Victoria Park - Your Stories?

[Johnson#26]

I'm sorry I've been slack - I hope to start a story on VP in the near future.

[raymond35]

Excellent article on that Crows game. I travelled from Queensland to attend that game, it was the last match i saw at our magnificent home ground.
I also saw that bus leaving the ground, and recieved a one fingered salute from one of the flannelette-shirt-wearers.

Victoria Park rules.

[raymond35]

At Victoria Park:

Best mark-David Cloke on the halfforward flank flying over somebody. It was circa 1983, possibly against the swans, can't quite remember.

Best goal-Wally Lovett in the forward pocket against either Footscray or Stkilda in one of the games that Mick Erwin coached.

Best Game-The win over Carlton in the wet 1983.

Worst game-Thrashed by the swans 1987.

Best spot-Outer wing, about 10 steps back.

Worst spot-Those crappy seats in the forward pocket that used to be given to the opposition cheer squad.

Best drinking place-The past players bar in the Ryder stand, it was like stepping back into the 1930s, absolute magic.

Best parking spot-Next to the train line up towards Collingwood station.

[MagpieMad]

Could we get a camera in there now that the Club have gone? would anyone be willing to take a camera down and shoot the place from top to bottom?

Steve.

[Johnson#26]

I'd love to, Steve. I'll see what I can do.

[MagpieMad]

anyone else willing to get us some pics of the old girl?


Steve.

[die4pies]

I have several from July this year.

I'll email them to you.

[neil]

Me and some mates had a night on the grog and went to Vic Park the next day. It was 1984 ,I think, Collingwood verus North (30,000 of us 500 North supporters) We were in the outer about three rows behind Collingwood cheer squad we all had a great time bagging North players "come on (Gary)Dempsey use your pace" etc.

At half time Magies are about 7 goals up we are rapt except for Andrew a North supporter who had been copping heaps off us and is getting drunk and upset.

Third quarter starts doing well about 15 beers since noon Collingwood Full Forward (for the younger readers) Dale Woodall marks the ball and lines up to kick a goal Andrew yells out "come on Collingwood use your Grand Final Experience" entire crowd turns and looks at us. Instantly sober i explain that should he say anything else i will hit him and so save his life

Collingwood went on to win Andrew given life ban from Victoria Park by us

Earlier this year i saw the match on Fox footy when Woodall lines up you can hear the crowd go quiet at the exact time

[Magpie_Dan]

On the 27th of Auguest 1999, me, Joffa, hes daughter Emma and a few of the old outer cheersquad all went to Vic park late at nigth and cracked open our beers and started just yarning about the Pies and everything else! We slept there had a BBQ and just stayed awake all night until it was time to go into the game only to see us get our asses kicked! That was one of the top times I had at Vic Park! Joffa if you see this post make sure you let everyone know about the laughs we had that night!

[stui magpie]

My memory is really foggy on the details (alcohol induced) but it was in about 9o or 91. I don't remember who we were playing but i took my (6or7 year old) step son to the game. Met up with a mate from work and a number of his friends prior at a pub near clifton hill station and had several quiet ones before the game then walked to the ground.

Settled back in the standing room area on the nth Eastern flank and proceeded to demolish lots of tins of VB. the young bloke couldn't see standing with us, so i agreed to let him walk from where we are straight down to the fence and stand there with the agreement that he wasn't to go anywhere else. During the match he strolled back and forward a few times to get a drink or some tucker so i thought all was good until during the 3rd quarter, i heard my name over the PA to come to the police area in the Rush (I think) stand to collect my son. First thought was WTF, where did he go?

I tried to walk the shortest way but couldn't cos there was a reserved area in the way so i had to do 3/4 lap of the ground to get to the police area where they gave me a look like I was lower than shark droppings.

Apparently, some people had moved in between where he and i were standing, he looked around for me, couldn't see me and panicked. A copper strolling the boundary picked him up for a look and when he still couldn't spot me, they took him on a stroll along the boundary and then paged me.

I gave him buggery for ages about that.

The only other time I took him to Vic park was a year or so later when he played in the Vic kick at half time at the ground. Only problem was, he was playing for the hawthorn team. I knew where he was supposed to be playing but had a really bad time trying to spot him on the ground. After the match, he explained why. he had been sent to full back in his hawthorn jumber and didn't like either the jumper or the possie, so he convinced his opponent to swap jumpers. he played full forward for the other team and didn't give a rats cos he was wearing a pies jumper.

[jeff corfe]

We would like to print all postings in this topic and send them into Heritage Victoria..this is the sort of stuff they want to hear.

If anyone has any objections about having there posting in this topic sent into Heritage Victoria please let me know by emailing or notification via a PM.
Cheers

[madman]

I have many memories of Vic Park.Who remembers when the Swans Barry Mitchell was awarded an iffy free kick within 30 metres of goal,straight in front at scoreboard end of the ground,kicked the goal to get the Swans home by a couple of points.The Vic Park crowd was at its most hostile as phlegm,half full cans,coins and an assortment of solids hailed down upon the cowering,now very hastily departing umpires.Those were the days when Vic Park was a fortress,giving us an automatic 5 goal advantage before a ball had been bounced.

I also remember big BT and Dakes kick many bags there.Saw Billy Picken take mark after mark after mark there.Saw Geoff Raines end Paul Salmon's incredible goalkicking spree there when he dived across his leg.And last but not least,i remember when Craig "knuckles"Kelly knocked several of Sydney's Ben Doolans teeth out.Gee there's some good memories.There are too many to type down.Will probably do a couple every few days aqs they come back to me.

i was going to mention that swans match, i remember that match like it was yesterday. It was in the mid 1980's, i was sitting in the Rush stand right next to the sherrin stand, where the umpires go to leave the ground. The umpires made alot of poor decisions that day in the last quater, you just don't do that against Collingwood at VIC PARK. You could tell everybody at the ground was getting real upset. When the siren went, all hell broke loose beer cans where being throw from every direction, how the umpires made it out alive i will never know. This actual game was on Fox footy a couple of weeks ago, and i remember Lou Richards saying "the umpires have been alright today i don't know what the Collingwood supporters are upset about". well i remember the Swans getting about 3 free kicks in front of goal all in the last 1/4, and the Pies lossing by a kick.

[madman]

Who remembers the old fella that used to sell the peanuts in the outer at Vic Park and other Collingwood away games.I can still hear him coming around at half time and saying "peanuts......peanuts.......".What about the half time blanket.Throwing out all your loose change.I remember the deathly silence that used accompany the arrival on to the playing arena of the opposition-especially interstate teams.DOH...i'm having trouble recalling actual incidents and i didn't miss a game at VP from 81 up until 89.


I remember all of the above, i think the guy that sold the peanuts (if i remember correctly had a few teeth missing) and i remember when people where throwing the money out on the blanket the people holding the blanket would get hit with the spare change.

[RudeBoy]

Being an old fart, my most memorable day at Vic Park was about 1971 or 72, the day of the brawl between the Essendon and Collingwood cheersquads. It led to burning of floggers, after which the VFL banned them from games. The ground was so packed (about 35,000) there were people sitting all along the roofs of the Ryder and Sherrin stands. If memory serves me right, McKenna kicked 13 goals that day, including 7 goals in the third quarter! Ah, the memories....