1970 RADIANT NIGHT PREMIERSHIP
|
*Bulldogs win a thriller - Footscray fought back from a 16-point deficit at half-time of the Grand Final to lead by 11 at three-quarter time, courtesy of a burst of five goals to one in that term. However they nearly squandered their chance by kicking 2.6 in the final quarter, with the Demons holding the lead late only to fall two points short at the finish.
Interestingly, The Age match report states that Footscray's final goal that won them the flag was "clearly a point". The win broke a deadlock with South Melbourne for the most titles, giving Footscray four night premierships to South's three. The 1970 title was also Ted Whitten senior's third premiership as a coach, moving him into a tie with Alan Killigrew (St Kilda 1958, North Melbourne 1965/66) as the most successful coach in the night series. *Heartstoppers aplenty - the previous series had four of its seven matches decided by a goal or less. In 1970 there were three tight finishes, this time by margins of 2 points or less. *Hudson kicks another bag - Hawthorn's Peter Hudson continued his run of form in the night series, kicking 7 goals against Melbourne in the first semi-final. *Lights out? - throughout this era a number of night series matches were postponed due to torrential rains or an unplayable surface in their aftermath. But the Footscray-Fitzroy second semi-final of 1970 stands alone... postponed due to electricity workers threatening to go on strike. |
1970 Night Series Grand Final programme (private collection)
|
*Business before footy - in the era before billion-dollar TV rights deals players still had to combine footy with a full-time job. The Football Record [17-9-1970] reported that Fitzroy ruckman Russell Crow would miss all of their games in the 1970 night series due to shearing commitments in the outback.
*Leading Goalkicker of the Series - Footscray's Bernie Quinlan led all-scorers with 13 goals in his 3 matches.
*Magee captains the night premiers - Ted Whitten snr started the 1970 season as Footscray's captain-coach but retired from playing after Round 5 when he broke the VFL games record. Whitten remained as coach and veteran rover Stuart Magee took over the captaincy for the rest of the season, resulting in Magee leading the Bulldogs to the 1970 title while Whitten gave the orders from the sidelines.
|
ROUND 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DATE |
TEAMS |
1/4 |
1/2 |
3/4 |
FINAL |
MARGIN |
VENUE |
DAY/TIME |
CROWD |
|
Sep-03 |
Melbourne (10) |
2.2 (14) |
9.10 (64) |
12.12 (84) |
15.16 (106) |
13 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Thu (8:00pm) |
10,591 |
|
Richmond (6) |
8.2 (50) |
8.5 (53) |
11.6 (72) |
14.9 (93) |
|||||
|
Sep-08 |
Hawthorn (8) |
5.4 (34) |
7.9 (51) |
13.14 (92) |
16.25 (121) |
69 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Tue (8:00pm) |
6,656 |
|
Essendon (11) |
1.4 (10) |
4.6 (30) |
5.8 (38) |
7.10 (52) |
|||||
|
Sep-10 |
Footscray (7) |
1.3 (9) |
5.4 (34) |
7.7 (49) |
14.13 (97) |
54 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Thu (8:00pm) |
7,906 |
|
North Melbourne (12) |
3.1 (19) |
4.4 (28) |
5.7 (37) |
6.7 (43) |
|||||
|
Sep-15 |
Fitzroy (9) |
3.4 (22) |
7.11 (53) |
8.13 (61) |
11.19 (85) |
1 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Tue (8:00pm) |
6,035 |
|
Geelong (5) |
4.4 (28) |
6.5 (41) |
10.12 (72) |
12.12 (84) |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SEMI FINALS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DATE |
TEAMS |
1/4 |
1/2 |
3/4 |
FINAL |
MARGIN |
VENUE |
DAY/TIME |
CROWD |
|
Sep-17 |
Melbourne (10) |
2.4 (16) |
4.7 (31) |
8.9 (57) |
11.12 (78) |
1 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Thu (8:00pm) |
10,109 |
|
Hawthorn (8) |
1.2 (8) |
3.4 (22) |
7.7 (49) |
11.11 (77) |
|||||
|
Sep-22 |
Footscray v Fitzroy moved
to Sept.23 due to a proposed strike by electricity workers |
||||||||
|
Sep-23 |
Footscray (7) |
7.4 (46) |
10.7 (67) |
16.11 (107) |
19.17 (131) |
43 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Wed (8:00pm) |
7,553 |
|
Fitzroy (9) |
2.2 (14) |
6.12 (48) |
8.13 (61) |
12.16 (88) |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GRAND FINAL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DATE |
TEAMS |
1/4 |
1/2 |
3/4 |
FINAL |
MARGIN |
VENUE |
DAY/TIME |
CROWD |
|
Sep-28 |
Footscray (7) |
3.4 (22) |
6.4 (40) |
11.11 (77) |
13.17 (95) |
2 |
Lake Oval, South Melbourne |
Mon (8:00pm) |
23,882 |
|
Melbourne (10) |
2.4 (16) |
8.8 (56) |
9.12 (66) |
13.15 (93) |
|||||
MATCH REPORTS
Unless otherwise noted the information was sourced from The Football Record and The Age newspaper.
|
ROUND
1 |
||||||||||||||
|
Match
1 - Thursday, September 3 |
||||||||||||||
|
MELBOURNE |
2.2
(14) |
9.10
(64) |
12.12
(84) |
15.16
(106) |
||||||||||
|
RICHMOND |
8.2
(50) |
8.5
(53) |
11.6
(72) |
14.9
(93) |
||||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
Hardeman, Bourke, Davis, Keenan, Sullivan, Burgmann, Wells |
|||||||||||||
|
Richmond |
Bourke,
Sheedy, Bartlett, Hart, Boyanich,
Brown |
|||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
Wells
4, Burgmann 3, Keenan 2, Dillon 2, Payne, Bourke,
Townsend, Parke |
|||||||||||||
|
Richmond |
Clay
4, Hart 4, Brown 3, Bartlett, Bourke, Wilson |
|||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
McKenzie
replaced Alves
(period of game unknown) |
|||||||||||||
|
Richmond |
Wilson
replaced Miels (selected side) |
|||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Sheales |
|||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
10,591 |
|||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football
Record |
|||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
- |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match
2 - Tuesday, September 8 |
||||||||||||||
|
HAWTHORN |
5.4
(34) |
7.9
(51) |
13.14
(92) |
16.25
(121) |
||||||||||
|
ESSENDON |
1.4
(10) |
4.6
(30) |
5.8
(38) |
7.10
(52) |
||||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Crimmins, Wilson, Smith, Knights, Scott, Hawkin, Matthews |
|||||||||||||
|
Essendon |
Pirouet, Headlam,
Talbot, E. Lake, Starbuck |
|||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Crimmins 5, Keddie
2, Wilson 2, Heath, Porter, Bremner, Smith, Scott,
Hudson, Stevenson |
|||||||||||||
|
Essendon |
E.
Lake 2, Starbuck, Headlam, Blethyn,
Neish, Sproule |
|||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Angus
replaced Crimmins (last quarter) |
|||||||||||||
|
Ferguson
replaced Hawkin (last quarter) |
||||||||||||||
|
Essendon |
B.
Lake replaced Fields (last quarter) |
|||||||||||||
|
Thompson
replaced Heath (last quarter) |
||||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Hayes |
|||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
6,656 |
|||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football
Record |
|||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
- |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match
3 - Thursday, September 10 |
||||||||||||||
|
FOOTSCRAY |
1.3
(9) |
5.4
(34) |
7.7
(49) |
14.13
(97) |
||||||||||
|
NORTH
MELBOURNE |
3.1
(19) |
4.4
(28) |
5.7
(37) |
6.7
(43) |
||||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Quinlan,
Bartlett, Pagnoccolo, Round, Magee, Thorpe |
|||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
Steward,
Montgomery, Bryant, Seltham, Peterson, Joseph |
|||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Bartlett
4, Quinlan 4, Bisset 2, Spargo,
Round, Magee, Pagnoccolo |
|||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
Bryant
2, Wood, Pretty, Seltham, Joseph |
|||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
unknown |
|||||||||||||
|
North
Melbourne |
unknown |
|||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Artso |
|||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
7,906 |
|||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football
Record |
|||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
- |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match
4 - Tuesday, September 15 |
||||||||||||||
|
FITZROY |
3.4
(22) |
7.11
(53) |
8.13
(61) |
11.19
(85) |
||||||||||
|
GEELONG |
4.4
(28) |
6.5
(41) |
10.12
(72) |
12.12
(84) |
||||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Fitzroy |
Zunneberg, Irwin, Murphy, Lazarus, Wall |
|||||||||||||
|
Geelong |
Closter,
Hampshire, I. Nankervis, Scarlett, Stevens |
|||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Fitzroy |
Ruscuklic 3, Irwin 2, Dare, Andrews, Murphy,
Thompson, Shanahan, Merrigan |
|||||||||||||
|
Geelong |
I.
Nankervis 3, P. Smith 3, Stephenson 2, Newman 2, Wade, Strahan |
|||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Fitzroy |
unknown |
|||||||||||||
|
Geelong |
unknown |
|||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Marks |
|||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
6,035 |
|||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football
Record |
|||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
Fitzroy
won with a rushed behind in the final minute of play. |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SEMI-FINALS |
||||||||||||||
|
Match
5 - Thursday, September 17 |
||||||||||||||
|
MELBOURNE |
2.4
(16) |
4.7
(31) |
8.9
(57) |
11.12
(78) |
||||||||||
|
HAWTHORN |
1.2
(8) |
3.4
(22) |
7.7
(49) |
11.11
(77) |
||||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
Davis,
Wells, Bourke, Townsend, Campbell, Molloy |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Wilson,
Bremner, Knights, Hudson, Matthews, Angus |
|||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
Dillon
4, Burgmann 2, Keenan, Wells, Townsend, Alves, Parke |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Hudson
7, Matthews 2, Keddie, Porter |
|||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
(none) |
|||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn |
Chiron
replaced Heath (last quarter) |
|||||||||||||
|
Ferguson
replaced Stevenson (last quarter) |
||||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Deller |
|||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
10,109 |
|||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
AGE/Football
Record |
|||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
||||||||||||||
|
Hawthorn
were 15 points down at the 18 minute mark of the last quarter but levelled
the scores three minutes into time-on; |
||||||||||||||
|
Townsend
of Melbourne then scored a behind in the dying stages to win the match. |
||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Match
6 - Wednesday, September 23 |
||||||||||||||
|
FOOTSCRAY |
7.4
(46)* |
10.7
(67) |
16.11
(107) |
19.17
(131) |
||||||||||
|
FITZROY |
2.2
(14) |
6.12
(48) |
8.13
(61) |
12.16
(88) |
||||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Dempsey,
Quinlan, Round, D. McKenzie, Thorpe |
|||||||||||||
|
Fitzroy |
Murray,
Zunneberg, Ruscuklic |
|||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Quinlan
6, Dempsey 6, Round 5, Thorpe, D. McKenzie |
|||||||||||||
|
Fitzroy |
Ruscuklic 5, Irwin 3, Andrews, McKenzie,
Lazarus, Padley |
|||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
||||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
unknown |
|||||||||||||
|
Fitzroy |
unknown |
|||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Sutcliffe |
|||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
7,553 |
|||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
AGE/SUN/Football
Record |
|||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
Postponed
from Sept.22 due to the possibility of a strike by electricity workers. |
|||||||||||||
|
SCORE
DISCREPANCY: |
Footscray's 1/4 time score in The Football
Record = 7.4 (The Age has 7.3) |
|||||||||||||
1970 VFL NIGHT PREMIERSHIP - GRAND FINAL
|
FOOTSCRAY |
MELBOURNE |
|||||||
|
E.J. Whitten |
COACH |
John
Beckwith |
||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Casey |
McGhie |
Rippon |
BACKS |
Davis (C) |
Hodges |
M.
Walker |
||
|
McGowan |
Merrington |
Joslin |
HALF-BACKS |
Sullivan |
Hardeman |
Feldmann |
||
|
Power |
Magee (C) |
Thorpe |
CENTRES |
Alves |
Bourke |
Rollinson |
||
|
Sandilands |
Bartlett |
McKenzie |
HALF-FORWARDS |
Burgmann |
Parke |
McKenzie |
||
|
Round |
Quinlan |
Spargo* |
FORWARDS |
Payne |
Dillon |
Townsend |
||
|
Dempsey |
Greenwood |
FOLLOWERS |
Keenan |
Lakes |
||||
|
Bisset |
ROVER |
Wells |
||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Austin* |
Radziminski |
RESERVES |
Sinclair |
D.
Clark |
||||
|
Simmons* |
Pokrovsky |
Skreja |
EMERGENCIES |
Biffin |
Carr |
Weekes |
||
|
*Spargo was replaced in the selected Footscray side by
Austin (Simmons was promoted from emergency to reserve) |
||||||||
|
GRAND
FINAL |
|||||||||||||
|
Match
7 - Monday, September 28 |
|||||||||||||
|
FOOTSCRAY |
3.4
(22) |
6.4
(40) |
11.11
(77) |
13.17
(95) |
|||||||||
|
MELBOURNE |
2.4
(16) |
8.8
(56) |
9.12
(66) |
13.15
(93) |
|||||||||
|
BEST
PLAYERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Dempsey,
Quinlan, Bisset, Thorpe, Power, Greenwood |
||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
Townsend,
Davis, Lakes, Wells, Alves, Burgmann |
||||||||||||
|
GOALKICKERS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Quinlan
3, Bisset 2, Magee 2, Dempsey 2, Thorpe, Bartlett, Radziminski, McKenzie |
||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
Burgmann 4, Parke
3, Bourke 2, McKenzie 2, Wells, Payne |
||||||||||||
|
REPLACEMENTS: |
|||||||||||||
|
Footscray |
Simmons
replaced Rippons (third quarter) |
||||||||||||
|
Radziminski replaced McKenzie (last quarter) |
|||||||||||||
|
Melbourne |
Clark
replaced Keenan (last quarter) |
||||||||||||
|
UMPIRE: |
Crouch |
||||||||||||
|
CROWD: |
23,882 |
||||||||||||
|
SOURCE: |
AGE/Football
Record |
||||||||||||
|
NOTES: |
Footscray’s last goal – kicked by Radziminski at the 25 minute mark – was “clearly a point”
according to The Age match report. |
||||||||||||
|
Written and researched by David Eastman
|
First published 15/2/2017
Last updated 17/11/2018 |
