Garfield legend Jim ‘Frosty’ Miller.By Brad Kingsbury
GARFIELD and Bunyip Football Clubs have a rivalry that goes back more than 70 years and that competition is set to be rekindled this Saturday when the sides clash in the inaugural Frosty MillerMax Papley Challenge match.
The idea of an annual preseason match between the two clubs, that now play in different competitions, was raised after an extraordinary amount of interest when they played a practice match at Bunyip last season.
Local football legends Max Papley and Frosty Miller have put their names on the line for the game that will become an annual event each preseason, alternating between clubs.
This Saturday’s game will be a twilight affair starting at 4pm at Garfield’s newly established $350,000 Beswick Street oval and both clubs will sell membership tickets at the ground.
Max Papley is a former South Melbourne champion, Cardinia Shire councillor and mayor and is also the grandfather of star Kangaroos’ recruit Ben Ross.
Garfield champion Jim ‘Frosty’ Miller is one of the greatest goalkickers ever to play football in the old VFA for Dandenong.
The VFL continues to award the ‘Frosty Miller’ medal to the winner of the league’s goalkicking each year and Miller holds the record for the most goals kicked in a match between the Stars and the Bulldogs with 14 in their 1966 clash.
The two clubs have a long and proud tradition going back to their days together in the West Gippsland Football League.
Records show they have played 69 times with Garfield claiming 55 wins and only 14 losses.
However one of those losses, in the 1934 grand final, became famous and served to grow the clubs’ rivalry.
Garfield player Jack Smith was the only player from his club to arrive at the ground for the game after the rest of the Garfield team had decided the previous night not to contest the match as they believed heavy rain had made the ground unfit for play.
Rumours persisted that significant bets had been laid on the match and the wet conditions would not suit Garfield’s tall side.
Smith, who was serving in the armed forces at Laverton, had been travelling back each week to play for his home town.
His teammates failed to inform him they were pulling the pin, so he stepped off the train at Nar Nar Goon and arrived at the ground to find he was on his own.
The Bunyip team ran onto the ground, the ball was bounced and the Bulldogs kicked a goal.
The match was then stopped with Bunyip awarded victory thus starting a bitter rivalry.
Bunyip and Garfield competed in the same league until, on the eve of the 1981 finals, the VCFL stated that Bunyip and Garfield clubs were to merge.
This was fought (mostly by Garfield) until the decision was rescinded in February of 1982 and Bunyip was sent to Ellinbank and District Football League.
Bunyip has played in the EDFL since, but the rivalry that was enhanced during that turbulent period has never died.
