Scotch College

Marn-Grook - the original Aussie rules?

Jim Poulter's ('59) great-great grandfather was linked to another Yarra Valley pioneer, James Dawson. James Dawson wrote a book about his experiences with the local aboriginal tribe the Gunditjmara. The book had a section on 'Aboriginal Football', which read as follows: One of the favourite games is football, in which fifty, or as many as one hundred players, engage at a time. The ball is about the size of an orange and is made of opossum skin, with the fur side outwards. It is filled with pounded charcoal, which gives solidarity without much increase of weight, and is tied hard around with kangaroo tail sinews. The players are divided into two sides and ranged in opposing lines, which are always of a different 'class' - white cockatoo against black cockatoo, quail against snake etc. each side endeavours to keep possession of the ball, which is tossed a short distance by hand, and then kicked in any direction. The side, which kicks it oftenest and furtherest gains the game. The person who sends it highest is considered the best player. and has the honour of burying it in the ground till required next day.

‘The sport is concluded with a shout of applause and the best player is complimented on his skill.’ Jim continued to research pioneer accounts and ultimately found evidence of Marn-Grook being played all over Australia and believes that the game invariably left an indelible impression on whoever saw it. Although historians may say there is no proof that Marn-Grook was a parent to our new national football code, in contextual terms at least, it was a midwife.

A contrary view is expressed by historian Gillian Hibbins, included in the book, The Australian Game of Football since 1858, published by the AFL to commemorate the game's sesquicentenary. (Tim explores this in greater depth in the Great Scot article).

Tom Wills (From 1856-1859)

Tom Wills emerged as an important sporting figure in the colony. In July 1858 his letter calling for the establishment of football clubs was published in the sporting magazine Bell's Life, and a month later he umpired the famous game between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar. Most importantly, as secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club Wills attended the meeting of members on 19 May 1859 at Jerry Bryant's Parade Hotel in East Melbourne to formalise the establishment of the Melbourne Football Club. He was one of a group of seven selected to draw up the Melbourne rules of Football. The distinctive features of the rules were an oval ball, the absence of an offside rule and provision for handling the ball.

From a Scotch perspective it is interesting to note that another member of that group, Thomas Smith, was a Scotch master formerly from Ireland who had played in the Melbourne Grammar match. Wherever the truth may lie about the origins of our national game, this year we are celebrating Scotch's close involvement in the formation of the game.

We are also celebrating the undisputed fact that Scotch and Melbourne Grammar School played in the first recorded match of a game that progressively developed into Australian rules football - a rough and tumble inauguration of the game we know and love today. We can only wonder what Tom Wills would make of it all if he was with us now!

I encourage you to be part of the Cordner-Eggleston Cup, explore Tim Shearer’s article further in Great Scot and consider some other events around this 2008 sentinel event listed with the 1858 Club's entries in this edition of the Torch.