1968 GOLDEN FLEECE NIGHT PREMIERSHIP
|
*Hawthorn breaks their drought - at this point in their history Hawthorn had two things in common with Footscray and North Melbourne; they all transferred from the VFA to the VFL in 1925, and they all struggled for success in the big league. The Hawks only flag at senior level had been the 1961 VFL premiership. In 1968 they happily added a night premiership trophy to their threadbare trophy cabinet.
*McKenna equals a record... or does he? - The Age newspaper has Collingwood's Peter McKenna kicking 10 goals in the 1968 series-opener against Fitzroy, equalling Peter Schofield's record set in 1959 for most goals in a night series match. However, the match report in the Football Record (10-9-1968) has him kicking 9 for the game. Throughout the period 1968 to 1971 the Record continues to report that McKenna fell one short of matching Peter Schofield's tally. It is not until the 1990s that McKenna's total starts appearing in Football Record pre-season editions and AFL Stats Guides as a 10-goal haul. So did he equal the record? Research is continuing... stay tuned! *Huddo cuts loose - Hawthorn's Peter Hudson kicked 7 goals against Collingwood in the semi-finals then topped that effort with 8 goals in the final - a record that still stands for most goals in a Night Series/Pre-Season Cup Grand Final. In total Hudson kicked 18 goals in the Hawks' three matches, equalling Fred Goldsmith's record set in the 1958 series. |
1968 Night Series Grand Final programme (private collection)
|
|
ROUND 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DATE |
TEAMS |
1/4 |
1/2 |
3/4 |
FINAL |
MARGIN |
VENUE |
DAY/TIME |
CROWD |
|
Sep-05 |
Collingwood (7) |
4.5 (29) |
6.6 (42) |
10.7 (67) |
16.10 (106) |
24 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Thu (8:00pm) |
14,285 |
|
Fitzroy (11) |
3.2 (20) |
6.12 (48) |
6.16 (52) |
10.22 (82) |
|||||
|
Sep-10 |
Hawthorn (6) |
3.3 (21) |
6.7 (43) |
8.10 (58) |
11.14 (80) |
5 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Tue (8:00pm) |
12,059 |
|
Melbourne (8) |
3.2 (20) |
7.4 (46) |
9.8 (62) |
11.9 (75) |
|||||
|
Sep-12 |
North Melbourne (12) |
5.4 (34) |
9.9 (63) |
15.16 (106) |
18.19 (127) |
12 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Thu (8:00pm) |
10,020 |
|
South Melbourne (9) |
2.1 (13) |
5.2 (32) |
10.5 (65) |
18.7 (115) |
|||||
|
Sep-17 |
Richmond (5) |
3.4 (22) |
8.8 (56) |
11.10 (76) |
15.15 (105) |
1 (E/T) |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Tue (8:00pm) |
15,037 |
|
Footscray (10) |
6.1 (37) |
8.3 (51) |
13.5 (83) |
16.8 (104) |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SEMI FINALS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DATE |
TEAMS |
1/4 |
1/2 |
3/4 |
FINAL |
MARGIN |
VENUE |
DAY/TIME |
CROWD |
|
Sep-19 |
Hawthorn (6) |
3.3 (21) |
6.6 (42) |
14.10 (94) |
19.14 (128) |
34 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Thu (8:00pm) |
15,366 |
|
Collingwood (7) |
2.5 (17) |
8.6 (54) |
12.8 (80) |
14.10 (94) |
|||||
|
Sep-24 |
North Melbourne (12) |
4.4 (28) |
7.6 (48) |
12.9 (81) |
18.11 (119) |
30 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Tue (8:00pm) |
7,052 |
|
Richmond (5) |
3.6 (24) |
6.13 (49) |
10.15 (75) |
12.17 (89) |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GRAND FINAL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DATE |
TEAMS |
1/4 |
1/2 |
3/4 |
FINAL |
MARGIN |
VENUE |
DAY/TIME |
CROWD |
|
Sep-30 |
Hawthorn v North
Melbourne moved to Oct.2 due to extreme wind conditions |
||||||||
|
Oct-02 |
Hawthorn (6) |
1.4 (10) |
8.7 (55) |
11.11 (77) |
16.15 (111) |
61 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Wed (8:00pm) |
15,650 |
|
North Melbourne (12) |
2.4 (16) |
2.6 (18) |
3.7 (25) |
6.14 (50) |
|||||
MATCH REPORTS
Unless otherwise noted the information was sourced from The Football Record and The Age newspaper.
|
ROUND
1 |
|||||||||||||
|
Match
1 - Thursday, September 5 |
|||||||||||||
|
COLLINGWOOD |
4.5
(29) |
6.6
(42) |
10.7
(67) |
16.10
(106) |
|||||||||
|
FITZROY |
3.2
(20) |
6.12
(48) |
6.16
(52) |
10.22
(82) |
|||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Collingwood |
McKenna,
Neave, Potter, Price, McKenzie, Greening, Dunne |
||||||||||||
|
Fitzroy |
Murray,
Cole, Newnham, Cobain, Searl,
Andrews, Zunneberg |
||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Collingwood |
McKenna
10, Price 3, Tuddenham, Dunne, Britt |
||||||||||||
|
Fitzroy |
Searl 5, Lazarus 3, Walford,
McKenzie |
||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Collingwood |
unknown |
||||||||||||
|
Fitzroy |
unknown |
||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Deller |
||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
14,285 |
||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
AGE/Football
Record |
||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
McKenna
also kicked 11 goals the previous weekend (Round 20 vs
South Melbourne) |
||||||||||||
|
GOALS
DISCREPANCY: |
|||||||||||||
|
The
Age has McKenna kicking 10 goals in this match - McKenna 10, Price 3, Tuddenham,
Dunne, Britt |
|||||||||||||
|
The
Footy Record (10-9-1968) has him kicking 9 - McKenna 9, Price 3, Tuddenham,
Dunne, Britt, Richardson |
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Throughout
the period 1968 to 1971 the Football Record says McKenna fell one short of
matching Peter Schofield's 10 goal record. |
|||||||||||||
|
It
is not until the 1990s that McKenna's total starts appearing in the Football
Record and AFL Stats Guides as a 10 goal haul. |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match
2 - Tuesday, September 10 |
|||||||||||||
|
HAWTHORN |
3.3
(21) |
6.7
(43) |
8.10
(58) |
11.14
(80) |
|||||||||
|
MELBOURNE |
3.2
(20) |
7.4
(46) |
9.8
(62) |
11.9
(75) |
|||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Parkin, Bremner,
Wilson, Fisher, Crimmins, Meagher |
||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
Johnson,
Parke, Mann, Dixon, Davis, Groom, Hardeman |
||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Hudson
3, Fisher 3, Smith, Angus, Meagher, Gay, Crimmins |
||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
Parke 3, Mann 2, Biffin
2, Lakes, Aubrey, Vagg, Emselle |
||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
unknown |
||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
unknown |
||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Coates |
||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
12,059 |
||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
SUN/AGE/Football
Record |
||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
Hudson
soccered the winning goal through in the final
minute of the game. |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match
3 - Thursday, September 12 |
|||||||||||||
|
NORTH
MELBOURNE |
5.4
(34) |
9.9
(63) |
15.16
(106) |
18.19
(127) |
|||||||||
|
SOUTH
MELBOURNE |
2.1
(13) |
5.2
(32) |
10.5
(65) |
18.7
(115) |
|||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
Dugdale, Wood, McCarthy, G. Farrant, Scholes, Johnston,
Dwyer |
||||||||||||
|
South
Melbourne |
Bedford,
McAuliffe, Davison, Bennett, Cook, Anderson |
||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
G.
Farrant 4, McCarthy 2, Scholes
2, Wood 2, Peterson 2, Thompson 2, Kekovich, Karanicolas, Redenbach, Dell |
||||||||||||
|
South
Melbourne |
Cook
4, McAuliffe 4, McCracken 2, Jacobs 2, Rantall, Haenan, Bedford, Davison, Luke, Mallett |
||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
|||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
Redenbach replaced Hopgood
(three-quarter time) |
||||||||||||
|
Heywood
replaced Kekovich (last quarter) |
|||||||||||||
|
South
Melbourne |
Greenwood
replaced Sarich (half-time) |
||||||||||||
|
McCracken
replaced Sudholz (last quarter) |
|||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Matheson |
||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
10,020 |
||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
SUN/AGE/Football
Record |
||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
- |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match
4 - Tuesday, September 17 |
|||||||||||||
|
RICHMOND |
3.4
(22) |
8.8
(56) |
11.10
(76) |
15.15
(105) |
|||||||||
|
FOOTSCRAY |
6.1
(37) |
8.3
(51) |
13.5
(83) |
16.8
(104) |
|||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Richmond |
Jewell,
Dean, Hart, Bartlett, Bourke, Burgin |
||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Bisset, Merrington,
Jillard, Greenwood, Whitten, Magee |
||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Richmond |
Hart
4, Brown 3, Jewell 2, Hunt 2, Bartlett 2, McInnes,
Patterson |
||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Bisset 6, Whitten 2, Welsh 2, Merrington 2, Dempsey 2, Sandilands, Spargo |
||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Richmond |
Clay
replaced Moore (half-time) |
||||||||||||
|
Strang replaced Bowden (last quarter) |
|||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Cumming
replaced McGowan (third quarter) |
||||||||||||
|
Bartlett
replaced Marsh (last quarter) |
|||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Crouch |
||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
15,037 |
||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
SUN/Football
Record |
||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
|||||||||||||
|
This
game was decided by sudden-death extra time – the first VFL-AFL match to go
to extra time. |
|||||||||||||
|
Scores
were level at the end of time-on so play was allowed to continue until the
deadlock was broken. A mere 11 seconds into extra-time |
|||||||||||||
|
a
set-shot by Royce Hart was rushed through for a behind and the siren was sounded. |
|||||||||||||
|
The
Sun
reports that neither team knew the first score would win. |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SEMI-FINALS |
|||||||||||||
|
Match
5 - Thursday, September 19 |
|||||||||||||
|
HAWTHORN |
3.3
(21) |
6.6
(42) |
14.10
(94) |
19.14
(128) |
|||||||||
|
COLLINGWOOD |
2.5
(17) |
8.6
(54) |
12.8
(80) |
14.10
(94) |
|||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Crimmins, Arthur, Hudson, Keddie,
Growcott, Meagher, Parkin
|
||||||||||||
|
Collingwood |
McKenna,
Farmer, Jenkin, McKenzie, Greening, Potter |
||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Hudson
7, Crimmins 3, Keddie 2,
Arthur, Chilton, Fisher, Parkin, Meagher, Angus,
Smith |
||||||||||||
|
Collingwood |
McKenna
6, Farmer 2, Richardson, Price, Tully, Hill, Greening, Britt |
||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
(none) |
||||||||||||
|
Collingwood |
Hill
replaced Tuddenham (second quarter) |
||||||||||||
|
Green
replaced Potter (three-quarter time) |
|||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Huggins |
||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
15,366 |
||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
SUN/Football
Record |
||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
- |
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match
6 - Tuesday, September 24 |
|||||||||||||
|
NORTH
MELBOURNE |
4.4
(28) |
7.6
(48) |
12.9
(81) |
18.11
(119) |
|||||||||
|
RICHMOND |
3.6
(24) |
6.13
(49) |
10.15
(75) |
12.17
(89) |
|||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
McCarthy,
Dugdale, Scholes, R.
Peterson, Redenbach, Benton, Hopgood,
Dell |
||||||||||||
|
Richmond |
Peardon, Moore, Strang,
Richardson, Jewell, Smythe |
||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
G.
Farrant 5, R. Peterson 4, Thompson 2, Scholes 2, Wood 2, Dugdale, Redenbach, Dell |
||||||||||||
|
Richmond |
Hart
3, Hunt 2, Clay 2, Dean, Moore, Patterson, Smythe,
Jewell |
||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
|||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
Howell
replaced Dwyer (second quarter) |
||||||||||||
|
Backhouse
replaced Steward (half-time) |
|||||||||||||
|
Richmond |
Peardon replaced Perry (selected side) |
||||||||||||
|
Bond
replaced Patterson (half-time) |
|||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Jolley |
||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
7,052 |
||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
SUN/Football
Record |
||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
- |
||||||||||||
1968 VFL NIGHT PREMIERSHIP - GRAND FINAL
|
HAWTHORN |
NORTH MELBOURNE |
|||||||
|
John Kennedy |
COACH |
Keith
McKenzie |
||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Parkin |
Bremner |
Beck |
BACKS |
Allison |
O’Brien |
Johnston |
||
|
Olsson |
Gay |
Growcott |
HALF-BACKS |
Benton |
Steward* |
Murphy |
||
|
Meagher |
Wilson |
Chilton |
CENTRES |
Kekovich |
Dugdale (C) |
Karanicolas |
||
|
Keddie |
Ferguson |
Chiron |
HALF-FORWARDS |
Wood |
McCarthy |
Redenbach |
||
|
Angus |
Hudson |
Fisher |
FORWARDS |
G.
Farrant |
Thompson |
Peterson |
||
|
Blood |
Arthur (C) |
FOLLOWERS |
Dell |
Hopgood |
||||
|
Crimmins |
ROVER |
Scholes |
||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Francis |
G. Smith |
RESERVES |
Howell |
Pagan* |
||||
|
Crowe, Appleby, Crane, Law |
EMERGENCIES |
Backhouse |
Montgomery* |
|||||
|
*Steward was replaced in the selected
North Melbourne side by Pagan (Montgomery was promoted from emergency to
reserve) |
||||||||
|
Match
7 - Wednesday, October 2 |
|||||||||||||
|
HAWTHORN |
1.4
(10) |
8.7
(55) |
11.11
(77) |
16.15
(111) |
|||||||||
|
NORTH
MELBOURNE |
2.4
(16) |
2.6
(18) |
3.7
(25) |
6.14
(50) |
|||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Hudson,
Meagher, Crimmins, Arthur, Wilson, Olsson, Chilton |
||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
Kekovich, Scholes,
Wood, Thompson, Redenbach, Allison |
||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Hudson
8, Arthur 2, Crimmins 2, Chilton, Parkin, Meagher, Keddie |
||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
Thompson
3, Scholes 2, Redenbach |
||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
- |
||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
Montgomery
replaced Dugdale (half-time) |
||||||||||||
|
Howell
replaced Johnston (last quarter) |
|||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Jolley |
||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
15,650 |
||||||||||||
|
PRIZEMONEY: |
Hawthorn
$2800, North Melbourne $1500 |
||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
SUN/Football
Record |
||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
Originally
scheduled for Sept.30 but postponed due to extreme wind conditions. |
||||||||||||
|
Written and researched by David Eastman
|
First published 15/2/2017
Last updated 17/11/2018 |
