The Aussie Rules Graveyard

[Discrim]

The history of every team sport is dotted with clubs that were unable to stay afloat in the long run, and Australian football is no exception. Some of these fallen clubs have a rich history that deserves to be remembered, and some played one or two unsuccessful seasons and disappeared from the sporting landscape forever. Some of these clubs have only recently taken the long walk, while others faded away long ago. I've been planning this for about a month and a half now, and in this series, I shall resurrect as many of them as I can, and I'll start with the sport's answer to Arenaball's Detroit Drive...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the Queanbeyan-Acton FC, the result of a merger between Acton and Queanbeyan FCs. Actually, this team had two stints in the Australian Capital Territory AFL, the first being an uneventful one-year alliance during WWII. The second, which lasted from 1952 to 1957, came about because neither side had much to lose: Acton had been thrown out due to a dispute between the league and the club over where they should be based, while Queanbeyan had started off the post-war era on the wrong half of the ladder with little end in sight...in short, both teams had made a habit of sucking. The marriage of convenience was surprisingly, and wildly successful, as the Combine made the grand final in five of its six seasons, winning three premierships including an undefeated 1956 campaign, before a dispute between the two clubs' officials came to a head, so it was decided that the two clubs would go their separate ways starting in '58.

Queanbeyan still exists, and eventually became one of the strongest clubs in what eventually became AFL Camberra. Acton, meanwhile, returned to its floundering ways and would never again know premiership glory, calling it quits after the 1973 season. You'll see Acton in a bit, but as mentioned, I proudly present my modernized take on the Combine.

the actual jumper was an amalgam of Queanbeyan's black guernsey with a gold sash, and Acton's black and white stripes. For the hell of it, I decided to create a crest incorporating Queanbeyan's tiger and Acton's magpie.

now this one, I actually had two ideas for, and I decided that whichever one I didn't use for this set, I would use for Acton's clash. This is sort of a reverse, a predominantly gold jumper with a black and white striped sash.

Acton club history-you can see a decent shot of the Combine jumper here

Queanbeyan club history

[Discrim]

Heh, I'd already finished this set anyway, may as well release it too. The dead magpie's already up and about, so let's give it the spotlight. Lights, Camera, Acton!

In 1924, the Federal Territory AFL was formed, and this league would later become the Australian Capital Territory AFL and then AFL Canberra. Acton was one of the league's four founding clubs, and it was they who ultimately claimed the honor of being Canberra's first premiers, something that not even the club's nonexistence can take away. In 1927, Acton won its second title, which would prove to be its last as a standalone entity, though as mentioned in my last post, they would taste the chalice three times in a 5-year merger with Queanbeyan during the 1950s. Sadly, the club would earn a league record 11 wooden spoons, the first coming in 1929, and after the 1950 season were booted from the league due to a dispute over where they should be based. The surprisingly successful merger...well, we already went over that. On their own, Queanbeyan would revert to mediocrity until the mid 80s, while Acton would languish on the outside looking in for much of the remainder of its existence, though the Magpies did manage a finals appearance in their swan song of 1973. And now, the jumpers.

basically a very slight modification of traditional black and white stripes

I considered using this for the Combine, but felt this would make more sense for Acton. yes, it's a scarf.

[Alphabet Man]

great research into act footy, i like both away/clash jumpers, especially the scarf. nice work mate.

[danson]

Something different but for some reason I don't really like them, the first one i guess it's because it combines Richmond with Collingwood *shudders* haha

[BB61]

I like them both, 'Scrim, for what they are. I think it's really neat of you to go and dig these old ones up.

I like the striped sash on the Combines one, and I really like the scarfed look on Acton.

Bangup job as always.

[Discrim]

yeah, I've been sort of addicted to full points footy...the Combine, I'd wanted to get that set done for a long time. As the project's name implies, I aint just confining this to one state, or one league...hell, if I just confined it to extinct teams in the VFL/AFL I'd be nearly done already

because I figure somebody's gonna ask if I don't bring it up, yes I will do Fitzroy, the Brisbane Bears and University. I'm probably gonna bust out the Dawks as well, mainly for laughs. Among the other clubs I'm planning on doing are Essendon A, Melbourne City, Camberwell, Dandenong, Sunshine, Caulfield, Brighton, Northcote, Moorabbin, Wavereley, Geelong A, West Melbourne, Yarraville, Cananore (Tas), Lefroy (Tas), South Sydney, Woodville, and West Torrens. The original Fremantle and Adelaide clubs are also under consideration, and I also intend to have the myriad of military squads that formed clubs during WWII being represented here. In short, this should be a long one, fellas.

[rmered]

Well, the certainly have the Dscrim touch to them.

I tihnk what actually happens with clubs who merge is they try to take on elements of the past, but do something, uniform wise, that create a new begnning.

So they might use the same colours, but generally do something different from their previous incarnations.

As for having both mascots on the logo, that's new. I don't think I've seen it before.

I'm lookin forward to seeing more, but I can't say the sash over the stripes really thrilled me.

[Discrim]

stupid double post...anyways, enjoy Camberwell!

[Discrim]

Good evening, folks, I welcome you back to the Thomas Wills Cemetery for another presentation in the Aussie Rules Graveyard. Tonight we shed the skin of Camberwell FC, known initially as the Tricolours for their St. Kilda-like jumpers (basically, replace black with blue) and then later dubbed the Cobras. Camberwell was formed in the mid 1890s (either 94 or 96, depending on who you ask), and entered the Victorian Football Association in 1926 after a successful run as a junior club in the Melbourne Districts Association, where they won successive premierships in 1921, '22 and '23. The club would have to wait until 1979 for its first VFA premiership, when they took the Division 2 crown, a feat they would replicate two years later after immediately being relegated in 1980. Camberwell management must have had a sinking feeling, for the Cobras would not play in 1991, and left the VFA for the VAFA, what Aussies like to call Ammos. Sadly, not even this measure was enough to keep the club afloat, and so the headstone reads born 1894-6, died 1994.

On that somewhat somber note, I present you with the Camberwell Cobras.

the first two use a V similar to the markings found on the back of a particular species of cobra (whose name I forget at the moment), and yes, I know a three-circle marking is unrealistic, I plead artistic license on that front cus I like it that way, it turns out.

this one is based on the old tricolour, and showcases the cobra emblem I created with this set in mind. I was about to stop at the blue and the red, but then I realized Port Melbourne is alive and well, so Camberwell would have to provide a clash. Enter the whiteback tricolour.

[Alphabet Man]

I like the french jumper. Like the wide white panel. And the V thing is cool.

[Discrim]

You ever heard the joke about this custody battle? A kid is asked by the judge who he wants to live with, but the kid doesn't want to live with either his mom or dad because both parents beat him. The judge then inquires "Well then, who do you want to live with?"

If the kid was a Melbournian in the 1910s, this would undoutebly have been his answer: "Melbourne City!" Why? "They don't beat anybody!"

This joke is often made about the Cubs, and used to frequently also poke fun at the Cleveland Indians, but no baseball team is ever going to go 0-162. The Citizens could never even get within a goal of their opponents in two seasons of VFA action, 1912 and 1913. Suffice to say, they truly never beat anybody. The club's name might have made more sense for a soccer team, and their feats of futility were so spectacularly horrendous they do deserve to be remembered in some way.

Melbourne City history

I decided to go for a vintage feel with the home and clash, so what we have here are braces and a fancy MC monogram. Completing the vintage touch is the use of off-white, rather than pure white.

and then my whole vintage kick goes right out the window with this away jumper. The Citizens' stomping grounds were located nearby two more famous ovals, so I decided a map would make for a great jumper. I did run into a problem when I attempted a complete wraparound-the numbers wound up being illegible because the maplines were so thick. Hence, the full front and partial back wrap.

[Discrim]

Dandenong club history

Alrighty then, on we go after a few days off. Although the official moniker was Dandies, the boys of Dandenong were invariably called the Redlegs. Dandy entered the VFA in 1958, and gained promotion to the first division in 1962, where it was expected that they'd be back down in division 2 in a year. Instead, the Redlegs would waste little time in becoming a contender, defeating Port Melbourne for the '67 premiership and then taking the 71 crown. Though Dandy would remain competitive, it would be a 20 year wait until the next title in 91, and by then the Redlegs were in a situation similar to that of the AFL's Hawthorn: they had a very good team, but their piggy bank was empty. Dandenong was declared insolvent after the 92 season, so a new club was quickly formed, going by the name Dandenong Redlegs, but their days as a senior club ended after 1994. And now we open the coffins...

basically Melbourne's uniform. yeh, this sort of thing is common, like a boatload of teams here wearing Michigan-style helmets. or a million basketball teams wearing the latest Nike template.

and then the Dees template is modified into a white yoke trimmed in red and navy. This is in homage to the 93-94 club.

[Alphabet Man]

Dandenong Demons (same jumper) still play in the SFL. I was considering playing for them next season. The away jumper looks clean.

The MC for Melbourne City is good, but not sure about the clash jumper.

[Discrim]

I figure the wait has been long enough...I kicked things off with a merger (Queanbeyan-Acton) and these next two are the components of another merger, that of Woodville-West Torrens. The S in SANFL could be taken to mean stability. However, in 27 years of South Australian National Football League (SANFL) play, the Woodville Warriors nearly perfected the art of bad football. Although the Woodpeckers, as they were originally known, managed to win the SANFL's night series/preseason/knockout competitions twice (72 and 88), even so much as making the finals was a struggle for the club. Competing for the wooden spoon, however, was not: 9-time wooden spooners, including a 6-year spell as landlords of last place before surprising everyone with a finals appearance in 1987, indeed nearly making the grand final. The sad thing was it was only Woodville's second ever SANFL finals appearance, the third and final coming the next year. With that said, though, I'll pass it off to some dude...

Warriors...come out to play-ay!

like I said with Dandy, the Melbourne vee-yoke is imitated as often as Michigan's helmet. as this was their traditional appearance, I stayed true. I also figured now is as good a time as any to put the old Blue Jays font to good use

PINSTRIPES! heh, I just thought of going this route a few days ago. the numbers are outlined in black because otherwise they'd be illegible.

Can you dig it?

[Frenchie]

Can't disagree that it has Discrim's trademark all over it... he's definitely someone who doesn't need to watermark his stuff.... And it's a GOOD THING!

So let's pick my favourite, and the one that leaves me thinking "Huummm!"...

Love, love, love ALL versions of the Citizens!!!

Acton's clash is a little akward. While I commned your "Scarf" effort (I always like these "gimmicky" designs) it took me a few looks to see the scarf... Care to know what I first saw? One of those Egyptian scarf/outfits:

[Discrim]

West Torrens was gonna be next, but the eagle is taking me longer than I thought it would, so it's been pushed back for now. That said, we head back from Adelaide to Melbourne, and shed some sunlight onto the dusty road that is the old VFA.

Sunshine FC "Crows"

I'm not kidding...this suburb's actual name is Sunshine.

Sunshine got into the VFA in March 1959 after Prahran was given the boot, and literally had to cobble together a half decent eighteen in a matter of weeks. The Crows, to their credit, managed to win six matches out of 20 in that first campaign, and in '63 made their first finals appearance. Ironically, Sunshine fell to Prahran, which had since returned to the VFA, though that would be the first of nine consecutive finals trips for SFC before finally breaking through for a 2nd division flag in 1971 and earning promotion. Sunshine was only able to keep afloat in the first division for a handful of years before dropping back down to the second division for what turned out to be the remainder of its playing days, and financial woes that had long dogged the club finally caught up to them near the midway point of the 1989 season, at which point Sunshine folded, never to return.

Sunshine wore navy and white, and just now (literally) found what their jumper looked like. Eh well, this time out I decided to approach this as if this was a team that handed me the reigns to create an identity. I added a crow emblem that references "sunshine", and also introduced pale yellow for emphasis. Without further ado, here they go:

enjoy...the next one won't be quite as long a wait.