our great sporting moments remembered - Melbourne Cricket Club

FOOTY’S HALL OFFAME FINDS ITSRIGHTFUL HOMEAs the AFL prepares to celebratethe game’s 150th anniversary inearly-August, the finishingtouches are being applied to theAustralian Football Hall of Fame(AFHOF) in the MCG’s National SportsMuseum (NSM).The AFHOF was established in 1996to recognise and enshrine those whohave made a significant contribution tothe game since its inception in 1858.Football greats John Nicholls (right) and Bob Skilton were on hand to break through to thebig space set aside for the Australian Football Hall of Fame opening at the NSM in August.Now, footy fans will be able to payhomage to these greats at a new,permanent addition to the “Australia’sGame” exhibition in the NSM. Anoutstanding array of material fromAFHOF Legends and those inducted in2008 will be on display.Some of the more notable itemsinclude the guernsey worn by DarrelBaldock during St Kilda’s 1966 premiership,a certificate presented to HaydnBunton Snr in 1931 recognising the firstof his three Brownlow Medals, JohnColeman’s Essendon training bag andguernseys worn by Ron Barassi, KevinBartlett, Leigh Matthews and TedWhitten.There will also be artefacts from RoyCazaly, Gordon Coventry, Jack Dyer,Graham Farmer, Peter Hudson, BillHutchison, Jock McHale, John Nicholls,Bob Pratt, Dick Reynolds, BarrieRobran, Bob Skilton, Norm Smith, IanStewart and more. Plus, you’ll see thematch ball used by Alex Jesaulenko tokick his 100th goal in 1970.“The Australian Football Hall ofFame has found a new, natural home atthe National Sports Museum inside theMCG, the spiritual home of Australianfootball,” said Gerry Kerlin, MelbourneCricket Club museums general manager.“The exhibition will give due reverenceto those who have contributed to thehistory of Australia’s only indigenousgame.”The Australian Football Hall of Famehonours players, coaches, umpires,administrators and media representativeswho have been instrumental in changingthe game significantly for the better.An individual’s outstanding serviceand overall contribution to the game ofAustralian football is considered whendetermining eligibility, and induction isdeemed to be the game’s highest honour.Located adjacent to the existingAustralia’s Game exhibition devoted toour favourite winter code, the AFHOFwill open to the public on TuesdayAugust 5.BALLBOUNCEDFORDEBATEThe publication of The AustralianGame of Football to mark the150th anniversary of the game welove certainly sparked somecontroversy.Gillian Hibbins, a diligentresearcher who has been an MCCLibrary “client” for nearly 30 yearsand is now a volunteer there,contributed an erudite piece aboutthe origins of the game and theevolution of its rules.Inter alia, Gillian concluded thatTom Wills, so long regarded as theman who inspired and helpeddevelop football in the early days,wanted to introduce the rules fromhis schooldays at Rugby in England.However, though a major figure atthe time, perhaps Wills wasn’t asinfluential as first thought.Cambridge-educated WilliamHammersley, journalist JamesThompson and publican Jerry Bryantare some of the others whose earlyinfluence on the game deservesrecognition, she claims.Enter The Age’s Martin Flanagan,a fan of Wills, the son of a squatterwho grew up with Aborigines inwestern Victoria and, espousedFlanagan, was undoubtedlyinfluenced by the game they playedwith a possum-skin football.The newspaper was soon alivewith claim and counter claim.MCC librarian David Studham putsome perspective on the debate.“Sports history is a relatively newdiscipline and as we drill down onthe research material and morebecomes available it’s inevitablethatsomemythsandlegendswill becastaside.”Historylives, asthey say.JULY 2008 MCC NEWS5