With the Sydney Swans playing St Kilda at the SCG on Sunday, this week’s Classic Matches looks at a Swans’ goalkicking spree against the Saints.

South Melbourne v St Kilda,
Round 5, May 14, 1955
Lake Oval

On the Monday after South Melbourne kicked 25 goals in thrashing St Kilda by 134 points at the Lake Oval in round five, 1955, The Argus suggested Swan supporters might have been asking if this was a record margin against the Saints.

No, The Argus said, recalling that South had defeated St Kilda by 171 points at the Lake Oval in 1919. And this remains the club’s record winning margin.

In that 1919 victory, South scored 17.4 in the final quarter, which remains an AFL record for a score in any quarter. Also, South’s Harold Robertson kicked a then VFL record 14 goals.

The Swans, in their 1955 humiliation of the Saints, had gone into the clash with hardly any winning form, with just one victory (over Fitzroy) in the opening four rounds.

In fact, Richmond had thrashed the Swans by 58 points at Punt Road only the week before the Swans played hosts to the Saints in what then was regarded as “the Lake Premiership”, with the two clubs based at opposite ends of the Albert Park Lake.

Although St Kilda had collected the wooden spoon the previous season and had been thrashed in its opening four matches of 1955, no one expected the Swans to dominate from the first bounce.

The Swans, with rover Eddie Lane at his best at the fall of the ball, controlled the opening quarter to lead by 30 points at quarter-time.

The rout continued in the second quarter, with Bill Gunn superb at centre half-forward and the Swans moving the ball almost at will.
South led by a whopping 74 points at half-time and Swan fans wondered whether their team could maintain its momentum, even though Bob Pratt Junior and rover Kevin Hogan both had been forced from the ground during the second quarter with thigh injuries.

Indeed, the Swans relaxed slightly in the third quarter, kicking four goals to two, but still led by 86 points at the final change and coach Herbie Matthews urged his players to go for St Kilda’s jugular over the final quarter.

South responded with 7.8 to nil over the final quarter to win by what was then the club’s second greatest winning margin, behind only that 171-point thrashing of the Saints in 1919.

The club’s second highest winning margin now is the 163-point victory over Essendon at the SCG in round 17, 1987.

The Argus reported that St Kilda was so bedraggled against the Swans that their supporters “jeered their own team” and “cat-called individual players”, while “greeting the smallest display of initiative with ironic cheers”.

However, The Argus also noted that “South played extraordinarily well, adding that “their rucks dominated the game, their half-forwards played as though inspired and their backs were never beaten.”

The newspaper singled out Gunn for special praise, noting that he had excelled at centre half-forward after playing in the centre over previous rounds.

South continued its fine form the following week in defeating Carlton by eight points at Princes Park, but won only twice over the rest of the season to finish a disappointing tenth, above only North Melbourne and St Kilda.

South Melbourne     6.3     14.8     18.10     25.18 (166)
St Kilda                     1.3       2.6         4.8           4.8 (32)

Goals: E. Lane 6, Gillett 4, Gunn 3, Ledwidge 3, Keyter 3, Sibun 2, Hogan 2, C. Lane, R. Pratt Jnr.

THE SOUTH LINE-UP
B: Jim Dorgan, Fred Goldsmith, Jack Garrick
HB: Gerry McDonald, John Ferguson, Des Barry
C: Ken McCormack, Lewis Leslie, Bob Giles
HF: Ron Taylor, Bill Gunn, Gray “Mick” Sibun
F: Ian Gillett, Bob Pratt Jnr, Kevin Hogan
Foll: Don Keyter, John Trethowan, Eddie Lane
Res: John Ledwidge, Clarrie Lane