The Victorian Team ready to Venture North 1888

 Argus, Monday 23 July 1888, page 5

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FOOTBALL.

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THE ASSOCIATION GAME.

The team selected by the Anglo-Australian Football Association to represent Victoria in the Intercolonial match with Now South Wales had their third and final practice match on Saturday, on the ground of the South Melbourne Anglo-Australian Football Club at Middle park, when they showed continued improvement on their form of 7th and 14th. The team seem now to fully understand each other, and the forward division combine and pass the ball from one to the other as unselfishly as if they all belonged to one club instead of representing three different clubs and dribbling the ball too much. The back division could not he much improved upon, but these practise games have allowed the Carlton and South Melbourne representatives to understand how best to assist one another in this most important position. If the goalkeeper, who has also improved, is able to perform his responsible task satisfactorily, then the team as a whole should be able to render a good account of themselves next Saturday, as it is the strongest team that has represented Victoria since the intercolonial contests were inaugurated in 1883. The result of the match was a win for Victoria's re-presentatives by 8 goals to 2, Maepherson, one of the Victorian backs, scoring one of the goals for the opposing team when hotly pressed in the mouth of goal.

The Victorian team all played well, while Spence, Tuck, Beeson, Short, and Dovey played well for the losers. The team leaves by express on Wednesday, play on unbeaten record, besides being the winners of the Gardiner Challenge Cup. The Victorians will go on to Sydney on Friday to play the intercolonial match on Saturday, the 28th; a match against Sydney suburban clubs on Monday, the 30th ; a match against Sydney city clubs, on Tuesday, the 31st ; a match at Newcastle, on Thursday, August 2, and return on Friday, the 3rd The team is as follows :-L. Jones (Melbourne Rovers), goal ; R. Amson (Carlton), captain, and R Macpherson (South Melbourne), backs; H. Tunnicliffe (Carlton), R. Bryan (Prahran), H. Clark (Melbourne Rovers), halfbacks; J. Nicholson (Carlton). A. Miller (South Melbourne), right wing forwards; J. Ross (Carlton), centre ; H. Parsall (Prahran), C. W. Armour (South Melbourne), left wing forwards; reserves, W. Bisiker (Melbourne Rovers), J. Lockhead (Prahran); manager, W. Bisiker.