The Archive | Castlemaine didn’t rejoin the Bendigo Football League until 1949 but unlike many of their major league counterparts the Pies had played footy while World War 2 was raging.

At least they contested the 1940, 1941, 1944 and 1945 seasons as Castlemaine United clad in red and blue jumpers and playing in the Castlemaine and District F.L.
With the war dragging thousands of men away as members of the armed forces Castlemaine was fortunate: the woollen mill and Thompson’s Foundry were protected industries.
So Maine United was able to draw on a larger pool of male talent than many much smaller towns.
Trentham and Malmsbury found it hard to field competitive sides.
Chewton, Woodend and Kyneton CYMS struggled on through the 1940 season, but after Castlemaine United had trounced Malmsbury 32.28 (220) to 0.2 (2) on June 1st the writing was on the wall.
Trentham withdrew from the league in June, forcing the league to issue a revised draw.
Maine went into the finals with just one loss during the season. The Demons as they were known then because of their blue and red colours beat Chewton in the second semi-final.
Kyneton downed minor premiers Chewton in the final and were primed for a crack at the Maine in the 1940 grand final.
Three hundred Kyneton supporters packed onto the inter-town train and when their side booted 8.5 to 1.0 in the first quarter it looked over for Castlemaine United.
At the last change Kyneton led 14.10 to 6.5 and just hung on as the Maine added 6.5 in the last quarter.
It was too little too late. Kyneton won 14.11 to 12.10.

AFTER the ignominy of losing just two matches in 1940 Castlemaine United was intent on going one better in 1941.
The war continued to drag men away and Malmsbury folded. Harcourt followed suit not long after leaving the Castlemaine District F.L. with six clubs: Chewton, Maldon, Campbell’s Creek, C’maine United, Woodend and Kyneton CYMS.
It was a season packed with incidents, 1941. Mid-year and in the away game against the Chewton Tigers Castlemaine‘s Charlie Hoppner had his jaw fractured.
That happened in the third quarter. By mid-last quarter with tensions bubbling spectators climbed over the fence and spilled onto the oval.
Former Magpie Bill Pardon was the central umpire and fortunately he was able to restore order.
Chewton ended up winning. The district was stunned when news filtered through that former Castlemaine and Melbourne great Ron Barassi snr. had been killed in north Africa, the first VFL player to die in WW2.
Eighteen hundred people filed into the Camp Reserve to watch the ’41 grand final between the Maine and Kyneton CYMS and near the end of the final term Kyneton crept within three points.
Richmond Hall of Famer and coach ‘Joe’ Murdoch pulled in two relieving defensive marks and the Maine had won – 9.20 (74) to 11.5 (71).
Ray Alexander was named best afield and in a rare moment in footy supporters of both clubs cheered central umpy Jack McMurray off the ground.

THAT was to be it for footy in the Castlemaine district for two seasons. General Macarthur hadn’t yet arrived in the Pacific, Singapore had fallen and after Pearl Harbour Japan was pressing in New Guinea with Aussie ports Darwin and Broome both bombed by the Nippon air force in early 1942.
By May 1944, however, Castlemaine United had been re-formed but the season didn’t get started until the first Saturday in June.
Even when wartime hadn’t intervened late starts to the season were common in the 1920s, 30s and 40s – and even into the 1950s.
By grand final time non-playing coach Joe Murdoch was well back in the action following an injury lay-off and the side capped off a 12 win-2 loss season with victory over Campbell’s Creek.
Semi-finalists in 1945 was the best the Maine could do in the following season but premierships were to follow in 1946-47.
It was a notable year was ’47 as the Maine Demons went through undefeated on 20 wins-0 losses downing Daylesford in both the major semi-final and the grand final.
There was much discussion during the 1947-48 off-season about the poor standard of footy in the CDFL.
And when Castlemaine thrashed Newstead 16.25 (121) to 0.1 (1) in Rd. 3 1948, those conversations heated up.
The Demons went on a long winning streak before it became obvious after a spiteful game at Woodend that the Maine should ditch the CDFL and get back into the BFL.
A few Castlemaine players were felled in questionable circumstances with coach Alexander instructing his players to avoid contests.
Woodend won the game, the Maine lost the second semi to the Chewton Tigers after Chewton slammed through seven majors in the second term and then had to account for Campbell‘s Creek in the final.
The re-match with Chewton in the ’48 grand final was keenly awaited but after leading by just 12 points at the last change the Tigers cleared out to win by 39 points.
Even Stan Brain’s great clearing kicks from defence were to no avail.

SO AFTER eight seasons in the CDFL the powers at Castlemaine decided to re-enter the much more powerful and more highly regarded Bendigo Football League.
The Demons as the Maine were then had played eight years in the CDFL. They were never out of the finals but from seven grand finals they had just four premierships to show for it all.
Still, they’d been able to cope with the disruptions caused by wartime --- more so than surrounding clubs in the region --- and they’d blooded a talented group of young players.
The 1948 season wind-up was held at the Faulder Watson Hall on Thursday, October 21st 1948 and then all eyes were focussed on re-joining the BFL.
A traditional black and white guernsey was re-instated: black with a white collar and a white CFC logo.
Because VFL club Carlton protected its time-honoured ‘CFC’ logo, Jack Jefferies’ sister Dorothy designed a distinctive Castlemaine version.
She was a teacher at the Castlemaine Technical School.
Three Chewton players in Neil Delmenico, Max Gale and Jack Scoles joined the playing ranks with Heinz Tonn the on-field captain-coach.
With Echuca also re-joining the BFL, it was back to an eight-club competition.
The Magpies had a reasonably successful season, winning nine matches and going down in 12.
In retrospect 1949 could be viewed as a building year which culminated in the Maine’s 1952 BFL flag.

FIRST up for the Maine on their re-entry to Bendigo league ranks was a clash with pre-war archrivals Sandhurst, the reigning BFL premiers.
Ruckmen Jefferies and Tonn were in great form but the Maroons were too good. Two wins followed though with an away victory over Kyneton and then success by 24 points over a fancied Eaglehawk side.
Patrons turned up in droves for the clash with the Two Blues with a £117 gate to show for it. Then poor kicking against South Bendigo when 10.20 was registered cost them a hat-trick even though Alan Perry at full-back and Ray Alexander in the centre were outstanding.
As the ’49 season rolled on the Magpies led Rochester by two points with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Rochy coach Harry Hickey sent through a six-pointer right on the final bell to deny the Maine. And then in mid-season during a BFL general bye Jefferies and Tonn represented the BFL in the famous blue and gold jumpers against Hawthorn.
Wins over Golden Square and Kyneton handed Castlemaine a two-game buffer over fourth-placed Kyneton. The Magpies should have handed the Tigers a huge thrashing but 1.9 to 0.2 in the last term held the final margin to a respectable total.
The gate for the Kyneton game was an impressive £164.
But then followed a shaky mid-winter month. Sandhurst handed out a belting to the Maine and when they lost to Kyneton the Magpies tumbled out of the Top Four.
Fortunately with Ray Alexander, Tonn and Jack Scoles in great touch Castlemaine downed Eaglehawk at Canterbury Park.
All that was followed by an up-and-down few weeks. Three losses from four outings saw Castlemaine drop down the table but they weren’t completely out of finals calculations.
Sixth-placed Maine were behind Rochy and Echuca on percentage alone.
They weren’t able to claw back any ground as the season petered out but at least Tonn was re-appointed coach for the 1950 season and the club seemed to be heading for major success.

By Richard Jones