TASMANIAN TEAM OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Half Forward Line

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Right Half Forward Flank - Darrel Baldock (East Devonport, St Kilda, Latrobe, New Norfolk - captain)

Renowned for his pure football intelligence and uncanny ball handling skills, Darrel John Baldock - popularly referred to simply as 'Doc' - enjoyed a superlative career in 2 states for 20 seasons.  An immediate success with East Devonport where he won the club best and fairest in each of his first 3 seasons (1955-6-7) and a Wander Medal in 1957, Baldock's somewhat rotund appearance, together with his lack of height and pace, belied his dazzling array of skills.  As the cliché goes, 'he often seemed to have the ball on a string'.  Between 1959 and 1961 he was captain-coach of Latrobe, winning a second Wander Medal in his first season with the club.

Baldock was an immediate success in the interstate arena, representing Tasmania for the first time in 1957 and performing with distinction in the 1958 and 1961 carnivals, the latter as captain.

On moving to St Kilda in 1962 he maintained his high standards, winning that club's best and fairest award in 1962, 1963 and 1965.  He also represented the VFL on several occasions including the 1966 Hobart carnival when he captained his side to victory.  Most memorably of all, perhaps, in 1966 he became the only St Kilda skipper in history to hold aloft the premiership cup after the Saints' nerve-eroding 1 point grand final win over Collingwood.

Returning home in 1969 Baldock once again assumed the coaching mantle at Latrobe, steering his charges to a NWFU record 4 successive premierships between 1969 and 1972.  He also continued to play exceptional football, exemplified by his courageous performances for Tasmania in the 1969 Adelaide carnival, his third Wander Medal that same year, and his excellent display in Tasmania's famous defeat of Western Australia at North Hobart in 1970.

Appointed captain-coach of TFL club New Norfolk in 1974 Baldock was forced to resign after just 4 games when, having earlier in the year been elected as the Labor member for Wilmot in the Tasmanian parliament, he was appointed Minister for Housing and Social Welfare.  Football's loss was politics' gain, but after witnessing Baldock adorn the game for more than two decades it would be churlish of the football fraternity to complain too loudly. 

Baldock's playing career comprised a total of 397 senior games made up of 71 for East Devonport, 158 with Latrobe, 119 for St Kilda, 4 for New Norfolk, 15 interstate games for Tasmania and 10 for the VFL, and 20 intrastate appearances for the NWFU.

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Centre Half Forward - Royce Hart (Richmond & Glenelg)

To many observers (including probably himself) Royce Hart was the living embodiment of the ideal centre half forward.  Certainly few players in the history of the game have managed to weld supreme natural ability and resolute determination to such telling effect.  The determination saw Hart - on the face of it far from the finished article as a footballer - leave Tasmania as a 17 year old in 1965 to try his luck in the 'big time' with Richmond.  At the time it was more usual for non-Victorian players to serve out apprenticeships in their own local competitions before embarking on VFL careers, but throughout his football career Royce Hart seldom did things according to accepted guidelines or standards.

Hart enjoyed a dream VFL debut season in 1967 when, playing at the goal front, he was a near unanimous choice as rookie of the year, kicking 55 goals, representing his adopted state, and playing in Richmond's first premiership team for 24 years.  There were to be no second season blues either: Royce Hart maintained an amazing consistency throughout most of the remainder of his 190 game league career, even in 1976 and '77 when his knees had virtually 'gone'.

In 1969 he played one SANFL game for Glenelg - the grand final, against Sturt.  However, he was unable to prevent the Double Blues from winning comfortably.

Captain of the Tigers between 1972 and 1975, Hart played representative football for the VFL 11 times, won the Richmond best and fairest award twice, and was a member of 4 premiership teams.  There have been few more reliable marks or dynamic all round players in the history of the game.

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Left Half Forward Flank - Brent Crosswell (Carlton, North Melbourne, Melbourne)

Recruited from Campbelltown, where he had never played for the senior side, Brent Crosswell made his Carlton debut in the opening round of the 1968 season at home to Geelong.  He did reasonably well without making the best players list but improved steadily as the season went on to eventually be rewarded with the club's best first year player award.  He capped the season off by starring in Carlton's 3 point grand final defeat of Essendon despite injuring a shoulder early on.  Two years later he again confirmed his reputation as a big game player with a best on ground display in the Blues' sensational come from behind grand final victory over Collingwood.

Croswell was a highly skilled, intelligent, often flamboyant player, sufficiently versatile to play equally well in a variety of positions.  If he had a weakness it was that he all too often failed to perform at levels commensurate with his ability when there did not appear to be much at stake.  Give him a dry ball and the wide open spaces of the MCG in September though and he was indomitable.

Forced by illness to miss Carlton's 1972 premiership victory he rekindled his career and reputation when, on moving to North Melbourne in 1975, he starred in the 'Roos historic grand final demolition of Hawthorn.  If his personal displays in the 1977 grand final and replay were less auspicious they nevertheless saw him join the elite group of players who have participated in 4 senior premierships at the elite level.

After 76 games with North to add to the 95 he had played with Carlton Croswell moved to Melbourne in 1980 where he added a further 48 games in his final three seasons of League football, taking his overall tally to 222 games in 15 seasons.  He also booted 255 goals and was a VFL representative. 

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See The Royce Hart Story pp. 72-77 in which Hart (then aged just 22) selects himself at centre half forward in his 'Team to Beat All'.  Return to Main Text