Dandenong rivalry

When you think of local rivalries you might think of the 'Battle of the Creek' between Berwick and Beaconsfield. However, pre-1900 the real vicious rivalry was between Berwick and Dandenong. By 1886 the two clubs were regularly referred to as 'the old rivals' and due to the limited number of football clubs in the area they played each other a lot. This means that the newspapers chronical many of the clashes and disputes between Berwick and Dandy.

One commentator discussing the benefits of local football highlighted the degree of hostility between the clubs: "Such matches have a good tendency in promoting a sociable feeling between districts, which it does in most instances. The only exception we know of is the Dandenong and Berwick Football Clubs, who should not play together any more."

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70392925

In 1883 an account of a match between the two sides claimed that when it became clear Berwick was going to loose badly, the Berwick players began to play roughly and one player even threatened to throw a Dandy player in the creek! Even 16 years later, in 1899, the match between the sides was described as "very rough, fights and wrestling matches being numerous". Clearly the hostility continued after the siren, as in 1861 "bad taste" was demonstrated when the Dandy players refused to return the cheer.

The normality of this extreme rivalry over decades prompted a surprised acknowledgement in 1893 that "there was almost a total absence of roughness, which has hitherto been too prominent in the matches between Dandenong and Berwick". The teams certainly didn't hold back against each other with a 1892 match being called "one of the hardest fought battles ever witnessed on the Dandenong ground".

This rivalry clearly made for entertaining footy as the large size of the crowd is consistently remarked upon. Spectators were reported to come from surrounding districts to watch the matches and the record for crowd size at Dandenong was broken numerous times. Crowds in the hundreds could be expected to turn up, an impressive show considering the low population in the area at the time. In 1893, "one young man was so excited when Berwick got their second goal, that he turned a double somersault over a stump and nearly broke his back". There is also multiple mentions of the onlookers becoming so engrossed and excited about the match that they repeatedly encroached onto the ground.

Due to the high emotions involved in these matches it is perhaps unsurprising that it was near impossible for any umpire to please both teams. Most matches resulted in one or the other team believing they had been unfairly punished or accused the umpire of bias. In 1891, the Dandy team was so upset with the umpire awarding Berwick a freekick in front of goals that their captain led them all off the ground in protest. Three years later one commentator stated that the umpire did well, "when taking into consideration the bad feeling that exists between these clubs, which makes the task of satisfying both teams extremely difficult". I'm sure umpires did not look forward to being appointed umpire for these matches!

The rivalry seems to somewhat continue in a tamer form through the 1900s-1910s, however by the 1920s newspapers tell us that Mulgrave was our biggest rival.

Who would you say is our biggest rival now?

Sources:

FOOTBALL. (1883, September 19). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 14, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70041871

Local Intelligence. (1885, September 16). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 14, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70390867

Football. (1886, June 30). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 3 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 13, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70392925

Football. (1888, June 6). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 13, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70031274

Football. (1889, July 10). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 3 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 13, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70395891

FOOTBALL. (1890, June 11). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 3 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 15, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70397502

FOOTBALL. (1891, June 10). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 15, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70012912

FOOTBALL. (1892, June 8). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 16, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70014324

FOOTBALL. (1892, August 17). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 16, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70014586

FOOTBALL. (1893, May 31). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 3 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 16, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70015534

FOOTBALL. (1893, August 16). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 16, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70015828

FOOTBALL. (1894, August 15). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 3 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 18, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70033589

THE WORLD OF SPORT. (1899, August 2). South Bourke and Mornington Journal (Richmond, Vic. : 1877 - 1920; 1926 - 1927), p. 2 (WEEKLY.). Retrieved July 19, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70021998