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A FOOTBALL RIOT

SCENES IN MELBOURNE CROWD STONES PLAYERS Football- is becoming notorious for its excrescences of brutality and ruffianism, says a Melbourne paper of August 11. Again on Saturday, this lime at North Melbourne, there were outbursts of temper and personal animus which generated into a partial riot, in which players were a butt for ridicule and the victims of considerable violence. The contesting teams were North Melbourne and North•coto. With clubs fightinn for the premiership, and with the risk of displacement, one by the other, feeling very often becomes strained, but in this ease the positions of both clubs/ in the "final fours" were assured. The motive for the outbursts cannot be found there. Considering that roughness characterised the game almost from ths opening, the view is fairly conclusive that the feeling came into the match owing to "relationships" formed on'a prior occasion. Tho match in nn athletic seuse would have been humiliating to juniors, let alone to loams that have earned pbioes so high on the list. Throughout it was a contest of individuals, and not very skilful nt that. It was tainted with spite, illtemper, and cowardly iiid deliberato charging. The umpire, Portcous, seemed tq, have no control over the flayers. Feeling was developed along lipesi that threatened, the whole conduct of tho match.

The Trouble Begins. A meleO was expected, and it came. Just after the opening of the last quarter a contest for the ball took placo in the centre of the ground between Donnelly, of North Melbourne, and Gittens, of Norttcote. Gittens secured . possession and forwarded, bui in the meantime some altercation, seyned to havo arisen between the lwp players. Fists were clenched, and Donnelly, with a swinging blow to the jaw, felled Gittens, who lay in a crouching position on the ground. Two Northcote players rushed aip, and they were promptly attacked by Donnelly. Spectators rushed,the"ground, and the two constables and one trooper present had no ohance of coping with the situation. It waS difficult to discover what was taking place in the centre of tho ground, but Donnelly was seen to fall, having apparently been struck in tho face. By this time there were several hundred barrackers on. tho playing arena, and tho outlook became very threatening. One man ran towards Hardy, of North Melbourne, but the would-be assailant was knocked down by a North Melbourna man and held, on the ground until his temper had cooled. A Northcoto player was brutally attacked I>y 6ome of the North Melbourne supporters, and he, too, was felled to the ground. The game was at- a standstill for about ten minutes. and it looked as if it would be impossible to resume. The ball was bounced, however, and the crowd quicklv dispersed as the game recommenced. North Melbourne ran out winners by a sub: etantial majority. "Roughs" Use Road Metal. But what occurred oa the_ field was. comparatively triflint;, viewed in the light, of tno aftermath. Two or three hundred hoodlums congregated .around the exit gate, waiting for the Northcote players to-appear. A large heap of road motal close hy provided ammunition. Directly one cab with several passengers hove in sight it was subjected to a volley cf stones. Not content with this the ruffians rushed the vohicle. assaulted tho passenfnrs , and smashed the windows. 'ho drag in which tho visiting players proposed to leave the ground hod to go without any passengers. It took a circuitous route, but was followed for a long wliilf by hundreds of howling hooligans until they realised that it had no. occupants. Meanwhile the Northcote men had been Retting out quietly'one' at a time.' When two Northcote players were. walking along tho street in tho'direction of .the tram lino thev were attended by a ,policeman and a mounted constable, and wero followed at- a distance of several yards by the crowd which had returned home from its chase of the drag. Mlantyne, one of the players, suddenly dropped insensible to the ground. . He had been struck on the head with a stone thrown from behind him. He was carried to tho tram in a dazed condition. Critic Knocked Insensible., Not content with this outrngo the mob rushed the tram, and endeavoured to drast some of the players off, but were unsuccessful. Afterwards they tried to ' raid a, houso in which it was said one of fho players had. taken refuge. Melees in th 3 streets wero momentarily occurring,. and one mail, far expressing his candid opinion as to the happenings of tho day. was brutally assaulted and knocked insensible. A Northcoto player on his way home expressed tho following opinion:—"You do not want to take any notico' of tho result of to-daj-'s match. Thank God, we did no! win. We would never have got home tilive.'v -Tho association should without delay inauire into tho wliolo of tho circum-. stances, which com« within their jurisdiction. and the police should endeavour to trace the offenders in the street sceijes. Exemplary punishment should follow.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19190905.2.20

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 12, 5 September 1919, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
833

A FOOTBALL RIOT Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 12, 5 September 1919, Page 5

A FOOTBALL RIOT Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 12, 5 September 1919, Page 5

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