Queen Elizabeth (II) went to the footy
in Round 1 1970 at the MCG. Her Highness
saw the Fitzroy Lions defeat the Richmond Tigers
16.20 (116) to 14.12 (96). Richmond, with its famous
chant of “Yellow & Black” reverberating
around the ‘G, won the premiership in 1969,
so some straight kicking by the Maroon & Blue
would have seen the reigning premiers get well and
truly thumped.
Also, it was the first time a VFL game
was played on a Sunday.
Fitzroy played their first game at the
Junction Oval the next week (where they
stayed till the end of the 1984 season), losing
to the previous tenants (St. Kilda) by the alarming
margin of 110 points.
In Round 3 the Lions fronted up to Geelong
at the first ever game at Waverley (another
loss for the Lions – one would have to say
the Tigers must have been pretty crappy in the opening
round!!).
Interesting trivia is that the first goal
scored at Waverley was by Fitzroy reserves player
Shane Molloy, who finished up playing 61
games for the seniors, about the same number as
his son (Jarrod played 59 games for Fitzroy).
Fitzroy started to be the nomads of the VFL when
they left Brunswick Oval in 1966 and shared Princes
Park with Carlton for the next three years.
From 1970 to 1984 the Lions called the Junction
Oval in St Kilda their home. After this period,
which saw the club climb the ladder, it was time
to pack the bags and move. Next was an unholy
alliance with the dirty rotten stinking Magpies
at Victoria Park for 1985 & 1986. Fortunately
I was overseas for this period so I didn't have
to endure this embarrassing situation. The Lions
went back to Princes Park in 1987, finally finishing
up at the Western Oval in a co-tenancy with the
Bulldogs.
|
