Preliminary final 1939
Collingwood 6.1.37 11.6.72 14.11.95 20.14.134
St Kilda 6.4.40 9.7.61 13.9.87 15.15.105
VENUE: MCG
DATE: Saturday 23 September
CROWD: 66,484
UMPIRE: Blackburn
PRE-MATCH
Collingwood lost just three games to top the ladder in 1939. A club record equaling 13 scores over 100 points was posted, with Ron Todd the major contributor sitting on 97 goals entering the finals. All these grand achievements were put into perspective with war declared in Europe, as Germany inflicted devastation on neighboring nations. Despite the dark cloud of war once again enveloping the world, undeterred Melburnians flocked to the football.
Of Collingwood’s losses, the most telling was a 94 point drubbing by Melbourne in Round 10. Though Collingwood fought the good fight in the Semi final rematch – even leading into the third term, the ‘Red Demons’ proved too strong and won by 14 points. The loss consigned the ‘Pies to a Preliminary final showdown against St Kilda, who also had the better of Collingwood early in the year with a comfortable six goal win. At least the Woods managed to turn that result around at home, but it did set up a tantalizing clash to decide who’d battle the powerful Melbourne for the flag.
The Saints made one forced change to their successful lineup employed against Richmond; Yewers replaced by Lowry. Meanwhile, Collingwood reorganized their lineup in response to the Melbourne defeat, including Fricker (unusually on the wing) for Dowling (suspended), Doherty for Unwin (ribs), and Ross for Balfour (omitted). Following a hard practice match the selectors poured over the line-up, making several positional changes. Most notably Kyne went to centre half forward, ‘Leeter’ Collier to the ruck, and Williams to centre half back.
St Kilda shocked the football public in knocking out Richmond. Their leg speed and aerial capabilities posed the biggest threat to the Magpies. In Collingwood’s favour was the Saints’ perceived backline weakness that would be fiercely tested by Todd, Fothergill, Knight and Kyne – a forward line to stretch any defence.
THE GAME
Collingwood gained the perfect start when Todd goaled a minute after the first bounce. After a few sorties forward, Weiss broke through for the Saints’ first. Hocking and Regan worked overtime in defence and held strong. Todd, making use of his reach advantage over his opponent Riordan, booted two more and Doherty one, to give the Woods the break. Then, in what was to be indicative of the game’s fluctuations, Garvin’s ruck work inspired a St Kilda blitzkrieg. After scoring 5.4 without answer, St Kilda stormed to a 10 point lead. The football was fast and exciting. Knight’s premature jumping in the ruck had proved costly, but he made amends by crashing through a pack and stemming the Saint’s flow with a six-pointer. A one handed mark by Harry Collier precipitated a Fothergill goal to reduce the margin to three points at the first bell.
Harry Collier saw the Magpies off to a good start in the second term with clever roving that enabled Kyne to convert. ‘Leeter’ Collier cleaned up Vontom which had the effect of taking the Saints’ focus off the ball. They soon regained composure; Kelly goaling from the pocket followed by Vontom and Mohr. Players were tearing into packs with reckless abandon – Woods and Hocking succeeded in colliding with each other twice in their attempts to clear. The ‘Pies reversed the trend with goals via Doherty, Fothergill, Doherty again and Todd to reestablish an 11 point break at half time.
Not surprisingly, the pace slackened in the third term as players tired. Garvin, Lowry, Vontom and Snell tried to get St Kilda back in the contest but the goal for goal deadlock was broken by Todd when he claimed Hoppen holding the ball. Collier, Woods and Knight missed gettable opportunities to break the game wide open and the ‘Seasiders’ took advantage of Collingwood and the umpire’s charity whenVontom converted from a free. When Mohr goaled again, it was anybody’s final. The one constant for the Magpies was that every time a goal was really needed, Todd would oblige. His sixth, just before three quarter time, edged the Woodsmen eight points clear.
St Kilda threatened to seize the day in the early stages of the last. After a couple misses, Garvin leveled the scores after marking Regan’s kick-in. Lowry was on top of Whelan in the centre and Vontom put the Saints ahead with a poster. This was the cue for Todd to again exert his influence. Swooping on the ball after Lowry had kicked into the man on the mark, Todd regained the lead, and with his teammates lifting all over the field, kicked three more in quick succession. The gallant Saints didn’t throw in the towel, but inaccuracy cruelled their best efforts. Todd booted his eleventh and Doherty his fourth to see the ‘Pies home by what looked a comfortable 29 point margin, although it was anything but that in the execution.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The seeds of victory were said to have been sown ‘by the Victoria Park strategists’ at the selectors’ table on the Thursday night. Their shuffling was ‘highly successful from the outset’. Kyne at centre half forward and Williams at centre half back ‘outmarked their opponents all day’. Only when Kyne provided ruck relief did St Kilda’s centre half back Snell have any influence, whilst Doherty proved an inspired inclusion with four goals. Collingwood was a revitalized outfit and the hard work upfield was capped off by the uncanny accuracy and brilliant marking of the boy wonder Ron Todd.
AFTERMATCH
St Kilda’s swift movement of the ball kept them in the game but they were hamstrung by big men that, aside from ruckman Garvin, exerted minimal impact. Williams outpointed Mohr and Walker when the opportunity presented, whilst for the Seasiders Lowry was the best having beaten the season’s Brownlow Medallist Whelan in the centre.
This was a classic game between two desperate sides. In the end, Collingwood could thank Todd and its greater experience and composure under pressure when the game had to be won. Collingwood’s forward line had been prolific all year, and this game was no exception.
POSTSCRIPT
Frank ‘Checker’ Hughes awaited the nemesis from his Richmond days, Jock McHale, knowing that his adopted team held the right cards to exact sweet revenge. Collingwood fought bravely in the Grand final, down by just four points at half time and 17 at the last change. After the fast and furious Preliminary final, the Magpies were always going to struggle to run out the game, and the Demons’ fresh legs proved crucial. In their Second Semi the Dees came home with 10 goals to five in the latter half, in the big one they kicked 11 to four to win by a convincing 53 points. That Collingwood was down to 16 men in the last quarter certainly didn’t help. Of course Hughes’ hatred of McHale and the Magpies would afford little compassion.
The only solace was Marcus Whelan’s Brownlow Medal. This was an abrupt end of an era – the three lost Grand finals in a row were inglorious enough, the controversial loss of Todd to Williamstown incomprehensible. After an ostensibly successful season, who would have thought this would be coach McHale’s last Grand final, and that the legendary Collier brothers would be shown the door? The real tragedy to befall everyone however was the onset of WW2. In football terms, the show went on, but Collingwood’s fortunes would mirror that of the Allied Forces.
THE HERO
Ron Todd (Collingwood)
Todd played just 76 games yet kicked 327 goals for the Magpies from 1935-39. A staggering 188 goals in 1945 for Williamstown reflected his incredible talent. Still, Todd went out with a bang – 23 goals in the three finals of 1939, including 11.4 in the Preliminary and six in the Grand final. In his two full seasons at full forward he averaged six goals a game. It wasn’t just the numbers though, his brilliant high marking and all round skill will forever be a part of football folklore. Initially he was the apprentice to Coventry. It wasn’t long before he proved to be his equal.
Steeped in Magpie traditions, his father was a close friend of Dick Lee and Todd naturally idolized him, wearing his jumper as a child. For Todd to leave The Club would have been an agonising decision, however the promise of a financial security unavailable at Collingwood was too great a lure for the Railways worker. By the time Collingwood tried to entice him back with the help of John Wren, Todd had already accepted the Seagulls’ offer. On the back of seasons netting 120 and 121 goals, he was gone at just 22. A botched attempt by a divided Collingwood administration to lure Todd back in 1944 proved costly. What might have been is a depressing thought for a team that with no recognized full forward finished third in 1945, ‘46 and ‘48.
WHAT THEY SAID
“More than 60,000 enthusiasts are expected to attend and these should be regaled with fast, breezy play aplenty, brilliant hand and foot exchanges, and any amount of spectacular high marking, tenacity and fearlessness.”
The Age football writer ‘Forward’ on the money with his eloquent predictions.
COLLINGWOOD
B J Murphy Regan Hocking
HB Green Williams Balfour
C Fricker Whelan Campbell
HF Howell Kyne Doherty
F Fothergill Todd Knight
FOLL A Collier, Woods, H Collier
19th Froude
COACH McHale
ST KILDA
B Masten Riordan Williamson
HB Hoppen Snell Curyen
C Kelly Lowry Rayment
HF Weiss Walker Clarke
F Vontom Mohr Regnier
FOLL Fountain, Garvin, Killigrew
19th Sawley
COACH Clark
BEST
COLLINGWOOD – Todd, Campbell, Doherty, Regan, Williams
ST KILDA – Lowry, Garvin, Vontom, Killigrew, Mohr, Rayment, Hoppen
GOALS
COLLINGWOOD – Todd 11, Doherty 4, Fothergill 3, Knight, Kyne
ST KILDA – Mohr 4, Regnier, Vontom 3, Weiss, Killigrew, Fountain, Kelly, Garvin
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