Match Report

A FASHIONABLE ATTENDANCE. By: Old Boy

Football was at its best on the East Melbourne ground on Saturday.

The turf was in excellent  order; the teams played a fine, fast game, full of force and fire, and in the reserve the leaders of the land were present to do honour to the state Governor, who had not hitherto seen a game of  Victorian football. Every thing was at its best, and as an exhibition the game lacked nothing.

Collingwood put in Angus-although only fresh from the surgeon's stitches- instead of Fell, who was unwell, but Essendon had to find substitutes for Stuckey, Robinson, Vollugi, and Collins.

Essendon showed the greater dash in the first quarter, but Collingwood were playing the cleverer game with more head-work. One could see the move on the Collingwood side before it worked out, for whenever a man dashed out there was always someone to play to him. Collingwood began, first, a free kick to Tulloch bringing a goal.

It was a hard go all that quarter, with Collingwood leading on points. 

Essendon were the stronger in the second term, and their dash and quickness to the ball gave Thurgood a chance for a clever snap, which he kicked, and an easy place kick which he missed. Clever handball by Thurgood gave Hiskens an opening, and he, too, scored but meanwhile Condon from a free kick had scored for the magpies.

In the third quarter Kinnear scored for Essendon, and then Collingwood, through Incoll, and E. Lockwood, the result of clever passing, put on two goals, Larkin, cleverly shepherded by Martin, scored from a snapshot for Essendon, but E. Lockwood counterbalanced it with one for Collingwood, who led at the final change by 4 points.

Hiskens and Baxter had both been injured for Essendon, and were comparatively useless, but after Larkin had hit the post, Baxter manages to snap a goal for Essendon, Incoll got an easy one for Collingwood, through the Essendon backs being out of their places, and just on the bell Howell with a fine place kick got their seventh and last goal, and the magpies won by 11 points.

The game was won in the last quarter, when Collingwood had the more go and were the better side. 

Crapp umpired the game well. 

Condon, by reason of his remarkably clever passing and coolness and Monohan, for grand high-marking, in which he had Thurgood as an opponent, stand out on the Collingwood side, but mention must be made of M'Cormack, Rush, Dummett, Proudfoot, and G. Lockwood (back), Pannam and Allan (wings), Rowell and E. Lockwood (half-forward), Tulloch, Incoll, A. Leach, Angus (forward and ruck), and Hailwood, who did a great amount of work.

For Essendon, Gavin (half-back), Hastings (half-forward), Kennedy (wing), Barry (back and roving) were an admirable quartet, and Grifith (roving and back), Mann, M'Collins (back), Hutchens, Thurgood, Larkin (forward), Baxter and Hiskins (till hurt), Cochran (wing), Wright (centre), Kinnear (ruck and forward) all did well, and Martin and M'Kenzie showed an improvement on previous efforts.