INTER-LEAGUE footy’s on the agenda again so let’s look back at the genesis of the competition, way back to the mid-Fifties.

Ballarat hosted what was billed as the first Victorian country football championship in mid-June 1954.
Bendigo was matched up against the powerful Ovens and Murray league after both leagues had won their semi-finals: the Blue and Gold over Ballarat and O and M over Goulburn Valley.
Looking back over the official programme for the day the VCFL officials and councilors were given almost as much space as the players who were involved in the contest out on the Eastern Oval.
Ted Haines, the BFL secretary and secretary of the Bendigo district of the VCFL, was described as “a busy man in all sport and a real firebrand.”
As well as his footy duties Mr. Haines was also an organizer of the annual Bendigo Easter carnival and a Victorian Athletics League stipendiary steward.
Included in the pen pictures of country administrators was Horrie Clover, who hailed from the Maryborough district.
“The Carlton ex-champion, who many claim to be the greatest centre half-forward of all time, is now one of the game’s finest administrators.
“Probably because he started his football in the country Horrie takes a keen interest in the doings of all country leagues.”
Mr. Clover was not only vice-president of the VCFL but also chairman of selectors of the VFL team. This was in the days when representative team players turned out in the Big V against SA, WA and Tasmania.
Mayor of Albury was Cleaver Bunton who was also secretary of the O and M
and brother of Fitzroy legend and three-time Brownlow Medallist Haydn Bunton.
Haydn Bunton won the Brownlow in 1931, 1932 and 1935 and additionally the WAFL’s Sandover Medal in 1938, 1939 and 1941 while playing for Subiaco.

SO MUCH for the administrators, what about the players.
Well, Bendigo captain Alan McDonald is described as “equally at home in the centre or in the half-forward or full-forward lines.
“Has been captain and coach of South Bendigo in the BFL for the past six years after a career at Richmond and Camberwell in the VFA.”
Basil Ashman, 22, is listed as a young Eaglehawk player who excelled at centre half-back in recent years.
“Now takes a turn in the ruck where he is equally as effective. Outstanding high mark.”
Castlemaine’s Heinz Tonn and Les Murray also got nice reviews. Murray, who hailed from Maldon as a forward, was noted as “a particularly fine mark, good on the ground and a player who uses the drop punt when shooting for goal.”
Tonn was described as standing 6 ft. 1 in. (185 cm) and weighing 14 stone, or 196 lbs (90 kg). He’d won two BFL best and fairest medals just before the Michelsen medal was introduced in 1952.
Echuca’s Eddie Jackson, a former wingman with VFL club Melbourne, did go on that season to win the 1954 Michelsen medal with 25 votes.
Jackson was to team with other BFL small men in Frank Lenaghan (South Bendigo) and Noel Evans (Sandhurst). Lenaghan was noted as possessing one of the finest drop kicks in the BFL and was a rover/forward while Evans was an outstanding rover, wingman or half-forward.
George Ilsley who’d come to Eaglehawk from Koondrook was listed as “the natural centre half-forward. A talented mark, tricky ground player and fine kick,” the ‘54 programme stated.
Ilsley had made Carlton’s list earlier in 1954 and played 2 games (one goal) for the Blues, before returning to Eaglehawk for the remainder of the BFL season.
Ruckman or defender Bill Nolan was Kyneton coach, with the Tigers having secured the 30-year-old from Collingwood. Nolan had also played in the Ballarat F.L. with the Daylesford club.

ENOUGH of the pen pics. Let’s look back at the Ballarat-Bendigo semi.
Well Bendigo had the game all wrapped up by half-time, holding a massive 10-goal lead.
Ballarat came back in the second half but Alan McDonald’s men had the game well wrapped up and possibly just played out time.
The Bendigo Advertiser footy writer of the time, listed as a Staff Reporter, noted that Bendigo had displayed unbelieveable co-ordination for a team which had only trained together for a couple of hours before the Ballarat game.
“Vigorous play-on tactics, clever handling of the ball and the subtle moulding of the 18 players into a well-oiled football machine left Ballarat with no counter — except hope.
“Only once, at the beginning of the third quarter when they were down by 39 points, did Ballarat test Bendigo but then only for a few moments.
“Three quick goals were slammed through Bendigo’s otherwise impenetrable defence but only served to jolt Bendigo into a faster tempo.”
Bendigo led by 13 points at quarter time and then three Bendigo stars took over. Eddie Jackson on the wing, Norm McDonald in the back pocket and centre half-back Ken Carter were outstanding.
Heinz Tonn ruled the rucks with George Ilsley, Don Blackmore and Kyneton’s Brian Gilmore effective in attack.
Eight second quarter goals to one effectively wrapped up the semi-final for Bendigo. Blackmore landed three of his four goals in this term, Ilsley and Murray snared two each while Jackson bobbed up with another.
Ballarat’s only real resistance came in the third quarter. O’Beirne got his fourth and last during Ballarat’s brief rally and the scribe suggested that Ballarat’s stamina might have been sapped by their Saturday morning game against Mornington, but they had brought in eight fresh players.
“Only one slight fault was apparent in Bendigo’s play. That was the forward pockets who seemed to wander from their positions too much and so necessitated a direct attack on goal when sometimes this was the most difficult.”
Bendigo 4.4 12.10 13.14 13.18 (96)
Ballarat 2.3 3.3 8.5 10.6 (66)
Goals -– Bendigo: Blackmore 4, Ilsley 3, Murray 2, Gilmore, Jackson, Watson, Ashman. Ballarat: O’Beirne 4, Donaldson, Cuthbertson, Meredith, Cooke, Farrell, Murphy.
Best – Bendigo: Jackson, Norm McDonald, Murray, Clarke, Tonn, Carter. Ballarat: Lyons, Nichols, Dalziel, Murphy, Rawle, O’Beirne.

AND in the style of the time the Addy ran a number of snippets from the semi-final day.
Basil Ashman, with the ball in his possession, dashed through a pack. He wasn’t stopped before delivering the ball upfield, but a Ballarat opponent tore one sleeve off Ashman’s guernsey in his attempt to stop Basil.
“The Ballarat player threw down the sleeve in disgust whereupon a small boy, a spectator, sensed his chance. He swooped on the souvenir and had almost made it back behind the boundary line before BFL head trainer ‘Gibba’ Gerdsen intervened.
‘Gibba’ did a sprint along the boundary line and made a good save. Basil saw the game out, minus a sleeve, the sports writer said.
And just before the game ended, BFL half-forward flanker Graham Arthur flopped to the turf holding his face.
He was escorted off the field by first aid men and trainers. In the changing room a doctor treated Arthur for an injured top lip.
His teeth had punctured the lip in two places.
And press boxes and their suitability got a mention, remembering this is more than 60 years ago.
“The press boxes at Ballarat’s City and Eastern Ovals are antiquated,” the Addy reported.
Melbourne sports pressmen who covered the game suggested the administrators of the code should make a visit to the QEO in Bendigo.’
They also said the Ballarat officials should copy the QEO design. “Bendigo pressmen were glad their colleagues from Melbourne did not mention some of the press boxes at other grounds where BFL football is played,” he wrote.
No reporter in the box could understand why VFL power club of the Fifties, Geelong, had not considered Ballarat F.L. wingman Bill Dalziel.
“Matched against Bendigo’s John Hosking Dalziel turned in a super performance, handling the ball perfectly and possessing much more than average speed,” the Addy man wrote.
The Geelong West wingman (Geelong West played in the Ballarat league all those decades ago) should surely find a place at Kardinia Park, he opined.

THE semi-finals had produced “some good and some mediocre football with the disappointing performances of some of the visitors put down to heavy turf and cooler conditions,” the writer in the Ballarat Guide noted.
Ovens and Murray downed Goulburn Valley due to a “better-manned ruck and a formidable defence. John Ziebath was outstanding in the following division while Ian McDonald and Calder both shone in defence,” the Guide reported.
The Guide’s writer had picked Bendigo to win the country title stating the Blue and Gold defence led by captain McDonald, Ollie Grieve and Echuca’s Jim Clark --- one of the champion half-backs in the VFL during his 10 years service with Carlton --- had a touch of brilliance about it.
Eight players had shared O and M’s nine-goals between them in the semi-final and with no reliable spearhead the Gold and Blacks seemed to lack a potent forward line.
“Aked, who played full-forward against Goulburn Valley, gave no indication in last Saturday’s game that he could prove a match-winner against the mobile, high-marking Bendigo defence,” the preview stated.

With thanks to country footy historian Paul Daffey who sourced the 1954 Football Guide and printed it out while compiling material for his history of the Victorian Country Football League.
Match previews and report from the Bendigo Advertisers of 12th and 14th June 1954 accessed at the Goldfields Library’s historical archives section, Hargreaves Street, Bendigo.

Richard’s tips for Round 5:
Eaglehawk by 31 points (vs. Gisborne),
Kangaroo Flat by 7 (vs. Kyneton),
Sandhurst by 49 (vs. Castlemaine),
Strath Storm by 88 (vs. Maryborough) and
Golden Square by 35 (vs. South Bendigo, night).
2016 total for 2016: 17

By Richard Jones