Spud/Moorabbin

[tony74]

Great story in the Herald Sun. Someone who knows how to cut and paste please put it on for the oldies!

[saintbrat]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/t ... e09bb4eebe



THE long-gone scent of Moorabbin mud still brings a smile to Danny Frawley’s face.

As a one-time “groundsman” during the 1980s, who worked in tandem with another likely lad from Ballarat, Tony Lockett, Frawley was in charge of applying copious amounts of water to the ground to ensure it was as muddy as possible for visiting teams.

On occasions, even the coach and the chief executive would be out there with the hose turning it into a mud patch that suited St Kilda’s battling teams of the mid-1980s before a new wave of young Saints stars made the tactic obsolete.

“There was nothing like it,” Frawley said of Moorabbin. “You would walk out in the middle, especially in the mid ‘80s, and you could just sense the atmosphere of the place.

“We didn’t have much skill back then. So we used to water the ground, myself and ‘Plugger’ were groundsmen, so we made sure it was nice and muddy like Ballarat.

“Players from opposition clubs would shake their heads at how muddy it was at the start of April. We used to laugh our heads off.”

[saintbrat]

Frawley said the beauty of Moorabbin back then was that “you would see the same faces every time you played there.”

St Kilda played at Moorabbin from 1965 until 1992, and kept the ground as its home base until the end of the 2010 season. But Frawley is excited by the club’s plans for a $29 million redevelopment of Moorabbin, complete with a purpose-built facility, which would see the Saints return home to Linton St by the end of next year.


“The ‘Animal Enclosure’ was infamous for all the right reasons,” he said. “I think you needed a dozen (beers) or a slab to get into it. It was guarded by barbed wire. They were between us (the Saints) and the umpires’ race, so the poor old umpies used to cop it.”

Frawley played 72 of his 240 games at Moorabbin — more than at any other ground — and the memories still resonate.

[To the top]

The doors from the Gold Pass Room - and the balcony which was THE premium place to watch footy from!

[Wayne42]

The doors from the Gold Pass Room - and the balcony which was THE premium place to watch footy from!

For you maybe, that wouldn't have been everyone's cup of tea back then, that and the Animal Enclosure are at opposite ends of the Spectrum.

[White Winmar]

The Animal Enclosure was the only place to stand. God I loved that place. I can't wait for our first VFL game at Moorabbin, when Sandy will be in saints colours. It will be a lockout.

[saintspremiers]

The Animal Enclosure was the only place to stand. God I loved that place. I can't wait for our first VFL game at Moorabbin, when Sandy will be in saints colours. It will be a lockout.

Within the stands and space in the outer the new capacity of Moorabbin I'm guessing will only be about 5K

[Wrote for Luck]

The Animal Enclosure was the only place to stand. God I loved that place. I can't wait for our first VFL game at Moorabbin, when Sandy will be in saints colours. It will be a lockout.

Should all make an effort to get the numbers up for these games. A pilgrimage, special occasion.

[The Fireman]

I always thought the animal enclosure was overated. was all Saint supporters.went there a couple of times but had much more fun outside it amongst oppo supporters

[Sainternist]

I always thought the animal enclosure was overated. was all Saint supporters.went there a couple of times but had much more fun outside it amongst oppo supporters

Where was your favourite spot at Moorabbin, Fiery?

From memory, Bruce Eva and his circle of mates would be around a lot of the opposition fans, razzing them etc, at the South Road goal end.

I was generally behind the goals of the Nepean HWY end, as I was either in the CS or liked to be around the CS as a youngster back then.

[Jacks Back]

I stood on the wing between the Saints race and the ramp up next to the social club.

[White Winmar]

The Animal Enclosure was the only place to stand. God I loved that place. I can't wait for our first VFL game at Moorabbin, when Sandy will be in saints colours. It will be a lockout.

Should all make an effort to get the numbers up for these games. A pilgrimage, special occasion.

Spot on, millarsaint. I've got most of the old crew committed already.

[bigcarl]

Frawley played 72 of his 240 games at Moorabbin — more than at any other ground — and the memories still resonate.

One of his best came in Round 7, 1991. It was his 150th game. The Saints beat the Crows by 131 points.

“There wasn’t enough room that day for a healthy sardine,” he said. “Plugger was making his famous comeback after a fractured vertebrae and Nicky Winmar was coming back from his suspension the year before.”

“I’ll never forget it — it was (Lazar) Vidovic, down to (Robert) Harvey, on to Winmar and a searing left-foot onto Plugger’s ample chest down at the South Rd end. Plugger ended up kicking 12 that day.”

Just as vivid in Frawley’s mind was the day Lockett kicked his 100th goal at the ground in 1987 just days after Saints coach Darrel Baldock suffered a stroke.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/t ... e09bb4eebe

[The Fireman]

I always thought the animal enclosure was overated. was all Saint supporters.went there a couple of times but had much more fun outside it amongst oppo supporters

Where was your favourite spot at Moorabbin, Fiery?

From memory, Bruce Eva and his circle of mates would be around a lot of the opposition fans, razzing them etc, at the South Road goal end.

I was generally behind the goals of the Nepean HWY end, as I was either in the CS or liked to be around the CS as a youngster back then.

I was in that circle...still good mates. Stayed together during the Waverley days and the Dome, I have moved interstate Bruce works most games now..the old firm has diminished bigtime but still catchup.

we gave the opposition hell over a sustained period...much more than the animal enclosure

[The Fireman]

Frawley played 72 of his 240 games at Moorabbin — more than at any other ground — and the memories still resonate.

One of his best came in Round 7, 1991. It was his 150th game. The Saints beat the Crows by 131 points.

“There wasn’t enough room that day for a healthy sardine,” he said. “Plugger was making his famous comeback after a fractured vertebrae and Nicky Winmar was coming back from his suspension the year before.”

“I’ll never forget it — it was (Lazar) Vidovic, down to (Robert) Harvey, on to Winmar and a searing left-foot onto Plugger’s ample chest down at the South Rd end. Plugger ended up kicking 12 that day.”

Just as vivid in Frawley’s mind was the day Lockett kicked his 100th goal at the ground in 1987 just days after Saints coach Darrel Baldock suffered a stroke.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/t ... e09bb4eebe

I remember that game, Nigel Smart had hair

[bigcarl]

Smart tried to scrag Plugger. What was he thinking?