Imagine Marcus Bontempelli and Lance “Buddy” Franklin leading out teams in a charity football match in Euroa — that is the modern-day equivalent of what occured 71 years ago when two of the biggest names in the game arrived in the Campaspe riverside town.
A historic football record from an exhibition match held in aide of the brand new Rochester hospital has been uncovered and revealed possibly the biggest name in the history of Australian Rules Football once pulled on the colours of Rochester — even though they were then red and black.
And while there is no suggestion that “The Bont”, or the man with the fourth most goals in the game’s history, will be arriving at Moon Oval any time soon — there is no questioning the facts from the 1952 event that dragged the entire community through the gates of Rochester Recreation Reserve.
Ted “Mr Football” Whitten had just turned 19 years old when he faced off against another of the most recognised names in the sport, the man after which the league’s goalkicking award is named, John Coleman — in the match on Saturday, October 4.
The match was advertised, and reported on, in the Rochester Irrigator and pitted a Hastings team (from the Mornington Peninsula league) against the Rochester team — both filled with a host of VFL and regional stars.
Unforgettable: There was not a dry eye in the house when Mr Football (Ted Whitten) did a lap of honur with his son,Ted Jr, before the state game between Victoria and South Australia around the MCG in June 1995. He died two months late of prostate cancer. Whitten Sr played in Rochester as a 19-year-old, just two seasons into his 20-year VFL career.
Whitten, at the time, had just finished his second season of big-time football. Two years later he won the first of five Footscray best and fairests, became a premiership player and went on to play 321 games in a 20-season career.
At the end of his playing days he was named the AFL Team of the Century captain and was the inspiration for the EJ Whitten Game, having died at age 62 of prostate cancer.
Coleman had kicked 100 goals for Essendon in his first season of football (1949, as a 21-year-old), including 12 on debut, following that up with seasons of 120 and 75 goals before arriving in Rochester for the charity match.
His record prior to arriving at Rochester was 275 goals from his first 56 VFL games.
Only two months earlier, on Sunday, August 10, 1952 Victorian premier of the day John McDonald had opened the Rochester hospital.
Coleman was not the only Essendon champion in the Hastings line-up, two time Brownlow medallist Bill Hutchison — who had only a month earlier been named the winner of the VFL’s best and fairest award — also in the line-up.
Hutchison also won seven best and fairest awards and played in the match alongside one of the league’s most famous indigenous players — two time premiership player and Essendon best and fairest Norm McDonald.
Sporting history Jim McInerney and Glen Anderson, both long servants of the Rochester Football Netball Club, with the 1952 football record which had details of the Saturday, October 2 charity match that involved some of the biggest names in football from the era – along with players from Bendigo, Echuca and Rochester
Immediately after leaving Essendon, for a brief time, McDonald played against Rochester in the Bendigo Football League, as captain-coach of Golden Square.
The Rochester team was captained by Harry Hickey, a three-time Footscray best-and-fairest winner who was coach of Rochester at the time.
Whitten’s Rochester team also included Allen Rogers, who had been recruited from Rochester to play with Footscray in 1952, and now 91-year-old Roy Mundie.
Mundie, who still lives in Rochester, had been recruited by Geelong for the 1952 VFL season, but never joined the Cats — remaining with Rochester in the Bendigo league.
Jack Kirchoffer was another Rochester player, who had moved to Echuca, in the team alongside Noel “Nobby” O’Brien.
O’Brien landed at Carlton two years later and kicked 118 goals in 32 games for the Blues, including 10 against Fitzroy and 73 from 17 games in the 1955 season.
After suffering a season-ending injury he retired from the VFL.
Gunbower brothers Doodie and Dick McGillivray were also in Rochester colours, along with Carlton legend — and another former Rochester coach — Jim Clark.
Sports historian Bob Knight was only 10 years old at the time, but his father was on the committee and he had a front-row seat for the event.
“I followed Essendon then, but I am now Hawthorn. I remember it was a very big crowd,” Mr Knight said.
For the record Coleman kicked five goals and Hutchison four, of Hastings 12.10 (82) total.
Former Rochester star Rogers kicked three goals in his team’s 10.10 (70) tally, while Hickey was named best on ground and Mundie also earned a mention for his contribution to the “home’’ side.
Before leaving the Bendigo league the Rochester colours were changed to black with a yellow sash as the red and black were already taken by Kyabram.