Western Suburbs DRLFC – First Grade 1912
Round 14 1912
Standing: Charlie Elliott, Voltaire Molesworth, Albert Hatchman, Cecil Foord, Bill Medcalf, George Paterson, Bill Finnegan (referee),
Alf Joass, William Joass Jnr, William Joass, Ernie McFayden, Bill Elliott
Sitting: Claude McFayden, Frank Holt, Henry Naylor (c), Arthur Gillett, Ray Steward
Front: Sam Shaw, Albert Burdus, Vivian “Vic” West, Ted Mead, Stan Wall, Clifton Luckey
The above captioned photo highlights some of the remarkable research done by researchers, Brent Knowles and Tony McCarron. This original photo had a large number of unidentified players. With the use of facial recognition technology and some deep analytical spadework it was determined that this was taken before the Round 14 match against Annandale. The research was able to validate the identified players. The corroborating research is outlined below:
- The referee is Bill Finegan. Bill Finegan only refereed Wests in Rounds 13 and 14 in 1912
- Round 14 was the first time Wests played at Pratten Park. It is probable that the photo was associated with the official opening of Pratten Park.
- Jack Tully captained the team in Round 1 and 2 while Tedda Courtney took a back seat
- Tedda Courtney, who played 11 games and captained Wests on nine occasions in 1912, was in New Zealand with the NSW team and missed Rounds 13 and 14 as well as the city Cup game. The games Courtney captained were Rounds 3,4,5,6,7,9,10,11,12
- Courtney did not play in Round 8. Henry Naylor is reported as captaining the team in Round 8 (Wests Archive). Ted Mead played in Round 8 but appears to have been bypassed for the captain’s duties. This suggest that Henry Naylor was the preferred captain over Ted Mead and would support the Round 14 photo with Henry Naylor in the captain’s seat and Ted Mead at the front of the photo.
- In Round 13, Tedda Courtney was absent (touring with NSW) and Henry Naylor and Albert Conlon did not play so the captaincy was handed to Ted Mead.
- Henry Naylor returned for the Round 14 match, and Ted Mead also played in that game. It appears obvious that with Henry Naylor sitting in the captain’s position that he was captain on the day, not Ted Mead
- The other thing to note is that Ted Mead did not play beyond 1912 while Henry Naylor played for several more seasons. It was likely Ted Mead was being a good clubman and filled in where required at the end of 1912.
- Ranji Joass suffered cracked ribs in the round 12 match against Souths and was out for the rest of the season. He appears in the photo in a suit which was appropriate under the circumstances.
- Cec Foord played one game in 1912 and that was the Round 13 match, although he was listed for the Round 14 game he did not play. Like Ranji Joass, Foord is in a suit which suggests the photo is from Round 14.
- Charles Rothwell, like Foord, played only one game in 1912 and that was Round 13. He does not appear in the team photo which again suggest that the photo is from the Round 14 team
This highlights the depth of the research that has gone into the early years of Wests and how facial recognition technology is changing the game.
After some improvement in 1911, Wests appeared to have recruited well for the 1912 season gaining to its roster a number of experienced players as well a crop of young up and coming juniors. However, with so many new players in the ranks, the team appeared to be disorganised and the situation didn’t improve as the season went forward. The Club once again took out the wooden spoon.
To highlight this, the Arrow newspaper in May 1912 noted that; “J. Tully was elected captain of Western Suburbs (for the first round), the election being left for the team to carry out in the dressing room prior to starting the match. No wonder Western Suburbs went to pieces against a team such as Newtown. An election of captain at such a late hour gives neither the captain nor the team a chance to organise. A side needs to discuss tactics thoroughly beforehand.”
In the early years teams didn’t have coaches and support staff as they do in the modern era. The role of the captain in providing leadership and tactics was integral to the success of a team. The high turnover of players in the early years of the Wests club created instability, so it was imperative that organisation was at the highest level. These aspects of the club gradually improved over the years and Wests became a force in the competition.
Stalwarts for the club were Claude McFayden (played all 14 games), Alf Joass , Bill Medcalf and Henry Naylor (all played 13 games).
William “Ranji” Joass (seated) with 1911 players, Jim Stack (left) and Edward Ellis
Ranji was one of the backbone players of Wests from 1911-22. In 1912 he represented NSW
1912 Enfield Federals with future First-Graders – James Maxworthy, Frank Lane, George Gagan and possibly George’s brother, Stan Gagan
Back Row: B Collis (Trainer), V Howell (Trainer), H McCoy, J Hoddinett (Secretary), E Andrews, W Woodbridge (Vice-President), A Hoseman (Vice-President)
Second Row: T Sparks, J Maxworthy, G Hanson, W Williams, A Anderson, R Collis, W Dale, S Dickson
Front Row: D Nicholls, F Lane, C Daft, S Gagan (Captain), F Howell, H Dunlop, G Gagan