157-688: Trevor Graeme Barker (7 October 1956 – 26 April 1996) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). One of the VFL's pin-up boys with his teen-idol appearance, blonde hair and suntanned skin, "Barks" was one of the finest high-marking players of his era; and, although of slight build, his skill and athleticism were matched by raw courage and competitiveness. More than any other player before or since, he
314-638: A dominion , leagues were also established in the major cities. This renewed popularity helped encourage the formation of the Australasian Football Council , which in 1908 in Melbourne staged the first national interstate competition, the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival , with teams representing each state and New Zealand. The game was also established early on in the new territories. In
471-463: A "Commission" style committee intending to operate independently of the clubs themselves. St Kilda had recruited well, including future club legends like Tony Lockett and Nicky Winmar . Barker was restricted to 14 games during St Kilda FC's top 5 competitive 1987 VFL season , which finished at an underwhelming 10th place on the official standings. St Kilda won 5 consecutive games in Rounds 15 to 19,
628-438: A "behind"). During general play, players may position themselves anywhere on the field and use any part of their bodies to move the ball. The primary methods are kicking , handballing and running with the ball. There are rules on how the ball can be handled; for example, players running with the ball must intermittently bounce or touch it on the ground . Throwing the ball is not allowed, and players must not get caught holding
785-517: A century. State of Origin rules, introduced in 1977, stipulated that rather than representing the state of their adopted club, players would return to play for the state they were first recruited in. This instantly broke Victoria's stranglehold over state titles and Western Australia and South Australia began to win more of their games against Victoria. Both New South Wales and Tasmania scored surprise victories at home against Victoria in 1990. The term " Barassi Line ", named after VFL star Ron Barassi ,
942-480: A ceremony held at the Crown Palladium . St Kilda champion and teammate Robert Harvey gave the introduction speech in honour of Barker: "Never have I played with a guy who radiated passion and loyalty for his club like (Barker). He was renowned for his high marking, his blonde locks and often his lifestyle off the field. He was a true St Kilda champion." After a video tribute, Barker's mother Norma accepted
1099-439: A city store. The official name of the club is North Melbourne, but the club has gone under several other aliases over the years. The club was founded as the "North Melbourne Football Club", but changed to "North Melbourne cum Albert Park" after merging with Albert Park in 1876. Following the reformation of the club in 1877, it was known as the "Hotham Football Club" but later took the name "North Melbourne" again in 1888. In 1998
1256-628: A congenital heart condition. According to Barker's mother, the grief of losing his younger sister remained with him his whole life. Barker followed in his father's footsteps, playing football for Cheltenham and winning three consecutive club best-and-fairest awards: in 1972 in the Under-16s/17s team, and then in 1973 and 1974 with the Under-18s. Barker grew up barracking for the St Kilda Football Club. Barker's boyhood dream
1413-400: A disappointing 2020 season where North won only 3 games and finished second-last, Rhyce Shaw left the club in late October 2020 due to personal issues, bringing his short tenure as head coach to an end. In 2021, former Western Bulldogs and Adelaide assistant coach and long-time football administrator David Noble was appointed as the new senior coach on an open-ended staff contract. Noble led
1570-590: A fast paced high-scoring line-up. Barker kicked three goals three times in the first 7 rounds. His ability to play mid-forward punctuated by 29 disposals and 3 goals in the Saints win over Melbourne in Round 6. After a high scoring first quarter which gave the Saints a 17-point lead, the team went on to amass 126 points by half time. The game ending in a 63 point win to St Kilda in a still club record score of 31.18 (204). St Kilda's season faltered mid-season, with six losses in
1727-419: A game for either medical or tactical reasons. Players on the playing surface can be swapped with those on the interchange bench at any time. They must though pass through a designated "Interchange Area". In the event a player fails to pass through this area correctly, or if too many players from one team are found to be on the ground at a time, a free kick will be awarded to the opposing side. While there
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#17327988069981884-703: A game more suited to adults and Australian conditions, the Melbourne Football Club published the first laws of Australian football in May 1859. Australian football has the highest spectator attendance and television viewership of all sports in Australia, while the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's only fully professional competition, is the nation's wealthiest sporting body. The AFL Grand Final , held annually at
2041-418: A major recruitment drive North secured the services of several big-name stars, including Barry Davis from Essendon , Doug Wade from Geelong , John Rantall from South Melbourne , and Barry Cable from Perth . In a major coup, the great Ron Barassi was appointed coach in 1973. Barrassi reversed the club's playing fortunes, taking a struggling team that was once regarded as the traditional cellar dwellers of
2198-399: A mark is taken, a small protected zone is established on the field, extending 10 metres (11 yd) either side of "the mark" and the player who marked the ball, with a small protected corridor between "the mark" and the player. The opposition player is permitted to jump, but is not allowed to move from their position on "the mark". Any other movements result in a distance penalty (50 metres in
2355-443: A multi-million dollar license fee to enter the competition to alleviate overall debt and generate more revenue. During this period of mooted expansion, with some public plans for new teams interstate revealed, Barker worked to attempt to help negotiate St Kilda FC out of its debts, to try to get a fresh financial start for the club. St Kilda FC's administration and Captain found creditors to be approachable and willing to negotiate. In
2512-460: A player breaks a rule, a free kick is awarded to the opposing team, from the location that the misconduct occurred, or the ball's current location—whichever is closer to the team's scoring zone. As when a mark is taken, this location is called "the mark", and the same protections regarding the space apply. North Melbourne Football Club Arden Street Oval (1966–1985) Coburg City Oval (1965) The North Melbourne Football Club , nicknamed
2669-502: A preliminary final berth in 2007, and a first-round elimination final exit in 2008, North Melbourne dropped to 13th in 2009, and coach Dani Laidley announced her resignation, with Darren Crocker acting as caretaker coach for the rest of the season, to eventually be replaced by ex-Brisbane Lions premiership player and Collingwood assistant coach Brad Scott . A$ 15 million redevelopment of the Arden Street, which had started in 2006,
2826-566: A proposed hybrid code of Australian football and rugby league , the predominant code of football in New South Wales and Queensland, was trialled without success. In Queensland, the state league went into recess for the duration of the war. VFL club University left the league and went into recess due to severe casualties. The WAFL lost two clubs and the SANFL was suspended for one year in 1916 due to heavy club losses. The Anzac Day match ,
2983-888: A pupil at Rugby School in England, and returned to his homeland a star athlete and cricketer. Two weeks later, Wills' friend, cricketer Jerry Bryant , posted an advertisement for a scratch match at the Richmond Paddock adjoining the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This was the first of several "kickabouts" held that year involving members of the Melbourne Cricket Club , including Wills, Bryant, W. J. Hammersley and J. B. Thompson . Trees were used as goalposts and play typically lasted an entire afternoon. Without an agreed-upon code of laws, some players were guided by rules they had learned in
3140-524: A record that has remained unmatched in Association or League history since. Despite being rejected from the VFL in both 1896 and 1907, North persisted in trying to gain admission into the League. On 30 June 1921, North told its players it would disband and try to gain entry to the VFL by the 'back-door'. Essendon League Football Club had lost its playing ground at East Melbourne and had decided to acquire
3297-586: A respectable 15 touches and was named among St Kilda's best players in The Age on the Monday following the game. Barker would play a further 17 games for the season to cement his place in the senior team, averaging 14 disposals a game in his first year. In the 1976 VFL season , which was Allan Jeans ' last season as St Kilda coach, Barker was moved to defence. He was often matched on larger opponents, acquitting himself superbly in just his second season. Excited by
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#17327988069983454-666: A rival committee which remained loyal to the VFA. The lease at Coburg lasted only eight months; the Coburg council was hesitant to build a new grandstand without the security of a long-term lease, and neither party made the returns they expected, so it was terminated by mutual agreement in September 1965 and North Melbourne returned to the Arden Street Oval. Onfield, the 1950s and 1960s were lean years for North Melbourne, though
3611-429: A row followed by a close 3-point win over second placed North Melbourne . Barker collected his first ever 30 disposals or more game against Melbourne in Round 17. The team rebounded to win four of the next five games to sit just outside the top five, separated from fifth-placed Geelong by only two premiership points courtesy of their draw against Richmond in Round 3. In Round 22, the Saints hosted Carlton at Moorabbin,
3768-401: A season full of close losses. Nick Dal Santo signed with the club at the end of the 2013 season as a restricted free agent . In 2014, North Melbourne finished 6th at the end of the home and away season and reached 40,000 members for the first time in the club's history. In September, North Melbourne went on to defeat Essendon by 12 points in the 2nd Elimination Final, only taking the lead in
3925-456: A second-tier status. The VFA merged with the former VFL reserves competition in 1998, adopting the VFL name. State of Origin also declined in importance, especially after an increasing number of player withdrawals. The AFL turned its focus to the annual International Rules Series against Ireland in 1998 before abolishing State of Origin the following year. State and territorial leagues still contest interstate matches, as do AFL Women players. In
4082-513: A select few ways as defined by the Laws of Australian Football, published by the AFL. The ball can be propelled in any direction by way of a kick or a clenched fist (called a handball )—deemed a correct disposal. Failure to dispose of the ball in one of these two methods will result in a free kick to the opposing team. If the ball is not currently in a player's possession, it can be moved legally through
4239-568: A selfless approach in the Sandringham Zebras playing group. He trained them hard, but he also developed wonderful relationships with all his players. In three seasons, he led the Zebras to two VFA premierships in 1992 and 1994, winning 44 out of his 58 games as coach. In 1995, he returned to the Saints as an assistant coach to Stan Alves , taking charge of the reserves team and mentoring many young St Kilda FC players who went on to play in
4396-620: A similar situation existing in Western Australia in the sport, the VFL pursued a more national competition. Two more non-Victorian clubs, West Coast and Brisbane , joined the league in 1987 generating more than $ 8 million in license revenue for the Victorian clubs and increasing broadcast revenues which helped the Victorian clubs survive. In their early years, the Sydney and Brisbane clubs struggled both on and off-field because
4553-498: A slightly modified version of the Victorian game in 1879. The South Australian Football Association (SAFA), the sport's first governing body , formed on 30 April 1877, firmly establishing Victorian rules as the preferred code in that colony. The Victorian Football Association (VFA) formed the following month. Clubs began touring the colonies in the late 1870s, and in 1879 the first intercolonial match took place in Melbourne between Victoria and South Australia . To standardise
4710-483: A spark into the side and lifted many hopes for North supporters and the excitement to the general football public. The innovative idea of night games was instigated by the club and meeting the challenges, the club survived. One major highlight was the recruitment of forward John Longmire in 1989, who topped the club goalkicking over five consecutive seasons (1990–1994) and won the Coleman medal in 1990 with 98 goals. At
4867-406: A technique known shepherding when the ball is within 5 metres (5.5 yd) of an opposition player. Shepherding involves the use of a player's body to push, bump or otherwise block an opposition player, providing they do not have possession of the ball. If a player takes possession of the ball that has travelled more than 15 metres (16 yd) from another player's kick, by way of a catch within
Trevor Barker - Misplaced Pages Continue
5024-427: A uniform code known as "Victorian rules". In 1866, the "first distinctively Victorian rule", the running bounce , was formalised at a meeting of club delegates chaired by H. C. A. Harrison , an influential pioneer who took up football in 1859 at the invitation of Wills, his cousin. The game around this time was defensive and low-scoring, played low to the ground in congested rugby-style scrimmages. The typical match
5181-414: Is also used by the women's team as a secondary home ground. The club's mascot is a grey kangaroo wearing the club uniform, and its use dates from the mid-20th century. The club is also unofficially known as "The Shinboners", a term which dates to its 19th-century abattoir-worker origins. The club's motto is victoria amat curam , Latin for "victory demands dedication". Aside from their representation in
5338-405: Is analogous to a basketball center and as such rucks are typically the tallest player on the team. Lifting teammates is not allowed so the ruck may only jump to reach the ball. If the ruck does not take possession of the football, it must must be tapped or fisted, which is known as a hit-out. An effective hit-out that passes the ball to a teammate is known as a hit-out to advantage. In the event
5495-481: Is known about these early one-off games, evidence does not support a causal link with Australian football. In Melbourne , in 1858, in a move that would help to shape Australian football in its formative years, private schools (then termed " public schools " in accordance with nomenclature in England) began organising football games inspired by precedents at English public schools . The earliest match, held on 15 June,
5652-460: Is known as the Goal Line. Around the perimeter of the field, two white lines are drawn between the set of behind posts in an arc-shape, marking the field of play. Other field markings include: The 50m arcs, centre square, centre circle and goal square are used at the beginning of each quarter or after each goal. With each team permitted a maximum of six players in each 50m arc, with one in
5809-470: Is no set uniform, the basic equipment for Australian football consists of a guernsey, shorts, socks and boots, with additional pieces of apparel such as headbands and gloves additionally being permitted. Players may wear certain pieces of protective equipment, such as helmets or arm guards, if approved by the relevant controlling body. Mouthguards are strongly recommended for all players. Players are not permitted to wear jewellery, or other materials which
5966-493: Is officiated by at least five match officials, known as an umpire . These match officials are placed into three categories based upon their roles and responsibilities, with varying minimum numbers of Umpires required depending on position: At AFL level, a video score review system is utilised. Only umpires are permitted to request a review, and only scoring shots and potential scoring shots are permitted to be reviewed. An Australian rules football may only be propelled forward in
6123-423: Is regarded as one of the most inspirational stories of Australian rules football and Australian sport in general, McCartney successfully returned to action on 6 June 2003 against Richmond at Docklands Stadium. Playing at full-forward, he took a mark in the final quarter, scored a goal from the resulting set shot, and set up Leigh Harding 's winning goal with two minutes remaining. McCartney retired immediately after
6280-519: Is the 4th oldest club in the competition and one of the oldest surviving clubs in the world. Its original home at Arden Street continues to serve as its headquarters, training facilities and home ground for its women's side. The club's senior men's team plays its home matches at Marvel Stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne , Victoria , as well as Blundstone Arena in Hobart , Tasmania which
6437-783: Is used. The ball must be inflated to a pressure of 69 kilopascals (10.0 pounds per square inch). There are no defined laws regarding what material a ball must be made from, but standard AFL match-used balls are produced by Sherrin using cowhide leather. While there is no standard colour of the ball, red and yellow are most common and the only colours used at AFL level. Yellow is used for games beginning after 3 pm or in an enclosed stadium, due to its greater visibility, and to assist score reviews. Unlike other forms of football which are played on rectangular fields, Australian rules football playing fields are oval-shaped, and are between 135 and 185 metres (148 and 202 yd) long and 110 and 155 metres (120 and 170 yd) wide. At either end of
Trevor Barker - Misplaced Pages Continue
6594-538: The 1996 Ansett Australia Cup premiership. Ill health saw his time at St Kilda FC headquarters restricted during 1995 and 1996. Barker had to put his coaching career on hold midway through the 1995 season for health reasons. He died at the Linacre Private Hospital in Hampton on 26 April 1996 of liver failure after a prolonged battle with colon cancer . He was 39 years of age. Barker's funeral at
6751-564: The Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2019. Barker was one of two children born to Jack and Norma Barker. His father was also a footballer, playing over 300 games for the Cheltenham Football Club , winning two club best-and-fairest awards, and once finishing runner-up in the league best and fairest . In February 1966, Barker's five-year-old sister, Katrina Margaret, died from complications caused by
6908-706: The Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos , is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also field a reserves men's team in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and women's team in the VFLW. Founded in the suburb of North Melbourne in 1869 and based at the Arden Street Oval , it
7065-595: The Melbourne Cricket Ground , is the second-highest-attended club championship event in the world . The sport is also played at amateur level in many countries and in several variations . Its rules are governed by the AFL Commission with the advice of the AFL's Laws of the Game Committee. Australian rules football is known by several nicknames, including Aussie rules, football and footy. In some regions, where other codes of football are more popular,
7222-616: The St Kilda Football Club . Barker was named in the club's Team of the Century 1900–1999. Barker was inducted to the St Kilda Football Club Hall of Fame in 2003; he was upgraded to Legend status in 2013. The home ground of the Sandringham Football Club was also named Trevor Barker Beach Oval in his honour. On 4 June 2019, Barker was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in
7379-407: The field umpire has deemed to be either potentially dangerous or increase the risk of injury to other players. Australian rules football is played with an ellipsoid ball, between 72 and 73 cm (28 and 29 in) in long circumference, and 54.5 and 55.5 cm (21.5 and 21.9 in) in short circumference. For women's competitions, a smaller ball size of 69 and 53 cm (27 and 21 in)
7536-595: The 1998 Grand Final to Adelaide , not helped by an inaccurate goalkicking performance of 8.22 (70) to Adelaide's 15.15 (105). In 1999, the Kangaroos finished the regular season in second position on the ladder, and went on to defeat Carlton in the Grand Final, winning the club's fourth VFL/AFL premiership; former Sydney midfielder Shannon Grant taking out the Norm Smith Medal . The club was eliminated in
7693-612: The 2010s, the AFL signalled further attempts at expanding into markets outside Australian football's traditional heartlands by hosting home-and-away matches in New Zealand, followed by China. After several failed bids since the early 1990s for a Tasmania-based AFL team, the Tasmania Football Club secured the 19th AFL license in 2023, and is set to compete by 2028. In a standard match, a team may consist of anywhere between 14 and 18 players who may be permitted on
7850-464: The AFL). The player who was awarded the mark may then choose to either dispose of the ball over "the mark" or may choose to attempt disposal via a different method, in which case the field umpire will call "play on"—a verbal instruction to continue play. "Play on" may also be called if the umpire deems the player awarded the mark to be taking an unreasonable amount of time to dispose of the football. Once
8007-411: The AFL, the Kangaroos also field teams in the competitions AFL Women's , VFL Women's and Victorian Football League competitions. The club has won four VFL/AFL premierships: 1975 , 1977 (replay), 1996 and the most recent in 1999 . In two aspects North Melbourne stands second to none. One is the loyalty of its supporters. The other is the determination to carry on, despite its disadvantages. In
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#17327988069988164-472: The AFLW using 17 minutes per quarter. For any given match, two timekeepers are appointed to officiate the duration. The timekeepers record all relevant statistics for the match, such as total quarter duration and score by each team. Additionally timekeepers are required to sound a siren prior to and at the conclusion of each quarter until such time they are acknowledged by the field umpires. To stop and recommence
8321-641: The ANFC, and later the Australian Football Championships (AFC) ran a night series , which invited clubs and representative sides from around the country to participate in a knock-out tournament parallel to the premiership seasons, which Victorian sides still dominated. With the lack of international competition, state representative matches were regarded with great importance. Due in part to the VFL poaching talent from other states, Victoria dominated interstate matches for three-quarters of
8478-522: The Arden Street Oval to Coburg Oval , signing a seven-year lease with the City of Coburg after initially negotiating long-term leases for up to 40 years. The club came to an arrangement to merge with the VFA's Coburg Football Club , whom it was displacing from the ground; fourteen Coburg committeemen joined the North Melbourne committee, but the merger was never completed after Coburg established
8635-539: The British Isles, "others by no rules at all". Another milestone in 1858 was a 40-a-side match played under experimental rules between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College , held at the Richmond Paddock. Umpired by Wills and teacher John Macadam , it began on 7 August and continued over two subsequent Saturdays, ending in a draw with each side kicking one goal. It is commemorated with a statue outside
8792-489: The Hotham Cricket Ground (now Arden Street Oval). Football took a giant step forward in 1877, with the formation of Victoria's first colonial football league, the VFA. Hotham were prime movers in establishing this league and were afforded a place in light of their previous contributions to Australian Football. The 1880s marked the emergence of the modern identity we now associate with North today. In 1882,
8949-583: The Irish game evolved in a similar direction. Another theory, first proposed in 1983, posits that Wills, having grown up among Aboriginals in Victoria, may have seen or played the Aboriginal ball game of Marn Grook , and incorporated some of its features into early Australian football. There is only circumstantial evidence that he knew of the game, and according to biographer Greg de Moore's research, Wills
9106-752: The MCG at the Parade Hotel, owned by Bryant, and drafted ten rules: "The Rules of the Melbourne Football Club" . These are the laws from which Australian football evolved. The club aimed to create a simple code suited to the hard playing surfaces around Melbourne, and to eliminate the roughest aspects of English school games—such as "hacking" (shin-kicking) in Rugby School football—to reduce the risk of injuries to working men. In another significant departure from English public school football,
9263-503: The MCG, and the two schools have since competed annually in the Cordner–Eggleston Cup , the world's oldest continuous football competition . Since the 1920s, it has been suggested that Australian football may have been derived from the Irish sport of Gaelic football . However, there is no archival evidence in favour of a Gaelic influence, and the style of play shared between the two modern codes appeared in Australia long before
9420-576: The Melbourne rules omitted any offside law . "The new code was as much a reaction against the school games as influenced by them", writes Mark Pennings. The rules were distributed throughout the colony; Thompson in particular did much to promote the new code in his capacity as a journalist. Following Melbourne's lead, Geelong and Melbourne University also formed football clubs in 1859. While many early Victorian teams participated in one-off matches, most had not yet formed clubs for regular competition. A South Yarra club devised its own rules. To ensure
9577-623: The Moorabbin Town Hall was attended by 6,000 mourners, and he was later buried at the Cheltenham Memorial Cemetery, alongside his sister. His contribution to St Kilda, particularly in the 1980s when the club had severe financial difficulties, was significant. St Kilda's best-and-fairest award, instituted in 1914, is named the Trevor Barker Award as a mark of respect to his contribution to
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#17327988069989734-610: The North Melbourne Cricket Club except that the two clubs shared some players. Interestingly, while the borough was originally named Hotham, the club didn't identify with that name until later and went by the name of North Melbourne Football Club for much of its early history. One thought is that the club was connected to the St Mary's Church of England Cricket Club, now the St Mary's Anglican Church North Melbourne, whose colours – blue and white – are reflected in
9891-722: The North Melbourne Recreation Reserve as a new playing ground. North accepted their proposal in the idea that the clubs would amalgamate. All of North's players were urged to join the Essendon League Club to help facilitate the amalgamation. The amalgamation was foiled when some members of the VFA launched a successful legal challenge. As a result, the Essendon League Club moved instead to the Essendon Oval, replacing
10048-492: The Northerners' third premiership in 1910. The 1912 finals series was one of the most amazing ever, with the semi-final having to be played three times, after North and Brunswick drew twice. North was eventually victorious and moved on to the final, but lost the game by a mere four points with the last kick of the day. The next few years were punctuated by "The Invincibles". In the Northerners' most illustrious period ever,
10205-409: The SANFL's Port Adelaide (1997), the only pre-existing club outside Victoria to join the league. In 2011 and 2012, respectively, two new non-Victorian clubs were added to the competition: Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney . The AFL, currently with 18 member clubs, is the sport's elite competition and most powerful body. Following the emergence of the AFL, state leagues were quickly relegated to
10362-451: The Saints to continue to operate as a business in the League as a whole, and fend off administration or liquidation. The then VFL administration began to discuss plans to further expand the competition, with a view to attempting to make it a national Australian League. The league stated it was in too difficult financial condition to offer St Kilda FC any large short-term financial assistance, and would need to add interstate teams and charge them
10519-558: The VFA, who wanted a visible contrast between Geelong's and Hotham's uniforms. The third significant development occurred in 1888 with the club returning to its original name of the North Melbourne Football Club. This followed the name of the local area reverting from Hotham to North Melbourne. The 1880s saw the club develop a penchant for inter-colonial travel with trips to Tasmania (1881/1887) and South Australia (1889). Hotham also found itself well represented at
10676-486: The VFL Minor Premiership, finishing top of the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season with 14 wins and 5 losses. They failed to make the Grand Final that year (eventually won by Essendon ), but in 1950 they did reach the final, but were defeated by Essendon. It was in this year that the club adopted the "Kangaroos" mascot. In February 1965, North Melbourne moved its playing and training base from
10833-435: The VFL, finally North was rewarded for its persistence with admittance to the League in 1925, along with Footscray and Hawthorn . Even then, the opportunity was almost lost as the League delegates debated into the early hours of the morning on which clubs should be invited to join the intake. It was only after much deliberation that North Melbourne's name was eventually substituted for Prahran's making North "the lucky side" of
10990-458: The VFL/AFL record among retired players for the most career games without playing in a final. Barker worked in the media for two years following his retirement in 1989 before embarking on what would be a short-lived but memorable coaching career with the Sandringham Football Club . Barker was quick to experience success as a coach. His broad range of experiences inside St Kilda FC help him instil
11147-470: The West Coast Eagles by 25 points after leading at half time. In 2016, North Melbourne won its first nine matches, which is the club's best start to a season in its VFL/AFL history. On 27 July 2016, the club announced it had surpassed 45,000 members for the first time in the club's history. In 2016, the Kangaroos fielded what was the oldest team in AFL history. Unfortunately after the midpoint of
11304-581: The annual game between Essendon and Collingwood on Anzac Day, is one example of how the war continues to be remembered in the football community. The role of the Australian National Football Council (ANFC) was primarily to govern the game at a national level and to facilitate interstate representative and club competition. In 1968, the ANFC revived the Championship of Australia , a competition first held in 1888 between
11461-497: The award in 1978. Doug Wade (recruited from Geelong Football Club, Geelong) won the Coleman Medal in 1974 with his 103 goals for the season. Barassi remained team coach until 1980, but only a Night Premiership in that year resulted in him leaving Arden Street . North then entered another period of decline, though Malcolm Blight kicked 103 goals to take out the Coleman medal in 1982, and another Brownlow win came through
11618-582: The back ), interference when marking, and deliberately slowing the play are discouraged with free kicks, distance penalties , or suspension for a certain number of matches depending on the severity of the infringement. The game features frequent physical contests, spectacular marking , fast movement of both players and the ball, and high scoring. The sport's origins can be traced to football matches played in Melbourne , Victoria , in 1858, inspired by English public school football games . Seeking to develop
11775-431: The ball . A distinctive feature of the game is the mark , where players anywhere on the field who catch the ball from a kick (with specific conditions) are awarded unimpeded possession . Possession of the ball is in dispute at all times except when a free kick or mark is paid. Players can tackle using their hands or use their whole body to obstruct opponents. Dangerous physical contact (such as pushing an opponent in
11932-428: The beginning of the 1993 season, in a dramatic and controversial move, the board of the club sacked coach and long-time player Wayne Schimmelbusch , and appointed Denis Pagan in his place. Results were immediate, as North reached the finals for the first time in nearly a decade. Pagan was instrumental in appointing young centre half-forward Wayne Carey as the club's youngest-ever captain. Carey had been recruited at
12089-442: The case of Sydney , denial of access to grounds, the influence of university headmasters from Britain who favoured rugby, and the loss of players to other codes inhibited the game's growth. In 1896, delegates from six of the wealthiest VFA clubs— Carlton , Essendon , Fitzroy , Geelong, Melbourne and South Melbourne —met to discuss the formation of a breakaway professional competition. Later joined by Collingwood and St Kilda ,
12246-514: The certificate from AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder. Tributes flowed from teammates and fans. Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge , who played under Barker for St Kilda 's reserve team, had nothing but praise for his boyhood idol: "Looking at him on the ground it was almost like seeing a polar bear in the Sahara, or a lion in the Arctic – he just stood out. He was a good-looking man and he
12403-450: The challenge, Barker's athleticism, courage and competitiveness throughout the season was obvious. Averaging 12 disposals a game, he relentlessly placed himself in position to challenge his opponents, his courage rewarded with 49 free kicks by the field umpires during the season, conceding just 13 for the year. Barker was recognised for his skill and courage at the end-of-season awards; he won the first of two club Best and Fairest awards and
12560-435: The clock, the field umpires are required to signal to the timekeepers to indicate when the clock should be stopped or restarted. Between each quarter, a break is observed to allow players a rest period. Two six-minute breaks are observed between the first and second quarters, and the third and fourth quarters. A longer 20-minute break is observed between the second and third quarter, commonly known as half-time . Each game
12717-533: The club amalgamated with the Hotham Cricket Club and moved into the North Melbourne Recreation Reserve (Arden St Oval), which remains the home of the club today. The joint venture was aimed at affecting improvements at the Hotham Cricket Ground, which was the name of the Reserve at the time. Four years later the club adopted the traditional uniform of blue and white vertical stripes at the insistence of
12874-522: The club did secure two consecutive Night Premierships in 1965 and 1966. Allen Aylett was a brilliant player in the late 1950s and early 1960s (and captain between 1961 and 1964), as was Noel Teasdale , who lost the Brownlow Medal on a countback in 1965 (he was later awarded a retrospective medal when the counting system was amended). In the late 1960s, under the leadership of Allen Aylett , North Melbourne began its climb to supremacy. As part of
13031-462: The club proposed changing its name to the "Northern Kangaroos", but it was rejected by the AFL. From 1999 to 2007, the club traded without much success as "The Kangaroos" in a bid to increase its appeal nationally; this decision was reversed at the end of 2007 when the club again reverted to the name "North Melbourne". "Join in the Chorus" is the official anthem of the North Melbourne Football Club. It
13188-478: The club to play in the VFA in the 1908 season. The reformation of the club necessitated a massive cleanout of the team, leaving only two players remaining from the previous season. The 1910 season was marked by one of the most sensational transfers in Victorian football history, when Andy Curran masterminded the clearance of Carlton's famed "Big Four" of 'Mallee' Johnson, Fred Jinks , Charlie Hammond and Frank 'Silver' Caine to North Melbourne. These signings secured
13345-442: The club to the wooden spoon in 2021 despite the team producing some encouraging results towards the end of the season and ending with four wins and a draw from the season. Noble resigned from the position in mid-2022 after pressure resulting from North's poor start to the season. On 19 August 2022, North Melbourne signed Alastair Clarkson to coach the team for five seasons, starting with the 2023 season. Clarkson stepped down as
13502-434: The club was known as the "Blue Birds", but this nickname did not last. It was Phonse Tobin, North president from 1953 to 1956, who oversaw the club adopting the kangaroo emblem in 1954; Tobin found the image of a shinbone unsavoury and wanted the club to have a mascot it could show with pride. In selecting a new name, he wanted something characteristically Australian and was inspired by a large kangaroo he saw on display outside
13659-415: The club went undefeated from 1914 to 1919, collecting premierships in 1914, 1915 and 1918 – the competition was in recess in 1916 and 1917 due to World War I . As well as this, the club won the championship in both 1915 and 1918 for finishing on top of the ladder, and accounted for VFL side St Kilda comfortably. During this period the club won 58 consecutive matches including 49 successive premiership matches,
13816-528: The club's colours today. The association between the St Mary's Church of England Cricket Club and the establishment of the North Melbourne Football Club is believed to have been an informal gathering to play some competitive sport. Information on the club's first ever match is limited, but it is known that it took place in Royal Park . James Henry Gardiner is often cited as a founder of the club, though he heavily promoted it in its early years in his role in
13973-426: The clubs formed the Victorian Football League (VFL), which held its inaugural season in 1897 . The VFL's popularity grew rapidly as it made several innovations, such as instituting a finals system, reducing teams from 20 to 18 players, and introducing the behind as a score. Richmond and University joined the VFL in 1908, and by 1925, with the addition of Hawthorn , Footscray and North Melbourne , it had become
14130-502: The coach of North Melbourne for part of the 2023 season due to him struggling with mental health problems from the racism accusations while he was at the Hawthorn Football Club, however returned toward the end of the season. The club was widely known as the "Shinboners" for much of its early history. The origins of the nickname is believed to come from the areas abattoirs, where a number of the players worked. By 1926,
14287-490: The code took hold during a series of gold rushes . Likewise, when New Zealand experienced a gold rush , the sport arrived with a rapid influx of Australian miners. Now known as Australian rules or Australasian rules, the sport became the first football code to develop mass spectator appeal, attracting world record attendances for sports viewing and gaining a reputation as "the people's game". Australian rules football reached Queensland and New South Wales as early as 1866;
14444-643: The competition through to a golden era of success that transformed North Melbourne into one of the powerhouses of the VFL. Barassi took North to a Grand Final (losing to Richmond by 41 points) in 1974 and brought success in his 1975 and 1977 seasons. North made five consecutive Grand Finals from 1974 to 1978 and defeated Norwood in the 1975 national championship and thus declared Champions of Australia . In 1973 and 1974, North's wingman Keith Greig (recruited from Brunswick Football Club, Victoria) won consecutive Brownlow Medals ; forward Malcolm Blight (recruited from Woodville Football Club, South Australia) then won
14601-514: The depleted VFA, emerging as a powerhouse, finishing 2nd in 1897, 1898 and 1899. In 1903, after 34 years of competing, the club won its first premiership, defeating Richmond in the final. The club became back to back premiers in 1904 after Richmond forfeited the grand final due to the appointment of an umpire whose performance when the two teams met earlier in the year was severely criticised by Richmond players and officials. North merged with fellow VFA football club West Melbourne in 1907, which at
14758-495: The end, some creditors took as little as 10 cents in the dollar in exchange for agreeing to write off St Kilda FC's debts to them, so the Saints could continue in the competition. Current and former players of the time who were owed money for their unpaid playing contracts agreed to a final settlement of 10 cents in the dollar, which was brokered in part by Barker himself. The clubs debt were almost totally wiped out by agreements with happy to help creditors, who were initially unaware of
14915-530: The extent of the financial woes. By the time the league administration announced the entry of the West Coast Eagles and Brisbane Bears into the competition for the start of the 1987 Premiership Season, for a license fee of 6 million dollars each, St Kilda FC was almost totally debt free thanks to the generosity of its creditors. Barker stood down from the Captaincy at the end of the 1986 Premiership Season. St Kilda FC appointed Darrel Baldock as its new coach for
15072-502: The face of adversity, which might well have broken the spirit of most men, we find that from the earliest days there were always enthusiasts to fight for North Melbourne. The exact date of founding is not known. The club believes that there were early attempts at formation dating back as far as 1864. An 1865 newspaper article mentions a match between North Melbourne and the South Yarra Football Club . Whether there
15229-409: The field of play, it is deemed as a mark . To be awarded a mark, it must be deemed that the player sufficiently controlled the ball and took possession prior to it being touched, touching the ground, or in the case of a contest, being spoiled by an opponent. Upon a mark being taken, one opposition player may choose to stand on the point on the field where the mark was taken, known as "the mark". When
15386-695: The field to help continue St Kilda FC appearing on the field in the most traumatic and stressful time in the clubs history. On-field results began to become an almost secondary issue to off-filed financial restraints, which permeated through all aspects of St Kilda FC through the mid-1980s. Barker continually reiterated the importance of the club as a whole, working off-field to find solutions to financial issues that were seen as insurmountable to some. Barker played 16 and 14 games respectively in 1983 and 1984, just four in 1985, and 18 in 1986, where he averaged 16.2 disposals per game. He also worked off-field to attempt to settle St Kilda FC's debts with its creditors, to allow
15543-413: The field, two sets of posts are erected in a straight line to indicate the scoring areas on the field, each with two kinds of posts, named the goal posts and the behind posts respectively. The goal posts are placed first, located 6.4 metres (7.0 yd) apart from each other, with a behind post being placed a further 6.4 metres to the side of each goal post. The name for the field line between two goal posts
15700-473: The first ever inter-colonial representative game in 1879 with four players from the club gaining selection for Victoria. The VFA grew to 13 senior clubs in the 1890s. Led by Geelong and Essendon , the largest clubs of the VFA formed their own breakaway league, the Victorian Football League (VFL), in 1896. Despite finishing 6th in 1896, North Melbourne was not invited to the breakaway competition. The main reasons for being excluded were: North continued on in
15857-627: The first match in Darwin . The game went on to become the most popular sport in the Territory and build the highest participation rate for the sport nationally. Both World War I and World War II had a devastating effect on Australian football and on Australian sport in general. While scratch matches were played by Australian " diggers " in remote locations around the world, the game lost many of its great players to wartime service. Some clubs and competitions never fully recovered. Between 1914 and 1915,
16014-536: The formation of the Adelaide Football Club , the oldest football club in Australia outside Victoria. It devised its own rules, and, along with other Adelaide -based clubs, played a variety of codes until 1876, when they uniformly adopted most of the Victorian rules, with South Australian football pioneer Charles Kingston noting their similarity to "the old Adelaide rules". Similarly, Tasmanian clubs quarrelled over different rules until they adopted
16171-527: The game, citing that his recovery had left him spent, and he was chaired from the ground. McCartney wore the numbers "88" and "202" on the front of his long-sleeved guernsey for the match, signifying the Australian and total number of victims of the Bali bombings, while many in the crowd bore signs reading "Bali 88/202". Onfield, the club reached the elimination finals in 2002 and 2004. After a top-4 finish and
16328-452: The game.” Australian rules football Australian rules football , also called Australian football or Aussie rules , or more simply football or footy , is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field , often a modified cricket ground . Points are scored by kicking the oval ball between the central goal posts (worth six points), or between a central and outer post (worth one point, otherwise known as
16485-435: The goal square and four players in the centre square with one in the centre circle. If this is breached, a free kick is awarded. A game lasts for 80 minutes, split into four-quarters consisting of 20 minutes playing time, with the clock being stopped for stoppages in play such as scores, or at the umpire 's discretion, e.g. for serious injury. Leagues may choose to employ shorter quarters of play at their discretion, such as
16642-608: The ground's original occupants, Essendon Association . North was now without a playing team and the Essendon Association Club was now without a ground, so as a matter of convenience the two clubs amalgamated so they could compete in the 1922 season. As it had after the merger with West Melbourne, North once again managed to avert its destruction. During this Period, North's main rivals were Footscray, Meeting them in three Grand Finals. After three attempts, 29 years of waiting and numerous other applications to enter
16799-585: The invitees that included Footscray and Hawthorn. North Melbourne was forced to change its uniform to avoid a clash when it joined the VFL. North Melbourne struggled for most of its first twenty-five years in the VFL , with one of few bright notes being Sel Murray winning the VFL Leading Goalkicker Medal in 1941 with 88 goals. By the late 1940s, North Melbourne had developed a strong list and significant supporter base. In 1949 North secured
16956-424: The knees (a low tackle or a trip ) or above the shoulders (a high tackle ), the team with possession of the football gets a free kick. Furthermore, tackles deemed to be dangerous by the umpire and those conducted from front-on while an opposition player has their head over the football are deemed to be prohibited contact, and will incur a free kick against the offending player. Additionally, players may perform
17113-402: The last quarter. The following week, North Melbourne beat Geelong in the 2nd Semi-final by 6 points advancing them through to their first preliminary final since 2007. Their finals campaign came to a disappointing end at Stadium Australia when they were beaten by Sydney by 71 points. In 2015 the club made history by becoming the first team to qualify for a preliminary final from 8th spot, losing to
17270-411: The last with a caretaker Coach as Darrell Baldock had been admitted to hospital with the diagnosis being a stroke. Barker played seven games in 1988 and 12 games in 1989. He retired at the end of the 1989 VFL Season after 230 games as a life member of St Kilda Football Club . Playing his whole career during an unsuccessful period for the club, Barker never played a finals match; and as of 2023 he holds
17427-399: The local council there is no documented evidence of his role in its formation. One of the earliest newspaper mentions of it was on 14 August 1869 when it was scheduled to play against Messrs. Walker, May, and Co. at Princes Bridge in what is now central Melbourne. The article mentions that the two teams had already played an earlier match, though it does not say when it does names the team
17584-568: The new national capital Canberra both soccer and rugby had a head start, but following the first matches in 1911, Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory became a major participation sport. By 1981 it had become much neglected and quickly lagged behind the other football codes. Australian rules football in the Northern Territory began shortly after the outbreak of the war in 1916 with
17741-461: The phasing out of many of the game's kicking styles and the increasing use of handball; while presentation was influenced by television. In 1982, in a move that heralded big changes within the sport, one of the original VFL clubs, South Melbourne, relocated to Sydney and became known as the Sydney Swans . In the late 1980s, due to the poor financial standing of many of the Victorian clubs, and
17898-407: The player has disposed of the ball, or "play on" is called, normal play resumes. Rucking is the only specialist skill and is performed by a ruck, the term for designated players from each side to which umpire sends the ball to commence play. Only a nominated ruck may contest ball-ups and throw-ins. They are the only player allowed within the 10 metre circle at a centre bounce. Functionally the role
18055-429: The player penalised for ' holding the ball ', except if the umpire deems there was a lack of prior opportunity to do so. The ball carrier may only be tackled between the shoulders and knees from the front or side. If the player forcefully contacts the opposing in the back while performing a tackle, the opposition player will be penalised for a push in the back . If the opposition tackles the player with possession below
18212-565: The playing quality and strength of the side. The Australasian noted them as being "one of the best of many junior clubs" meaning it the club was considered respectable but far from being regarded a powerhouse as such it would rarely if ever compete against the more notable clubs of the time such as Melbourne, University, Carlton or Geelong and as such was not invited to compete in the Challenge Cup . The club continued to develop, graduating to senior ranks in 1874, finishing 4th. Along with
18369-436: The playing surface at any given time. Each team may have up to four interchange (reserve) players who may be swapped for those on the field at any time during the game. Although some leagues in less populated areas may use as few as 12 players. In addition, some leagues notably including the AFL, have each team designate one additional player as a substitute who can be used to make a single permanent exchange of players during
18526-609: The preeminent league in the country and would take a leading role in many aspects of the sport. The time around the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901 saw Australian rules undergo a revival in New South Wales, New Zealand and Queensland. In 1903, both the Queensland Australian Football League and the NSW Australian Football Association were established, and in New Zealand, as it moved towards becoming
18683-417: The preliminary finals in 1994 and 1995, North went on to defeat the Sydney Swans in the 1996 Grand Final to take out the club's third premiership, and the gold centenary AFL cup; Glenn Archer won the Norm Smith Medal . The club was again eliminated in the preliminary final in 1997. In 1998, as the club won both the pre-season Ansett Cup and topped the ladder with 16 wins and 6 losses, but went on to lose
18840-567: The preliminary finals in 2000 against Melbourne. In 1996, the club was in advanced merger talks with the financially depleted Fitzroy Football Club to create the North Fitzroy Kangaroos Football Club ; however, Fitzroy ultimately merged with the Brisbane Bears instead. Seeking new markets and greater financial security in an increasingly corporatized AFL environment, the title "North Melbourne"
18997-481: The premiers of the VFA and SAFA. Although clubs from other states were at times invited, the final was almost always between the premiers from the two strongest state competitions of the time—South Australia and Victoria—with Adelaide hosting most of the matches at the request of the SAFA/SANFL. The last match took place in 1976, with North Adelaide being the last non-Victorian winner in 1972. Between 1976 and 1987,
19154-416: The promotion, the club adopted its first uniform of blue and white horizontal stripes. In 1876, North Melbourne disbanded, and many of its player and members joined Albert-park , giving the club such a strong North Melbourne character that many described it as "Albert-park cum North Melbourne". In 1877, the club was re-established as a stand-alone entity, under the name Hotham Football Club and moved to
19311-459: The same time as Longmire , but had taken longer to develop as a player. Over the next nine seasons, Carey came to be regarded as the standout player in the league and was known as 'the King'. North Melbourne became a powerhouse through the 1990s under Pagan and Carey, and finished in the top four, making the preliminary finals or better, in every season from 1994 until 2000. After being eliminated in
19468-450: The season averaging 18.5 disposals per game. With external financial pressures beginning to mount on St Kilda Football Club in the early 1980s, Barker was again a standout leader at the Saints in 1981. He achieved his highest disposals per game figure for his career, averaging a massive 24.7 disposals per game over 19 games, including six matches where he amassed 30 disposals or more. He was St Kilda Football Club's leading disposal winner for
19625-402: The season they fell away and struggled against some of the worst teams in competition. In the mid season of 2019 Brad Scott made the decision to leave NMFC after 10 years at the club taking them to the finals on multiple occasions. Rhyce Shaw took over as caretaker coach in the interim in mid- to late 2019 and was later awarded the position as head coach for the following 2020 season . After
19782-450: The season with 470, winning his second club Best & Fairest Award. He finished 7th in the Brownlow Medal for the season, clearly St Kilda FC's leading vote-winner. Barker was rumoured to have won a vehicle for being awarded the Best & Fairest in 1981, which he promptly raffled off to raise money for the club to stay in the league and continue to field a team each week. In 1982, Barker
19939-425: The season, racking up 493 disposals to go with his 87 marks, 23 goals and 92 free kicks for. It was his most prolific season at St Kilda. By now Barker was one of the established stars of the VFL, and fortunately his coaches at St Kilda FC gave him free rein to launch at the ball for his marks, resulting in a career highlight reel of marks that ranks alongside the greats Australian rules football. In 1979, Barker
20096-467: The sport across Australia, delegates representing the football associations of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland met in 1883 and updated the code. New rules such as holding the ball led to a "golden era" of fast, long-kicking and high-marking football in the 1880s, a time which also saw players such as George Coulthard achieve superstardom, as well as the rise of professionalism , particularly in Victoria and Western Australia , where
20253-472: The sport experienced a period of dominance in the former, and in the latter, several regions remain strongholds of Australian rules, such as the Riverina . However, by the late 1880s, rugby football had become the dominant code in both colonies, as well as in New Zealand. This shift was largely due to rugby's spread with British migration, regional rivalries and the lack of strong local governing bodies. In
20410-406: The sport is most often called AFL after the Australian Football League , while the league itself also uses this name for local competitions in some areas. Primitive forms of football were played sporadically in the Australian colonies in the first half of the 19th century. Compared to cricket and horse racing , football was considered a mere "amusement" by colonists at the time, and while little
20567-489: The standings suggesting St Kilda needed a win and Fitzroy to defeat Geelong to play Finals. The Saints put in one of their finest displays in recent seasons, thoroughly outplaying the Blues in front of a packed Moorabbin crowd to win by 40 points. Barker racked up 28 disposals and 2 goals, and was listed among St Kilda's best afield. St Kilda finished the season an underwhelming 6th. Barker was the Saints leading disposal winner for
20724-454: The start of the 1983 Premiership Season. His commitment to the club was more than that of a full-time player. He was regularly involved in organised and sometimes impromptu fund raising for the team to keep its playing list on the field for matches during his captaincy. Repeatedly replying to queries on whether St Kilda FC would have any kind of future at all with reiterating that the club was too important to let disappear. He worked diligently off
20881-424: The start of the 1987 season, with Barker remaining on the playing list. St Kilda was attempting a fresh start with massively reduced debts compared to the previous decade, no player or coaching staff wages owing, and looking forward to competing in an expanded competition that was undergoing restructuring which resulted in a permanent national draft and salary cap. The league administration had also been changed over to
21038-414: The substantial TV revenues they generated by playing on a Sunday went to the VFL. To protect these revenues the VFL granted significant draft concessions and financial aid to keep the expansion clubs competitive. The VFL changed its name to the Australian Football League (AFL) for the 1990 season , and over the next decade, three non-Victorian clubs gained entry: Adelaide (1991), Fremantle (1995) and
21195-613: The supremacy of the Melbourne rules, the first-club level competition in Australia, the Caledonian Society's Challenge Cup (1861–64), stipulated that only the Melbourne rules were to be used. This law was reinforced by the Athletic Sports Committee (ASC), which ran a variation of the Challenge Cup in 1865–66. With input from other clubs, the rules underwent several minor revisions, establishing
21352-425: The talented Ross Glendinning in 1983. In that year, North Melbourne won a third Minor Premiership with 16 wins and 6 losses for the season, but they failed to make the Grand Final. Despite the tough, disciplined coaching of the legendary John Kennedy , the 1980s and early 1990s were mostly lean years for the Kangaroos. However, the rebuilding of the club was taking place. The Krakouer brothers (Jim and Phil) brought
21509-425: The time had lost its home ground. The joint venture saw a chance of promotion, and the club applied for admission to the more prestigious VFL in 1908, but Richmond and University were admitted instead. North was kicked out of the VFA during the 1907/08 offseason as a result of applying to join the VFL, before the local community reestablished the North Melbourne Football Club under a new committee, successfully enabling
21666-412: The usage of other means, such as punching. While in possession of the ball, players may run with the ball, but are required to either bounce or touch the ball on the ground at least once every 15 metres (16 yd). Tackling is a technique employed by players used to force opposition players to dispose of the ball when they are in possession. Failure to dispose of the ball when legally tackled may see
21823-429: Was "almost solely influenced by his experience at Rugby School". A loosely organised Melbourne side, captained by Wills, played against other football enthusiasts in the winter and spring of 1858. The following year, on 14 May, the Melbourne Football Club was officially established, making it one of the world's oldest football clubs . Three days later, Wills, Hammersley, Thompson and teacher Thomas H. Smith met near
21980-435: Was St Kilda's best representative in the Brownlow Medal count, polling 21 votes to finish equal 13th with Carlton 's Rod Ashman and Fitzroy 's Kevin O'Keeffe . After his standout season in 1976, Barker changed to the number 1 jumper he would forever become synonymous with at St Kilda FC. Club Champion, Brownlow Medallist, and Premiership Player Ross Smith had served as assistant coach upon returning to St Kilda in 1975,
22137-556: Was a 20-per-side affair, played with a ball that was roughly spherical, and lasted until a team scored two goals. The shape of the playing field was not standardised; matches often took place in rough, tree-spotted public parks, most notably the Richmond Paddock ( Yarra Park ), known colloquially as the Melbourne Football Ground. Wills argued that the turf of cricket fields would benefit from being trampled upon by footballers in winter, and, as early as 1859, football
22294-485: Was allowed on the MCG. However, cricket authorities frequently prohibited football on their grounds until the 1870s, when they saw an opportunity to capitalise on the sport's growing popularity. Football gradually adapted to an oval-shaped field, and most grounds in Victoria expanded to accommodate the dual purpose—a situation that continues to this day. Football became organised in South Australia in 1860 with
22451-528: Was between Melbourne Grammar and St Kilda Grammar. On 10 July 1858, the Melbourne-based Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle published a letter by Tom Wills , captain of the Victoria cricket team , calling for the formation of a "foot-ball club" with a "code of laws" to keep cricketers fit during winter. Born in Australia, Wills played a nascent form of rugby football while
22608-413: Was captained by Fuhrhop, presumably Harry Fuhrhop . Fuhrhop was a Carlton United cricketer who would go on to later captain the football team between 1870 and its 1877 VFA team and, according to historian Gerard Dowling (1973), was a pivotal figure in the early establishment of the club. Other early newspaper reports include the 24th September 1870 against Carlton United at Royal Park (which the paper noted
22765-435: Was coined by scholar Ian Turner in 1978 to describe the "fictitious geographical barrier" separating the rugby-following parts of New South Wales and Queensland from the rest of the country, where Australian football reigned. It became a reference point for the expansion of Australian football and for establishing a national league. The way the game was played had changed dramatically due to innovative coaching tactics, with
22922-585: Was completed in 2009, giving the club top-class training facilities. North Melbourne struggled in its first two years under Brad Scott , finishing 9th in both 2010 and 2011. In 2012, the club returned to the finals for the first time since 2008, finishing the season in 8th place, but would go down to the West Coast Eagles by 96 points in an elimination final. In 2012, the club began a three-year deal to play two games each year at Blundstone Arena in Hobart , Tasmania . The club finished 10th in 2013 in
23079-494: Was continuity between this team and today's club or not, no further mentions appear in the mainstream media until 1869. It is generally believed to have been founded in North Melbourne in 1869 by local cricketers desiring to keep fit over the winter months, however its involvement in the season 1868/1869 implies that it had been formed at the latest the previous year. There is little evidence to support any connection to
23236-547: Was fulfilled when the Saints recruited him for the 1975 VFL season . After playing just one game in the reserves, Barker was selected on the half-forward flank for his senior debut in the Round 2 match against Hawthorn at Moorabbin Oval, wearing the number 25. After an even first quarter, in which St Kilda captain Barry Lawrence kicked four goals, Hawthorn took control and eventually won comfortably by 40 points. Barker had
23393-556: Was in decline, and questions were raised about its financial position and long-term sustainability. Furthermore, three of the people most important to the club's success in the 1990s left the club under acrimonious circumstances: CEO Greg Miller left the club, captain Wayne Carey left prior to the 2002 season following an extramarital affair with the wife of teammate and vice captain Anthony Stevens , and coach Denis Pagan
23550-505: Was lured to Carlton at the end of 2002. Pagan was replaced by 1996 premiership player Dani Laidley , who had previously been an Assistant Coach at Collingwood from 1999 until the end of season 2002. On a post-season holiday, several players were caught in the 2002 Bali bombings terrorist attack, notably defender Jason McCartney , who suffered second-degree burns to over 50% of his body while carrying others to safety and nearly died during surgery after being flown back to Melbourne. In what
23707-493: Was officially dropped from the logo in 1999, during which time the team played only as the "Kangaroos". During the successful 1999 season, North Melbourne played home games in Sydney with a view of becoming a second team in New South Wales ; however, the experiment was not successful, with crowds averaging only 12,000. North’s dominance of the league did not continue into the 21st century. Its decade-long on-field potency
23864-458: Was only medium-sized but he had amazing courage and he could virtually play anywhere. He was a brilliant and hard tackler ... but then you had the other extreme, which is the frilly bits in a game like the high marks, unbelievable skills — he was so clean. He just had everything and when you combine the ability to run and the courage that he had, he was the complete player. One of the most rounded, respected, hardest, talented, devoted, loyal players in
24021-404: Was restricted to 14 games through injury, with his off-field leadership becoming more important to St Kilda FC as severe financial hardship began to have its effect on the organisation as a whole. The Saints were having difficulties meeting financial requirements and commitments required to merely field a team in the competition. Barker was appointed Captain of the St Kilda Football Club prior to
24178-490: Was restricted to 15 games through injury, averaging just under 20 disposals per game. His 17 disposal 2 goal effort a standout in the Saints Round 1 win over Hawthorn, in what was a dismal year for the team as a whole. Uncontrollable outside pressures were beginning to mount on St Kilda FC , and they would have a devastating effect in the following years. 1980 saw Barker again restricted through injury, playing 17 games for
24335-504: Was senior coach for the 1977 VFL season . Barker averaged 14 disposals per game, amassed 70 marks, and 71 free kicks for. He kicked four goals in the Round 17 match against Hawthorn. For the 1978 VFL season , Ross Smith was replaced as coach by former Richmond player Mike Patterson . After successful recruiting, the Saints began the season strongly, with Barker being played more in a midfield-forward attacking role. The Saints were in second place after seven rounds on 5 wins and one draw with
24492-403: Was the living embodiment of St Kilda's club motto Fortius quo fidelius (strength through loyalty), staying with his beloved club through the toughest period in its history despite receiving better offers from other clubs. After his early death from cancer at the age of 39, St Kilda honoured Barker's memory by naming the club's best-and-fairest award in his name. He was posthumously inducted into
24649-424: Was the second meeting of the season between the two clubs) and 1st October 1870 against East Brunswick. Royal Park served as the club's home ground until 1882. Regular premiership matches of Australian Football commenced in Victoria in 1870. Although North Melbourne was a part of this, it was classed as a "junior club". The words junior and senior at the time were not used to distinguish underage side but rather
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