have a conversation and discuss the game without Announcements, ads and american top 40 songs being shoved down your throat at ear splitting volume during every break in play.
I REALLY hate that.
If they start putting music on between a goal and the next centre bounce I might actually stop going.
Seriously.

[Twodogs]

Standing and being able to move if you didnt like the dickhead you were standing next too.

[Before I Die]

A bloke 183 cm tall and 89 kg can't hold down CHB any more, even if their nickname is Mr Football.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Buying the Herald at the bottom of the rail bridge on the way out of the ground and it had the 3/4 time scores of all the games printed in red on the back page (how the hell did they do that?).

[Desipura]

Getting to the ground early (generally last qtr of the u19s) so you got a front seat behind the fence.
Watching Charlie's Angels dance at the start of the game and at half time.

Watching all preseason games on a Tuesday night from VFL park at 8.30pm. I actually remember going to see us get thumped by Norwood in the early 1980's!
The curtain raiser where the college teams ie Assumption.
This would be replayed on Saturday morning at 7.00am. I would watch this then head off to the Western Oval to watch the Reserves.
A footy marathon, gee it was great!

[bornadog]

Umbrellas

[ledge]

And for that you needed rain; another thing of the past.

Demetriou seems to have a lot of power outside the AFL too.

[Tugun Goalsneak]

And for those who can REALLLLY go back in time.......
1.No centre square
2. Three circles in the centre of the ground. One in the centre of course, and one on each side about halfway to the boundary. If it was a muddy day, the ball would be bounced in one of the other circles so the ruckmen didn't have to slog it out on the wet cricket pitch.
3. No padding around the goal posts.
4. Ball could be kicked out of bounds on the full, and the boundary umpire would throw it back in.
5. Only one central umpire.
6. No interchange
7. Each side had 4 ruckmen. After their spell on the ball, they would rest in either the forward pocket or back pocket.
8. Not having any bloody interstate teams in the competition.


I could go on and on, but I am getting a little choked up with all this nostalgia.
Oh for the good old days.

[GetDimmaBack]

And for those who can REALLLLY go back in time.......
1.No centre square
2. Three circles in the centre of the ground. One in the centre of course, and one on each side about halfway to the boundary. If it was a muddy day, the ball would be bounced in one of the other circles so the ruckmen didn't have to slog it out on the wet cricket pitch.
3. No padding around the goal posts.
4. Ball could be kicked out of bounds on the full, and the boundary umpire would throw it back in.
5. Only one central umpire.
6. No interchange
7. Each side had 4 ruckmen. After their spell on the ball, they would rest in either the forward pocket or back pocket.
8. Not having any bloody interstate teams in the competition.


I could go on and on, but I am getting a little choked up with all this nostalgia.
Oh for the good old days.

Yeah, only one white maggott...
...and lots of king-hits behind play.

Don't miss that too much, do we?


Does anyone remember no quarter time huddle? Straight swap of ends and on with the game!

[ledge]

Streamers and bits of paper rolling all over the ground during finals,
Chubby goal umpires in massive white coats and hats, never forget the one who got hit and did 2 circles then collapsed, straight out the cartoon shows he was.
Cold showers in away change rooms.
Long kicks and hope for the best each time they got a free kick.
The drop kick (and i dont mean the idiot in the crowd)

[gohardorgohome]

Getting to the ground early (generally last qtr of the u19s) so you got a front seat behind the fence.
Watching Charlie's Angels dance at the start of the game and at half time.

Watching all preseason games on a Tuesday night from VFL park at 8.30pm. I actually remember going to see us get thumped by Norwood in the early 1980's!
The curtain raiser where the college teams ie Assumption.
This would be replayed on Saturday morning at 7.00am. I would watch this then head off to the Western Oval to watch the Reserves.
A footy marathon, gee it was great!

I played in a couple of those with my local High School and got BOG in one of them according to Bobby Skilton....im sure the whole of Melbourne watched that replay.........

[gohardorgohome]

carnascray;69205]-Some of the fights were real eyepoppers. From my memory Windy Hill and Moorabbin were probably the most likely places to find the worst crowd behaviour.[/B]
-Unloading the eski during the course of two games where footy was actually played for 100 minutes (x 2).
-Catching the red rattlers to/from.
-The first and last times I went to Western Oval (and most times in between), I sat/stood on the concrete steps - don't miss them much.
-Footy jumpers that lasted more than five minutes without a design change and had no logos.
-Having to look at a map to work out how to get to the footy because it was at some undiscovered place like Glenferrie.
-Taking 5 hours to get out of the car park at Waverley.
With all the positive changes that have occurred maybe we should have another forum that asks how footy will change over the next ten years.

I remember an idiot unrinating in the middle of the intersection of Barkley St and Summerhill Rd after a game once..(i may have been 10 yrs old) ..not a good look.......

But the kids of today can't slide down the back of the terraces on empty pie boxes now can they?

[gohardorgohome]

Yeah, only one white maggott...
...and lots of king-hits behind play.

Don't miss that too much, do we?


Does anyone remember no quarter time huddle? Straight swap of ends and on with the game!

Orange Maggotts are so much better!!!!

[LostDoggy]

VFL, 12 Teams, 6 Games, At The Same Time, Saturday 2pm. :)

[LostDoggy]

.....2. Three circles in the centre of the ground. One in the centre of course, and one on each side about halfway to the boundary. If it was a muddy day, the ball would be bounced in one of the other circles so the ruckmen didn't have to slog it out on the wet cricket pitch.
...,,.

Good get. What about

9. Boundary umpires with white shirts, sleeves rolled up, and white handkerchiefs around one wrist ?
10. Umpires wear black boots when it's muddy
11. Mud
12. Being able to go onto the ground to hear the 3/4 time address by the coah at reserves or U 19 games.
13. The siren box on the top of a post on the members wing
14. Merv Hobbs silk shorts
15. Getting to the game early enough to snag a seat on the fence when there was just one bench seat all the way 'round the ground.
16. The tin shed behind the Gordon Street end goals.
17. Mascots running out before the team.
18. 19th and 20th men wearing dressing gowns.

[alwaysadog]

-12 Victorian Clubs
-18 round home and away season, played in fixed order (played every team three times over 2 years)
-Final 4, then 5 then 6 then...
-Rules that were constant
-Umpires with humour, not just attitude
-No size limit to club playing lists
-Watching preseason free to all games, not knowing exactly who was being recruited,
-Believing in the smokey

[The Coon Dog]

Players changing clubs mid season.

Players from both teams coming into the Social Club after a game.

Speccies.

Torps.

Old suburban grounds with wooden seats, ample standing room & character.

World of Sport on Sunday.

Players good enough to combine footy & cricket.

[alwaysadog]

Drop Kicks
Place Kicks: well Tony Ongarello for Fitzroy tried the odd one but I never saw one take off

[hujsh]

Players changing clubs mid season.



Really? I've never heard of that before




Players good enough to combine footy & cricket.

Jewell would be close and guys like Brown may have been able to.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Really? I've never heard of that before



Jewell would be close and guys like Brown may have been able to.

Shannon Hurn had a rookie contract with the Redbacks.

[Twodogs]

Really? I've never heard of that before







back in the '70s and '80s you could transfer clubs right up until june 30th.



The night before was like the final ten miniutes before trade week ends.

[BulldogBelle]

- Police on horseback at the Whitten Oval standing in the Cross St pocket

Good thread JG,

Yes, that was right near our seating and I remember on a few occasions a group of boys hanging around the enclosure trying to unsettle the horse so that the policeman or policewoman would fall off.

[always right]

My fondest memory was going early to watch the reserves just to spot players who might be elevated to the seniors next week, or blokes coming back from injury. I remember watching blokes like Johnny Ballantine and Daniel Hargreaves carve them up in the ressies. Just goes to show what a gap there was between reserves footy and seniors.

Also recall taking a small step ladder with me for my young bloke to stand on to see the game. He used to randomly yell out support for various players regardless of where they or the ball were at the time.:D