The 1927 Melbourne Carnival was the sixth Australian National Football Carnival: an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules 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 k ...

interstate The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

competition. New South Wales caused the biggest upset of the carnival when they defeated Tasmania by three points and, also, came close to beating Western Australia. Victoria again finished on top of the table.

Participating teams

Queensland

Queensland did not send a team to the Carnival.

Victoria's two-teams controversy

Victoria caused a controversy when it played a second eighteen in a match against a weaker state (i.e., against NSW, on 19 August 1927: see below) in order to keep its first eighteen fresh for the final match of the carnival, when it was to play against Western Australia. Consequently, on 19 August 1927, the Australian National Football Council — on the grounds that, "it was an unfair advantage £or the home team to choose from 200 players when the Visiting team had only 23 to 25 to pick from" — unanimously adopted a new rule for future carnivals; namely that, "in future football carnivals, the controlling bodies in each State shall nominate 25 players for the opening of the carnival, and the players so nominated, and no others, shall be entitled to play".

Players

All competing teams had 18 players, with no reserves.

New South Wales

Jack Sheehan (coach); Clement "Stumpy" Clark, Frederick "Snowy" Davies, Charlie "Mustard" Kean, George S. Knott, Samuel George "Sam" Organ, and Raymond Samuel "Ray" Usher of Eastern Suburbs; Douglas Rupert Gordon "Doug" Ayres, Horrie Finch, Arthur "Chubby" Gloster (captain), Eric William Justice, and Robert "Bobby" Smith of Newtown; Albert "Bert" McLean, and Hedley Clive Rooke of North Shore; Roy Pembroke Skelton, of Railway; Frank Cawsey, Harold John "Nugget" Green, Jack Hayes, Joe Smith, and Clifford "Snowy" Stanford of South Sydney; Emmett Joseph McGuire, and William Robert "Bill" McKoy of Sydney; and three players from the Riverina: Jack Dunn, of Ganmain; Ignatius Patrick "Nace" Kane, of Holbrook; and Walter Thomas Longmire, of

Corowa Corowa is a town in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is on the bank of the Murray River, the border between New South Wales and Victoria, opposite the Victorian town of Wahgunyah. It is the largest town in the Federation Council a ...

.Interstate Football Carnival, ''The (Adelaide) News'', (Thursday, 11 August 1927), p.1
note that the report's team list (mistakenly) has "Usher" as "Asher".

South Australia

Managed by Mr. C.F. Young, the secretary of the

North Adelaide Football Club North Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Roosters, is an Australian rules football club affiliated with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The club plays its home games at Prospect Oval, ...

, the players were

Bruce McGregor Harry Bruce McGregor (7 January 1903 in Broken Hill, New South Wales – 21 March 1990) was an Australian rules footballer who played with West Adelaide and South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). His son Ken ...

(captain), from West Adelaide;

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

(vice-captain), from Norwood; Gordon Barbary, Jim Handby, and Jack Owens, from Glenelg; Bert Hawke, Edward "Boy" Morris, Raymond Munn, and William James "Billy" Thomas, from

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

; Alick Lill, and Ernest William Charles Wadham, from Norwood;

Peter Bampton Peter Aloysius Bampton (22 June 1896 – 2 January 1968) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Port Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League, SANFL during the 1920s. Football Bampton p ...

, Victor Johnson,

Clifford Keal Clifford Hurst Keal (2 March 1901 – 3 October 1965) was an Australian rules footballer for the Port Adelaide Football Club between 1920 and 1929. Football He served as captain from 1924 to 1925, won the clubs best and fairest in 1927 and was ...

, and Ernest Warden Gordon "Punch" Mucklow, from Port Adelaide; Alfred Ryan, and William George "Bill" Oliver, from South Adelaide; Norman Barron, Horrie Riley, and

Charlie Whitehead Charlie Whitehead (September 12, 1942 – June 26, 2015) was a soul singer from Franklin, Virginia. Whitehead moved to New York City in 1968 and was subsequently signed to Musicor's R&B subsidiary, Dynamo Records, by Charlie Foxx. At Dynamo, W ...

, from Sturt; and Len "Buck" Ashby, Ernest John Hine, and Tom Kempster, from West Torrens.

Tasmania

Frank Burridge, of Burnie; Jack Charlesworth (captain-coach),

Horrie Gorringe Horace Charles Gorringe (4 July 1895 – 17 July 1994) was an Australian rules football player in Tasmania, who is considered to have been one of the greatest rovers in the game's history. Family The son of Lowther Gorringe (1864–1927), and ...

, Fred Pringle, and

Alan Scott Alan Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of a magical ring which grants him a variety of powers. He was created by Mar ...

of Cananore; Derek Bloomfield, and Keith Roberts of New Town; Albert "Alby" Bonnitcha, and Stan Felmingham of North Hobart; H.O. "Nip" Smith, of Penguin; Harry Pollock, of Ulverstone; Fred Aherne, Hector Brooks, Jack Dunn, Dick Freeman, Max Hay, Max Hislop, Fred Peacock, Hector Smith, J. Lewis, James Archibald "Snowy" Atkinson, T. Atcheson, D. Adams, and E. Foley.W.A. v. Tasmania, ''The (Perth) Daily News'', (Wednesday, 17 August 1927), p.2.
/ref>

Victoria

The Victorian squad was: Alex Duncan of Carlton;

Ted Baker Ted Baker is a British high-street clothing retail company known for suits, shirts, and dresses. It was founded in 1988 in Glasgow, Scotland. The company is owned by Authentic Brands Group, after its £211 million acquisition in October 2022. T ...

Gordon Coventry Gordon Richard James Coventry (25 September 1901 – 7 November 1968) was a former Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Accorded "Legend" status in the Australian Footb ...

, and

Syd Coventry Sydney Andrew Coventry (13 June 1899 – 10 November 1976) was an Australian rules footballer. Family He married Gladys Eileen Trevaskis (1901–1977) on 8 October 1921. West Coast of Tasmania Originally from Diamond Creek, Victoria, Diamond ...

of Collingwood; Garnet Campbell,

Allan Geddes Allan Edward Geddes (4 November 1903 – 12 December 1987) was an Australian rules football player who played between 1922 and 1924 in the VFA for the Williamstown Football Club, and in the VFL between 1925 and 1935 for the Richmond Football ...

, Frank Maher, and

Greg Stockdale Francis Gregory Stockdale (30 July 1899 – 14 May 1949) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1920s. Family The son of William Hallett Stockdale (1859–1927), and Agn ...

of Essendon;

Jack Moriarty Jack Moriarty (30 April 1901 – 5 September 1980) was an Australian rules footballer and champion goal-kicker in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of the Fitzroy full-back, dual premiership player, and first coach, Geoffr ...

of Fitzroy; George Jerram and Arthur Rayson of Geelong; Bert Chadwick, Bob Corbett,

Dick Taylor Richard Clifford Taylor (born 28 January 1943) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and founding member of the Pretty Things. Taylor was an early bassist for the Rolling Stones, but left the band to resume his studies at Sidcu ...

Ivor Warne-Smith Ivor Warne-Smith (29 October 1897 – 4 March 1960), was an Australian footballer, who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League and for the Latrobe Football Club in the North-Western Football Union in Tasmania. ...

, and Herbert White of Melbourne; Dave Walsh of North Melbourne;

Jack Baggott John Henry Baggott (20 July 1906 – 2 June 1995) was an Australian rules footballer who played and coached in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1927 and 1940 for the Richmond Football Club, Essendon Football Club, and South Melb ...

Donald Don Donald McKenzie Don (17 August 1900 – 31 May 1982) was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1917 and 1928 for the Richmond Football Club. He played in both the 1920 and 1921 Richmond premi ...

Basil McCormack Basil Milton McCormack (3 August 1904 – 19 February 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1925 and 1936 for the Richmond Football Club. Family The son of Michael McCormack and Ma ...

, and

George Rudolph George Ernest Rudolph (29 April 1901 – 1 April 1967) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1920s. Family The son of Frank Rudolph and Eliza Rudolph, née Barrett, George E ...

of Richmond; and

Bill Berryman William Edward "Bull" Berryman (14 November 1899 – 11 January 1953) was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1920s. Family The eldest son of Edwin William Berryman (1 ...

, and Martin Brown of South Melbourne.

Two Victorian teams

The weaker Victorian team — the centre of the controversy (on the grounds that only four of the team's players had appeared in either of Victoria's two earlier Carnival matches) — made up of Frank Maher of Essendon (captain);

of Collingwood; Garnet Campbell, Joe Harrison, and

of Essendon; Gordon Hellwig, and

Len Wigraft Leonard Herman Wigraft (28 January 1897 – 16 January 1982) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy Football Club, Fitzroy in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL). Football Wigraft usually played ...

of Fitzroy; Charlie Gaudion,

Alby Outen Albert Henry Outen (6 December 1902 – 21 July 1972) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1920s. Family The youngest of the s ...

, and Roy Thompson of Footscray;

Ted Pool Herbert Edwin "Ted" Pool (9 November 1905 – 11 February 1975) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of William James Pool (1882-1934), and Harriet Jane Pool (1885- ...

of Hawthorn;

Tommy McConville Tommy McConville (19 March 1946 – 25 October 2013) was an Irish professional association football, footballer. Career McConville was put on the transfer list in September 1974. He earned his first international cap for the Republic of Irelan ...

of Melbourne; Leo Dwyer, and

Bill Russ William Wallace Russ (6 July 1899 – 13 August 1977) was an Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne and Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL). A centreman, Russ was a member of North Melbourne's inaugural VFL s ...

of North Melbourne;

Percy Bentley Percy Bentley (13 December 1906 − 25 March 1982) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League. Bentley was a strong ruckman and great tactician who was a key player and coach for the Richmond Football Club duri ...

, and Tom O'Halloran of Richmond; and Martin Brown, and Austin Robertson of South Melbourne, played against New South Wales on Friday, 19 August, the day before the State's final match against West Australia. The full-strength Victorian team that played against West Australia on Saturday, 20 August, contained only two of those (Greg Stockdale and Gordon Coventry) who had played the day before; George Todd of Geelong, and Greg Stockdale of Essendon, replaced the injured Donald Don and Arthur Rayson (respectively) in the (well rested) full-strength side that had played against Tasmania five days earlier.

Western Australia

Phil Matson Phillip Henry Matson (22 October 1884 – 13 June 1928) was a record-breaking swimmer, and both a highly successful player and coach of Australian rules football in the early 20th century, chiefly in Western Australia. Family The son of Georg ...

(coach), and Arthur Howson, of Claremont-Cottesloe; Denis "Dinny" Coffey, and Dave Woods of East Fremantle; Hugh "Bonny" Campbell, Wally Fletcher, Jack Guhl, Joe "Brum" O'Meara, Albert George Percy "Staunch" Owens, Henry James "Harry" Sherlock, Valentine Christopher "Val" Sparrow, Albert Western of East Perth; Allan Evans, Leo M'Comish, and Albert Watts (captain) of Perth; C.J. "Jerry" Sunderland, of South Fremantle; Wilfred James Patrick "Bill" Brophy, Arthur Robert Green, John McGregor "Snowy" Hamilton,

Johnny Leonard John James Leonard (8 June 1903 – 3 May 1995) was a player and coach of Australian rules football in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and the Victorian Football League (later renamed to Australian Football League) in the period ...

, Tom Outridge (vice-captain), and Alf Smith of Subiaco; and Jim Craig, and

Jack McDiarmid John Frederick Dawes McDiarmid (3 October 1903 – 10 August 1974) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the West Perth and Claremont Football Clubs in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL). He was inducted into ...

of West Perth."From the Land of the Swan": Wells (1927).

Individual match results

Carnival championship table

Leading Goalkickers

(Victoria) - 27 * Fred 'Cocky' Aherne (Tasmania) - 20

Footnotes

References

* "Wells" ( Samuel Garnet Wells (1885-1972))
"Football Carnival Personalities as seen by Sam Wells", ''The Sporting Globe'', (Wednesday, 24 August 1927), p.14.

External links

{{Interstate matches in Australian rules football History of Australian rules football Australian rules interstate football 1927 in Australian rules football August 1927 sports events