Why were (are) Behind posts orange?

[freshy4]

I have always wonderd the differences between the SANFL and other leagues around the country.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Orange?

[spell_check]

You mean red colour? If you have seen orange posts somewhere, either way, it's just to differentiate between the goal and behind posts if you have a quick look up at the goals to take a shot. Therefore, there would not be any confusion ala Malcolm Blight in 1981 when he waltzed into an open goal to kick it through the behind area.

Who started the idea in SA and why did it not take off in other states? No-one really knows the answer to both. I would be interested to know when the trend started in this state - any photos of goal areas from the early days showing the colour (or shade) of the posts?

[spell_check]

Page 32-33 of Best of Both Worlds shows a red behind post (well, dark coloured post) from a photo taken in1920. But on page 25, we see a white behind post at Unley Oval in 1909. That doesn't mean to say posts were all white then, maybe at different grounds they changed them to red over time? I am actually interested to know the progression of the red behind posts.

[robranisgod]

Red behind posts have always made sense to me. As someone else said we wouldn't have had the Malcolm Blight incident, Scott Leal did the same at Noarlunga some years ago. I thought at the time that it was unusual for a SANFL ground to have white behind posts. A lot of them do now.

As an aside I have always thought that the SANFL's 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw also makes more sense than the VFL/AFL's 4 points.

[Adelaide Hawk]

You mean red colour? If you have seen orange posts somewhere, either way, it's just to differentiate between the goal and behind posts if you have a quick look up at the goals to take a shot. Therefore, there would not be any confusion ala Malcolm Blight in 1981 when he waltzed into an open goal to kick it through the behind area.

I did that in underage footy, 1967. Played on a ground which had white behind posts and I never realised. A ball was kicked down to me, I turned and saw two white posts. ran to the line and banged it through. It wasn't until someone said, "he kicked a point" that I realised what I'd done. Had to live in shame until Blighty did the same years later, then I was in good company

[CK]

Red behind posts have always made sense to me. As someone else said we wouldn't have had the Malcolm Blight incident, Scott Leal did the same at Noarlunga some years ago. I thought at the time that it was unusual for a SANFL ground to have white behind posts. A lot of them do now.

As an aside I have always thought that the SANFL's 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw also makes more sense than the VFL/AFL's 4 points.

I was calling at Elizabeth about 2-3 years back in a night game, and a Central player did this same thing - played on and ran into an open point. Can't remember who it was for the life of me though.

[Mark_Beswick]

Cant remember the year they became white - was post 1991 and pre 1997 though

[robranisgod]

Cant remember the year they became white - was post 1991 and pre 1997 though

Some clubs still have red behind posts. Well they did last season. I haven't noticed this year yet.

[whufc]

Red behind posts have always made sense to me. As someone else said we wouldn't have had the Malcolm Blight incident, Scott Leal did the same at Noarlunga some years ago. I thought at the time that it was unusual for a SANFL ground to have white behind posts. A lot of them do now.

As an aside I have always thought that the SANFL's 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw also makes more sense than the VFL/AFL's 4 points.

I was calling at Elizabeth about 2-3 years back in a night game, and a Central player did this same thing - played on and ran into an open point. Can't remember who it was for the life of me though.

think it was either Justin or Matthew Westoff, may have even been Schell

[freshy4]

Cant remember the year they became white - was post 1991 and pre 1997 though

Some clubs still have red behind posts. Well they did last season. I haven't noticed this year yet.

Was at south adelaide tonight there red

[Booney]

And why not call them a "beside" instead of "behind" ?

[mal]

I wonder what the colour was for the behind posts in 1897
1897 GRAND FINAL
SA 2-14
PA 3-1
PA was the winner of this g/f
Points were not counted in 1897 !
Points were recorded but not added to the scores

PA kicked 3-1 in the first qtr
Went scoreless in the last 3 qtrs and still won

[dedja]

The Dutch took over from the Soviets?

[fish]

And why not call them a "beside" instead of "behind" ?

I read somewhere that they are called "behinds" because the ball is kicked behind the goals.

That doesn't really answer your question though does it!