Memorable Moments in Local Sport: When Donald High School Hosted Geelong College

(By David Green, former Donald High School student)

It must have been 1968 when a bus in the livery of Geelong College pulled into the grounds of Donald High School. 

It  contained the College’s first XVIII football team, which was apparently on a short tour around country Victoria to participate in games against teams they presumably had never heard of, much less known anything about their capabilities. 

The Captain and star player for College was one David Clarke, who went on to play more than 200 games for Geelong and win its best and fairest 3 times, the first time only three years after the game against DHS. 

Likely unbeknown to Geelong College, the DHS team comprised about a third of the Royal Blues’ senior team at the time, with a couple of representatives of the Watchem-Corack and Marnoo seniors thrown in for good measure. 

The school oval was rock-hard due to drought, and the DHS boys were up for the challenge. It would be fair to say the game didn’t go to script, or at least not the script written by Geelong College. 

While I don’t remember the scores, I do recall the winning margin for DHS exceeded 6 goals. I believe it was Shane O’Shea’s father, Frank, who ably and impartially umpired the game. He was an excellent choice; once the visitors understood he was the local Police sergeant, their enthusiasm for sledging him, and the DHS players, noticeably waned! 

In 1971, I found myself a student at Melbourne University’s Commerce School. David Clarke was in my year, and was one of the Faculty’s star football recruits that year, together with Paul Sproule (ex-Bombers and Tigers) and Gary Brice (ex-Swans). 

While I never asked him about the College vs DHS match, I like to think it provided a springboard for his subsequent VFL career, and taught him and his team mates the value of knowing your opponent!