On Monday, 13 June 1960 (Queen's Birthday holiday), the

Tasmanian Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th ...

state team hosted a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

state team in an

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 ...

Australian rules 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 ...

match at

York Park York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 21,000 people, York Park is known commercially as University of Tasmania (UTAS) Stadium and was formerly known as Aurora Stadium under a previo ...

, Launceston. The Tasmanian team won by seven points, considered one of the biggest interstate football upset victories of all time, and one of the greatest moments in the history of Tasmanian football. It was the first of only two victories by Tasmania against a Victorian Football League or Victorian state of origin team, from a total of 29 matches. A then-record Launceston crowd of 15,613 attended the game. Tasmania played the better football early, and opened a 17 point lead at quarter time. Victoria fought back gradually throughout the day, and hit the front for the first time ten minutes into the final quarter. A tight contest ensued, and the scores remained level with only two minutes remaining; but, Tasmania kicked the final goal of the game and ended by winning by seven points, 13.13 (91) d. 12.12 (84).

Teams

Tasmania

The Tasmanian team, as usual, was selected among players from the three major senior leagues. The 1960 team demonstrated the rise of the North West Football Union as a senior football body, as it was the first time that more union players had been selected than league or association players. Additionally, the original choice for captain of the team, the union's Darrel Baldock, was the first player who had never previously played in the TANFL to be selected captain – although he ultimately missed the game with injury and the league's Stuart Spencer became captain.

Victoria

The Victorian team was selected from among

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

players, and included one player of Tasmanian origin: Verdun Howell. The team was the weaker of two VFL representative teams engaged in interstate football on the day: the first choice VFL team was playing an interstate match against

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

in Melbourne on the same day, and the second choice team travelled to Launceston for the match against Tasmania.

References

{{Aussie Rules in Tasmania 1960 in Australian rules football Australian rules football games