Almanac Footy: Fitzroy Football Club’s nine biggest bags in the modern era

 


Image: Wikimedia Commons

 

There have now been multiple books and articles published exploring Fitzroy Football Club’s proud history and ultimate demise. I strongly prefer those publications which highlight the Roys successes and achievements, particularly their greatest games, players and goal kickers.

In this short article, I present their nine biggest bags of the modern era (i.e. 11 or 10 or 9 goals in a single game) from 1970-96. The five players profiled are Bernie Quinlan, Richard Osborne, Michael Conlan, Bob Beecroft and John Frazer. Each of their overall playing statistics are detailed in the Table below. I chose not to extend this analysis to eight goal performances as there were far too many to include, ranging from the high flying Alex Ruscuklic in Round 10 (1970) versus South Melbourne, to the unforgettable Darren ‘Doc’ Wheildon in Round 20 (1993) against the Sydney Swans.

 

Eleven Goals

 

Round 21: 25 August 1984

Fitzroy                 8.3, 15.5, 21.7,  26.9 (165)
North Melbourne   4.6, 5.10, 9.16, 15.21 (111)

Big Bag: Bernie Quinlan 11 goals

Total Match statistics: 12 kicks, 3 handballs, 6 marks, two hit outs.

Bernie Quinlan dominated this game with 11 goals from 12 kicks at the MCG. He dobbed four in the opening quarter, one in the second, and three in each of the third and final quarters. This was the highest number of goals by a Fitzroy player in a game since Jack Moriarty kicked 12 in 1928, and took him to 97 goals for the season.[1] Journalist Ken Piesse called him “a legend of Australian football”, adding that ‘several of his goals were from snap shots with both feet, the mark of the complete footballer. [2]

 

Round 18: 5 August 1989

 

 

Fitzroy        2.1, 6.5, 16.7, 23.13 (151)
Melbourne  3.8, 10.8, 13.11, 15.13 (103)

Big Bag: Richard Osborne 11 goals.

Total Match Statistics: 14 kicks, one handball, 9 marks.

‘Tricky Dicky’ Osborne dobbed a remarkable 11 goals (including six in the 3rd quarter alone) beating four opponents in a career best performance at Fitzroy. Two of those six 3rd quarter goals were from contested marks, two from chest marks on the lead, one was a superb goal on the run from the left forward pocket, and one was an open goal. That made it 19 in his two games against Melbourne that season. According to Steve Waldon, “The blond spearhead showed few signs of a troublesome ankle injury as he led to open spaces and kicked accurately from many angles and distances”. [3]

 

 Ten Goals

 

Round Four: 22 April 1978

Fitzroy                2.5, 6.9, 11.10, 21.17 (143)
South Melbourne 6.3, 9.8, 16.12, 18.16 (124)

Big Bag: Bob Beecroft 10 goals.

Total Match statistics: 13 kicks, 2 handballs, 9 marks.

Beecroft booted five and Gary Wilson four in a devastating ten goal final quarter comeback. Beecroft’s 10 goals was the first 10 goal bag by a Fitzroy player since Fred Hughson in 1938, and was a club record at the Junction Oval. [4]

 

Round 17: 28 July 1979

 

 

Fitzroy        7.7, 14.14, 26.17, 36.22 (238)
Melbourne   2.1, 2.5,     4.8,     6.12 (48)

Big bag: Bob Beecroft 10 goals.

Total Match statistics: 16 kicks, 2 handballs, 13 marks, 2 hitouts.

Beecroft kicked ten goals three (including four majors in the last quarter) in what was then the largest ever VFL/AFL score. The winning margin of 190 points remains a record.[5]

 

Round Six: 30 April 1983 

 

 

Fitzroy 7.4, 12.8, 17.10, 22.11 (143)
St Kilda 2.2, 6.4, 9.9, 15.12 (102)

Big Bag: Bernie Quinlan 10 goals.

Total Match statistics: 14 kicks, 3 handballs, 8 marks, 5 hitouts.

‘Superboot’ Bernie Quinlan produced one of the great individual performances against bottom side St Kilda at Moorabbin. He destroyed three opponents, including St Kilda stalwart Trevor Barker on whom he kicked four goals in the second quarter.[6] Columnist David Humphries opined that “When he is in touch – and that is far too frequent for opposition coaches – Quinlan is the craftsman in a team of highly competent, dedicated and disciplined journeymen: the artist whose finishing touches add the bright hues to foundations built on honest, professional football”.[7]

 

Round 4: 21 April 1984

 

 

Fitzroy    2.3, 9.5, 17.9, 21.14 (140)
Footscray 3.1, 5.5, 7.11, 9.16 (70)

Big Bag: Michael Conlan 10.

Total Match Statistics: 15 kicks, 1 handball, 3 marks.

Mick Conlan enjoyed perhaps his best ever game, scoring 10 goals from 14 kicks. Many of them were classy snaps on the run both right and left foot. He was interviewed after the game by Seven’s Big League TV show. According to The Age, he displayed “again all the surety and confidence that has sent opposition coaches into a blind panic in recent years. While Conlan was far from the busiest player on the ground, those who maintained he was simply lucky to be in the right place at the right time grossly underestimated his effectiveness”. [8]

 

9 Goals

 

Round Two: 8 April 1978

Fitzroy      5.3, 8.7,     16.13, 23.19 (157)
Melbourne 4.7, 14.15, 20.20, 24.23 (167)

 Big Bag: Bob Beecroft 9 goals.

Total Match Statistics: 13 kicks, 1 handball, 8 marks and 3 hitouts.

I recall attending this game as a 13-year-old, and marvelling at Beecroft’s high marking and straight shooting that nearly enabled the Roys to peg back a large deficit. Two weeks later, he kicked 10 against South Melbourne to prove he was no one hit wonder.

 

Round 21: 26 August 1978

 

 

Fitzroy      3.1, 10.6, 13.10, 20.14 (134)
Richmond 10.4, 10.5, 14.11, 17.15 (117)

Big Bag: John Frazer 9.

Total Match statistics: 11 kicks, 4 marks.

 An amazing Fitzroy comeback from 52 points down was led by the former North Melbourne full forward John Frazer, who replaced the injured Bob Beecroft. Frazer remarkably kicked 9 goals despite not touching the ball until half way through the second quarter. They included a delightful left foot snap which persuaded the coach to keep him on the ground. [9] He only played five other games in his Fitzroy career scoring one goal.

 

 Round 18: 4 August 1984

Fitzroy      5.6, 11.11, 17.17, 22.20 (152)
Melbourne 3.3, 8.6,    13.11, 17.18 (120)

Big Bag: Bernie Quinlan 9.

Total Match Statistics: 17 kicks, 4 handballs, 11 marks, 2 hitouts.

Quinlan kicked nine goals five to lead the goalkicking ladder with 79 goals. The Sunday Press called Quinlan ‘unstoppable” and too good for three opponents.[10]

 

Player name Number of FFC games Number of FFC goals
Bernie Quinlan, 1978-86 189 576
Richard Osborne, 1982-92 187 411
Bob Beecroft, 1976-80 96 291
Michael Conlan, 1977-89 210 395
John Frazer, 1978-79 6 10

 

[1] Michael Carrick (1984) “Quinlan adds to North’s woes”, The Age, 27 August 1984; Pete Carter. Fitzroy’s Fabulous Century, Mr Smudge Books. Fremantle, 2020, pp.139-141.

[2] Ken Piesse (1984) “Hail, Quinlan, living legend”, Sunday Press, 26 August.

[3] Steve Waldon (1989) “Lions give Demons a start then rout them”, The Age, 7 August, p.32. See also Pete Carter (2020), pp.249-251.

[4] Steve Harris (1978) ‘Here come the Lions’, The Age, 24 April, p.26; Pete Carter (2020), pp.273-76.

[5] Michael Lovett (1979) ‘Lionised…And record goes’, Sunday Press, 29 July; Rod Nicholson’, ‘Fitzroy’s massacre’, Herald, 28 July; Pete Carter (2020), pp.326-330.

[6] Pete Carter (2020), pp.8-10.

[7] David Humphries (1983) “Quinlan, Lions get 10 out of 10”, The Age, 2 May.

[8] Trevor Grant (1984) “Conlan stirs the sleeping Lions”, The Age, 23 April. On Conlan’s heroics, see also David Rhys-Jones (2012) “Danger: Explosive”, Inside Football, 4 April, p.25, and Pete Carter (2020), pp.128-130.

[9] Stephen Phillips (1978) ‘Frazer’s timing was perfect’, The Age, 28 August, p.28; Pete Carter (2020), pp.185-87.

[10] Anonymous (1984) “Bernie boots it to Demons”, Sunday Press, 5 August; Malcolm Conn (1984) “Melbourne boom goes bust”, The Age, 6 August.

 

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About Philip Mendes

Philip Mendes is an academic who follows AFL, soccer, tennis and cricket. He supported Fitzroy Football Club from 1970-1996, and on their death he adopted the North Melbourne Kangaroos as his new team. In his spare time, he occasionally writes about his current and past football teams.

Comments

  1. As always, good work Phil.

    John Frazer, now there’s a blast from the past. I’d forgotten him.

    You mention not including Alex Ruscuklic’s eight goals against South Melbourne back in R 10, 1970. I reckon it should be given a guernsey, as the week prior he’d kicked seven against Footscray. Not too many Fitzroy players got 15 goals in a fortnight.

    I also thought of an honourable mention for John Murphy who kicked seven against Hawthorn in R 14, 1972. He was a top player for Fitzroy, and seven goals for a player who roved/ruck roved is certainly meritorious.

    Glen!

  2. philip mendes says

    Glen, some great comments. Ruscuklic was an absolute star in 1970 and 71, but then unfortunately his career quickly faded due to injury. Murphy was a tremendous goal kicking midfielder who chose the wrong moment to leave Fitzroy (who were on the rise) for South Melbourne (who were on the road to oblivion). Another forgotten big bagger was Jack Newton who kicked eight against South Melbourne in Round 8 (1971). and then another six in Round 9 against Footscray, but disappeared from there.

  3. Love it Phil.
    How about ‘Great Wins by the Roys by One Goal or Less?’ as a theme for your next Royboy memory trek? Three spring readily to mind from the PP days of the late 80s – early 90s…Kev Caton’s behind on the siren to win us the game against Geelong, the classic one point take against North in what I think was the highest ever one point result in VFL/AFL history, and Roos’ effort against the Pies right after his best mate, Pert, put one hrough for the Black & White.

  4. Adam, great idea. I was at two of those matches, and have very fond memories.

  5. Ta Phil.

    What did happen to Jack Newton? I have a vague recollection of his name, but I never saw him play.

    Looking at the AFL tables he’d had a consistent 1971, though after the North Melbourne loss in R 14 he vanished until 1973, then…………….

    Glen!

  6. Glen, not sure. He played 10 games for 30 goals in 1971, and then just the two games for three goals in 1973. I was very young at the time, but have a vague memory that he may have kicked a lot of goals in the reserves, but mainly struggled in the seniors except for those two breakout games I mentioned.

  7. Bob Beecroft knew how to kick a bag.
    Saw him kick 14 for Moonta against Arthurton (Yorke Valley League in country SA) in about 1987.
    Played a couple of seasons at Moonta after he finished in the SANFL, one as playing coach.

  8. philip mendes says

    Thanks Greg, yes brilliant player. He had an amazing leap. I suspect these days there would be a lot more strategy from coaches around his team mates leading into the pocket to give him greater room to jump, but equally defenders would hold and scrag as they did in the 70s.

  9. Another excellent, well-researched article, Phil.
    As Greg A mentioned, Bob Beecroft was a special player.
    I know he left Fitzroy for Woodville in 1981, but Bob would’ve been very handy at full-forward for the Lions for another 2-3 years.
    Of course, first-year player Matt Rendell was very serviceable in front of goals, along with his effective ruckwork, but if Bob was still at the Junction Oval in 1981, the Roys might’ve survived for one or two weeks longer in September than they ultimately did.
    Strictly, a Geoffrey Robertson hypothetical, of course.

  10. Thanks Phil & fellow scribes for maintaining the Fitzroy interest and showcasing those talents.

    Bob Beecroft has recently written a Memoir “0ut of the Frying Pan into the ? Fire”, a life story of a
    WAFL, VFL and SANFL Journeyman.
    Bob’s book warrants a FA review of its own for his amazing courageous, colourful & successful football careers & life.

  11. philip mendes says

    Pete, I agree. Rendell was surprisingly good at full forward in 1981, but was mostly a ruckman. It was a pity that Beecroft left Fitzroy when he was still at his peak.
    John, the book sounds worth reading. I’ll try and get hold of a copy.

  12. I think Beecroft knew that his body was starting to give him trouble when he left to come over to Woodville. Knee issues resulted in niggling injuries. Was only expecting to last 2 years but played 4. Spent quite a bit of time in the ruck.

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