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Lake Tyers vs. Northcote Football matches 1944-1950
On the Kings Birthday holiday, Monday 12 June 1944, Doug Nicholls led a team of NSW Aboriginal footballers against the Northcote Seconds at the Northcote Cricket Ground. The Aboriginal team was from Lake Tyers and wore red, white and blue jumpers with white shorts. The proceeds from the match going to the Children’s Hospital. At the time Nicholls stated it was “…his life-long ambition to lead an aboriginal 18.” The Boomerang Aboriginal Club organized the match, Jack Connolly (President), Eric Onus (Secretary) and Harry Booth (Treasurer) taking leading roles.
Match day saw a crowd of 10,000 saw the Aboriginal Team go down 16.18 to 11.15, a sad result for the visitors who were leading at ¾ time. Led by Nicholls, the Aboriginal team included Jim Murray, Tom Cooper, Reg Thorpe, Denny Marks (just returned from serving in the AIF in New Guinea), Ray Jackson, Keith Nelson, and Stan Charles. A total of £450 was raised for the Children’s Hospital.
The following King’s Birthday weekend, 9 June 1945 Nicholls again lead his team against a Northcote side. This time he gained his revenge with a one-point victory over the home team. The final score of 15.10 beat Northcote’s 14.15. At half time, the match seemed over with Northcote well in control but a great third quarter by the Aboriginal team saw them score 44 points to zero and in a tense final quarter squeezed home. Best for the Aboriginal team was Nelson, T. Muir, F. Walker and J. Murray. The crowd was a little down on the previous year but still passed 6,000 and raised nearly £300.
In 1946, Northcote was able hold on for victory despite a last minute rally by the Aboriginal Team. In January 1947, Nicholls was appointed the coach of Northcote, the first Aboriginal coach of a Victorian Football Association team. There does not appear to have been matches between the two sides in 1948 and 1949 but the Lake Tyers team made a returned to Northcote in 1950.
The 1950 match saw Northcote comfortable winners with The Age mentioning a boomerang demonstration before the match.
Sources
‘Sporting’. (1944, June 16.). Riverine Grazier (Hay, NSW : 1873 – 1954), page 2
‘All black Team shows good form.’ (1944, June 14). Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic. 1922-1954). p/ 13
'Aborigines defeat Northcote by one point’. (1945, June 19). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), p. 13.
‘Northcote to play against Aborigines.’ (1946, June 14). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), p. 18.
