The 1897 Greymouth Football Club team.

GREYMOUTH FOOTBALL CLUB - WEST COAST'S FIRST RUGBY CLUB:

While the exact date of West Coast Rugby's very first Rugby club being formed isn't known, clippings from the Grey River Argus, dated May 13, 1871, confirms that 150 years ago this year, the Greymouth Football Club was up and running and playing organised matches among club members.

It is even possible the club may have been established a year prior, as a May 28th, 1870 Grey River Argus article states, "A football match will take place to-day at two o'clock on the Camp Reserve. Those who wish to join in the formation of a Football Club are requested to send their names to the secretary, Mr Paul". What remains a mystery, is that it is not known what organisation Mr Paul was the secretary for, or whether or not the Greymouth Football Club was indeed formed that year.

A Grey River Argus report from May 12th, 1874, speaks of a Mr Paul, who was transferring from his position at the Bank of New South Wales in Greymouth, to take up the bank managers job in Thames, and the article states "Mr Paul had endeared himself to the community, had identified himself with all its public bodies, from the Football Club upwards". Assuming it is the same Mr Paul, it is a possibility the club may well have been formed as early as 1870.

Another unknown is what rules the Club played their early matches under, as the term 'football' at the time covered many versions of team games in which a ball was kicked, including Victorian Football and Association Football. The Nelson Rugby Club, New Zealand's oldest Rugby club established in 1868, played a hybrid version of both of those games, before adopting the Rugby rules in 1870.

Whether or not the Rugby rules were being used locally in the early years, the following in Grey River Argus from the July 4th, 1874, shows at the very least, that 15 aside games were being played. "A football match will take place on the Reserve between fifteen members of the Rifle Volunteers and an equal number of members of the Club". The following year, the Grey River Argus on May 3rd, 1875, gave a wonderful description of the match that was played between members of the club on the opening day of the season.

"The Greymouth Foot-ball Club opened the season on Saturday, the 1st of May. The day was so bright and pleasant that it was difficult to believe one's self in the Southern Hemisphere; it was worthy of a 1st of May at the antipodes. There was an excellent muster, and the ground was in fairly good order. Sides were chosen by Mr Newton, and Mr Ahearn".

"After some vigorous play on both sides, Mr Ahearn's team scored two goals, whilst their opponents did not succeed in gaining any. Mr North and Mr Warner then picked sides. The play lasted a long time, and was kept up with much spirit. The result was a goal to each side. The best of feeling was manifested throughout, everyone taking his "spills" in good part."

As the Greymouth club had no other clubs to play against in the early years, further reports in 1875 from the Grey River Argus, state matches were played against a team from the Fire Brigade, while the club also played among its members, a Bankers and Lawyers v All Comers side, and this match was played over two days, with the Argus providing another 'colourful' match report.

"Saturday afternoon being dull, yet really fine, there was a strong muster of the Greymouth football players. The match which had been some time on the tapis came on at last, Mr H. Newton was chosen captain of the lawyers and bankers, and Mr J. C. Ahearn, of the all-comers. Play commenced in fine style early in the afternoon, and was kept up for a considerable time, when Mr Guinness forced a goal in splendid style for the lawyers and bankers. The sides were then changed, the game again commenced, and prosecuted with renewed vigor, but, though the play lasted till dusk, neither side succeeded in kicking a goal, and it was decided that the match be resumed next Saturday. There were abundance of spills which were taken in excellent good humor"

The club also cast its net further than the West Coast in seeking a game, when they wrote a letter to the Auckland team that was planning to tour the South Island, with the letter stating that if they visited Greymouth during their intended tour, they would be promised a "hearty reception".

The Auckland side, which by this stage of their existence had adopted the rugby rules, side were keen on a match in Greymouth, but sadly time constraints while on tour meant the fixture wasn't possible.

Another match that year was also to be played over two days, was the Greymouth Football Club versus a Volunteer side. The Grey River Argus reported on the 5th of July,  "A foot-ball match took place on Saturday on the Camp Reserve, between the Club and the Volunteers. After some excellent play, the Club succeeded in kicking a goal, and the game was continued with much spirit until dusk, but was not finished. It will be continued next Saturday".

Prior to this game on June 30th, 1875, the Greymouth Football Club's honourary secretary, Thomas North, placed an advertisement in the Argus advising that the Club would be holding a meeting that evening at 8.00pm at 'Gilmer's Hotel', for the purpose of revising the rules.

While the outcome of that meeting is not reported, six years later on May 4th, 1881, the Grey River Argus reported,  "The Greymouth Football Club opened the season on Saturday last, by playing their first match (Rugby Union Rules)" and that "No doubt with judicious management the game of football will become one of the attractions of Greymouth".

In 1882, the Greymouth Football Club finally had another West Coast club to play against, as the Hokitika Football Club became the second club to be formed on the West Coast, and the first inter-club match between the two was played on July 22nd that year. The match was a keenly anticipated one, with the Grey River Argus reporting, "It will be seen by an advertisement elsewhere that his Worship the Mayor, at the request of a number of our leading citizens, has requested that this afternoon, between the hours of 2 and 5 may be observed as a public holiday, on account of the football match to be played on the Camp reserve between the representative teams of Hokitika and Greymouth".

"It is understood that the request will be complied with, and that our Hokitika visitors will receive that mark of courtesy conveyed in a good attendance of spectators. For the sake of players and spectators alike it is to be hoped the afternoon will be fine".

The two sides that played the historic match were as follows:

Greymouth : backs— Mr Malcolm; halfbacks — Messrs Bishop (Captain) and Brunnetti ; quarter-backs— Messrs Oliver and Perkins; forwards — Messrs Acheson, Adams, Boulton, Brislane, Hicks, Hindmarsh, V. Moss, D. McDavitt, T. North, and T. Smith.

Hokitika: backs— Mr Wither; halfbacks — Messrs Rich and C. Emerson ; quarter-backs — Messrs Campbell (Captain) and Klein ; forwards — Messrs Colebrook, Barton, Byrne, Wilberg, Potter, Bell, Downie, J. Emerson, Bakewell, and Harle.

The match that was played in four twenty-minute quarters ended in a draw, with the players from both sides said to have been barely recognisable afterwards, as they were all "besmeared with mud". The Grey River Argus match report also recorded injuries to have taken place during the match. "Fortunately, there were only a couple of casualties to record - Mr Malcolm wrenching his knee while running with the ball and Mr Bell received a rather a severe fall in the latter part of the contest which caused him to faint, but after bathing his head in cold water and rubbing his hands, he quickly recovered".

That historic game would begin the rise of the game on the West Coast, with other clubs being formed over the following years as the game of Rugby grew in popularity.

With that popularity, members of the Greymouth Football club were major drivers in formation of the West Coast Rugby Union, after a short-lived Greymouth District Rugby Union that was formed in September 1889, only lasted eight months. At a meeting of the Greymouth Football Club, a resolution was passed to invite clubs on the West Coast, to send delegates to meet in Greymouth on the 24th May, to consider the possibility of forming a West Coast Rugby Union, and from that May 24th meeting, the Union was born. At the meeting, the club had three of its members voted on to the WCRU committee, Joseph Petrie, who became the Unions chairman, Edmund Wickes the secretary, and W.H.A Craddock, a committee member.

Prior to the WCRU being formed, any on field decisions that were being disputed or protested against, had to be dealt with by the Canterbury Rugby Football Union, so the Unions creation would have been welcome one, as it also allowed a West Coast representative team to be selected to play other provinces.

In March of 1892, the Greymouth White Star Football Club (founded in 1889) met to discuss a possible amalgamation with the Greymouth Football Club, with a committee of five appointed to discuss the proposition with the Greymouth Football Club. The chair of the White Star club was Alan Adams, long term Headmaster of the Greymouth District High School, and father of future West Coast and NZRFU life member, Alan Augustus Adams.

The amalgamation eventually took place that year, with the clubs compromising by agreeing to retain the name of the Greymouth Football Club, while adopting the red and white colours of White Star, with the Greymouth Football Club abandoning the blue and white jerseys they'd worn since their inception.

A year later when West Coast played its very first 1st class representative game against Nelson in 1893, the Greymouth Football club had an influential part to play in the game, as they not only provided 5 members of the side, that would draw the match at Nelson's botanical garden's 0-0, but it's also believed the Union, who wore red and white striped jerseys in the game, probably wore the Greymouth club's jerseys for the encounter.

When the West Coast Rugby Union was formed in 1890, a senior championship was held up until 1900, where a trophy known as the Senior Cup was played for. The Greymouth Football Club had a remarkable run of success in winning the championship in 1894, 95, 96 (shared title with Hokitika) 97,98 and 1900. The WCRU then instituted a new championship starting in 1901, and this was also won by the Greymouth Club, the title confirmed after they drew a fixture with the Brunner side. The championship would incredibly turn out to be their last ever.

​With the introduction of further teams in Greymouth, including the Star R.F.C in 1898, and the United R.F.C in 1905, the Greymouth Football Club now had major rivals in the town both on the field, as well off it, with Greymouth based players now having more choice as to which club to play for. From available records, it would the suggest in 1904, the club went it to a recess and were at risk of disappearing altogether, before reappearing again the following season.

While the Greymouth Football Club would have numerous players represent West Coast throughout its existence, In the early 1900's two standout players from the Greymouth club would go on to even higher honours, by representing the South Island side. George Dansey, the Greymouth sides captain and halfback, did so in 1905, while he also played for the Nelson-Marlborough-Buller-West Coast combined side, in 12-3 win against the touring Australian team that same year. Incredibly, Dansey never played for the West Coast team.

Samuel Bligh, a hooker, would wear the South Island's famous white jersey in 1909, before trading it in for a black one in 1910, when he became West Coast's third All Black, however this would be while playing his trade with the Blackball club.

Sadly, with the growth and rise of the Star and United clubs in Greymouth, this would prove to be to the detriment of West Coast's founding Rugby club, as at a meeting of club members in 1910 prior to the season start, it was decided that the Greymouth Football Club would be no more, folding after a near 40-year existence.

During their time, the Greymouth Football Club were true pioneers of the game of Rugby on the West Coast, helping foster, nurture, grow and popularise the game around our province during their existence, and it's a fitting tribute and testament to them, that the West Coast provincial team still wears the red and white colours every time they take the field, that the Greymouth Football Club first adopted all those years ago.