Round 6, 1897

Carlton 1.1 7 3.4 22 4.5 29 5.5 35 St Kilda 1.0 6 1.4 10 3.6 24 3.6 24
Venue:	Junction Oval
Date:	Saturday 19 June 1897
Result:	Win by 11 points
Crowd:
Goalkickers:	S.Chapman 4, B.Woodhouse 1.
Reports:
Umpire:	Hood
Injuries:
Best:	J.Roberts, E.Walton, B.Hannah, B.Weir, B.Woodhouse, B.Walsh, T.Blake, W.Ocock.

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Game Review

Carlton faced up to this game having been spanked by Melbourne the previous week, and knowing that the loser would be consigned to the bottom of the ladder. St Kilda had difficulty fielding 20 players, so it was no surprise that the Blues ran out winners for the first time in a VFL match.

The match itself was a rough affair, but better than the previous games between the two sides in that it was fought in good spirit. The Argus quaintly reported it as follows: "Why these two clubs should be such bitter opponents is a mystery, because the players individually are good friends, and the survivors usually ask each other to tea, and are most considerate to the wounded".

Carlton celebrated the win knowing that their next match, only three days later, would be against Collingwood at Princes Park - the first time the club would play at a the ground destined to become our spiritual home.

Next time you drive past the Junction Oval, spare a thought for the history in Carlton's first win there, and also, the commencement of our historical superiority over the Saints (prior to 2003, at least!). Forward Sam Chapman kicked four goals on this auspicious afternoon, becoming the first Carlton player to achieve this feat at AFL level.

The Blues also broke a 9 game losing streak, carrying over their last 4 losses from 1896. Their previous win was on August 22, 1896 over St.Kilda.

At the end of this round Carlton were in 7th spot on the ladder with a percentage of 51.5.

Team

B:	Henry Dunne	Jim Lyons	Bill Weir
HB:	Peter Williams	Ernie Walton (vc)	Jack Reekie
C:	Brook Hannah	Henry Crane	Bill Casey
HF:	Arthur Cummins	Bobby Walsh	Jack Roberts
F:	Jack Frost	Wally Ocock	Sam Chapman
Rucks:	Tom Blake	Harry H Morgan	Bob Cameron
	Bill Woodhouse
Rover:	Jimmy Aitken (c)
Coach:	No coach and the captain directed the side
Note:	4 Rucks, 20 players on the ground and no interchange

Changes

In: J.Aitken, B.Cameron, B.Casey, B.Weir, J.Frost, J.Roberts
Out: B.Armstrong, H.McPetrie, J.Paton, C.Sweatman, C.Breese, J.Caffery

Milestones

Debuts: Jack Frost and Jack Roberts (both had previously played for Carlton in the VFA)
Last Game: Tom Blake played his last Carlton League game before joining St Kilda for another 24 matches between 1899 and 1900.
Records: This was the first VFL game between these two clubs.
Footnote: Although this was the first VFL meeting between these two clubs, Carlton first played St.Kilda in 1885 in the VFA. Up until the end of 1896 they had met 16 times, with the Blues winning 9, losing 6, and drawing 1. (See Pre VFL)
Losing streaks: This game ended a run of 5 losses to start the year, a run that also commenced season 1899, 1989 and in 2018 - unfortunately in 2018 those waters broke and we went 0 and 6...

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Round 5 | Round 7