Jules Feldmann and Russell Holmesby, the Point of It All: the Story of St

125 SPORTING TRADITIONS Jules Feldmann and Russell Holmesby, The Point Of It All: The Story Of St. Kilda Football Club, Playright, Melbourne, 1992. Illuis., records, pp. 319, $40.00. Strange is it not how we are held in the grip of sport, of how a particular team and its players can capture our imagination and inspire us with their deeds of skill and courage on the sporting arena? The oddity of this phenomenon is no better illustrated than by the case of the St Kilda Football Club, formed in 1873 and a foundation member of the Victorian, or now as it calls itself, the Australian, Football League. By any (and possibly every!) objective standard St. Kilda is the worst performing team in the League, if not organised team sport throughout the modern world. Notwithstanding its history of performances on the field St. Kilda is a club which has traditionally received strong and passionate support from Book Reviews 126 dedicated and loyal fans. St. Kilda supporters anxiously await news concerning the fortunes of their team. The paradox of poor performance by the team and the loyalty of supporters is highlighted by the implied question in Jules Feldmann and Russell Holmesby’s The Point Of It All: The Story Of St. Kilda Football Club. It took St. Kilda 49 games to achieve its first victory in the Victorian Football League - and this only occurred following a protest! St. Kilda has the dubious distinction of having ‘won’ the wooden spoon on 26 occasions - five of which occurred in the 1980s. Other than for the recent arrival of the inappropriately named Brisbane Bears, St, Kilda had won the lowest percentage of games played by any club in the League (35.9 per cent to the end of 1991). St. Kilda rarely provide supporters with the distraction of having to obtain tickets for final series, having the poorest qualification record of any team in the League. St. Kilda have only appeared in four grand finals - 1913, 1965, 1966 and 1971 - being victorious in 1966 when Barry Breen mis-kicked St. Kilda to a never to be forgotten one point victory over Collingwood. St. Kilda is an enigma. On its day it can beat any team and has provided a bevy of champions over the years. On other days St. Kilda seems to disappear into a veritable footballing black hole providing opposing teams with new record scores; or worse, being pipped in the dying moments of a close and exciting game. In these moments of despair suggestions of supporting another team, or finding an alternative form of distraction over weekends are readily dismissed with the contempt that they deserve. It would be easier to change one’s political affiliation, or religion, or give up believing in Father Christmas, than to loose one’s connections with the mighty Saints. Feldmann and Holmesby provide an account of the history of the St. Kilda Football Club. Their approach is to lightly touch on the major events which have occurred during the life of the club. They mainly focus on the fortunes of the team, coaches, and players. They write in the traditions of a ‘glory book’ providing a wealth of information concerning 127 SPORTING TRADITIONS major personalities - coaches and players - associated with St. Kilda. The book is lavishly illustrated with contemporary photographs and a wealth of information concerning the statistical records of the club. On a lighter note zealous Saints may be somewhat disturbed to be ‘confronted’ by a photograph, in the last chapter of a nondescript player of an even more nondescript club out marking current captain Danny Frawley. Hopefully this error will be rectified by the inclusion of a more appropriate photograph in future printings and editions of this book. Feldmann and Holmesby do not provide an analysis of the reasons for St. Kilda’s traditional poor performances on the football field. Hints are provided with references to tensions between the cricket and football clubs at the old St. Kilda Junction Oval, tensions between the football and social clubs at Moorabbin, poor recruiting zones, as well as internal faction fighting in the club. The Point Of It All is a book which will be read and enjoyed by all St. Kilda supporters and those with an interest in Australian rules football and sport. In particular, it will help to revive memories of great players and the great games they played in wearing the red, black and white on behalf of the St. Kilda Football Club. Braham Dabscheck University of New South Wales..

Load more