South Melbourne/Port Melbourne FC supporters

[BigBarryRound25]

Thanks Connolly, I don't hold many grudges - but I make sure the ones I do I get plenty of mileage out of.

Another point on the Port thing is that I reckon because South were so bad at winning you could usually diminish your disappointment a bit by backing up with a good Port win on Sunday. It didn't heal the hurt but it was nice to achieve the winning feeling regularly.

I grew up in Coburg and it was great to follow Port considering the great rivalry we had with the burgers.

It's nice to know there are as many similar stories about.

I don't post on RWO often but I visit regularly and I love seeing how many passionate Swans supporters we have all over the place - I'm pretty happy with where we're at right now.

Lets hope '09 is another great year for the Swannies.

[Emerald Hill]

Thanks Connolly, I don't hold many grudges - but I make sure the ones I do I get plenty of mileage out of.

Another point on the Port thing is that I reckon because South were so bad at winning you could usually diminish your disappointment a bit by backing up with a good Port win on Sunday. It didn't heal the hurt but it was nice to achieve the winning feeling regularly.

I grew up in Coburg and it was great to follow Port considering the great rivalry we had with the burgers.

It's nice to know there are as many similar stories about.

I don't post on RWO often but I visit regularly and I love seeing how many passionate Swans supporters we have all over the place - I'm pretty happy with where we're at right now.

Lets hope '09 is another great year for the Swannies.

Yep. South losing on the Saturday, Port winning on the Sunday - a typical winter weekend!

And if you went to the Port game at 3/4 time, you got in for nothing!

You must have loved the VFA Grand Final when Port beat Coburg after Phil Cleary had been sent off!

[Nthblood]

Was born a bloods/borough the family was born and bred in the south/port area, first son of four generations to be brought up out of the area. would dearly love to move back to Melbourne and buy back the my grand fathers terrace house that was sold in the eighties. So close to the Lake Oval

Watching the bloods on the saturday and then watching port on the sunday for me I use to hope and pray that the bloods could be like Port, winning and winning grand finals. Watching players like Fred Cook, Buster Harland, the Goss brothers, Sammy Holt, Vic Aaenson and Graeme Anderson.

During the seventies bloods hardly ever winning but the mighty borough playing in finals and winning down at the junction oval with a packed ground with just as many fights in the terraces as there was on the ground especially when it was against Dandenong and Eddie Melia. Ahh bringing back great memories.

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I'll never forget the "Keep South at South" movement and still bear a huge grudge against the AFL (Aylett and NMFC in particular) - I must say though I have moved on as you cannot ignore those magnificent colours when I see them running around. I am proud of where the club is now and though I would have preferred them to remain in Melbourne, I realise that we are beeter off than the Fitzroy and eventually Kangaroos fans with what we have been allow to preseerve of our history and integrity.

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Well said about Aylett BigBarryRound25, my father wanted to shoot him and Jack Hamilton for the way they destroyed the ground and club by withholding our money for ground imporvment and funds for the future. I actually remember a plan was released for the lake oval, it was going to be upgraded to a forty thousand capacity with a grand stand all the way around. The VFL refused to back it unless we could get a co tenant, guess who Fitzroy. Goodbye to that.

On another subject I think it is absolutely disgusting the way Parks Victoria has allowed the old Members grandstand to detoriate the way it has. Why are we losing our hertiage when every other VFL ground has been looked after and still being used by the clubs and public.

[Emerald Hill]

Welcome to our elite club, Nthblood!

Those Borough names bring back so many memories! Buster Harland - has anyone ever had such an appropriate nickname? And how could Eddy Melai, who had played for South, go on to play with Dandy?

As far as the old red grandstand goes, things are looking up! Yes, Parks Vic let it fall into disrepair. They had plans to demolish it. But a group of influential and wealthy South supporters led by Tony Morwood have successfully lobbied the Vic Government to let the stand stay. Apparently, it will be renovated and will house the Victorian Institute of Sport and I think it might also hold the Melbourne offices of the Swannies. The fight to save the grandstand took several years and the club was only told of its success late last year. The full story, and a nice little picture, is on page 5 of the December issue of the Swans official magazine.

[chuckie]

I am also a Bloods/Borough supporter. I grew up in the Northern suburbs and travelled by train every Saturday and Sunday to watch them play.
My father was a trainer for South in the 60's and my brother and I would sit on the trainers bench and watch the games, got to know a lot of the players. In 1975 I was lucky enough to play for Port under 19's, I was only 15. I now live in Central Victoria and go to all the Swans matches in Victoria and a couple in Sydney each year but don't get to many Port games now although I did go to the Grand Final. Also keep a check on how the South and Port Melbourne cricket teams are going.South are a famous club throughout the world.

[bedford]

South cricket club have moved to Cranbourne and have lost a bit of their identity

[connolly]

South cricket club have moved to Cranbourne and have lost a bit of their identity

A magnificent club. Connolly (Alan not me), Clive Lloyd, Wheels (you or your namesake), Redpath. Had some really great players. The arse clowns that mismanaged footy and Victoria (i.e the motor mouth madge thatcher acolyte ) have a lot to answer for. Still they didn't kill South off and now the Roos are rooted and the brylcreamed crack pot is wearing reversable coats doing a poor mans Joffa act (and how poor is that?) for the maybloom metrosexual mob. As a South person you wouldn't be dead for quids would you?.

[connolly]

Welcome to our elite club, Nthblood!

As far as the old red grandstand goes, things are looking up! Yes, Parks Vic let it fall into disrepair. They had plans to demolish it. But a group of influential and wealthy South supporters led by Tony Morwood have successfully lobbied the Vic Government to let the stand stay. Apparently, it will be renovated and will house the Victorian Institute of Sport and I think it might also hold the Melbourne offices of the Swannies. The fight to save the grandstand took several years and the club was only told of its success late last year. The full story, and a nice little picture, is on page 5 of the December issue of the Swans official magazine.

Situated along the right hand forward flank pocket i swore i saw the red edifice actually shake and move as the Bloods with Skilton superb stormed all over dreaded Collingwood one day. Men threw their trilby's and what seemed like a short lifetime of oppression in the air as we downed the evil empire. Probably just a small kids impression but the old grandstand literally rocked as we hit the front in the dying minutes of the game. Hats off (again) to everyone who saved our history.

[Emerald Hill]

Situated along the right hand forward flank pocket i swore i saw the red edifice actually shake and move as the Bloods with Skilton superb stormed all over dreaded Collingwood one day. Men threw their trilby's and what seemed like a short lifetime of oppression in the air as we downed the evil empire. Probably just a small kids impression but the old grandstand literally rocked as we hit the front in the dying minutes of the game. Hats off (again) to everyone who saved our history.

I'm pretty sure the game your talking about was on the Queen's Birthday Monday in 1970. It's one of my all time favourite South Melbourne/Sydney Swans games! We were, I think, 10 or 11 points down well into time on but kicked a couple of goals very, very, late in the game. The last South goal was kicked by Stevie Hoffman and it put us one point in front of the hated, and very highly rated Magpies. When the ump bounced it in the centre after Stevie's goal, the Maggies rushed it straight down to their forward line where it was marked by their champ full forward Peter McKenna but, fortunately for us, just after the siren had gone. A great win for the Bloods, a great memory! And yes, the stand was rockin'!

And welcome to the South/Port club, chuckie and bedford!

[Emerald Hill]

All of these wonderful posts about our history have made me think about the fantastic players who've donned both the South Melbourne AND Port Melbourne jumpers and here's a list I've come up with.

Bobby Skilton Peter Bedford Fred Goldsmith Jim Cleary Gary Brice Shane McKew Vic Aanensen Norm Goss Kevin Goss Stephen Allender Tony Haenan Barry Beecroft Bernie Evans Rod Carter Tom Lahiff Jason Love Terry O?Neill

(Am i right in thinking Paul Goss played for Melbourne, not South?)

This list doesn't include players who played for Port when it had an alliance with the Sydney Swans. These players, I think, included:

Amon Buchanan Luke Ablett Tony Lockett David Spriggs
Peter Filandia Daniel McPherson Ryan O?Keefe Scott Stevens
Brett Rose Jarrod Sundqvist Adam Schneider Gerard Bennett

Please let me know if I've made a mistake or left players out!

[Nthblood]

I think you will find that Paul Goss stayed with Port for all his career, I still remember him running up the ground next to Eddie Melia towards a fight at the junction oval. Melia you could see was mouthing off at Paul, next thing swift upper cut and Melia is down for the count. One tough little nut Paul Goss.

[Emerald Hill]

I think you will find that Paul Goss stayed with Port for all his career, I still remember him running up the ground next to Eddie Melia towards a fight at the junction oval. Melia you could see was mouthing off at Paul, next thing swift upper cut and Melia is down for the count. One tough little nut Paul Goss.

Shows the courage of Borough boys! Melai was a ruckman and Paul, I reckon, would've been the shortest of the Gosses. And that's short!

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't South & Port arch rivals back in the old days peoples?

I just find it strange that so many people have henceforth chosen to follow both clubs? Was it one league on Saturday & another team in the other league (ie the VFA?) in the other?

Excuse my ignorance in relation to Victorian football history & traditions, but I swear I heard from somewhere(Ando maybe?) that South & Port Melbourne once hated each other.

JF
PS:- SMFC is another who attends not only Swans & Port Melbourne but South Melbourne VPL futbol matches.

[goswannie14]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't South & Port arch rivals back in the old days peoples?

Maybe when they were both in the VFA....before 1896.

I just find it strange that so many people have henceforth chosen to follow both clubs? Was it one league on Saturday & another team in the other league (ie the VFA?) in the other?

Yes, the VFL and VFA were different leagues.

Excuse my ignorance in relation to Victorian football history & traditions, but I swear I heard from somewhere(Ando maybe?) that South & Port Melbourne once hated each other.

Possibly when they were in the same comp. Certainly in the 70's and 80's there were a number of players that transferred between both clubs.

[Foreign Legion]

All of these wonderful posts about our history have made me think about the fantastic players who've donned both the South Melbourne AND Port Melbourne jumpers and here's a list I've come up with.

Bobby Skilton Peter Bedford Fred Goldsmith Jim Cleary Gary Brice Shane McKew Vic Aanensen Norm Goss Kevin Goss Stephen Allender Tony Haenan Barry Beecroft Bernie Evans Rod Carter Tom Lahiff Jason Love Terry O?Neill

(Am i right in thinking Paul Goss played for Melbourne, not South?)

This list doesn't include players who played for Port when it had an alliance with the Sydney Swans. These players, I think, included:

Amon Buchanan Luke Ablett Tony Lockett David Spriggs
Peter Filandia Daniel McPherson Ryan O?Keefe Scott Stevens
Brett Rose Jarrod Sundqvist Adam Schneider Gerard Bennett

Please let me know if I've made a mistake or left players out!

One I can mention is Frank Johnson who came to South at age 29 and was selected for Victoria and finished high in the Brownlow. Not a bad effort at the age!

Another couple who played when we were allied - Tadhg Kennelly, Stephen Doyle, Ricky Mott. They were good times watching those games and the standard was very good. I believe Port were runner up twice in the Alliance with the Swans. Only got beaten by bloody Geelong who had about 18 Senior players in.