Page 493 - History of Parkside Football Club (1897-2017) Editied Version Completed_optimized

Parkside Football Club 1897/2017

A spectator at the game said violent scenes erupted on and off the ground during the third quarter.

"There was sniping going on all over the place," he said. "It was vicious, extremely menacing. I felt
sorry for the mothers, the kids, the women in the crowd. Anyone with a kid wanting to play football
doesn't want to be traumatized by that.

FDFL officials were loath to talk about the violent weekend of football. President Rex Swann could
not be contacted despite repeated phone calls to FDFL headquarters on Mon¬day and Tuesday
morning.

Vice-president Vern Smithwick refused to comment when contacted.

"He (Rex Swann) is the mouthpiece," he said. "I don't give anything out unless he gives it out.”

Meanwhile, Braybrook ruckman Darren Parfrey is the hot favourite to win the Barry Priest Medal,
the FDFL A1's equivalent to the Brownlow Medal. The vote count will be held at the West Footscray
Football Club next Monday night. Other leading contenders include 1993 Priest Medallist Mark
Kriehn (Spotswood), Doug Cooper (Altona), Anthony Stockwell (Deer Park), Brendon Doyle (Port
Colts) and Nick Kotoski (West Footscray).”

***

“Deer Park booked a grand final showdown with the Woodsmen after out-playing Parkside by 39-
points in the preliminary final at Yarraville on Saturday.”

Deer Park 15.19.109 d Parkside 10.10.70

The Times, September 6, 1995

***

All Footscray District Football League finals matches were video-taped last weekend in a move to
stamp out the worrying recent trend of violence on and off the field.

And it worked wonders, with only one player reported and no reports of fighting in the crowd. This
was a welcome change to the previous weekend when 33 players were reported and police were
called to two games as finals football in the West turned spiteful and nasty.

A relieved FDFL president Rex Swann said a meeting between league chiefs and representatives from
all clubs late last week also played a part in the “clean-up”.

“There were no problems at all at the weekend, none whatsoever,” Mr Swann said. “It is always
good when you don’t get too many reports ... reports are never good for the game.”

He admitted the FDFL had been under the spotlight all week in the lead-up to last weekend’s games
because of reports in last Wednesday’s Western Times which highlighted the trouble of local football
violence ‘in recent weeks. Mr Swann described the reports as “cheap journalism”.

Once a Parksider, Always a Parksider