Bayles Football Club - a poem

The Koo Wee Rup Sun of May 14, 1925 published this poem by Master A. Murdoch about the players of the Bayles Football Club. I am guessing that the poet was Archibald William Murdoch, the son of George Petrie Murdoch, who had the store at Bayles.  Archie was born 1909, and so would have been about 16 at the time - young enough to be called 'Master' and old enough to write the poem. George Murdoch also had the store at Cora Lynn from 1907 until 1922, read about this here. The poem is transcribed below.

Bayles Football Club poem 

Koo Wee Rup Sun May 14, 1925 p.3

Bayles Football Club by Master A. Murdoch

They are Black and White Magpies,

The king of all birds;

Some come from the factory-

They live on the curds.

There's Jeffers and Stewart and Murdoch and Kane; 

They never are beaten; they all come again.

And there's Tommy O'Brien and Bromeo Fred,

And Taylor, the butcher, to carve up the dead;

Harker, the captain, an old hand at the game,

Who never gets beaten or never goes lame.

There's butchers and bakers and shopkeepers, too

They're footballers all and they know what to do.

But what about Smithy and Dan Cunningham?

They're as good as the day they came out of the pram.

There's great big Bert Griffo, who works on a farm;

He's that big and hefty, he'll come to no harm.

There's poor old Bill Wise, the man with the watch;

They say he's too fat, but that is all bosh.

But what about O'Brien and Sage?

If Bayles get beaten they'll get in a rage, 

And if anyone tries to sneak into the plot,

Les Egan, on Charger, will run down the lot.

Look out! Here comes Egan with one of his rushes;

The men are all gasping, the ladies all blushes.

And there's Egans and Linehams, who plow in the furrow,

And by all that is holy we'll down Korumburra.