Something which is sorely missing from league grounds these days is contrast. Stepping out from the dank innards of a grandstand to the bright contrast of the outer was something I cherrished. This pic was taken prior to the 2006 VFL grand final beetween Geelong and Sandringham at Carlton’s Princess Park, yet it is symbolic of many an old league venue. Adequate lighting in the stadia of today is clearly a necessity especially as we play a lot of football at night. But it’s a feature I miss.
Western Oval: League venue: 1925-1997. League (VFL/AFL) matches: 665 . Record Attendance: 42,354-Footscray v Coll’wood, r.121955.
Photo courtesy of Maribyrnong Leader
Growing up in Melbourne’s leafy east, to me Footscray seemed an eternity away, both in distance and way of life. Fast forward to 2012 and I now live just a few drop kicks and a decent torpy away from the old Western Oval, many myths about Footscray having been debunked along the way.
I took this series of photos when the ground still stood essentially as it was since top-level football departed it in 1997. Little did I know that the following week saw the scoreboard come down and work begin on the new developments at the kennel. While understanding the need to move forward, I’m sure glad I captured some of the old nooks and crannies that I did before it all came down.
I have watched with great intrigue over the past few years the developments at the oval, and have been pleased with how they have come about. While not as in depth as Victoria Park’s recent refurbishments, the Dogs have maintained much of the grounds feel, including a large section of old-school terracing which still exists behind the Geelong Road end goals. There is however a trendy cafe these days residing between the two old grandstands, a far cry from the old Western Oval where the Scraggers plied their trade.
The two old stands, and on the right the new cafe and administration joins the two.
I love the local touch that the Western Bulldogs still possess; if you live in Footscray then the chances are that they are your team. The suburb still has plenty of red white and blue on display in shops and on vehicles and is a club still connected to their community. Central to that has been the redevelopment of the Whitten or Western Oval, now a community space as well as an elite training facility
When it came to the redevelopments, there were elements of the ground deemed necessary for demolition. First to go was the old scoreboard. I took these photos just days before its demise, with the remnants of ‘congratulations’ for Chris Grants 300th match still on the board.
I also love the old wooden seating in the foreground which stood until recently, a world away from todays plastic bucket seats. They look more like pews, where supporters could kneel and pray. Whilst snooping around, I ventured into the scoreboard, quite tentatively as I’d heard that it was a home to squatters. This photo shows the old South Melbourne board, which must have sat there gathering dust since 1981. How I wish that I had grabbed the sign!
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What fascinated me most about the Western Oval however was the Gordon St side of the ground. The Doug Hawkins wing. I just loved the integration of footpath, EJ Smith grandstand and Geelong Road bridge, with many a dark corner to explore. I was sad to see this go as it was just full of character, a stark contrast to todays near uniform stadia.
The Western Oval is now an elite training facility for elite athletes and will obviously not be hosting any more league matches. But the ground still has that old feel about it. There’s plenty of terracing left, the old stands are intact and the ground is well cared for, unlike others which have been left to decay. The Dogs still get a decent sized crowds to their intra-club matches too.
The one glaring admission is no signage to acknowledge the Dougy Hawkins Wing. I hope this is rectified at some stage.
(Ed. – This was recently rectified…great work by the club! Click here to see the rectified Dougy Hawkins wing! )Please share any old stories you have from a day spent on the terraces at the Western Oval. Were you there when Carlton kicked just one goal? Or at the climactic end to the 1987 home and away series? Perhaps you heard first hand EJ’s final address to his players as captain coach. I’d love to hear your stories. Thank
And be sure to check out Vin Maskell’s piece on the old Western Oval scoreboard on his Scoreboard Pressure site!
http://scoreboardpressure.com/2012/06/04/whitten-oval-footscray-victoria/
http://www.peptolab.com/recovery-session/the-recovery-session-episode-09.mp3
Missed the footy? So have we. Episode 9 of The Recovery Session podcast is here, the first of 2012. The Tragic, Sheriff and Holy Boot are joined by Collingwood skipper Nick Maxwell, who stepped in for regular contributer The Iron Sock, who was otherwise engaged. Sit back and relax for an hour of football fun and merriment.
Get involved with the competitions and segments…we’re happy to give you a shout out and you may even win a prize! Follow us on twitter @TheRecoverySess or contact us by email -therecoverysession@gmail.com
Though I feel as though I am posting this entire series of old club songs entirely for my brothers amusement….the show must go on. Collingwood’s song is next alphabetically, and my brother is taking the lead vocals on this one. It’s rough and ready but you can sense the passion behind this project.
For those who are new to these recordings, I recently salvaged them from an old cassette tape I found. They were recorded with great haste on an old cassette 4-track machine in the late 90’s. Apologies for the poor quality.
Accompanying these themesongs are my brother’s MS-paint drawings from the late 90’s also, featuring each club’s ‘average supporter.’ Don’t be offended, he has ripped into his own club too.
Thanks to Peter Carr…. younger brother extraordinaire. You can find him on twitter as @carr_pete
Having already explored the intrinsic link between David Cloke’s career and the number 3, I thought it time to look at the numbers of another dual club player, Andrew Underwood.
Underwood played with SANFL club Sturt from 1985-1988 before being drafted by then VFL club Essendon. After two seasons at Windy Hill, he transferred to Richmond for a season, before returning to Sturt after not being required by incoming Richmond coach Allan Jeans.
Andrew Underwood at Sturt post AFL career and importantly post mullet! Pic from http://www.sturtpics.com.au
So where does the number 12 fit in? Underwood was the last player to don the number before a young Matthew Richardson commandeered it in 1993, taking the number 12 guernsey in his only season with the Tigers in 1991. He played 12 games with Essendon, and 12 games with Richmond. His career of 24 games saw him play in 12 wins and 12 losses, while in his first season at Essendon, he played no games after round 12.
His first season saw him accumulate 112 kicks, while in his career he received 12 frees for in home matches and conceded 12 frees against in away matches.
While his career at Tigerland was brief, I will forever remember him for his part in Richmond’s shock win over his former club Essendon at Windy Hill in 1991, a lovely way for Richmond to sign off from that suburban ground. Underwood played an integral part in the win, yet the part I remember most was the picture of him in the paper following the match…hulking arms raised in defiance to his former home crowd as he left the field a winner, the last time he would do so as a league player.
I have been unable to locate this picture, though I was able to find the old match report from the Herald-Sun. “Obviously I wanted to play well against my old club, I had a point to prove. They let me go at the start of the season…I wanted to prove them wrong.” The report went on to say that Underwood gathered 23 possessions off half-back, going through four opponents; Ian McMullin, Michael Long, Tim Watson and flatmate Brad Fox! “Not a word was passed between us.”
Andrew Underwood signed my book at the 1991 Richmond Family Day/Best & Fairest Count. He was soon to be let go.
With a Little Help from my friends…
@andreamaryb for informing me of the Underwood #12 files
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/players/A/Andrew_Underwood.html
Tigers of Old, by Paul Hogan
(Interestingly, though Andrew Underwood was the last player to wear the number 12 before Matthew Richardson, Andrew finishing in 1991 and Mattew starting in 1993, a 1992 record I have lists Reserves coach Peter Schwabb as number 12 for the reserves. The book ‘Tigers of Old’ shows no record of him playing a game for the Richmond seconds, though this happened from time to time due to player shortages.)
Can you spot the inaccuracies in this photograph?
My mother attended this 1975 Essendon v St.Kilda match at the old Windy Hill as an Essendon supporter, but also to watch her work colleague, Colin Carter, play for the Saints. She snapped a few photos from the outer side which I stumbled upon a few years back. With the magic of technology, I pieced them together. To the left you have 2 policeman looking on as the Essendon team runs onto the field, while on the right, play comes to a halt for a ball up. Just in case you were wondering.
The Holy Boot's Football Emporium 