Eight Ordered Off In One Afternoon

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

Dally Messenger

There is often nothing worse than playing football on a day when the wind is particularly strong. Even away from the field many people hold that windy days effect our behaviour, making us irritable, grumpy, or react out of character.

As anyone living in NSW knows, late July and most of August invariably bring strong winds. In 1911 Sydney was hit with such an afternoon, and didn't it stir up some trouble. By day's end, eight first grade players would be sent off, including Dally Messenger.

"A bleak south-wester was trying to the spectators and unsettling to the teams," recorded The Referee. Wayward passes and kicking was the order of the day, frustrating everyone on and off the field.

While Easts were battling Wests at the Agricultural Ground, across at Wentworth Park, Glebe's dung-hill, the locals were giving North Sydney a bit of a touch-up.

Near the end of the game, two opponents got into a fist fight with each other. Within moments, a second Glebe player raced in, landing a few of his own blows on the hapless "Shoreman."

The referee sent the three from the field, but on their way to the pavilion the two original protagonists had another difference of opinion, and let fly with a new round against each other.

The Wentworth Park crowd then broke loose, jumped the pickets, and swarmed the field of play. The referee decided he'd had enough. He called fulltime and bolted for the relative safety of the dressing rooms.

Meanwhile, Easts had been having a difficult time with the "Magpies." Wests had just one victory to their credit so far that season, but were giving the Tri-colours a good run for their money.

The powerful wind was playing havoc with Easts' glamour backline, who found it hard to string their long passes together, and many of their kicks went astray.

Wests had also successfully kept a very close watch on Messenger, and permitted him little latitude to indulge in his usual trickiness.

The game had a few hot moments. Easts' Dinny Campbell had to leave the field after being kicked over the eye courtesy of a wayward Magpie boot, and a penalty try was given to the red-white-and-blue men after another incident.

With time just about up, and scores locked together at 8-8, emotions finally boiled over.

Five players, including Messenger, took it upon themselves to finally determine who would take the "honours" for the day, and quickly became entangled in a "mix up" (an euphemism for a brawl).

Skin and hair flew, and the crowd roared them on. Once the barney settled all five were ordered from the field by the referee, and the game ended in a draw moments later.

Eight first graders sent off from just four games in one Saturday afternoon.

Can't explain it, must have been the wind.