The North Melbourne website first published the story below in October of 2011. As the club prepares for its inaugural home match in Hobart, it's the perfect time to reflect on an amazing tale.

When kangaroos.com.au recently came across some rare archival photos of a club visit to Hobart in 1949, it brought back some indelible memories for former player Laurie Shipp.

The 82 year-old contacted the club's media staff shortly after the story was published and shared some fascinating insights into the trip.

Having been defeated by Essendon in the preliminary final just 11 days earlier, North Melbourne boarded the Taroona in preparation for an exhibition match against Tasmanian Football League runner-up, Hobart.

The team lists in the record (click to enlarge)

"The game against Hobart was taken very seriously. Our training session before the game was treated in every way as a usual training exercise. It had been made clear that the game was not to be seen as a social occasion," Shipp recalls.

Shipp played 33 matches for the club between 1949 and 1951, but as he explains, it was that game at North Hobart Oval that still sticks most vividly in his mind.

"A large crowd turned up for the game. For our part, we played the game much as we would have a home and away match.

"The Hobart blokes also took the game very seriously, and played it very physically.

"One of the opposition rovers became very upset early in the game by the frequency with which I was taking Bob Brooker's (107 games, 41 goals) hit-outs in the centre square, and tried to slow me down with a rabbit chop to the throat.

"The chop didn't affect my game, but I lost my voice for a couple of weeks after."

Shipp's name appeared in the local newspaper the following day among the best in a 57-point win and he played a further two years at North Melbourne without hindrance from the hit.

Newspaper report following the match (click to enlarge)

Little did he know the scarring would take a dangerous toll 47 years later.

"In August 1996, I experienced a stroke," Shipp said.

"While walking from my car towards a shopping centre, my right leg buckled under me. I got up and continued my intended visit to the local pharmacy still feeling the severe weakness in my leg and wondering what was happening.

"I couldn't speak properly, and used sign language to present a prescription. I then found I couldn't sign the prescription. At this stage, I did a bit of a panic, hobbled back to the car, drove home, and had my wife drive me to our doctor's surgery. The doctor immediately diagnosed a stroke.

"Tests the next day revealed an almost total blockage of my left carotid artery. An operation to remove the blockage was arranged urgently. Immediately after the operation, the stroke symptoms started to ease."

Remarkably, the specialist was able to conclude the spontaneous incident the best part half of a century ago was the cause.

"The treating specialist had been puzzled by the severe blockage of the left carotid when the tests revealed no signs of blockages in other arteries and subjected me to some searching questions.

"His final conclusion was that the rabbit chop to the left carotid in 1949 had left severe scarring on the inside of the artery and this had formed an anchor for the build-up of fatty deposits over the next 47 years."

Perhaps even more amazingly, Shipp's misfortune hasn't stopped him from sharing fond memories of the Tasmanian experience.

"Everything was meticulously planned, and we were all supplied with striking North Melbourne blazers and instructed to present a professional appearance at all times," Shipp added.

"The stay in Hobart was fantastic. The itinerary included a few semi-formal functions, such as balls, but plenty of free time for us to explore the sights of Hobart."

And like most football trips, it provided an opportunity for teammates to become best mates.

"The feeling of team bonding that I felt with that 1949 Shinboners team was a unique and powerful experience that I will take to the grave. Our team comprised a few blokes of outstanding talent, with a foundation of good, honest battlers.

"No team can have the sort of success that we did at the top level without a good measure of skill. But our major strength seemed to be our strong bonding and boundless enthusiasm.

"The players were all jocular, supportive and approachable. Surrounded as we were by dedicated officials and trainers, we seemed to have all the ingredients for success."

North Melbourne played in its first ever VFL Grand Final the year after that trip to Tasmania, and although Shipp failed to win a place in that side, he has retained friendships with the legends who represented the club in that match that survive to this day.
Excerpts from a souvenir pamphlet given to the players for the trip.
(click to enlarge)

A group of North Melbourne players in the foyer of the Imperial Hotel.
(click to enlarge)