Port Melbourne Railway United Football Club

Last updated
Port Melbourne Railway United
Names
Full namePort Melbourne Railway Football Club
Former name(s)Port Melbourne Junior Football Club (c. 1919−c. 1928)
Nickname(s)Portsmen, Ways [1] [2]
Club details
FoundedMarch 1902;122 years ago (1902-03)
Dissolvedc. 1939;85 years ago (1939)
PremiershipsVJFA (3)
  • 1910
  • 1013
  • 1914
Ground(s)Richmond City Reserve
Uniforms
Kit body redstripes.png
Kit body sleeveless.png
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks hoops red.png
Kit socks long.svg
Home

The Port Melbourne Railway United Football Club, also known simply as Railway United or just Railway, was an Australian rules football club based in Port Melbourne. [3] [4]

Contents

Railway United was one of the most successful clubs in the Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA), appearing in seven grand finals from 1910 until 1926. It also had an reserves affiliation with the Port Melbourne Football Club in the mid-1920s. [5]

The club had various rivalries throughout its history, most notably with the Yarraville Football Club, as well as with the Fernside Football Club and Prahran Juniors. [6] [7] [8]

History

Early years

Port Melbourne Railway United was formed in March 1902 after a meeting at the Prince Arthur Hotel. [7] The club entered the A Section of Fenton and Dinsdale's Suburban 6th rate competition, finishing third at the end of the season. [7] Many of the club's players also worked on the Sandridge railway. [9]

In 1903, Railway United moved to R. Smith's South Suburban 5th rate competition. [7] However, several of the club's best players left shortly before the start of the season. Despite this, the club went onto win its first 5th Rate game with only 16 players, and after gaining more players as the season progressed, went onto win the premiership. [7]

Railway United moved to the Linton 5th rate competition in 1904, going undefeated for the season, and then entered the 3rd rate competition in 1905, although "many thought they were too small for this competition". [7] They were again undefeated for the season in what The Port Melbourne Standard described as "undoubtedly the best team that ever played" in the 3rd rate competition. [7]

The club discussed joining the Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA) for the 1906 season, but ultimately chose to stay in the 3rd rate competition. [7] Owing to a misunderstanding as to where the first match was to be played, a number of Railway United players did not turn up, and the club was defeated by a point in round 1 (their first defeat in three seasons). They won the premiership for the fourth time in a row. [7] [10]

VJFA entry

In 1907, after a "great deal of discussion", Railway United entered the VJFA with a 1st rate team, playing their home games at Richmond City Reserve. [7] [11] The club finished second on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season and were widely seen as premiership favourites, but after a disagreement about who would play against Footscray Juniors in the semi-final, players entered the field "very dissatisfied" and a 26-point loss followed. [7] [12]

The 1908 season was a difficult one for Railway United, as they had close losses to Footscray Juniors and Yarraville and just missed out on a place in the finals series. [7] The fifth-placed finish was the club's lowest in its history. [13] They also appeared to have played at least home home game against Port Melbourne Cricket Ground this season. [14]

They returned to the finals series in 1909, but again missed out after a semi-final loss to Yarraville. [15]

VJFA success

Railway United won its first VJFA premiership in 1910, defeating Yarraville by 25 points. [16] The grand final was again reached in 1911, but Railway United was defeated by Fitzroy Juniors by 38 points. [17]

In 1912, the club was involved in a controversial grand final against Yarraville. [18] Railway United won the match by three points, but Yarraville successfully protested one of Port Melbourne's second quarter goals on the grounds of goal umpire error, and the match was reversed to a three-point Yarraville victory. [19] Although they had the right to challenge, Railway United refused to play as its own act of protest, and was almost banned from the VJFA as a result. [20] [21]

The 1913 and 1914 seasons saw back-to-back premierships for Railway United, with victories over Yarraville and South Melbourne District respectively. [22] [23] The club did not make any grand finals in the following six seasons, possibly because 80 of its players were fighting in World War I (the highest proportion of the total number of players recruited from a VJFA club) and it appears to have been in recess for the 1916 season. [24] [25] Railway United suffered an 11-point loss to Preston in the 1921 grand final. [26] [27]

Later years

In 1924, the VJFA started to formally become the reserves competition for the Victorian Football Association (VFA). [28] By 1925, Railway United were effectively the reserves team of the VFA's Port Melbourne Football Club, and were referred to in the media as the "Port Melbourne Junior Football Club" (although the Railway United name remained in use locally for many years). [29] [30] [31] [32]

Back-to-back grand final losses against Yarraville came in 1925 and 1926. [33] [34]

In 1928, the VJFA officially became the VFA reserves competition, and Railway United (like all other non-VFA clubs) left the VJFA, joining the Metropolitan Junior Football Association (MJFA). [35]

Exactly what happened with the club in the next decade is unclear. Records show it was still active in the 1930s, with Port Melbourne playing at least one practice game against Railway United ahead of the 1930 VFA season. [36] [37] [38]

It appears the club may have played in the Wednesday Football League (WFL), a mid-week workplace competition that disbanded in the mid-1930s. [39] A club known as "Railways" was known to have competed in the 1920s and 1930s as one of the strongest clubs in the competition, but that included seasons where Port Melbourne Railway United was in the VJFA. [24] [40]

Port Melbourne Railway United still existed in 1938, but no records can be found after this time. It is possible the club dissolved because of the impacts of World War II. [41]

Honours

Season records

At the end of the 1910 VJFA season, Railway United had a total winning record of 84.97%. [7]

PlayedWonLostDrawnGF/BFTFGA/BATA
173147242832.12996291391.6092955

Seasons

PremiersGrand FinalistMinor premiersFinals appearanceWooden spoon
YearLeagueDivisionFinishWLDCoachCaptainBest and fairestLeading goalkickerRef
1902 6th rate3rd
1903 5th rate1st
1904 5th rate1st0
1905 3rd rate1st0
1906 3rd rate1st
1907 VJFA 2nd1341 [42]
1908 VJFA 5th1080 [13]
1909 VJFA 2nd1341 [43]
1910 VJFA 1st1510A. Hair [44] [45]
1911 VJFA 2nd1350J. Menzies [46] [47]
1912 VJFA 1st [48]
1913 VJFA 1st1610Moloney [49] 45 [50]
1914 VJFA 1st1130 [51]
1915 VJFA 5th1170W. Critch [52] [53] [54]
1916 VJFA (In recess due to World War I) [25]
1917 VJFA 7th6120 [55]
1918 VJFA 6th790 [56]
1919 VJFA 4th870 [57]
1920 VJFA 5th [58]
1921 VJFA 2nd1340 [59]
1922 VJFA 6th1080 [60]
1923 VJFA 8th7111 [61]
1924 VJFA VFA Section5th1060 [28]
1925 VJFA VFA Section [a]
1926 VJFA VFA Section1st [b] [62]
1927 VJFA VFA Section
1928 MJFA
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938

VFL players

A number of Railway United players also played in the Victorian Football League (VFL), which is known today as the Australian Football League (AFL). [63]

Notes

  1. ↑ In 1925, Railway United finished in an unknown position in the VFA Section and were runners-up in the VJFA Section grand final.
  2. ↑ In 1926, Railway United finished 1st in the VFA Section but were runners-up in the VJFA Section grand final.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Bullants</span> Australian rules football club

The Northern Bullants are a semi-professional Australian rules football club that currently competes in the Victorian Football League (VFL). The club, which is based in the Melbourne suburb of Preston, plays its home games at Preston City Oval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarraville Football Club</span> Australian rules football club (VFA)

The Yarraville Football Club, nicknamed the Eagles, was an Australian rules football club founded in 1903 which competed in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1928 until the club went into recess in 1984.

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

The Northcote Football Club (/ˈnoːθ.kət/), nicknamed the Dragons, was an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA from 1908 until 1987. The club's colours for most of its time in the VFA were green and yellow, and it was based in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote.

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

The Brighton Football Club, nicknamed the Penguins, was an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton. The club was a founding member of the Metropolitan Junior Football Association (MJFA) in 1892, before moving to the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1908.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Cook (Australian footballer, born 1947)</span> Australian rules footballer (1947–2022)

Frederick William Cook was an Australian rules footballer

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

The Camberwell Football Club, nicknamed the Cobras, was an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell. The club competed in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1926 until 1990, which was followed by three seasons in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) before going into recess in 1995.

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

The Kew Football Club, nicknamed the Bears, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Kew. The club's men's team currently competes in Division 1 of the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), while the women's team is in the Premier Division of the VAFA Women's (VAFAW) competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne City Football Club (VFA)</span> Former Australian football club

Melbourne City Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1912 and 1913, and was notable for failing to win any matches in that time. The club played its home matches at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The 1924 Victorian Football Association season was the 46th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Footscray Football Club, after it defeated Williamstown by 45 points in the final on 20 September. It was the club's ninth and last VFA premiership before it, along with North Melbourne and Hawthorn, joined the Victorian Football League the following year; this marked the end of a long period of dominance for Footscray, which had seen it win five minor premierships in a row and four major premierships in six years.

The 1926 Victorian Football Association season was the 48th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Coburg Football Club, after it defeated Brighton by 16 points in the final on 18 September. It was the club's first VFA premiership, achieved in only its second season of senior competition.

The 1928 Victorian Football Association season was the 50th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Coburg Football Club, after it defeated Port Melbourne by seven points in the final on 8 September. It was the club's third VFA premiership, achieved in only its fourth season of senior competition, and was the third in a sequence of three premierships won consecutively from 1926 until 1928.

The 1935 VFA season was the 57th season of the Victorian Football Association (VFA), an Australian rules football competition played in the state of Victoria. The premiership was won by the Yarraville Football Club, after it defeated Camberwell by nine points in the Grand Final on 7 September. It was the club's first VFA premiership, won in its eighth season of competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1945 VFA season</span> Australian rules football season

The 1945 Victorian Football Association season was the 64th season of the Australian rules football competition, and it was the first season played since the Association went into recess during World War II. The premiership was won by the Williamstown Football Club, which defeated Port Melbourne by 37 points in the Grand Final on 6 October. It was the club's fourth VFA premiership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 VFA season</span> Australian rules football season

The 1953 Victorian Football Association season was the 72nd season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Port Melbourne Football Club, after it defeated Yarraville by 60 points in the Grand Final on 3 October. It was Port Melbourne's seventh VFA premiership, and it was the only premiership that the club won during a sequence of eight consecutive Grand Finals played from 1950 until 1957, and five consecutive minor premierships won from 1951 until 1955.

The Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA), sometimes known simply as the Victorian Junior Association (VJA), was an open age Australian rules football competition and administrative body. It was the first successful junior football competition in Melbourne, and was in existence from 1883 until 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VFL Development League</span>

The VFL Development League, officially known as the AFL Victoria Development League and formerly known as the VFL reserves, VFA seconds/reserves and VFA Second Eighteens, was an Australian rules football competition that operated as a second-tier competition to the Victorian Football League from 1928 until 2017.

The 1912 VJFA Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between Port Melbourne Railway United and Yarraville at Croxton Park on 21 September 1912. The match was held to decide the premiership for the 1912 Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA) season.

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

The South St Kilda Football Club was an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda. The club was a founding member of the Metropolitan Junior Football Association and was one of the competition's most successful clubs in its early years.

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

The South Melbourne Districts Football Club, nicknamed the Bloods, is an Australian rules football club based in South Melbourne. The club also has athletics and cricket programs.

References

  1. ↑ "JUNIOR RESULTS". Trove. Weekly Times. 18 September 1909. p. 20. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  2. ↑ "RAILWAY UNITED". Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 4 May 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  3. ↑ "RAILWAY UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB". Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 16 September 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "JUNIOR FOOTBALL". Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 30 September 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  5. ↑ "1907 Reserves". Blueseum. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "First-Rate Junior Association". Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 20 August 2010. p. 3. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Port Melbourne Railway United Football Club". Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 12 November 1910. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "JUNIOR FOOTBALL". Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 22 July 1911. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  9. ↑ Pikó, Lauren (11 September 2017). "Railway United Football Club". pastport.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Railway United Football Club 1905 - Premiers 1903-4-5". Australian Sports Museum. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  11. ↑ "PORT MELB. RAILWAY UNITED F.C." Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 13 April 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "Football – the Junior Premiership". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. 7 October 1907. p. 10.
  13. 1 2 "The Junior Premiership". Trove. Leader. 12 September 1908. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  14. ↑ "1908 Reserves". Blueseum. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  15. ↑ "Football – Victorian Junior Association". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 27 September 1909. p. 5.
  16. ↑ "VICTORIAN JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". The Argus. 12 September 1910. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  17. ↑ "Junior Football Association". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. 2 October 1911. p. 14.
  18. ↑ "PORT MELBOURNE PREMIERS". Trove. The Age. 23 September 1912. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  19. ↑ "YARRAVILLE'S APPEAL SUCCESSFUL". Trove. The Argus. 25 September 1912. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  20. ↑ "Port Melbourne decline". Trove. The Argus. 3 October 1912. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  21. ↑ "V.J.F.A. First-Rate junior premiership". The Standard. Melbourne, VIC. 5 October 1912. p. 4.
  22. ↑ "Vict. Junior Football Association". The Standard. Melbourne, VIC. 27 September 1913. p. 3.
  23. ↑ "Football premiers". The Standard. Melbourne, VIC. 29 August 1914. p. 3.
  24. 1 2 Burke, Peter (November 2008). "A social history of workplace Australian football, 1860–1939" (PDF). CORE. RMIT University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2024.
  25. 1 2 "PREMIERSHIP LIST TO DATE". Winner. 13 September 1916. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  26. ↑ "JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". The Argus. 5 September 1921. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  27. ↑ "PRESTON PREMIERS". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 3 October 1921. p. 11.
  28. 1 2 "ASSOCIATION". The Age. 25 August 1924. p. 15. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  29. ↑ "FOOTBALL". Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 15 March 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  30. ↑ "PORT MELBOURNE JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB". Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 28 February 1920. p. 3. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  31. ↑ "Port Melbourne Juniors (Railway United Football Club)". Trove. Record. 14 March 1925. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  32. ↑ "Port Melbourne Railway United Football Club". victoriancollections.net.au. Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  33. ↑ "Football – Port Juniors lose Grand Final". The Record. Melbourne, VIC. 10 October 1925. p. 2.
  34. ↑ "Victorian Juniors' Grand Final". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. 4 October 1926. p. 17.
  35. ↑ "Port Melbourne Railway United Football Club (Victoria)". Footypedia. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  36. ↑ "FOOTBALL PRACTICE GAMES". Trove. The Herald. 19 April 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  37. ↑ "ASSOCIATION". Trove. The Age. 21 April 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  38. ↑ "List of Coming Events". Trove. Record. 3 April 1932. p. 7. Retrieved 27 September 2024. Thursday April 21 — Port Melbourne Railway United Football Club
  39. ↑ "GOMEZ, Frank". essendonfcpastplayers.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024. He also played for Port Melbourne Railway United Football Club in the Wednesday League.
  40. ↑ "Wednesday League". Trove. Sporting Globe. 20 July 1932. p. 9. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  41. ↑ "Ticket, Port Melbourne Railway United Football Club, 1938". victoriancollections.net.au. Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  42. ↑ "THE FOOTBALL SEASON". Trove. Standard. 28 September 1907. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  43. ↑ "VICTORIAN JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". Trove. The Argus. 6 September 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  44. ↑ "PORT MELBOURNE RAILWAY UNITED F.C." Trove. 26 March 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  45. ↑ "VICTORIAN JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". Trove. The Age. 19 September 1910. p. 11. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  46. ↑ "PORT MELBOURNE RAILWAY UNITED CLUB". Trove. The Age. 12 September 1911. p. 10. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  47. ↑ "VICTORIAN JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". Trove. The Age. 4 September 1911. p. 13. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  48. ↑ "FIRST-RATE JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". Trove. Standard. 31 August 1912. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  49. ↑ "RAILWAY UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB". Port Melbourne Standard. 28 March 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  50. ↑ "VICTORIAN JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". Trove. The Argus. 18 August 1913. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  51. ↑ "VICTORIAN JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". The Argus. 3 August 1914. p. 6. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  52. ↑ "AMONG THE JUNIORS". Trove. Port Melbourne Standard. 5 June 1915. p. 4. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  53. ↑ "AMONG THE JUNIORS". Port Melbourne Standard. 17 July 1915. p. 4. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  54. ↑ "Footscray wins final". Winner. 22 September 1915. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  55. ↑ "Football". Sporting Judge. 22 September 1917. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  56. ↑ "JUNIOR MATCHES". The Age. 9 September 1918. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  57. ↑ "ASSOCIATION PREMIERSHIP LIST". The Age. 1 September 1919. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  58. ↑ "JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". The Argus. 6 September 1920. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  59. ↑ "ASSOCIATION". The Age. 29 August 1921. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  60. ↑ "Junior Association". Labor Call. 7 September 1922. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  61. ↑ "Association". The Age. 10 September 1923. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  62. ↑ "VICTORIAN JUNIOR ASSOCIATION". The Age. 30 September 1926. p. 12. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  63. ↑ Carroll, Lynda (17 May 2011). "The ghost of James Mackie". Melbourne Football Club. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 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.