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FOOTBALL.
REVIEW OF THE SEASON.
BY GOALPOST
Last Saturday the football season of 1886
virtually terminated, and from to day the
followers of the leather sphere will give place
to the wielders of the willow. While the
season has been marked by many unsatisfactory
contests there can be no doubt that
from a football point of view the season 1886
has been the most successful in the history of
the game in South Australia. It is true that
there have been only four senior clubs, but
that seems to have had the effect of concen-
trating the talent of the game into a limited
compass, and the matches have been all the
more interesting. The season was opened
most inauspiciously by a dispute between the
Norwoods, South Adelaides, and Ports and
the S.A. Cricketing Association as to the
terms on which the senior clubs should play
on the Oval. The senior clubs had in the
past been getting 25 per cent, each of the
takings, bat they considered that too little
and demanded a third each of the gross
proceeds. For a time the Association refused
to comply with the request, and it appeared
as if the oval would be given over to the Junior
Association. However, by both sides conced-
ing something matters were amicably settled
and the Adelaide Oval has since been the
scene of many a well-fought game. The
season has been somewhat remarkable from
the fact that it was not known until a fort-
night ago which club would be the premiers.
No less than three clubs were in the running
up to that point. The decesive defeat of the
Norwoods, however, at the hands of the
Adelaides, and & lucky win the Ports secured
over the South Adelaides gave the Metro-
politans the first position— the exact reverse
of that which they held last year. The
matches throughout have been contested with
the utmost warmth, and every Saturday large
crowds of people have witnessed the games.
All round, the play shown during the year
was a marked improvement on that of pre-
vious seasons, and the players have recog-
nized that a successful footballer must train
hard and keep himself in good condition, if
he desires to be in any of the senior clubs. A
pleasing feature in connection with the
advance of the game was the fact that in no
single instance have recruits been secured
from the other colonies. By far the largest pro-
portion of the stars of the season were South
Australians, and in many instances the cracks
turned up in juniors of a year or two ago.
The most disagreeable feature in connection
with the season has been the scenes that
occurred in some of the matches. I have no
desire to rake up bygones, but I must express
my regret that the season was marred on
more than one occasion by the reprehensible
roughness and pugilistic displays of men in
nearly every team. The Association had
occasion to fine a couple of players, but others
who were quite as bad escaped without
punishment. While it must be admitted
that the struggle for supremacy was calcu-
lated to provoke a good deal of rivalry, it
should not have induced the exhibitions that
disgraced some matches, and it is to be hoped
that as the season has now ended all
unpleasantness will be forgotten. As before
stated the Adelaides have headed the
scoring-list, the premiers of last year—the
South Adelaides—being second, while the
Norwoods have, through an unfortunate mis-
take, been adjudged the third place, the Ports
getting the wooden spoon. The fact that the
Adelaides are only a point ahead of the South
Adelaides and three points ahead of the
Norwoods shows how keenly the matches
were contested, but while the Adelaides
deserve their position their figures do not
show so well as the Norwoods. The South
Adelaides, too, owe their position to the
undoubted luck that has attended them
through the season, and it was simply
through the "red-and-blues" playing McGrath
on September 1, before his fine for rough
play was paid, that gave them the
position. It will be remembered that
in that match the Souths suffered
the most serious reverse of the season, the
Norwoods securing 7 goals to 1; but, accord-
ing to the rules of the Association, they
forfeit the match through playing
McGrath, and the Souths thus secure
second position. All the teams have tried
many new men during the year, and
although the experiment was not always
attended with success it has had the effect
of bringing to light many capital foot-
ballers. The depression that has been
felt throughout the colony has affected
all the clubs, some of their beat men
having left the colony. The Adelaides
have Buffered least from this cause, and the
Ports the most, and to this is to be attributed
in a great extent the position the latter team
occupies. Early in July the redoubtable
Geelongs, the champions of Victoria, visited
the colony, but while all the local teams suf-
fered defeat at the hands of the Pivotonians,
the Adelaides and Norwoods gave them a
good deal of trouble, and comparing their
results with the results of other Victorian
teams against the Corio men, South Austra-
lians have every reason to believe that the
local clubs are quite equal to the majority of.
Melbourne teams. The South Adelaides
also visited Melbourne, but while they did
not bring with them any fruits of victory,
they upheld the credit of the colony by the
excellent form they displayed. There are
many matters in connection with the season
that will strike any one giving the results a
little attention. One is the improvement
all round in goal-kicking. While there
were matches in which the behinds
far exceeded the goals, the average
this year is better than the last.
At the same time no single player has
notched any extraordinary number. R.
Stephens, of the Adelaides, having the best
individual record, while the Norwoods re-
quired twenty men to kick their goals.
Another remarkable feature of the season is
the magnificient form shown by a large
number of players. Perhaps in no previous
year has there been so many footballers in
the colony who could claim with justice to be
considered first-class players. Such being
the case it is almost impossible to pick out
the best in the colony, so I will content
myself with naming four who, I think,
have been most consistent in their
displays, viz., J. Woods (Norwood),
Bushby (Port), and R. Stephens (Ade-
laide), and F. Mehrtens (South Ade-
laides). At all times these men have dis-
played excellent form, and while I freely
admit that there are many others little in-
ferior to them in any department, I think
they deserve ths palm. R. Stephens has
proved himself the smartest and coolest
rover the colony ever saw, while Bushby and
Woods either following or in a place were
unsurpassable, and F. Mehrtens back was
never beaten. A matter that has troubled
the Association very much has bean the diffi
culty in getting good central umpires.
Several were tried, but, except in the case
of Sidoli, gave up the job before the season
was over, and played with some club. It is true
A. Mehrtens umpired on Saturday last, but in
the previous match he played against the
Norwoods, and as a matter of fact the Ports
played under protest because he officiated.
The custom that has prevailed of permitting
umpires to officiate one Saturday and play
the next is an unwise one, as any man who
plays with a club is almost incapable of deal-
ing fairly with another team if his own
suffers, however upright his intentions may
be. At the first meeting of the Football
Association the rules were somewhat
amended, the principal alterations being
the changing of ends at quarter-time and
making it compulsory that a little mark
must be given from at least 2 yards
off. The first alteration has proved a
decided advantage, and has equalized what
in many cases in the past proved beneficial
accidents. The second rule has been a good
deal criticised, and the umpires evidently
thought it rather too drastic, as latterly very
little notice has been taken of it. The pro-
vision enabling umpires to give a free kick
against any player who wilfully kicked the
ball out has thanks to the strictness of Mr.
Sidoli, had good effect, and the games
have, as a rule, been more central than
previously. All the teams but the Ports are
to be commended for the marked improve-
ment in their play : the Adelaides especially
have done wonderfully well. They left
no stone unturned to achieve a foremost
petition and while I cannot say that
they are very much, better than the
other two clubs I am compelled to
admit that they have by far the fastest team
we ever had, and when spins of their players
gain a little more experience they will, bar
accidents, bring even more honour to the
name they have chosen. It is worth noting
that during the last four years each club has
been premier for one year, the success of the
Ports in 1884 haying been the first year that
the Norwoods did not gain the premiership.
The following table shows the positions of
the clubs : —
Matches played. Won. Lost. Drawn.
Adelaides _ 15 9 6 1
SonthAdelaides 15 8* 5 2
Norwoods „ 15 7* 6 8
Ports.. ..15 3 11 1
* The Norwoods beat the South Adelaides on
September 1 by 7 goals to 1, but lost the match
through playing a man whose fine for rough play
bad sot been paid.
The following shows the goals and behinds
kicked for and against the respective teams : —
ADELAIDES
Adelaides. Opponents.
Opponents.
Goals. B'h'nds Goals. B'h'nds.
Norwoods .. 1 4 5 9
Souths ....5 4 4 8
Ports „ .. 2 9 1 5
Souths .. .. 4 11 2 12
Norwoods .. 7 8 5 5
Souths .... 1 7 1 12
Ports .. .. 8 8 1 5
Norwoods .. 2 8 4 9
Ports .. .. 6 9 4 9
Souths .. ..5 7 3 7
Norwoods .. 2 8 4 13
Ports .... 5 7 8 9
Ports .... 3 19 1 5
Norwoods ... 6 7 — 9
Souths..2 15 4 4
54 131 47 118
SOUTH ADELAIDES.
South Adelaides Opponents.
Opponents.
Goals. B'hn'ds Goals. B'h'nds
Ports .. .. 2 5 1 2
Adelaides .. 4 8 5 4
Norwoods .. 3 8 3 11
Adelaides .. 2 12 4 11
Norwoods .. 2 3 3 7
Adelaides .. 1 12 1 7
Ports .. .2 6 3 8
Norwoods .. 3 8 2 12
Adelaides .. 3 7 5 7
Ports .. .. 9 9 5 4
Norwoods .. 4 12 3 9
Ports .... 2 10 8 8
Adelaides .... 4 4 2 15
Norwoods* .. 6 6 7 13
Ports .. .. 8 6 3 5
48 115 50 123
* The Norwooda-were disqualified in this match
NORWOODS.
Opponents. Norwoods. Opponents.
Goals. B'h'nds. Goals. B'h'nds.
Adelaides .. 5 9 1 4
Ports .. 4 7 1 5
Souths 3 11 3 8
Ports .. .. 4 9 3 6
Adelaides .. 5 5 7 8
Souths .. .. 3 7 2 3
Ports .. .. 5 13 2 3
Souths .... 2 12 3 8
Ports .. .. 8 13 2 11
Adelaides .. 4 9 2 8
Ports .. 3 7 3 13
Adelaides .. 4 13 2 8
Souths .... 3 9 4 12
Adelaides — 9 6 7
Souths*.. 7 13 1 5
Totals.. .. 59 146 41 104
* The Norwoods were disqualified in this match.
PORTS.
Ports. Opponents.
Opponents
Goals. B'h'nds. Goals. B'h'nds.
Souths .... 1 2 2 5
Norwoods _ 1 5 4 7
Adelaides .. 1 5 2 9
Norwoods ..3 6 4 9
Norwoods . . 2 3 5 13
Souths .. ..3 8 2 6
Adelaides .. 1 5 3 8
Norwoods .. .2 11 8 13
Adelaides _ 4 6 6 9
Norwoods .. 3 13 3 7
Souths .. .. 5 4 9 9
Adelaides .. 8 9 5 7
Adelaides .. 1 6 3 19
Souths .. .. 3 8 2 10
Souths .. .. 3 5 6 6
41 95 64 137
In my next notice I will deal individually
with the clubs.
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