PORT MELBOURNE
Affiliated: VFA 1886-1995; VFL 1996-present
Club Address: P.O. Box 588, Kew 3101, Victoria
Home Ground: Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne
Formed: 1884 as a junior club; 1886 as a senior club
Colours: Red and blue
Emblem: Borough (or Boroughs)
Premierships: VFA/1st Division - 1897, 1901, 1922, 1940-41, 1947, 1953, 1964, 1966, 1974, 1976-77, 1980-81-82 (15 total)
Recorder Cup winners: T.Hyde 1930 (1 total)
J.J. Liston Trophy winners: W.Findlay 1946; F.Johnson 1952; V.Aanenson 1979 & 1981; S.Allender 1980; B.Swan 1983; S.Harkins 1990 (6 Medallists/7 Medals)
All Australians: Frank Johnson 1953 & 1956 (2 total)
Port Melbourne's Official 'Team of the Century': Click here
Highest Score (against current VFL clubs only): 43.29 (287) vs. Sandringham on 30 August 1941
Most Games: 258 by Fred Cook
Record Home Attendance: Records unavailable
Record Finals Attendance: [see footnote 1] 36,289 for 1941 grand final at the MCG: Port Melbourne 15.18 (108); Coburg 11.23 (89)
Few clubs can boast a history as colourful and eventful as that of Port Melbourne. Established in 1885, the club joined the VFA the following year and had an immediate impact, finishing 4th. From the earliest days, the club was nicknamed 'The Borough' or 'The Boroughs' because that is precisely what Port Melbourne was until 1893, when it was proclaimed a town. In 1919 it became a city, but the original nickname stuck.
| Throughout the pre-VFL period the club was seldom less than competitive. Its
best finish was 3rd in 1889, and if the initial composition of the VFL in 1897
had been determined solely by on field prowess it is arguable that Port
Melbourne would have gained admission at the expense of the likes of St Kilda or
even Carlton.
As if to emphasise this the club won its first VFA premiership in 1897 and was consistently close to the pace during each of the next five seasons, albeit for only one further flag in 1901. Thereafter, however, the longest premiership drought in the club's history set in and it was not until a 2 point defeat of Footscray in the 1922 grand final that Port Melbourne supporters again had cause for celebration. The enjoyment was tinged with acrimony, however, after post-match allegations by four Borough players that they had received bribes to 'play dead'. The VFA subsequently mounted an investigation during which charges were laid against Footscray president George Sayer, player Matt O'Donaghue, and former player Vern Banbury, with Banbury eventually being found guilty and receiving a life time ban. |
The Port Melbourne look, pre-World War One style. |
Footscray gained their revenge over Port in the 1923 grand final with a 14 point triumph. This proved to be the first of four consecutive grand final capitulations by the Borough during the 1920s with the other failures coming at the hands of Brunswick by 16 points in 1925, Coburg by 7 points in 1928 and Northcote by 42 points in 1929.
Some Port Melbourne Players of the 1930s |
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C.Stanbridge, follower |
E.Perrett, half back |
J.Garbutt, full back |
W.Lovett, centreman |
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In general terms, the 1930s are remembered as a grim decade economically. As far as Port Melbourne supporters of long standing are concerned, it was an equally impoverished period on the field of play for their team, which only managed to qualify for the finals twice. This was despite the on field presence for much of the decade of one of the club's - and the VFA's - greatest ever players in the shape of Tom Lahiff, who sandwiched a brief VFL career between two prominent spells with the Borough, with success only coming towards the end of the second of these.
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Former South Melbourne champion 'Gentleman Jim' Cleary, captain-coach of the Borough from 1949-51, and non-playing coach in 1952. (Click to enlarge.) |
After finishing second to last in 1939, with Lahiff as captain-coach, the club unexpectedly prospered under his successor, Frank Kelly, with Lahiff's contribution merely that of a player. The 1940 grand final pitted Port Melbourne against Prahran and brought a comfortable 23.22 (160) to 17.11 (113) victory to the Borough in a high standard game. This was followed a year later by an equally impressive 15.18 (108) to 11.23 (89) grand final defeat of Coburg. The fact that Port Melbourne had not defeated Coburg in any game since 1929 made the victory all the more satisfying, not to mention impressive. Tom Lahiff had re-assumed the role of captain-coach shortly before the finals following the resignation of Frank Kelly but with the VFA in abeyance because of the war between 1942 and 1944 he was denied an opportunity to build on this success. When the VFA competition re-commenced in 1945 Port Melbourne, with Lahiff at the helm, gave indications of carrying on where they had left off four years earlier only to fall in a heap against a Ron Todd-inspired Williamstown on grand final day. Todd's 6 goal contribution to the Seagulls' cause more or less matched their eventual margin of victory (37 points). Port Melbourne's next grand final appearance two years later proved to be vastly more enjoyable with rover Bill Findlay, centre half forward Bill Houston, centre half back Cyril Mann and ruckman Ron Reynolds prominent in a 15.15 (105) to 11.8 (74) defeat of Sandringham in wet conditions. |
The 1950s proved to be an immensely frustrating decade with Port Melbourne almost invariably 'thereabouts' but only actually 'there' on one occasion. Indeed, the Boroughs' record of appearing in eight consecutive grand finals for just one win would take some emulating.
In full, the sorry sequence read as follows:
| Year | Grand Final Result |
|---|---|
| 1950 | Oakleigh 13-9 (87); Port Melbourne 9-14 (68) |
| 1951 | Prahran 11-13 (79); Port Melbourne 10-10 (70) |
| 1952 | Oakleigh 11-18 (84); Port Melbourne 8-15 (63) |
| 1953 | Port Melbourne 21-15 (141); Yarraville 12-9 (81) - this after a season which brought only 2 losses |
| 1954 | Williamstown 11-20 (86); Port Melbourne 7-12 (54) - after the Borough had downed the Seagulls by 2 goals in the 2nd semi final |
| 1955 | Williamstown 13-19 (97); Port Melbourne 13-10 (88) - after Port Melbourne had led at every change by 36, 14 and 25 points |
| 1956 | Williamstown 14-18 (102); Port Melbourne 10-18 (78) - after Port had led for all bar the last 20 minutes of the match |
| 1957 | Moorabbin 15-12 (102); Port Melbourne 7-20 (52) - the Kangas' first ever defeat of the Borough at the eleventh attempt |
Port Melbourne's next grand final appearance came in 1964 against old foe Williamstown. Having comfortably accounted for the Seagulls by 52 points in the 2nd semi final the Borough took little time in reasserting their authority a fortnight later as they raced to a 7.5 to 1.0 opening term lead. The final scores were Port Melbourne 14.17 (101) to Williamstown 10.5 (65) with the victors best served by energetic centreman Rob Freyer, ruckman Carl Bowen, 4 goal half forward George Milner and rover Graeme Taggart.
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The Borough made the grand final again the following year but inaccuracy in front of goal proved their undoing in a 12 point loss to Waverley. The Panthers again provided the grand final opposition in 1966 but this time Port Melbourne had little trouble eking out a 13.12 (90) to 6.11 (47) triumph. Future Brownlow Medallist Peter Bedford starred in the centre for the Borough, as did experienced follower Carl Bowen, rover Graeme Taggart and half back flanker Garry 'Tables' Williams. The 1967 VFA grand final between Dandenong and Port Melbourne is indisputably one of the most infamous matches in Australian football history. Port Melbourne went into the match as warm favourites having comfortably accounted for the Redlegs in the 2nd semi final but as has frequently been observed previous form does not always count for all that much when a flag is at stake. Dandenong's eventual 16.13 (109) to 12.12 (84) victory was a fair indication of their superiority on the day and the only solace Borough supporters could derive from the occasion was that 'we must have won the fights'. [see footnote 2] |
Incomparable Borough full forward Fred Cook. (Click to enlarge.) |
The Port Melbourne side which contested the VFA finals for a record eleven consecutive seasons between 1973 and 1983 was without doubt one of the greatest in the history of the competition. The side participated in six grand finals during the period, winning them all as well as taking out the VFA's club championship on four consecutive occasions between 1973 and 1976. [see footnote 3]
In 1973 the Borough were not quite the 'finished article' and bowed out to Prahran in the 1st semi final. A year later, however, they were by some degree the most powerful side in the competition, as their 22.20 (152) to 11.17 (83) grand final demolition of Oakleigh confirmed. Captain Norm Brown, centreman Jim Buckley, half forwards David 'Sam' Holt and Graham 'Buster' Harland were in particularly irrepressible form for the winners.
The Borough slumped to 3rd in 1975 but 1976 saw them re-assume centre stage for a long awaited grand final re-match with their 1967 conquerors Dandenong.
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Jim Christou (3rd from left) sneaks a goal against Sandringham during the VFA's centenary grand final of 1977. (Click to enlarge.) |
The build up to the game was, by recent VFA standards, almost unprecedentedly intense, with much speculation focusing on the so called 'revenge factor'. In this context, a violent encounter seemed almost inevitable, and so it proved. After a deceptively tame opening term events took a predictable turn for the worse five minutes into the 2nd quarter when Port Melbourne full forward Fred Cook was pole-axed behind the play shortly after kicking a goal. The goal umpire, having just replaced his flags, was in the process of marking the goal on his score card and did not see the incident. Neither did the two boundary umpires who were relaying the ball back to the centre of the ground. Suddenly there was an explosion of activity at both ends of the field as Port Melbourne players endeavoured to exact retribution and their Dandenong opponents resisted strenuously. When order was restored, the Borough were able to race away to a 57 point triumph, 19.18 (132) to 10.15 (75). (Visit the GREAT GAMES section for an in depth review of this match.) Best players for Port included ruckman Tony Haenen, half back flanker George Allen, full back Paul Wharton, and ruck rover Graham Harland. Champion full forward Fred Cook contributed 5.6 (including 2 'posters') to take his season's tally to 124. Cook would go on to amass a VFA career record of 1,364 goals in 305 games with 3 clubs (Port Melbourne, Yarraville and Moorabbin). |
Most of the post-match headlines referred to the fisticuffs rather than the football, however, which was hardly surprising given that the VFA Honorary Commissioners had no fewer than nine cases to consider on the following Monday night:
| Name | Charge | Verdict/Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Tony Haenen (Port player) | Striking boundary umpire Colin Walker | Not guilty |
| Graham Harland (Port player) | Striking Allen Harper (Dandenong) | Guilty: 4 weeks suspension |
| Greg Dermott (Port player) | Misconduct: kneeing Allen Harper (Dandenong) | Guilty: reprimand |
| David Droscher (Dandenong player) | Striking David Holt (Port Melbourne) | Guilty: 2 weeks suspension |
| David Holt (Port player) | Striking David Droscher (Dandenong) | Guilty: 2 weeks suspension |
| Brian Shinners (Dandenong player) | Striking Port Melbourne trainer Allen Thomas | Guilty: 4 weeks suspension |
| George Allen (Port player) | Striking Bill Thompson (Dandenong) | Guilty: 2 weeks suspension |
| Allen Thomas (Port trainer) | Misconduct: grabbing Allen Harper (Dandenong) by hair | Guilty: entry to field of play prohibited for 12 months |
| Eddie Melai (Dandenong runner) | Abusive language directed at boundary umpire John Kerr | Guilty: 6 weeks suspension |
The 1977 grand final was also noteworthy, but thankfully for rather more salutary reasons: it was the VFA's centenary year [see footnote 4] and Port Melbourne celebrated it in signally appropriate fashion with a 100 point defeat of Sandringham. A crowd of 29,644 at the Junction Oval saw Fred Cook boot 9.4 from full forward and centre half forward Ivan Rasmussen add 5.1 to cap off a consummate all round team display which clinched the Borough their 11th senior VFA premiership.
Annexing the 12th flag three seasons later proved considerably more problematical as Coburg afforded stern opposition throughout a seesawing tussle. At lemon time the Lions led by 17 points but Port Melbourne seemingly 'had the wood', as the saying goes, over Coburg in 1980 [see footnote 5] and during the final twenty minutes of the game they took command to race to an 11 point victory. Defenders Greg Dermott and Frank Johnson junior, ruckman Vic Aanenson and half forward Tony Ebeyer were among the Borough's best performers.
At quarter time of the following season's grand final Port Melbourne led Preston 9.9 to 9.4 after the latter had dominated the 2nd term to the tune of 7 goals to 3. Another close finish looked likely, but the Borough, led by ruckman Vic Aanenson, rover Tony Ebeyer - who started the game on the bench - ruck rover Brendan Kavanagh, and half forward flanker Glen Evans had other ideas. In the second half they added 23.20 to a paltry 6.4 by their opposition to rack up an all time record VFA grand final score of 32.19 (211); ironically, Preston's eventual tally of 15.8 (98) was higher than Port Melbourne's winning grand final score of a year earlier.
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The Bullants scored even more freely in the 1982 grand final but Port Melbourne still proved to have their measure. Indeed, despite the closeness of the finish - 7 points - the Borough always appeared in control. Final scores were Port Melbourne 21.15 (141) to Preston 20.14 (134) with centreman Bill Swan, centre half back Glen Robertson and rover Brendan Kavanagh best for the premiers. Port Melbourne has managed no more flags since 1982 but seem securely established as one of the VFL's [see footnote 6] integral member clubs. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine Victoria's premier domestic competition without its longest serving and most successful member. From season 2000, when, following the abolition of the AFL reserves competition, the VFL underwent a radical overhaul, the Borough entered into an alignment with AFL club Sydney whereby the Swans provided Port with a number of players each weekend. Similar arrangements were instigated by Box Hill-Hawthorn, and Melbourne-Sandringham, while the Western Bulldogs entered into separate arrangements with Werribee and Williamstown. In 2001 the landscape altered yet again, with Coburg aligning with Richmond, Springvale with St Kilda and Collingwood with Williamstown; the Western Bulldogs meanwhile aligned exclusively with Werribee. |
Action from the Boroughs' 1980 grand final victory over Coburg. (Click to enlarge.) |
As of the 2003 season, Port Melbourne became aligned with the Kangaroos, while Bendigo and Essendon, and the Northern Bullants and Carlton also joined forces. This left Frankston as the only old style VFA club without an AFL 'big brother'.
It remains to be seen what the long term effects of such a dilution of identity will be on proud clubs like Port Melbourne, but in the short term at least the Borough managed to capitalise to the extent of qualifying for, and very nearly winning, the 2004 grand final. However, despite throwing everything they could at opponents Sandringham during a hectic last term, they fell short by 4 points.
In 2005 the Borough, who ended their alignment with the Kangaroos midway through the year, qualified for the finals in 5th spot but, after scoring an emphatic 84 point win over Box Hill in an elimination final, bowed out of flag contention with a 38 point semi final loss to Bendigo. The following season, however, was an unmitigated disaster, as the side managed just 3 wins from 18 matches for the year to finish last.
The 2008 season brought another premiership opportunity as the Borough fought their way through to a grand final clash with North Ballarat. However, after staying in touch for three quarters Port was overrun in the final term and went down by 45 points.
Where now?
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Footnotes
1. Other than during the period 1939 to 1941 VFA grand final attendances were only estimated prior to 1971. On a number of occasions, Port Melbourne played in front of crowds estimated to be in excess of 40,000, but as there is no way of substantiating these figures they can not be deemed to be 'official'. Return to Main Text
2. That, at least, was the opinion expressed by Tony Cannatelli in The Port Melbourne Way, page 16. Return to Main Text
3. Of a total of 224 matches played during this period Port Melbourne won 165, lost 58 and tied 1 for an overall success rate of almost 74%. Return to Main Text
4. With the AFL's incomprehensible decision to celebrate its centenary in 1996, however - 99 years after its inception as the Victorian Football League - when, or what, exactly is a centenary? Return to Main Text
5. Coburg's only 4 defeats for the year all came at the hands of the Borough. Return to Main Text
6. The VFA became the VFL, with cute appropriateness, in the original VFL's official centenary year of 1996. Return to Main Text