A FOOTBALL RIOT.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 August 1919, Page 3

A FOOTBALL RIOT.

SCENES IN MELBOURNE. CROVVD "STONES PLAYERS. A. BRUTAL EXHIBITION_ Football is becoming notorious for lits. excrescenses of brutality and rut‘flanism, says a Melbourne paper of 'AuguSt 11. Again on Saturday, this time at North Melbourne, there were outbursts of temper and personal animus which generated into a partial T riot, in which Dlayers were a butt for ridicule and the victims of considerable violence. The contesting teams were North Melbourne and Northcote. With clubs fighting for the premiership, and with the risk of displacement, one by the other, feeling very often becomes strained, but in this case the positions of both clubs in the l“final fours” were assured_ The mo. ltive for the outbursts cannot be found lthere. Considering that roughness characterised the game almosf; from the opening, the View is fairly conclusive that the feeling came into the match owing to “rclationship’,’ formed or. a prior occasion. The mtach in an athletic sense would have been hunlili:lting' to juniors, let alone to teams that -have earned places so high on the list. Throughout it was a contest of individuals, and not very skilful at that. It was tainted with spite, ill-~ tomper, and cowardly and dellbclup. charging. The umpire, Porteous,, seemed to have no control over the} players. Feeling was developed along} lines that threatend the whole conduct» } of the match. l THE TROUBLE BEGINS, } A melee was expected, and it camel Jllst after the opening of the last, quarter a. contest. ‘for the ball took‘ place in the centre of the ground be-, tween Donnelly, of North Melbourne‘; and Gittens, of Northcote. Gittens secured possession and forwarded, but in the meantime some altercation seemed to have arisen between the two 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 Northcotc players rushed up, and they were promptly attacked by Donnelly. Spectators rushed the ground,, and the two constables and one trooper present had no chance of coping with the situation. It was dithcult to discover what. was taking place in the centre of the ground, but Donnelly was seen to fall, having apparently been struck in the face. By this time there were several hundred barrackers on the playing arena, and the outlook became very.t.hreatening. One man ran towards Hardy, of North Melbourne, but the would—be assailant was knocked down by a North Melbourne man and held on the ground until his temper had cooled. A Northcote player was brutally attacked by some of the North Melbourne supporters, and he, too, was felled to the ground The game was at a standstill for about 10 minutes, and it lookml as if it would be impossible to re--sume. The ball was bounced, however, and the crowd quickly disperser} as the game I'ecomulenCed. North I\i‘elbourm- ran out winners by a sub.~'i'::lltial majority. “ROUGHS” USE ROAD METAL. But ‘\\'ll{lt occurred on the field was iemparatively trifling, viewed in the light of the aftermath. Two or tliree hundred hoodlums congregated around the exit gate, waiting for the North(‘Hie players to appear. .»\. large heap of road metal close by provided ummunition. Directly one cab with several pas:=rngerg hove in >;lgl1t it was -n‘:_»jected to a volley of stones. Not content with this. the rufiians rushed the vehiele, ass-uultecl the passengers slid smashed the windows. The dr.'—lg in which the visitiiig player's proposed to leave the ground had to go wi‘hout any I)£lS>'«‘ll§’,'('l'S. It took a circuitous mute, but was followed for a long while by hundreds of howling hooligaiis until they realised that it had no occupants. Meanwhilsa the No.-.-thcote men had been gettillg out quietly one at a time_ When two Northcote players were walking along the street in the direction of the tram line they were attuned by it polcemau and a _n:o1111ted constable. and were f?oll.owed at 3 (113-mice of several y':lI‘(ls by the crowd which had returned from its futile chase of the drag. Ball-mtyne, one of the Dl‘=‘tYol‘S, suddenly dropped il,.~:ellSibl(‘ to the ground. He had been struck on the head with a stone thrown from behind. lie was cu'=:ie<.l to the tram in :1 dazed condition. CRITIC? KNOCKED INSENSIBLE. Not content with this outrage the mob rushed the tram and endeavoured to drag some of the players off, but were unsuccessful. Atterwards they tried to raid a house in which it was said one of the players had taken refuge. Melees in the streets were momentarily occurring, and one man, for‘ expressing his candid opinion as to the }~.a.ppenillgs of the day, was brutally assaulted and knocked insensible. A Northoote player on his way home Oxprcssed the following opinion:— “You do not want to take any notice

of“tlm ‘snsult of to-day’s m9.{'Ch. Th:u1I: God, we did not win. ‘We would never have got home alive.’-’ The association should without delay inquire into the whole circumstances, which come within their jul‘isdiction, and the police should endeavour t.- trace the oifcnders in the street sceneS_ Exemplary punishment should follow.