Jack Riewoldt [Merged]

[AngryAnt]

Used to do this at high school too.
Remember thinking that it was *smile* boring and there was no future in it...

I thought it was really cool but had no patience so stopped doing it. Somehow years later ended working in IT anyway, but it's always a regret.

 

[larabee]

VFL Park was a victim of 2 things:
Location, which was crap, they should have built it much closer to the city and near a railway line. The notion a freeway was enough to get 150,000 people in and out was a silly notion even in the late 60s, we're still paying for the same mistake with Tullamarine Airport. Also didn't help that it was built on top of a hill in a colder and rainier part of Melbourne.
Architecture, it was a badly designed ground but more a victim of it's time than anything else. After the huge crowds at the Grand Finals in the late 60s and early 70s they were looking for a bigger venue, they would get 150k to a Grand Final too. But it was designed in such a way that you were miles from the action. The playing surface was huge, the distance from the boundary to the fence was huge and the stands were set back from the playing area. All round a bad design.

VFL Park was a good idea but badly implemented, fitting 150k in a ground is tricky and even now with the reduced capacity at the MCG those seats at the top of the Southern stand are a hell of a long way from the action. I would go for more standing room in finals but with lower density than we used to have back in the 1970s.

Docklands was also a decent idea. Great location (MCG is far more convenient for me but, let's face it, right next to the city and next to a very large railway station, hard to fault that), second ground but not enormous as we only really need 1 ground with 100k capacity. But the place is soulless. There's something wrong with that ground and I'm not sure I know what. The way they have to close the roof because of sun glare is inexcusable, we know where the sun will be and they should have sorted this in the design stage. Not sure what you do about Docklands, there must be a way to alter the design to give it more atmosphere.

Anyway, back to Jack discussion.

DS

Didnt mind going to VFL park. It was close to home, and i knew where to park to get out relatively quickly for a left hand turn on to Wellington Rd.

Also had a mate who managed one of the bars, so used to stand to the side of the queues (think it was roped off by memory) and drank for free.

One day locked my keys in the car, wandered up to the cops compound there and asked for a wire coat hanger. They handed one over with no questions asked...

 

[tigertim]

Didnt mind going to VFL park. It was close to home, and i knew where to park to get out relatively quickly for a left hand turn on to Wellington Rd.

I remember one day in 94 when I was living in Carrum Downs I decided at 1.30 I'd go to Waverley to watch St Kilda v Crows. Got there by 2pm going up against the flow on Dandrnong-Hastings Rd/South eastern freeway.

 

[spook]

Both those scoreboards existed at the same time, at opposite ends of the ground,

 

[Razorgang2]

@Admin, you might want to spin off the last few posts into a sperate thread. The content is older than Jack.

All good, I was around then too.

 

[tigertim]

Both those scoreboards existed at the same time, at opposite ends of the ground,

I always thought there was just one.

 

[Berwick boy]

I was there that day, too. There was this weird feeling of wanting to see him break the record and be there to see it, but at the same time not wanting to see him get it, because it would be against us. I didn’t mind Arctic Park, but geez it used to get cold there.

If anyone remembers a drunk young 20 something run onto the ground before the second siren and getting gang tackled by the black bombers that was my good self.
One of the pricks gave me a sneaky punch to the head in the pack so I dacked him...members pissed them selves and I jumped the fence to try and run away but got the jelly legs and cops got me.

Bit of bark off and a big spew down Brandon Park drive walking back to my cousins house, with cars tooting and laughing.

Got in and my cuz pissed himself laughing as he had heard crackers Keenan on the radio saying it was a very ordinary game (bar piggy getting 17) until the end when some idiot ran onto the ground and had a wrestle.

Good days.

 

[DavidSSS]

Do you mean this?

I can't remember that screen. It was always like this in my time:

Yep, that top one is the one I remember, just a series of light bulbs from memory. Where were you guys in the 1970s?

Ant, yes, black and white photography is monochrome, I think that is fairly obvious. But the variations such as sepia and selenium toning (the sort of metallic blue) were done by chemicals back in the day. You knew all about it when doing sepia toning, it bloody stank, rotten egg gas basically. Also you had different film types in the early days - first film was only sensitive to blue light, then came orthochromatic which is sensitive to all light except red (hence the red safe light when making black and white prints as photographic paper is orthochromatic) and finally panchromatic film. I have always wanted to find a way to reproduce the effect of orthochromatic film, there is a starkness to pictures taken with ortho film, a certain stillness you see in old photos, part of this is because it is not as soft as panchromatic film, not as many shades of grey effectively from what I know. Also very slow - usually ASA 25 or the like. That scoreboard at VFL Park might look antiquated now but back then a monochrome replay on the scoreboard was pretty impressive. Trouble was it got overtaken by colour screens pretty quickly. One of the pitfalls of getting in early and not realising how quickly technology can change.

How the hell did we get on to VFL Park in the Jack Riewoldt thread?

DS

 

[spook]

I always thought there was just one.

I remember both, thimoty. Not sure I went there before 82, might have.

 

[DavidSSS]

Both those scoreboards existed at the same time, at opposite ends of the ground,

No they didn't, the original scoreboard was at the East end of the ground and the monochrome scoreboard replaced it.

Are you thinking of the little one at the other end of the ground:

DS

 

[22nd Man]

Didnt mind going to VFL park. It was close to home, and i knew where to park to get out relatively quickly for a left hand turn on to Wellington Rd.

Also had a mate who managed one of the bars, so used to stand to the side of the queues (think it was roped off by memory) and drank for free.

One day locked my keys in the car, wandered up to the cops compound there and asked for a wire coat hanger. They handed one over with no questions asked...

And no breath test either!

 

[spook]

No they didn't, the original scoreboard was at the East end of the ground and the monochrome scoreboard replaced it.

Are you thinking of the little one at the other end of the ground:

DS

Ah. Hmm. I'm sure I recall the first one, could have sworn they co-existed but I'll stand corrected, DS. I was very young. (As I still am.)

That little one also looks familiar so I'd say I did go before 82 and saw the first one, then more from 82 on, and my zygote brain conflated 'em all.

 

[BrisTiger24]

Ah some good memories of Waverley / VFL Park. My mates old man was one of the blue coats on the gate. He used to sneak us in for free.

I was also at the Dunstall 17 goal game. Horrible.

The only times I remember winning there was a few games against the Saints and a close win against the Eagles by a couple of points.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

That little one also looks familiar so I'd say I did go before 82 and saw the first one, then more from 82 on, and my zygote brain conflated 'em all.

I'm really skeptical of the video screen starting at Waverley in 82. I was at the first MCG game for the Diamond Vision scoreboard, first game of the Krakouer brothers, and it was a big deal. If Waverley got its screen at the same time, I'm sure I'd remember it, being such a poor relation. I'm almost certain that the Waverley screen was up prior to 1982.

 

[Baloo]

I'm really skeptical of the video screen starting at Waverley in 82. I was at the first MCG game for the Diamond Vision scoreboard, first game of the Krakouer brothers, and it was a big deal. If Waverley got its screen at the same time, I'm sure I'd remember it, being such a poor relation. I'm almost certain that the Waverley screen was up prior to 1982.

Both were brought online in 1982. Not sure why the VFL didn't go colour. Maybe cost, or desire to be first.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Both were brought online in 1982. Not sure why the VFL didn't go colour. Maybe cost, or desire to be first.

That would mean its first use was at Rioli's debut. I remember a bit from that day, e.g. it was a perfect sunny autumn day, but not the scoreboard.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Well there you go, the memory was playing tricks.

 

[DavidSSS]

I seem to recall a particularly boring game there in the late 70s as we just played lazy football to beat I think Essendon who were crap back then. It was a freezing day and raining and not a particularly good game.

That place was bloody cold.

DS

 

[seven]

Can not believe there is talk that jack will be playing on next year.

 

[Mr Brightside]

After watching the replay , I was really liking his hands and movement in the first quarter, forget the fact he kicked 3 goals , just looked good after that he got a bath from a solid backman who he would have had kicked 6 on 2 years ago. Hate been critical of a genuine Richmond star , however I think his time up is coming quickly, clubs leave Jack one out and just focus on Lynch now , that dosent mean I don’t think he still has a role this year, especially with him kicking very well for goal , but the fact is going forward we must find another key forward, this is why we need to really have a look at CJ with Lynch as this could solve the problem quickly and allow us to develop a draftee from this years crop.

I know I’m on my own here , however I’d play Jack back in his original HFF role Seriously let him play up the ground a lot more and allow Lynch and CJ to work together deep.