Our special pre-season series on the eventful journey from Punt Road Oval to the ME Bank Centre, takes a look back at a day when fans knocked down gates and fences to see the Tigers in action at the famous ground.
Looking out on to the picturesque, peaceful Punt Road Oval at the ME Bank Centre on a hot summer’s day in early 2014, it’s hard to believe that this was the scene of complete crowd chaos in a league football mid-season match back in 1949.
Richmond played host to Carlton on the King’s Birthday Monday (King George V1), with plenty of hype in the lead-up to the battle between the arch-rivals.
This was due to the fact that the Tigers were second on the ladder at the time, with six wins and two losses after eight games, while the Blues were on top, with seven wins and just the one loss.
Richmond’s inspirational captain-coach Jack Dyer was in his final season as a player, and hell-bent on restoring the Tigers to their glory days of the early 1940s.
Big wins against Footscray in the opening round (by 69 points at Punt Road), Hawthorn in Round 2 (89 points at Glenferrie Oval), St Kilda in Round 4 (33 points at Punt Road), South Melbourne in Round 5 (43 points at Punt Road) and Fitzroy in Round 7 (81 points at Punt Road), along with a thrilling four-point victory over Geelong at Kardinia Park in Round 8, had the Tiger fans roaring again and eagerly anticipating the Blockbuster King’s Birthday holiday clash with the old enemy, which also was flying in the first half of the 1949 season.
All roads led to Punt Road Oval on Monday June 13, to see which team would emerge victorious and lay early claim to favouritism for the ’49 premiership.
The contest itself lived up to all the pre-match publicity, with Richmond holding a slender advantage for most of the game, until being over-run by Carlton in the final few minutes.
That, however, was not the main story of the day. What captured the headlines, was the turmoil created by the enormous crowd that squeezed into the Punt Road Oval ground.
Ground capacity at the time was about 43,000, but a record crowd of more than 46,000 jam-packed Punt Road.
Thousands more tried in vain to enter the arena, with police and ambulance officials working frantically to try to control the situation.
Chaos reigned, however, with fences and gates being destroyed by a surging mob, desperate to gain a vantage point from where they could watch the epic encounter unfold.
Not surprisingly, several people were injured amid the mayhem, although fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt.
Here’s how ‘The Argus’ newspaper reported the Punt Road pandemonium, on page 3 of its Tuesday, June 14, 1949 edition, under the heading: “Fences collapse, many faint in wild football crush”
“Fences collapsed, a gate was torn down and many people were injured yesterday when 50,000 football fans tried to crowd into the Richmond ground to see the Richmond-Carlton game.
The ground was full an hour before the game began, but thousands continues to pour through the gates.
Police reinforcements were called, but were powerless to stop the people as they pushed and jostled into the ground.
One section of the boundary fence collapsed and several people were slightly injured. It was popped up, but crashed again soon after, with further minor casualties.
Spectators were fainting in every part of the ground when, 10 minutes before play, health authorities ordered all gates to be opened.
Afraid of further accidents, hundreds of people surged toward the open gates to get out, but thousands more outside tried to force their way in.
Police and ambulance officials carried women and young children over fences into less crowded areas, and thousands of other spectators swarmed over the fences and sat around the boundary.
Soon after the game began another section of the boundary fence collapsed.
Three people were sent to hospital with lacerations and one with an injured leg, but most of the casualties were fainting cases.
Richmond officials said 46,000 people got into the ground – the largest attendance at a football game this year.
Previous record (at Punt Road Oval) was 39,000 several years ago. The ground’s capacity was estimated at 43,000. Gate-takings were 2060 pounds, compared with the previous record of 1400 pounds . . .
Outside the ground many people climbed trees and verandahs to watch the game.”
Over at ‘The Sun’ newspaper, leading football reporter Kevin Hogan put the blame for the Punt Road crowd frenzy fairly and squarely at the feet of the competition’s governing body, the Victorian Football League.
Under the heading, “League Fails Its Public”, Hogan wrote:
“Thousands of disappointed football followers missed seeing yesterday’s great match between Richmond and Carlton because club interest dominates administration of the Victorian Football League.
Moves to follow other states, who make provision for “big” games to be played on the best crowd-holding ground, have always broken down here because clubs are unwilling to surrender the advantage of playing at “home”.
If yesterday’s game had been transferred to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, 100,000 people could have watched in comfort, and more could have been accommodated if necessary.
The 46,000 spectators who managed to push their way into the Richmond ground, stood mostly on muddy, sloping banks, wedged almost too tightly to allow removal of those overcome by the crush.
The same would have occurred if the match had been at any other League ground, except perhaps Carlton.
Obviously League football, the biggest sporting business in the world for drawing crowds, has outgrown the grounds on which it is played.
But, unfortunately, League clubs or the League itself, have no control over the arenas on which their much-sought entertainment is staged.
The clubs are tenants, who must ask permission of the ground controllers before even deciding the prices to be charged.
Although the League has a long-term agreement covering interstate matches and premiership finals, it could not transfer a home-and-home game to the MCG unless the Melbourne Cricket Club was willing.
Under the articles of the League, each club must have a ground on which to play its home games.
The MCG is Melbourne Football Club’s home ground and its team is entitled to play half its games there.
Switching a match in which two other clubs were engaged on a day when Melbourne was drawn at home would therefore deprive Melbourne and one of the other teams of home-ground advantage.
As the advantage of playing on familiar soil is reckoned worth anything up to three or four goals to most League sides, securing a vote at the League table for switching games would be obviously difficult.
Objections on financial grounds to switching games to the MCG would also be raised by ground managers, but could probably be overcome.”
As for what actually occurred out on the field that King’s Birthday Monday in 1949, here’s ‘The Argus’ football scribe Percy Taylor’s match report:
“Wildly exciting football before a record 46,000 crowd at Richmond yesterday ended with Carlton, with a little in reserve, taking command in the last few minutes to win by 15 points.
Richmond led into the last quarter by seven points, and when it quickly added two goals it looked as if Carlton would not be able to make up the leeway. Carlton, however, played coolly, and seemed to have something in reserve. It quickly kicked three goals. Then it drew level and finished with great dash against a tiring team.
There were weaknesses on both sides, but Carlton had slightly the better of the ruck duels. It also could be given a small margin across the centre, and won in the air and passed more accurately. Richmond showed tons of dash, its rovers doing a grand job, and some of its defence was splendid. In attack, too, it worried Carlton in several spots, but it lacked a little in the pace department.
Matches between the two teams are always hard, with no “beg pardons”, and this one was true to type. In the opening burst the pace was terrific, and weight was used unsparingly. In the first minute Deacon (Carlton) received a smack in the face which sent him reeling to the ground. In the next minute Fraser (Richmond) was in the hands of trainers and took some time to recover.
It was too fierce and torrid to last, and while no-one spared anybody, the game settled down. Richmond showed the greater dash, but Carlton countered it by delightful passing. Both sides used handball a great deal. It is most noticeable that Richmond, which used to scorn this type of play, is now finding it most useful.
Carlton had a great chance to take the lead in the second quarter, but Brokenshire hit the post and Stafford and Howell each missed easy shots. Richmond began to play more systematically, being assisted by the tendency of Carlton defenders to leave opponents unattended.
Just when Richmond seemed to be going well away Howell was taken away from full-forward for his first spell in the ruck. Rising high in the air Howell provided opportunities, and two goals to Calrton came quickly. Richmond went away after half-time with two quick goals. One of them came when Wilson, floored with a good old-time bump, received a sympathy free kick. Carlton then took command, but simply could not kick goals. From seven scoring shots, none of which was difficult, six behinds came and only one goal. Supporters shook their heads, thinking Carlton was throwing the game away, but Conley and Howell added goals just at the finish.
More opportunities were missed in the last quarter by both teams. Then Brokenshire took a remarkable mark on the boundary line, and his lovely angle goal levelled the scores. With only added time left, Carlton led by two points. Thynnes swooped down on the ball in a crush to get another goal, and Davies topped it off with another. Better marking, and more steadiness had enabled Carlton to emerge successfully from a hard testing game.”
Match details
Richmond 3.3 5.10 9.12 12.12 (84)
Carlton 3.2 5.5 8.11 14.15 (99)
Goals – Richmond: Dyer 3, Ross 3, Albiston 2, Poulter 2, Morris, S. Wilson.
Goals – Carlton: Davies 5, Brokenshire 2, Howell 2, Conley, Simmons, Stafford, Streeter, Thynne.
