Dick Condon
Encyclopedia
Richard 'Dick' Condon was a highly controversial, exceptionally brilliant champion Australian rules football
er who played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1894 to 1909.
He is the only player to have played 100 games for the Collingwood Football Club
who has not been awarded Life Membership.
He played mainly as a "follower" (see Early VFL Final systems#The 1897 VFL Premiership).
He is widely credited as the man who contributed the most to the development of the stab-kick which (once the specially designed "blunter" Sherrin Match II football was introduced into the VFL) became the central feature of the Collingwood football team's pattern of play.
An 18 August 1905 newspaper report, referring to him as "that fiery football genius Bill Condon", described his coaching style as a "combination of brimstone oratory and skilful [sic] tactics".
He abused field umpire Bill Freame on 7 July 1900 continuously throughout the match against South Melbourne Football Club
at the Lake Oval after a number of decisions went against the Magpies; he was suspended for three weeks by the VFL. Two weeks later, whilst still under VFL suspension, he got into a fist-fight with teammate Arthur Robson in the middle of Collingwood's three-quarter time huddle; the pair had to be restrained by the umpires, teammates and Collingwood club officials.
On 1 September 1900, during Collingwood's second round-robin finals match against Geelong Football Club
at the Corio Oval
, Condon became so upset with the umpiring of Dick Gibson
during the last quarter of the match that he lost his temper, stormed off the Corio Oval, and signalled his teammates to follow, also demanding that the Collingwood match committee order the Collingwood players from the field. The Collingwood match committee refused to do so and, instead, ordered Condon and the team to return to the playing field or be banished from the club. At that stage Collingwood was a point ahead of Geelong, but Condon's behaviour so unsettled his team that it did not score again, and lost to Geelong 6.8 (44) to 4.7 (31). It was the loss in this match that eliminated Collingwood from premiership calculations in that year.
In the final match of the three round-robin match series the following week, Collingwood played against Melbourne Football Club
at the Lake Oval. The field umpire for the match, Henry "Ivo" Crapp
, was considered to be the most experienced umpire in the competition. After a decision went against the Magpies in the first quarter, Condon abused Crapp throughout the remainder of the match, culminating in his infamous barrage of insults involving the umpire's daughter.
He was reported for his conduct, and the VFL Investigative Committee immediately suspended Condon for life. A newspaper report of 17 September 1900 suggested that Condon would now be able to "spend the rest of his days thinking about the joy and glory of his lost future in the game", observed that 'Collingwood has turned away from him", and noted that "club discipline has outweighed any sympathy for a fallen hero", provided additional details of the incident:
His last appeal was successful, and, having not played a single game in 1901, he played his first return game for Collingwood against Melbourne
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
on 19 May 1902.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1894 to 1909.
He is the only player to have played 100 games for the Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
who has not been awarded Life Membership.
Talent
Condon was a highly skilled player, a wiry and tenacious man of greater than average height (5'11"; 180 cm), with great speed, brilliant evasive skills, and an outstanding capacity for reading a game.He played mainly as a "follower" (see Early VFL Final systems#The 1897 VFL Premiership).
He is widely credited as the man who contributed the most to the development of the stab-kick which (once the specially designed "blunter" Sherrin Match II football was introduced into the VFL) became the central feature of the Collingwood football team's pattern of play.
An 18 August 1905 newspaper report, referring to him as "that fiery football genius Bill Condon", described his coaching style as a "combination of brimstone oratory and skilful [sic] tactics".
Physical skills
In physical terms he was an extremely flexible and well-balanced player. He was able to pick the ball up from the ground with either hand, he was able to kick place-kicks, punt-kicks, drop-kicks, and stab-kicks with either foot, and he could handball with either hand.Abrasive nature
He was far from well-balanced in terms of his threshold for violence (directed at his own teammates as often as his opponents), his short temper with club and match officials, his view that things must always be seen from his own perspective, his intolerance of failure, and his propensity for continuously abusing field umpires, all of which were continuously displayed throughout his long career.Lifetime suspension
Halfway through the 1900 season, Condon was appointed captain of Collingwood. In his new role as captain, he gave the umpires an even harder time.He abused field umpire Bill Freame on 7 July 1900 continuously throughout the match against South Melbourne Football Club
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
at the Lake Oval after a number of decisions went against the Magpies; he was suspended for three weeks by the VFL. Two weeks later, whilst still under VFL suspension, he got into a fist-fight with teammate Arthur Robson in the middle of Collingwood's three-quarter time huddle; the pair had to be restrained by the umpires, teammates and Collingwood club officials.
On 1 September 1900, during Collingwood's second round-robin finals match against Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
at the Corio Oval
Corio Oval
Corio Oval was an Australian rules football ground, located in Geelong, Victoria and used by the Geelong Football Club in the VFL from 1897 to 1941. Located in the Eastern Gardens, the oval was served by trams from 1930 when the line was extended....
, Condon became so upset with the umpiring of Dick Gibson
Dick Gibson (footballer)
Dick Gibson was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League .Gibson was a member of the inaugural South Melbourne team in 1897 and vice-captained the club in his two seasons. He became the first VFL player to umpire a Grand Final in 1903 when he...
during the last quarter of the match that he lost his temper, stormed off the Corio Oval, and signalled his teammates to follow, also demanding that the Collingwood match committee order the Collingwood players from the field. The Collingwood match committee refused to do so and, instead, ordered Condon and the team to return to the playing field or be banished from the club. At that stage Collingwood was a point ahead of Geelong, but Condon's behaviour so unsettled his team that it did not score again, and lost to Geelong 6.8 (44) to 4.7 (31). It was the loss in this match that eliminated Collingwood from premiership calculations in that year.
In the final match of the three round-robin match series the following week, Collingwood played against Melbourne Football Club
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
at the Lake Oval. The field umpire for the match, Henry "Ivo" Crapp
Henry 'Ivo' Crapp
Henry 'Ivor' Crapp , was a leading Australian rules football field umpire in the Victorian Football League at its formation in the 1890s, and with the West Australian Football League in the early 1900s...
, was considered to be the most experienced umpire in the competition. After a decision went against the Magpies in the first quarter, Condon abused Crapp throughout the remainder of the match, culminating in his infamous barrage of insults involving the umpire's daughter.
He was reported for his conduct, and the VFL Investigative Committee immediately suspended Condon for life. A newspaper report of 17 September 1900 suggested that Condon would now be able to "spend the rest of his days thinking about the joy and glory of his lost future in the game", observed that 'Collingwood has turned away from him", and noted that "club discipline has outweighed any sympathy for a fallen hero", provided additional details of the incident:
Appeal and reinstatement
Over an eighteen month period, Condon appealed against his lifetime ban on three occasions.His last appeal was successful, and, having not played a single game in 1901, he played his first return game for Collingwood against Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
on 19 May 1902.
Senior football career
- 1894-1896: 45 games, 14 goals for Collingwood in the VFA competition.
- 1897-1900, 1902-1906: 149 games, 101 goals for Collingwood in the VFL competition.
- 1899-1900: Was intermittently the captain of Collingwood.
- 1905-1906: Captain-Coach of Collingwood (37 games, 26 wins, 11 losses)
- His abrasive character caused so much irritation at Collingwood that he was asked to leave at the end of 1906.
- 1907: Spent season in Tasmania as a field umpire.
- 1908-1909: 32 games, 26 goals for RichmondRichmond Football ClubThe Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
. - 1908-1909: Coach of Richmond (36 games, 12 wins, 24 losses) in its first two years in the VFL competition.
- His abrasive character caused so much irritation at Richmond that he was asked to leave at the end of 1909.
- 1910: Non-playing coach of New South Wales Football League team East SydneyEast Sydney Australian Football ClubEast Sydney Australian Football Club was an Australian rules football club based out of the Sydney eastern suburbs in New South Wales.The club formed in 1880 as the first Australian Rules club in New South Wales, participating in the NSWAFA in 1881....
. - He is unique amongst Collingwood's ten year/100 game players in that he has never been made a life member.