1990 OMFL Grand Final

Last updated
1990 OMFL Grand Final
Lavington Blues Football Club colours.jpg

Lavington 		WodongaFColdcolours.png

Wodonga
8.14 (62)10.22 (82)
1234
LAV4.1 (25)7.8 (50)8.10 (58)8.14 (62)
WOD3.5 (23)4.9 (33)5.15 (45)10.22 (82)
Date23 September 1990
Stadium Albury Sports Ground
Attendancec. 8,000
UmpiresShane McDonald
Ken Wright
Broadcast in Australia
Network Prime Television
CommentatorsNick Coe
Gavin Dainton
Merv King

The 1990 OMFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between Lavington and Wodonga at Albury Sports Ground on 23 September 1990. It was held to determine the premiers of the Ovens & Murray Football League (OMFL), a semi-professional competition based around the Ovens Murray region in New South Wales and Victoria, for the 1990 season.

Contents

The match became known as the "The Bloodbath" after players were engaged in a succession of brawls early in the match. Footage of the brawls was shown around the world, and it has been described as the OMFL's "darkest day". [1] [2]

Wodonga won the match by 20 points, despite having trailed at the first three breaks, marking the club's fifth senior premiership. This was the second premiership for Jeff Gieschen as Wodonga coach, having coached the club to a victory in 1987, and he later went on to coach West Perth and Richmond. [3]

The match was held following the 1990 reserves grand final, in which Lavington also played Wodonga, a match that was "equally as fiery" as the seniors. [4]

Match summary

Around a minute after the first quarter began, a brawl began between Lavington and Wodonga players, which lasted for around three minutes. [5] Eventually, a free kick was awarded to Wodonga captain Ernest Whitehead almost directly in front of his club's goals. However, he missed and kicked a behind, in what was the first score of the match. [6]

Ken Wright, one of the umpires on the day, recalled in 2014 that "we couldn't get the game going again because the ball had been kicked over the fence, so we didn't even have a ball". [7]

Lavington led by just two points at quarter time. Their lead was extended to 17 points at half-time, then cut slightly to 13 points at three-quarter time, before Wodonga kicked five goals and restricted Lavington to just four points in the final quarter to win the grand final. [8]

Scoreboard

1990 OMFL Grand Final
Sunday, 23 September Lavington v Wodonga Albury Sports Ground (crowd: c. 8,000) [8]
4.1 (25)
7.8 (50)
8.10 (58)
 8.14 (62)		Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final		3.5 (23)
4.9 (33)
5.15 (45)
 10.22 (82)		Umpires: McDonald, Wright
Television broadcast: Prime Television
2: K. Mansell
1: M. Killeen, K. Bahr, A. Banes, J. Lamont, M. McGuirk, B. Wilson		Goals3: B. Allen
2: R. West, T. Burgess, D. Gleeson 2
1: S. Murphy
P. Lappin, W. Pendergast, N. Shaw, B. Wilson, W. Stanlake, R. HamiltonBestG. Cordy, D. Greenhill, S. Murphy, B. Crothers, G. McGhee, A. Nicholls, B. Allen, D. Pevitt, E. Whitehead

Aftermath

Fifteen players received a combined total of 68 matches in suspensions following the match − a combined 46 for Lavington players and 22 for Wodonga players. [4]

Footage of the brawls, which was broadcast live Prime Television, was shown across Australia and around the world. [1]

Legacy

Comparisons to this match were made following the 2004 AFL Cairns Grand Final between Port Douglas and North Cairns, where a brawl began moments after the conclusion of the national anthem before further fighting and the eventual stripping of the premiership against North Cairns. [9] [10]

A documentary on the match was released on 15 July 2023 and premiered at the Albury Regent Cinema. [4] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haydn Bunton Sr.</span> Australian rules footballer

Haydn William Bunton was an Australian rules footballer who represented Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL), Subiaco in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), and Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) during the 1930s and 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AFL Cairns</span>

AFL Cairns is a semi-professional Australian rules football league that includes clubs from the Cairns region in Queensland, Australia. It is widely regarded as the strongest regional Australian rules football league in Queensland and has a large base at Cazalys Stadium which has staged Australian Football League matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavington Sports Ground</span> Mixed-use venue in Albury, Australia

Lavington Sports Ground is a sports ground located in the suburb of Hamilton Valley near Lavington on the north-west fringe of the city of Albury, Australia. The oval is nestled in the side of a hill, with concrete terraces cut into the southern side of the oval below a grass embankment and the grandstand and changing rooms located on the north-west flank. The venue also incorporates a 4 table cricket wicket, a velodrome for track cycling and two netball courts. The Lavington Panthers Sports Club licensed club was formerly located next to the ground, across Hanna Street.

Albury Sports Ground is a sporting ground located close to the central business district of Albury, Australia. The oval is near the NSW bank of the Murray River, with a historic grandstand on the north-western flank, and a members' club with a grandstand and changing rooms on the eastern wing. The venue also incorporates a netball court in the north-eastern corner, while the Albury Swim Centre is adjacent to the west. The ground is part of a string of parks and gardens between the Murray River and Wodonga Place that include the Albury Botanic Gardens, Hovell Tree Park, Noreuil Park, Australia Park, and Oddies Creek Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hume Football Netball League</span>

The Hume Australian Football Netball League (HFNL), often shortened to Hume Football League, is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing twelve clubs based in the South West Slopes and southern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The league features four grades in the Australian rules football competition, with these being First-Grade, Reserve-Grade, Under 17s and Under 14s. In the netball competition, there are six grades, with these being A-Grade, B-Grade, C-Grade, C-Reserve Grade, Intermediates and Juniors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovens & Murray Football Netball League</span> Australian rules football and netball competition

The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray area. The name comes from the Ovens River, the river in the part of north-eastern Victoria covered by the league, and the Murray River, which separates Victoria and New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wodonga Raiders Football Club</span> Australian rules football club

The Wodonga Raiders Football & Netball Club is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the city of Wodonga. The Raiders' football and netball squads currently compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League. The origins of the club dates back to the Kergunyah Football Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtleford Alpine Saints Football Netball Club</span> Australian rules football club

The Myrtleford Alpine Saints Football Netball Club, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the town of Myrtleford, in north east Victoria on the Ovens River. The football and netball squads play in the Ovens & Murray Football League (OMFL).

The Wangaratta Magpies Football Club, officially known as the Wangaratta Magpies Football & Netball Club, is an Australian rules football club, which first played in the Ovens and Murray Football League in 1893 and is based in Wangaratta, Victoria at the Wangaratta Showgrounds and play on the Norm Minns Oval.

Francis Douglas Strang was an Australian rules footballer who played as a full forward in the VFL between 1931 and 1935 for the Richmond Football Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1934 VFL season</span> 38th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL)

The 1934 VFL season was the 38th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 5 May until 13 October, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albury Football Club</span> Australian rules football club

The Albury Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Albury, a major regional city in New South Wales. Albury football and netball squads compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wodonga Football Club</span> Australian rules football and netball club

The Wodonga Football Netball Club, nicknamed the Bulldogs, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the city of Wodonga, Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Williamson (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer

Gary Williamson was an Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond and South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarrie Morelli</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1906

Clarrie "Dido" Morelli, whose paternal grandfather was Italian-born, was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Gerry "Podge" O'Neill was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Steven Hedley is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Sydney in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Percy Alan Jones was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

The Rutherglen Football Club was an Australian rules football club based in Rutherglen, Victoria, being a founding member of the Ovens & Murray Football League in 1893. In 1979, the club merged with Corowa to form the Corowa-Rutherglen FC, joining the Ovens & Murray Football League.

The 2004 AFL Cairns Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between Port Douglas and North Cairns at Bundaberg Rum Stadium on 18 September 2004. It was held to determine the premiers of the AFL Cairns competition, a semi-professional competition in Cairns, Queensland, for the 2004 season.

References

  1. 1 2 "A Brief History". GameDay. SS&A OVENS & MURRAY FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024.
  2. ↑ Cram, Matt (13 May 2010). "O&M "Bloodbath": True victory denied". Archived from the original on 29 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "Country Footy Living Legends: The best of the bush". The Weekly Times. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Johnston, David (1 June 2023). "Ovens and Murray: 1990 grand final documentary to premiere in July". The Weekly Times. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  5. ↑ NewsDNARaw (31 May 2023). "1990 Ovens and Murray Bloodbath grand final". news.com.au. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "1990 Ovens and Murray bloodbath grand final". Dailymotion. The Border Mail. 31 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  7. ↑ "Ken Wright – a country umpire". AFL Umpires Association. 10 September 2014. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  8. 1 2 "GRAND FINALS". O&M Football Netball League. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  9. ↑ "Infamous final won't spur Croc's premiership charge". GameDay. AFL Cairns. 21 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024.
  10. ↑ Sparkes, Rowan (7 August 2021). "Violence in sport: FNQ's ugliest brawls on and off the field". Cairns Post. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  11. ↑ Moore, Josh. "Bloodbath - Documentary Premiere Screening". eventbrite. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.