National Carinval -1950

The eyes of the football world right across the nation zeroed in on Brisbane in 1950 when the Brisbane Exhibition Ground hosted the Australian Carnival

It was the 11^th national carnival and the first in Brisbane as the national body launched its first major offensive post-war in the propaganda battle with the rugby codes.

So serious were the southern administrators that dual Collingwood premiership hero Bruce Andrew was based in Brisbane to head the offensive in the promotions battle.

Nine teams participated, with Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the VFA doing battle in division one, and Queensland, New South Wales, ACT and the Australian Amateurs in division two.

Alan Ruthven, John Coleman, Bill Hutchinson, Charlie Sutton and Bob Davis were some of the big names in the Victorian side, while Fos Williams and Jack Oatey led the SA team, and the great Jack Sheedy was at the helm of WA.

The Queensland side included Doug Pittard and Dick Parton, later to be named in the Queensland Team of the Century and the Hall of Fame, and future Hall of Famers Norm Reidy, Gordon Phelan, Tom Calder, Ray Marshall and Jim Trewick, one of four Trewick brothers.

The weather was not kind, and many games were played in poor conditions. The venue, too, was less than ideal. Shorter than the SCG and surrounded by a gravel speedway track, it quickly became a quagmire under heavy and persistent rain. But crowds for games involving Queensland and the division one teams were strong as local fans flocked to see the best of the best.

Victoria completed the carnival undefeated to win the division one title, and the Amateurs took division two. Queensland beat the ACT by 55 points but lost narrowly to the Amateurs and NSW.

Terry Cashion from Tasmania beat Don Fraser from Victoria to win the Tassie Medal as the Player of the Carnival, and Bob Parsons from Tasmania edged out Victoria’s Hutchison and Ruthven to be the carnival’s leading goal-kicker.

The 1950 Australian Championships …a special moment in Queensland football history, and now a member of the Queensland Football Hall of Fame.