1969 – Round 4: The day Collingwood and John Greening smashed Carlton

 

 

 

BLUES HUMILIATED AS MAGPIES ROAR HOME

 

Round 4 26 April 1969

Carlton v Collingwood

 

After three rounds of the 1969 season, Collingwood had just won their first game against lowly Melbourne after going down in the opener to the Hawks and then falling short of the Tigers in the last quarter at Victoria Park. It was an inauspicious start after a disappointing 1968 where the Pies missed the finals for the first time in five years under coach Bob Rose.

 

In contrast, the Blues were sitting on top of the ladder undefeated and were the reigning premiers after their three-point triumph over Essendon in the 1968 Grand Final.

 

The two arch enemies were drawn to play at Princes Park on the day after Anzac Day. The ground had not been a happy hunting ground for Collingwood in the previous three seasons.

 

Collingwood made three changes from the team that downed Melbourne the week before.

 

Out went young half back John Bell and rover Danny Hibbert who were both injured, whilst second string ruckman Vaughan Ellis was dropped to 20th man.

 

Collingwood forward Ian Graham who had only had one game of football in two years was rushed back into the team in what was seen as a calculated risk. He had not played senior football since the 1966 Grand Final in a year when he was Collingwood’s leading goalkicker with 58 goals. He missed 1967 because he was overseas working and then missed 1968 due to a ruptured achilles tendon for which he needed two operations. In his first game back in the Reserves against Melbourne the week before he kicked 11 goals.

 

Another important inclusion for this game was Graeme “Jerker” Jenkin who had recovered from a knee injury from Round 1.

 

The third inclusion was first gamer, young wingman Jeff Pitts. What a game to make your debut in!

 

The Collingwood team was

 

B. Brian McKenzie Shane Whelan Terry Waters
HB Lee Adamson Ted Potter John Greening
C Ricky Watt Barry Price Colin Tully
HF Des Tuddenham Ian Graham Con Britt
F Graeme Jenkin Peter McKenna Jeff Pitts

R Len Thompson Ross Dunne
R Wayne Richardson

 

19th Max Urqhuart 20th Vaughan Ellis

Carlton were raging favourites but the Magpies were not without some support.

 

The biggest query was on the Magpie backline which was seen as not being able to hold the Carlton forward line which boasted names such as Jeasaulenko, Robertson, Quirk, Ricky McLean and Ian Nicol. It was also thought the Blues backline of Collins, Walls, Hall, McKay and Kerr could hold the Pies. Carlton had only 2 weeks earlier kicked a then record score of 30 30 210 against Hawthorn.

 

Thompson was seen as the key to the Magpie hopes after he had hit some in the game against Melbourne the week before. But he was up against Big Nick.

 

It was a fast opening as Carlton won the toss and kick to the Heatley Stand end. It ended up with the forward lines dominating and Carlton went to a lead of 41 to 33.

 

The second quarter was much the same with the Blues taking a five-point lead in at the main change. Neither team had been able to get a break and the pressure was intense. The Pies were playing well and Len Thompson was holding his own in the ruck. It was thought that while he did that the Pies were an outside chance.

 

The Pies were a chance all right.

 

The first half had been tough, fast and uncompromising. But in one of the most scintillating quarters the Pies have ever played away from home they completely dominated a bamboozled Carlton kicking an amazing 12 5 77 to 0 2 2 in a quarter that those present (including an 11-year-old me!) still remember fondly and talk about to this day!

 

When the teams came out for the second half there was nothing to indicate that Carlton were well and truly about to have their faces and their reputation rubbed into the Princes Park turf.

 

Collingwood took control of the game and  Carlton could hardly touch it.

 

One minute Carlton was five points ahead. Only nine minutes later it was four goals behind. And the much-lauded Blues defence was in tatters as it disintegrated under the Collingwood onslaught.

 

Here is how Collingwood scooted ahead:- one goal in one minute, four goals in nine minutes, eight goals in 17 minutes, 10 goals in 20 minutes and 12.5 for the quarter.

 

Captain Des Tuddenham, ruck rover John Greening (who mischievously had been selected on the half back flank) and rover and DVC Wayne Richardson, led the third quarter charge with three goals each for the quarter. Richardson’s three goals were scored in the space of three minutes. He had been quiet before that but Tuddenham and Greening were already starring in the first half and they continued on with the business in the classic third quarter.

 

At half time Bob Rose switched Ian Graham to full forward and Peter McKenna to centre half forward which resulted in the attack looking livelier.

 

But it was the centre bounce clearances where Collingwood took a stranglehold on the quarter and the game. They generated drive which led to the Blues being brushed aside as if they were the Little League Blues. Jerker Jenkin took the knock outs and Colin Tully was instrumental in getting a lot of the centre clearances.

 

Collingwood president Tom Sherrin told the players afterwards, “I have never been prouder of a Collingwood side. I have never seen the Magpies play better.”

 

Collingwood ran out the game as 64-point winners 23 15 153 to 13 11 89. Ron Barassi said the Blues were not as good as they thought they were.

 

The last quarter saw the frustration in the Blues emerge and it looked likely to become a last man standing affair. Len Thompson and Ted Potter were reported along with Carlton’s Ricky McLean and Peter Jones. The charges were laid by five umpires Thompson was reported for hitting Vin Waite, and Ted Potter for hitting Nicholls resulting in six stitches to his eye.

 

The charges were thrown out after the umpires failed to lodge the report sheets in time in what proved a major embarrassment to the VFL.

 

After the game Bob Rose was satisfied that the mid-week planning for the game had all fallen into place nicely. He said, “We had Carlton tabbed after a big meeting on Thursday night. No matter what and how many switches Carlton made, we were prepared for them and could come up with an answer. All our players knew exactly what to do and what was required.”

 

Bobby described the win as the best in his time as coach and he likened it to the effort of the Magpies defeating Geelong in the 1953 Grand Final some 16 years earlier.

 

Collingwood had a number of stars out of the game. John Greening was the big star for Collingwood getting kicks at will and ending up with 7 goals as ruck rover. He was unanimously best on ground. Thompson, Britt, Tuddenham, Jenkin and Tully were great for the Pies.

 

 

Carlton v Collingwood

6 5 41 5 3 33
10 7 67 9 8 62
10 9 69 21 13 139

13 11 89 23 15 153

Best: Greening (best on ground) Waters, Jenkin, Tully, Adamson, Tuddenham, Thompson, Britt.

 

Goals: Greening 7, Tuddenham 3, Waters 3, Wayne Richardson 3, Graham 3, McKenna 2, Britt Jenkin.

 

 

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