1934 ... A Remarkable Season

[Pseudo]

South have achieved that feat twice, bottom to premiers.
Any other club ?

I reakon (sic) it has happened a few times over in Perth. Happy to be proved wrong.

Conversely I believe that the Bays are the only team across the three major competitions to have backed up a flag with a spoon, although Claremont was spared this ignominy only by the introduction of Peel Thunder. Might happen this year though, I notice that last year's WAFL premier currently sits bottom with 4 or 5 games remaining....

[MagareyLegend]

FOOTBALLERS SUSPENDED
Port Men Out For Most Of Season OBST, 12 GAMES
By ROVER

On charges arising out of incidents which occurred in the 1934 League football grand final at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday, two Port Adelaide players were ordered to stand down for 12 and 10 matches respectively by the League commissioners (Messrs. T. S. O'Halloran, K.C., E. Millhouse and J. J. Weeds) last night, a third player was suspended for one match. The disqualified players are: - K. Obst (for throwing the ball at the umpire), 12 matches. A. Reval (for hacking and attempting to hack), 10 matches. C. Wightman (for throwing the ball away), 1 match.

All the offences occurred during the last quarter of the match, and at a particularly tense stage of the game. Port Adelaide having drawn level with Glenelg for the first time since early in the game. This was apparently taken into consideration by the commissioners, for, in announcing the sentence in Obst's case, Mr. O'Halloran said:—"In view of all the circumstances of the case, we consider that the offence, though still serious will be sufficiently punished if Obst is disqualified for 12 matches." Obst was charged with having thrown the ball at L. C. Thomas (field umpire).

Mr. O'Halloran pointed out that it was the first case of an offence against an umpire the three commissioners had dealt with, but they had agreed that they could see no reason for adopting a more lenient view of the offence than had single commissioners in the past. "We are determined that the umpires shall be protected," continued Mr. O'Halloran. "It was practically admitted that Obst threw the ball at the umpire with the deliberate intention of hitting him. If the ball had connected Obst would have had a severer sentence."

Two Charges Against Reval

The charges against Reval were that he hacked G. C. Hale and F. V. Bergin (Glenelg), and in imposing the sentences decided upon by the commissioners, Mr. O'Halloran said they regarded both as bad cases "Both were deliberate.'' he said. "In the first, Reval actually connected. In the second, he waited until the player had taken a mark and was turning round to take his kick. We find that Reval then deliberately kicked at him."
Being a second offence on the same day, the case was regarded as an extremely bad one, said Mr. O'Halloran, and the sentences of four and six matches would be cumulative making 10 in all.

"This offence, we hold, is on much the same footing as that of Downs, of West Torrens, who was suspended for one match recently for having thrown the ball away." said Mr O'Halloran in imposing the commissioners' sentence on C. Wightman who was charged with having thrown the ball away. "It is not a very serious matter, and we consider that it will be sufficient if we disqualify him for one match.'' The disqualification of the three players last night, following the sentences of five matches each imposed on A. Brown and J. Allingham a fortnight ago means that Port Adelaide will be without the services of Obst and Reval for most of the season, Brown and Allingham for the first three matches and Wightman for the opening game.