The 1927 Melbourne Carnival was the sixth Australian National Football Carnival: an

Australian football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

interstate The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National H ...

competition. New South Wales caused the biggest upset of the carnival when they defeated Tasmania by three points and, also, came close to beating Western Australia. Victoria again finished on top of the table.

Participating teams

Queensland

Queensland did not send a team to the Carnival.

Victoria's two-teams controversy

Victoria caused a controversy when it played a second eighteen in a match against a weaker state (i.e., against NSW, on 19 August 1927: see below) in order to keep its first eighteen fresh for the final match of the carnival, when it was to play against Western Australia. Consequently, on 19 August 1927, the Australian National Football Council — on the grounds that, "it was an unfair advantage for the home team to choose from 200 players when the Visiting team had only 23 to 25 to pick from" — unanimously adopted a new rule for future carnivals; namely that, "in future football carnivals, the controlling bodies in each State shall nominate 25 players for the opening of the carnival, and the players so nominated, and no others, shall be entitled to play".

Players

All competing teams had 18 players, with no reserves.

New South Wales

Jack Sheehan (coach); Clement "Stumpy" Clark, Frederick "Snowy" Davies, Charlie "Mustard" Kean, George S. Knott, Samuel George "Sam" Organ, and Raymond Samuel "Ray" Usher of Eastern Suburbs; Douglas Rupert Gordon "Doug" Ayres, Horrie Finch, Arthur "Chubby" Gloster (captain), Eric William Justice, and Robert "Bobby" Smith of Newtown; Albert "Bert" McLean, and Hedley Clive Rooke of North Shore; Roy Pembroke Skelton, of Railway; Frank Cawsey, Harold John "Nugget" Green, Jack Hayes, Joe Smith, and Clifford "Snowy" Stanford of South Sydney; Emmett Joseph McGuire, and William Robert "Bill" McKoy of Sydney; and three players from the Riverina: Jack Dunn, of Ganmain; Ignatius Patrick "Nace" Kane, of Holbrook; and Walter Thomas Longmire, of Corowa.Interstate Football Carnival, ''The (Adelaide) News'', (Thursday, 11 August 1927), p.1
note that the report's team list (mistakenly) has "Usher" as "Asher".

South Australia

Managed by Mr. C.F. Young, the secretary of the

North Adelaide Football Club The North Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Roosters, is an Australian rules football club affiliated with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The club plays its home games at Prospect ...

, the players were Bruce McGregor (captain), from West Adelaide;

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

(vice-captain), from Norwood; Gordon Barbary, Jim Handby, and Jack Owens, from Glenelg; Bert Hawke, Edward "Boy" Morris, Raymond Munn, and William James "Billy" Thomas, from

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...

; Alick Lill, and Ernest William Charles Wadham, from Norwood; Peter Bampton, Victor Johnson,

Clifford Keal Clifford Hurst Keal (2 March 1901 – 3 October 1965) was an Australian rules footballer for the Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, ...

, and Ernest Warden Gordon "Punch" Mucklow, from Port Adelaide; Alfred Ryan, and William George "Bill" Oliver, from South Adelaide; Norman Barron, Horrie Riley, and Charlie Whitehead, from Sturt; and Len "Buck" Ashby, Ernest John Hine, and Tom Kempster, from West Torrens.

Tasmania

Frank Burridge, of Burnie; Jack Charlesworth (captain-coach),

Horrie Gorringe Horace Charles Gorringe (4 July 1895 – 17 July 1994) was an Australian rules football player in Tasmania, who is considered to have been one of the greatest Follower (Australian rules football), rovers in the game's history. Family The son o ...

, Fred Pringle, and

Alan Scott Alan Ladd Wellington Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of his mystical ring, which grants him a variety of powers. H ...

of Cananore; Derek Bloomfield, and Keith Roberts of New Town; Albert "Alby" Bonnitcha, and Stan Felmingham of North Hobart; H.O. "Nip" Smith, of Penguin; Harry Pollock, of Ulverstone; Fred Aherne, Hector Brooks, Jack Dunn, Dick Freeman, Max Hay, Max Hislop, Fred Peacock, Hector Smith, J. Lewis, James Archibald "Snowy" Atkinson, T. Atcheson, D. Adams, and E. Foley.W.A. v. Tasmania, ''The (Perth) Daily News'', (Wednesday, 17 August 1927), p.2.
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Victoria

The Victorian squad was:

Alex Duncan George Robert Alexander Duncan ( – ) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton Football Club, Carlton in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League, for Stratford in the East Gippsland Football League, Gippslan ...

of Carlton; Ted Baker,

Gordon Coventry Gordon Richard James Coventry (25 September 1901 – 7 November 1968) was a former Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL). Afforded ' ...

, and Syd Coventry of Collingwood;

Garnet Campbell Harry Garnet Campbell (31 July 1903 – 23 January 1981) was an Australian rules footballer who played for and coached Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Football Campbell, noted for his strong disposal skills and pace, was best ...

, Allan Geddes, Frank Maher, and Greg Stockdale of Essendon; Jack Moriarty of Fitzroy; George Jerram and Arthur Rayson of Geelong; Bert Chadwick, Bob Corbett, Dick Taylor, Ivor Warne-Smith, and Herbert White of Melbourne; Dave Walsh of North Melbourne;

Jack Baggott John Henry Baggott (20 July 1906 – 2 June 1995) was an Australian rules footballer who played and coached in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1927 and 1940 for the Richmond Football Club, Essendon Football Club, and South Melbourn ...

, Donald Don,

Basil McCormack Basil Milton McCormack (3 August 1904 – 19 February 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1925 and 1936 for the Richmond Football Club. Family The son of Michael McCormack and Ma ...

, and

George Rudolph George Ernest Rudolph (29 April 1901 – 1 April 1967) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond Football Club, Richmond in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1920s. Family The son of Fra ...

of Richmond; and Bill Berryman, and Martin Brown of South Melbourne.

Two Victorian teams

The weaker Victorian team — the centre of the controversy (on the grounds that only four of the team's players had appeared in either of Victoria's two earlier Carnival matches) — made up of Frank Maher of Essendon (captain);

of Collingwood;

, Joe Harrison, and Greg Stockdale of Essendon; Gordon Hellwig, and Len Wigraft of Fitzroy; Charlie Gaudion, Alby Outen, and Roy Thompson of Footscray; Ted Pool of Hawthorn;

Tommy McConville Tommy McConville (19 March 1946 – 25 October 2013) was an Irish professional footballer. Career McConville was put on the transfer list in September 1974. He earned his first international cap for the Republic of Ireland national football te ...

of Melbourne;

Leo Dwyer Leo Joseph Dwyer (9 May 1907 – 11 November 1995) was an Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Dwyer, a wingman, played eight games in North Melbourne's debut VFL season in 1925. De ...

, and

Bill Russ William Wallace Russ (6 July 1899 – 13 August 1977) was an Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne and Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL). A centreman, Russ was a member of North Melbourne's inaugural VFL s ...

of North Melbourne;

Percy Bentley Percy Bentley (13 December 1906 − 25 March 1982) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Australian Football League, Victorian Football League. Bentley was a strong ruckman and great tactician who was a key player and coach for the ...

, and Tom O'Halloran of Richmond; and Martin Brown, and Austin Robertson of South Melbourne, played against New South Wales on Friday, 19 August, the day before the State's final match against West Australia. The full-strength Victorian team that played against West Australia on Saturday, 20 August, contained only two of those (Greg Stockdale and Gordon Coventry) who had played the day before; George Todd of Geelong, and Greg Stockdale of Essendon, replaced the injured Donald Don and Arthur Rayson (respectively) in the (well rested) full-strength side that had played against Tasmania five days earlier.

Western Australia

Phil Matson Phillip Henry Matson (22 October 1884 – 13 June 1928) was a record-breaking swimmer, as well as a highly successful player and coach of Australian rules football in the early 20th century in Western Australia. Family Phillip Henry Matson wa ...

(coach), and Arthur Howson, of Claremont-Cottesloe; Denis "Dinny" Coffey, and Dave Woods of East Fremantle; Hugh "Bonny" Campbell, Wally Fletcher, Jack Guhl, Joe "Brum" O'Meara, Albert George Percy "Staunch" Owens, Henry James "Harry" Sherlock, Valentine Christopher "Val" Sparrow, Albert Western of East Perth; Allan Evans, Leo M'Comish, and Albert Watts (captain) of Perth; C.J. "Jerry" Sunderland, of South Fremantle; Wilfred James Patrick "Bill" Brophy, Arthur Robert Green, John McGregor "Snowy" Hamilton,

Johnny Leonard John James Leonard (8 June 1903 – 10 May 1995) was a player and coach of Australian rules football in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and the Victorian Football League (later renamed to Australian Football League) in the period ...

, Tom Outridge (vice-captain), and Alf Smith of Subiaco; and Jim Craig, and Jack McDiarmid of West Perth."From the Land of the Swan": Wells (1927).

Individual match results

Carnival championship table

Leading Goalkickers

(Victoria) - 27 * Fred 'Cocky' Aherne (Tasmania) - 20

Footnotes

References

* "Wells" ( Samuel Garnet Wells (1885-1972))
"Football Carnival Personalities as seen by Sam Wells", ''The Sporting Globe'', (Wednesday, 24 August 1927), p.14.

External links

{{Interstate matches in Australian rules football History of Australian rules football Australian rules interstate football Melbourne Carnival Melbourne Carnival 1920s in Melbourne Australian rules football competitions in Victoria (state) Sports competitions in Melbourne