Go straight to the biography of your choice by clicking on the appropriate link:
[George Bickford] [Mark Bickley] [Jim Bicknell] [Ray Biffin] [Doug Bigelow] [Brenton Bills] [Fred Bills] [John Birt] [Jack Bishop senior] [George Bisset] [Jack Bisset] [Jim Black] [Jack Blackman] [Hedley Blackmore] [Wayne Blackwell] [John Blair] [Rod Blake] [Cameron Blakemore] [Geoff Blethyn] [Russell Blew] [Malcolm Blight] [Fred Bloch] [Justin Blumfield] [John Blunden] [Jim Bohan] [Martin Bolger] [Michael Bone] [Stan Booth] [Ian Borchard] [Albert Boromeo] [Les Borrack] [Mark Bos] [Ron Boucher] [Barry Bourke] [Daryl Bourke] [Edward Bourke] [Francis Bourke] [Peter Bourke] [Robert Bowden] [Len Bowe] [George Bower] [Percy Bowyer] [Peter Box] [Marcus Boyall] [Dave Boyd] [Harold Boyd] [Robert Boyle] [Jim Bradford] [Craig Bradley] [Phil Bradmore] [John Brady] [Terry Brain] [Jack Brake] [Ron Branton] [Harold Bray] [Jeff Bray] [Richard Bray] [Barry Breen] [Greg Brehaut] [Danny Brennan] [Reginald Brentnall] [Leigh Brenton] [Dermott Brereton] [Frank Brew] [Ray Brew] [Ian Brewer] [Ross Brewer] [Gary Brice] [Charles 'Ernie' Bridgeman] [Arnold Briedis] [Clarrie Briggs] [Terry Bright] [Cornelius Britt] [Bill Brittingham] [Tom Broadbent] [Wayne Broadbridge] [Jack Broadstock] [Mel Brock] [Patrick Broderick] [Keith Bromage] [Bob Brooker] [Hector Brooks] [Gerald Brosnan] [Charles Brown] [Clive Brown] [Colin Brown] [Douglas Brown] [Gavin Brown] [Greg Brown] [Keith Brown] [Malcolm Brown] [Martin Brown] [Norm Brown] [Rod Brown] [Ron Brown] [Roy Brown] [William 'Billy' Brown] [Morton Browne] [Barry Browning] [Clinton Browning] [Mark Browning] [Roger Browning] [Robert 'Rupe' Brownlees] [Thomas 'Tobler' Brownlees] [Bill Brownless] [George Bruce] [Ken Bryan] [Ian Bryant] [Edward Bryce] [David Bryden] [Gary Buckenara] [Jim Buckley] [Donald Budarick] [Tony Buhagiar] [Ned Bull] [Horrie Bullen] [Haydn Bunton junior] [Haydn Bunton senior] [Tony Burgan] [Fred Burge] [Reg Burgess] [Gerard Burke] [Nathan Burke] [Gar Burkett] [Greg Burns] [John Burns] [Peter Burns] [Robert Burns] [Ronnie Burns] [William Burns] [Chris Burton] [Sydney Burton] [William Busbridge] [Alf Bushby] [Percy Bushby] [Harry Bushell] [William 'Joe' Bushell] [Gil Butchart] [Jack Butcher] [Neil Button] [Ray Button] [John Buttrose] [Fred Buttsworth] [Wally Buttsworth] [Don Byfield] [Garry Bygraves] [Bevan Byrne] [Ray Byrne]
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| George Bickford was a fine centreline player for Melbourne in 126 VFL games between 1945 and 1952. Recruited from Wesley College, where he had been captain, he was an excellent kick over both long and short distances. He was on a wing when Melbourne lost to Essendon in the 1946 grand final, and was a significant contributor from the centre when revenge was achieved via a replay two years later. |
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Mark Bickley (South Adelaide & Adelaide)
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| Adelaide's dual premiership captain Mark Bickley began his football life with Port Pirie club Solomontown before progressing to South Adelaide, where he played 53 SANFL games in 1989 and 1990. In 1991, while still appearing intermittently for South, he made his AFL debut with Adelaide, impressing many observers with his courage, strong tackling and excellent team sense. Chunky and compact in build at 178cm and 82kg, Bickley was never the most polished or overtly eye-catching of performers, but he always provided 100% commitment. Appointed Crows captain in 1997, he had the good fortune to lead his side to a flag in his first season in the role, courtesy of a rousing grand final win over St Kilda. The following year saw him repeat the accomplishment as North Melbourne was humbled. Bickley, who played much of his football across half back, but who could also function effectively on the ball, carried on as skipper of the Crows until the end of the 2000 season, when he was replaced by Mark Ricciuto. He retired in 2003 after a then club record 272 AFL games in thirteen seasons. |
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Jim Bicknell (North Melbourne)
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| Rover Jim Bicknell was fast, energetic and tenacious, and acknowledged, at least for a brief time, as a key member of the North Melbourne side. He arrived at North from South Kensington, and played a total of 57 VFL games for the club in 1933-4 and between 1936 and 1938. He booted 7 goals. Described during his career as tricky and difficult to contain, the ultimate consensus was that he probably failed to make the most of his considerable all round ability. |
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Ray Biffin (North Launceston, Melbourne, Dandenong)
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| Ray Biffin commenced his senior career with North Launceston where he played from 1965 to 1967. During that time he represented the NTFA in 1966, and played in a losing grand final against East Launceston the following year. In 1968 he crossed to Melbourne where he would spend twelve productive if largely unspectacular years, playing 171 VFL games and kicking 131 goals. In 1976, playing mainly at full forward, he booted 47 goals for the year to top the Demons' list, but he was equally effective as a bustling, ruggedly unpretentious full back. Biffin coached VFA 1st division side Dandenong in 1980 and 1981, and later spent some time as coach of Hawthorn's under nineteens. |
| Essendon recruited Doug Bigelow from Bentleigh, and handed him his senior debut in 1947. He developed into a handy player for the Dons, for whom he ended up playing 148 VFL games and kicking 27 goals in ten seasons. Extremely tenacious and hard hitting, he played most of his football in defence, but could also do a job on the ball. Bigelow was not selected in the Bombers' 1950 premiership-winning side but was arguably their most consistent player during the following season's finals campaign, which ended with defeat at the hands of Geelong in the grand final. Bigelow later coached VFA club Coburg from 1957 until early in the 1961 season. He spent the 1963 season coaching his original club Bentleigh. |
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| Less high profile than his older brother Fred Bills, Brenton Bills was nevertheless a handy performer for West Torrens in 122 SANFL games between 1968 and 1974. Despite being neither especially quick nor skilful, his consistently wholehearted and energetic approach to the game helped him to compete successfully with ostensibly more talented opponents. He was also extremely versatile, which may not always have been to his advantage as it meant he was often used as a 'spare parts' man, and thereby prevented him from developing expertise and consistency in a single position. Arguably his best football was played as a defender. |
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| Heroes
come in different shapes and forms: some attract us because we see
ourselves reflected in them, if only palely; others are demi-gods whom we
admire for perhaps the opposite reason.
Fred Bills, who played 313 games for West Torrens and 7 for South Australia between 1959 and 1975 was quintessentially of the former type. Definitely heroic, at least to Eagles fans, he nevertheless seemed to imply that heroism was almost universally attainable. Whereas Gary Ablett or Haydn Bunton senior might invite awe-struck admiration at their ability to perform the unlikely or even the 'impossible', Freddy Bills persistently served to reassure the onlooker that effectiveness and high achievement in football were within the grasp of anyone with even a modicum of ability. One-paced to the point of seeming plodding, almost half-heartedly aggressive, as though enacting a role, and so bereft of subtlety that one sometimes wondered if he understood the game at all, Bills was nevertheless an automatic choice for the Eagles for seventeen seasons, during which time he won four club best and fairest awards and arguably attracted more affection and esteem than any other Torrens player, even including that most illustrious of 'demi-gods', Lindsay Head. Of course, the impression conveyed by players like Bills that the playing of football at league level is 'easy' and requires no special talent is an arch deception. Bills had talent, and plenty of it, albeit that it was serenely and modestly packaged. When South Australia was looking down the barrel against the West Australians at three quarter time of a 1962 interstate clash at Subiaco Oval, 12 points adrift and with only sixteen fit men on the field, it was not the 'demi-gods' who came to the rescue, but 'our Freddy', an heroic manifestation of the common man, who regarded the fact that he was bleeding profusely from the mouth as a minor distraction of scant importance, and who summoned up literally the quarter of his life to help steer his team to victory. The following year, Bills was a member of the famous South Australian combination which scored a 7 point victory over the VFL in Melbourne (click here for details of the match). Although not conspicuous in terms of statistics, he undertook the vital role, along with Neil Kerley, of ensuring that the Victorians did not 'crowd' the ruck contests, thereby limiting the effectiveness of 'Big Bill' Wedding. Given a free run at the ball, Wedding was unstoppable, but it was only the surreptitious solicitude of Bills and Kerley that enabled this to happen. In contrast to his interstate exploits, there was little at club level for Bills to enjoy, with the Eagles qualifying for the major round only four times during his career without winning a single finals match. |
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John Birt (Essendon & West Torrens)
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| Originally
from Ballarat, jockey-sized (173cm, 68kg) rover Johnny Birt began his VFL career with Essendon
in 1957, and was one of the Bombers' best in a losing grand final against Melbourne
in his debut year. Quick, hyperactive and intelligent, he rapidly
became acknowledged as one of the finest small men in the game. He
made the first of his 11 interstate appearances for the VFL in 1960, and
won the first of three Essendon best and fairest awards the following
year. He was also dangerous around goal, and topped the Bomber goal
kicking list in 1958 with 31 goals.
While with Essendon, Birt played in a total of four grand finals, and was high among his side's best players in all of them. The first two, both against Melbourne, were lost, but in 1962 and 1965 Birt enjoyed premiership success against Carlton and St Kilda respectively. From 1968 to 1970 Johnny Birt coached West Torrens but the side achieved only modest success. As a player, however, Birt's prodigious talent remained in evidence as he won successive club champion awards in 1968-9 and became an automatic interstate selection for South Australia. Following his retirement as a player at the end of the 1970 season he returned home to Essendon as coach but after one disastrous year in charge he was replaced by Des Tuddenham. Between 1972 and 1976 Birt was assistant coach at Footscray, following which he served as skills coach at Hawthorn (1977 to 1980) and Carlton (1981). Thereafter, he maintained his involvement in football through a variety of administrative roles. |
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Jack Bishop senior (West Adelaide)
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| After playing a couple of games for West Adelaide in 1915, the last season before the league competition was suspended owing to the Great War, rover Jack Bishop became a regular member of the side in 1919, and remained so until 1928. Despite standing just 160cm in height, and weighing a mere 60kg, he was a tenacious and fearless competitor who was widely acknowledged as one of the finest small men in the game. Boasting lightning fast reflexes, and extremely quick over that vital first five or so metres, he typically racked up numerous possessions during a game, and was always a danger when resting in the forward lines. His 120 league games for West included the 13 point challenge final victory over North Adelaide in 1927. He kicked a total of 117 career goals. Winner of his club's best and fairest award in 1919, his 2 appearances for South Australia came at the 1921 Perth carnival, when he booted 3 goals. Jack Bishop was the son of Toby Bishop, who played 46 games for West between 1897 and 1901, and the father of Jack Bishop junior, who represented the club on 16 occasions in 1954-5. |
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George Bisset (Footscray & Melbourne)
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| A
firm favourite among fans at the Western Oval, nuggety rover George Bisset
gave Footscray precisely ten years
of fine service, during which he played 166 VFL games and booted 288
goals. Despite lacking pace, he was a dynamic, feisty performer, who
loved to "play up" (his words). Ted
Whitten once described him as "a typical western suburbs
boy".
George Bisset joined the Bulldogs from one of the club's favoured recruiting sources, the Braybrook Football Club, and made his senior league debut in 1963. By the end of the sixties he was widely acknowledged as one of the finest small men in the game, a status he enhanced in the 1969 season by polling 18 votes in the Brownlow Medal, just 1 fewer than the winner, Fitzroy's Kevin Murray. Bisset, in fact, was extremely unfortunate not to win the Medal, as he was reported during a round 14 match against Carlton and therefore awarded no votes despite amassing in excess of 30 disposals and kicking 6 goals. He was subsequently cleared at the Tribunal. The 1969 season also saw Bisset secure his club's best and fairest award and represent the triumphant VFL side at the Adelaide carnival. In 1973, to the dismay of Bulldog fans, he took advantage of the short-lived ten year rule to cross to Collingwood, where he added 41 games and 49 goals in two seasons before retiring. |
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Jack Bisset (Port Melbourne, Richmond, South Melbourne)
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| Originally
from Longwarry, Jack Bisset joined Port
Melbourne while still a youngster and played at full back in the
club's 2 point grand final win over Footscray
in 1922. The following year the two clubs again contested the
premiership, with the achievement of Footscray in gaining revenge being
somewhat overshadowed by the fact that no fewer than seven reports were
laid. Bisset, who was one of four Borough players to front the
Tribunal, was outed for five weeks on a charge of striking Jack Howell,
who himself was handed a seven week 'holiday.'
After roughly 30 games for Port, Bisset, now playing mainly as a follower, had two brief stints with Richmond, during which time he played in losing grand finals against Collingwood in 1928 and Geelong in 1931. In 1932, at the outset of what in retrospect has become known as the 'foreign legion' era, he transferred to South Melbourne, and twelve months later, after captain-coach Johnny Leonard was compelled to return home to Western Australia, Bisset was appointed as his replacement. In some ways a rather surprising choice, Bisset's extensive finals experience with Richmond, coupled with his commanding on-field presence, probably gained him the nod ahead of ostensibly more obvious choices. In his first season at the helm he repaid the club committee emphatically by steering the southerners to their first flag since 1918. In the grand final victory over his former club Richmond he led from the front in imposing fashion, etching his name firmly into history as the last ever architect of a South Melbourne premiership. Bisset remained at South until the end of the 1936 season, adding 90 VFL games to the 38 he had played with the Tigers. He also represented the VFL. In 1937, Jack Bisset returned to his original club Port Melbourne as captain-coach, but before the season was out he had been replaced by Harry Crompton. Bisset's achievements at South Melbourne were of incalculable importance, however, and in August 2003 he was rewarded with selection as coach of the club's official 'Team of the Century'. |
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Four time Queanbeyan
best and fairest award winner (in 1974, 1977, 1978 and 1980) Jim Black played a
total of 191 games during what was probably his club's least auspicious era.
However, it is doubtful if there have been many ACT players to match his
motivational energy and skill. A genuinely two-sided player at a time when
this was by no means the norm, Black was still in the middle of an illustrious
junior career when he made his senior debut for Queanbeyan aged just fifteen. A
livewire rover, his ability near the goal front made him ideal as a forward
pocket 'change' player. Popularly known as 'Blackie', he represented the
ACT on 18 occasions, including the famous win over the VFL at Manuka Oval in
1980, the same year that saw his appointment as Tigers captain. In 1981,
he also took on the coaching mantle whilst continuing as a player, but after
struggling through the season with persistent knee injuries, did not resume in
either role in 1982.
In 1999, Jim Black was selected in the right forward pocket in the official 'ACT Legends' team which commemorated seventy-five years of football in Canberra. |
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Jack Blackman (Hawthorn & Preston)
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| Jack
Blackman, who was the son of pre-World War One Port
Melbourne defender George Blackman, joined Hawthorn
in 1939 and went on to become a key player for the Mayblooms in a
war-interrupted 87 game league career. Playing mainly as a centre
half back, he was utterly dependable and highly skilled. He won
Hawthorn's club champion award in 1944, and was vice-captain for the 1946
season, his last in the VFL.
Prior to the start of the 1947 season, Blackman was enticed away from Hawthorn by VFA club Preston, whom he joined without a clearance. Appointed captain-coach, he steered the side to 6th place on the ladder, its best season for some time, and on a personal note ran fifth in the Liston Trophy voting. In 1948 the Bullants went within an ace of making the finals, and Blackman, who was normally named on a half back flank, but almost invariably ended up filling in where he was most needed, came second to Brighton's Russ McIndoe in the Liston voting. Jack Blackman's final season with the Bullants in 1949 was a mixture of personal success - he finally won the Liston Trophy - and desperate disappointment for the team, which failed to build on the promise of the previous two years, and finished well down the list. Blackman, who had played 62 games for the club, departed in 1950 to coach Horsham in the Wimmera League. |
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Hedley Blackmore (Carlton & Brunswick)
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| One of several top line full backs to have represented Brunswick, Hedley Blackmore actually cut his football teeth as a forward with Carlton, where he played 51 VFL games and booted 76 goals between 1923 and 1927. Extremely reliable overhead, whether spoiling or marking, he was also a superb kick, and extremely tenacious and aggressive when battling for the ball one-on-one. At Brunswick, he was a major reason behind the club's qualifying for a rare finals series in 1929, but fourth place was all it could manage, albeit that this was the highest placed finish that was managed during Blackmore's career. Hedley Blackmore captained the Pottery Workers in 1932 and 1933. |
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Wayne Blackwell (Claremont & Carlton)
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| Recruited by Claremont from North Beach, Wayne Blackwell made his senior league debut in 1978, and went on to play a total of 112 WA(N)FL games before crossing to Carlton in 1984. Tenacious, dogged and courageous, he could fill a variety of positions or do a more than useful job on the ball. He was in the centre when Claremont beat South Fremantle in the 1981 WAFL grand final, and played on the wing in Carlton's losing grand final of 1986 against Hawthorn. Blackwell played a total of 110 VFL games for Carlton between 1984 and 1990, kicking 80 goals. He represented Western Australia 8 times. |
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John Blair (South Melbourne, Fitzroy, St Kilda, Morningside, Sandgate, Windsor-Zillmere, Sherwood)
by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| John Blair was a fiercely competitive centre half back who became a key figure in Queensland football, having moved north in 1981 after playing with South Melbourne (27 games), Fitzroy (4) and St Kilda (2) from 1975 to 1980. He joined Morningside as captain-coach and became one of the competition's most dominant players, winning the 1982 Grogan Medal and the Panthers them to three consecutive grand finals from 1982-4. Blair later played at Sandgate, Windsor-Zillmere and Sherwood, tasting elusive premiership success with Zillmere in 1988, when he also won the QAFL goal kicking for the second time, having topped the list with the Panthers in 1985. He represented Queensland through the glory years of the 1980s, wearing the Maroon jumper 19 times with distinction. Later on he had a role with the Queensland under 18 side and took back the coaching reins at Morningside in 2002. |
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| Recruited from Inverleigh, Geelong's Rod Blake made his VFL debut in 1971, but spent almost a decade in the shadow of his fellow ruckmen John Newman and Ian Hampshire before finally being given the opportunity to give full rein to his ability in 1980. Already renowned for his penchant for thumping the ball forward up to 40 metres from centre bounces, Blake quickly demonstrated that he also boasted great aerial prowess, considerable courage, and a sound football brain. He won the Cats' best and fairest award in 1980, and by the time he retired three years later had played a total of 176 VFL games, and kicked 113 goals. He also played 3 times for Victoria. |
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| A
triple Subiaco fairest and best award
recipient, Cam Blakemore had the singular misfortune to retire the season
before the Lions won their first flag in almost half a century. He
made his league debut in 1963 having served an apprenticeship in the
junior ranks and immediately caught the eye as a centreman of rare
talent, winning a major 'best first year player' trophy, sponsored by a
Perth radio station, in his debut season. Boasting all the skills of
the game, and presenting them as a highly polished package, Blakemore's is
perhaps best remembered today for his superb delivery of the ball to team
mates, which was characteristically accomplished with a combination of
precision and firmness which only very rarely went awry.
For most of his league career Subiaco struggled, but this was scarcely Blakemore's fault. He was regarded as providing a perfect example to youngsters on how the game should be played, and it was perhaps a touch surprising that he did not make the first of just 3 interstate appearances until 1970. Tragically, when Subiaco announced its 'Greatest Team 1946-76', with Blakemore in the centre, he was already dead, a premature victim of cancer. |
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Geoff Blethyn (Essendon, Claremont, Port Adelaide)
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| Slimly
built, agile and - most memorably of all - bespectacled, full forward
Geoff Blethyn had a career of fluctuating fortune with three league clubs
in three states. That career began in highly noteworthy fashion with
Essendon in 1968. Blethyn played
just 2 senior games that season, the second of which was the grand final
against Carlton. The Bombers lost
the match by 3 points, but the young St Andrew's recruit, still a few
weeks short of his eighteenth birthday, contributed 4 of his team's 8
goals for the match.
Geoff Blethyn's best season in football was 1972 when he became the first Essendon player in twenty years to 'top the ton'. In the process, he headed the Dons' goal kicking list for the second time, but Peter McKenna of Collingwood was the league's top goal kicker. Between 1973 and 1975 Blethyn played 33 games for Claremont but, despite topping the club's goal kicking list with 71 goals in 1973 and 33 the following year, he largely failed to justify his high reputation. In 1976 he returned for one last season with Essendon where his total of 39 goals for the year was good enough to head the Bombers' list and gave him a final career tally of 216 goals in 84 VFL games. Blethyn's next and final port of call was Port Adelaide in 1977, where he once again failed to enhance his reputation. Nevertheless, he at least managed to round off his career in style by playing in the Magpies' 8 point grand final defeat of Glenelg - the first and only premiership of his ten season stint in league football. The grand final was Blethyn's 11th appearance in a Port jumper, and the 1 goal he managed during the match was his 13th for the year. In 1980 he made a brief 2 game comeback with Glenelg reserves, and later served on the Bays' coaching staff. |
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Russell Blew (Essendon & Waverley)
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| Russell Blew was a fine wingman whose work was always tidy and composed. He commenced with Essendon's under nineteens in 1959 and immediately won the club's best and fairest award at that level. In 1960 he was appointed captain of the under nineteens but he progressed much quicker than anticipated and finished the year playing in the seniors. He was on a wing in the Bombers' 1962 grand final defeat of Carlton, and again three years later when St Kilda was vanquished. Arguably his best season in football came in 1964 when he made the state team and finished second to Ken Fraser in the voting for the club champion award. A knee injury limited his appearances in 1966 and 1967 but he was back as good as ever for what proved to be his final VFL season in 1968. The last of his 125 senior games for the Dons came in that year's losing grand final against Carlton. In 1969 he transferred to Waverley in the VFA as captain-coach where he spent his last three seasons as a player. He later worked as a football panelist on HSV7, and a radio commentator on 3DB and 3UZ. |
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Malcolm Blight (Woodville, North Melbourne, Geelong, Adelaide, St Kilda)
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| During
its comparatively fleeting involvement in the SANFL it is doubtful if the Woodville
Football Club produced a more prodigious all round talent than Malcolm
Jack Blight. In two separate stints at Oval Avenue Blight played a
total of 163 games, won the 1972 Magarey
Medal, was twice named Woodville's best
and fairest player, made 7 appearances for South Australia earning All
Australian selection on two occasions separated by thirteen years, and, for
good measure, topped the SANFL goalkicking in 1985, his final league
season, with 126 goals.
In between he spent a decade with North Melbourne where he became arguably the most celebrated South Australian to transfer to the VFL up to that point. His record while in Melbourne is worth summarising:
The bare facts reveal nothing of the artistry, power and genius of Blight's play, however. Thankfully, his career coincided with the onset of the video age, and so a fair number of his more memorable feats have been recorded for posterity. If Malcolm Blight the player was among the greatest to have adorned the game, Malcolm Blight the coach was no slouch either. After proving himself the most successful coach in Woodville's brief and predominantly ignominious history, he steered a hitherto under-achieving Geelong side to three grand finals, before returning home to South Australia and masterminding the first two premierships in the history of the Adelaide Crows. A brief stint at St Kilda was less successful, but his achievements with the Crows would doubtless have been sufficient to earn him the keys to the city of Adelaide for life. |
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| Recruited
from Berri in the Upper Murray League, Fred Bloch made his North
Adelaide league debut on ANZAC Day 1961 when, playing in the centre,
he was best afield in the Roosters' 16.11 (107) to 12.10 (82) defeat of Norwood.
Thereafter, however, his form dropped away alarmingly, and in round 8 he
was dropped to the seconds. The next couple of years saw Bloch
alternating between seniors and seconds on a distressingly regular basis,
leading to his being unkindly referred to as 'Chopping Bloch' in some
quarters. In 1964, however, he finally began to produce his best
form on a consistent basis, and ran a close second to Barrie
Barbary in the club's best and fairest award, even though a broken
hand restricted him to just 12 appearances for the year compared to
Barbary's 20.
Short (177cm) and stocky (79kg) Bloch was not quick, but was a sure ball handler and had good evasive skills. He won North's premier individual award in 1965, but then the old cycle of inconsistency began to recur and he spent the next two seasons alternating between firsts and seconds. After managing just a couple of senior games in 1967 he opted to bring the curtain down on an eventful, but ultimately perhaps rather frustrating, 77 game league career. |
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Justin Blumfield (Tuggeranong, Richmond, Essendon)
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| Justin
Blumfield began his senior career with Tuggeranong
before being taken by Essendon as
selection 62 in the 1994 National Draft. After
taking a couple of seasons to find his feet at the elite level, Justin
Blumfield raised his performance level several notches in 1998 when he was
a virtual ever present in an Essendon
side that was starting to come good again after a brief spell of mediocrity.
In 1999 and 2000, Blumfield emerged as one of the primary reasons for
Essendon's development into arguably the most complete unit seen in
Australian football up to that point. Along with players like James
Hird, Jason Johnson, Blake Caracella and Joe Misiti, Blumfield gave
the Bombers an engine room second to none, personally averaging more than
20 disposals a game - most of them effective - besides chipping in with 20
or more goals a season. In Essendon's victorious grand final team of
2000, Blumfield was named second best on ground behind his skipper, James
Hird.
An injury affected 2001 season saw Blumfield's appearances in an Essendon jumper reduced, but he remained an extremely handy player when called upon. In 2002 he was back to something approximating to his best, playing almost every game for the year and once again averaging more than 20 possessions a match. Nevertheless, owing to salary cap restrictions, at season's end he was traded to Richmond where he endured a disappointing debut season. After managing just 8 league appearances in 2004 he was delisted. All told, Justin Blumfield played a total of 148 AFL games for his two clubs, and booted 91 goals. |
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| After
playing in North Adelaide's colts
and thirds premiership teams of 1947 and 1948 respectively, John Blunden
was promoted to the seniors in 1949 and ended the season with a superb
performance on a half back flank as the red and whites overcame West
Torrens in the grand final. Two years later he again shone on
grand final day as North trounced Norwood by
a record margin of 108 points. That same 1951 season also saw
Blunden play his only interstate match for South Australia.
Undermined by injuries over the ensuing couple of seasons, he emphasised
his class by winning the seconds Magarey
Medal while on his comeback trail in 1953. Between 1954 and 1958
John Blunden played the best and most consistent football of his career,
winning consecutive club best and fairest awards in 1956-7. He
retired at the end of the 1958 season having played a total of 142 league
games, and the North Adelaide Annual Report for that year noted:
Always cool and unruffled, John never allowed opposition players to move him from his course of playing the ball and the game, for the joy of participating in this, the finest game of all, was to John his greatest pleasure. |
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Jim Bohan (Hawthorn & Camberwell)
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| Without
doubt one of the greatest players in Hawthorn's
history, in 2003 Jimmy Bohan achieved the distinction of being named as
centreman in the club's official
'Team of the Century'. Perfectly balanced, highly skilled, and a
superb kick with either foot, Bohan played 131 VFL games for the Mayblooms
between 1938 and 1946 without once appearing in the finals. He
captained the club in 1944 and 1946, and won club champion awards in 1943
and 1945.
In 1947 he caused something of a furore by crossing to VFA club Camberwell without a clearance. He spent seven auspicious years with the Tricolours, playing for the majority of his time there in the hitherto uncustomary position of full back. Although Camberwell was not a successful team during his time there, Bohan himself was recognised as a bona fide champion of the highest order, winning best and fairest awards in 1951-2-3, and running second in the 1952 Liston Trophy. He was a key player for the VFA at the 1953 Adelaide carnival. In all, he played 140 games for the Tricolours, and in 1994 was chosen as full back and captain of the club's official 'Team of the Century'. |
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| A member, along with Kevin O'Neill and Maurie Sheehan, of Richmond's famous 'Three Musketeers' backline of the early 1930s, Martin Bolger specialised in minding the opposing team's resting rover, almost invariably to the detriment of that player's impact. As nimble and quick as a rover himself, Bolger was also tough, resilient and extremely consistent. His ball handling skills were excellent, and he was a reliable kick to position. He played 185 games for the Tigers between 1930 and 1939, and was among the best players afield in the grand final-winning teams of 1932 and 1934. He won the Richmond best and fairest award in 1936. |
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| A tenacious, hyperactive rover, Collingwood's Mick Bone was sometimes almost too enthusiastic for his own good, and his consistency suffered as a result. He was recruited from Thornbury YMCW, and made the first of an eventual 62 VFL appearances over five seasons in 1962. He booted 55 goals. Bone was one of the Magpies' best in a losing grand final clash with Melbourne in 1964 (reviewed here) but he could easily have failed to make the team. Two weeks earlier, in a hefty 2nd semi final loss against the Demons, he had played poorly, and for the following week's preliminary final against Geelong he was dropped to the bench. His stirring effort when introduced to the fray in the second half helped Collingwood scrape home by 4 points, and effectively earned him a place in the starting eighteen the following Saturday. After leaving the VFL at the end of the 1966 season he spent ten seasons with Wodonga in the Ovens and Murray Football League, playing a total of 144 OMFL games, and captain-coaching the side to flags in 1967 and 1969. |
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Stan Booth (Essendon & Sandy Bay)
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| A fast-moving, elusive rover who was often among the goals, Stan Booth joined Essendon from Moonee Imperials and spent some time in the lower grades before making his senior debut in 1952. He went on to play 102 VFL games for the Dons in eight seasons, kicking 116 goals. He was a member of the club's 1952 seconds premiership team, and was on a half forward flank for the seniors when they lost the 1957 grand final to Melbourne. In a home and away game against the Demons earlier that year he was controversially penalised for kicking the ball deliberately out of bounds with only seconds left to play and Melbourne kicked the winning goal from the free. Booth captain-coached TANFL club Sandy Bay from 1959 to 1961. He later coached Aberfeldie junior sides. |
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Ian Borchard (Richmond, South Fremantle, West Adelaide)
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| After
failing to make his mark at both Richmond (10
games) and South Fremantle (1
game) hopes would almost certainly have not been outrageously high at West
Adelaide when Ian Borchard arrived there in 1979. However,
sometimes a change of scene can do mysterious things to both a player's
morale and his motivation, and Borchard proved to be undeniably one of
West's most noteworthy recruits of the past half century. Tough,
courageous and desperate, his approach suited the red and blacks' style to
a tee. In only his second season he was elevated to the
vice-captaincy and won a best and fairest, before assuming the captaincy
in 1981. A second best and fairest award followed in 1982, and the
following year Borchard experienced a pleasure no West captain has since
managed to repeat when he lifted received the Thomas Hill Seymour Cup at
the end of the club's winning grand final against Sturt.
Ian Borchard retired at the end of the 1986 season having played 145 senior games, mainly as a ruck-rover, and kicked 80 goals in his eight season stint at Richmond Oval. In 2001-2 Borchard was senior coach of the Bloods, leading them to consecutive 5th place finishes. |
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Albert Boromeo (Carlton & Richmond)
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| Albert
Boromeo's Carlton debut took place in the
opening round of the 1919 season against Fitzroy,
and some indication of just how primitive the game was in those days can
be gleaned from the fact that he took to the field in his street
boots. Despite this not inconsiderable handicap, "he gave
decided promise, and looked every inch the footballer" (see
footnote 1). Within a matter of half a dozen games it was clear
that the Blues had a champion on their hands.
Fairly tall for his day, at 184cm, and weighing in at a hefty 92kg, Boromeo was a formidable figure whom opposition players had tremendous trouble dislodging, both on the ground and in the air. He was a thumping kick, and formed a highly effective partnership with his close mate Horrie Clover. Surprisingly quick for such a solidly built player, he was used to equal effect by Carlton both as a follower and a half forward flank. Arguably his most memorable performance came in the 1921 grand final, despite the fact that the Blues lost to Richmond. First chosen to represent the VFL in 1920, Boromeo also got the nod in each of the subsequent three seasons. However, in 1923 he was unable to take up his place in the team after being suspended by the Carlton committee, for reasons which remain unclear. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the Carlton players apparently supported the committee's decision one hundred per cent. The upshot of it all was that after just 69 spectacular games, Boromeo's career with the Blues was over. He spent the next couple of seasons desperately seeking a clearance to Richmond for whom he eventually lined up in 1926. After 14 games with the Tigers, however, his VFL career was over, and one of the most eye-catching players of his era 'went bush', where he continued playing for several years afterwards in places like Horsham and the Victorian goldfields region. |
Footnotes1. Jack Worrall, writing in 'The Australian', and quoted in Carlton: The 100 Greatest by Jim Main and Russell Holmesby, page 25. Return to Main Text |
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| Les Borrack was dynamic and determined footballer who typically ended a match running just as hard as he started it. He hailed from Redan, and made his senior VFL debut for Geelong in round 6 of the 1953 season, at home to South Melbourne. After managing just a couple of league appearances that season, and half a dozen the next, he became the Cats' first choice centreman in 1955, and played most of his remaining games in that position. The most eye-catching feature of his play was his prodigious drop kicking on the run, but his 'in and under' work was arguably of equal value to the team. Borrack played the last of his 95 VFL games, in which he booted a total of 15 goals, in the final round of the 1960 season. |
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| Recruited from Wandella, Mark Bos made his senior debut with Geelong against Footscray in round 6 1979, and over the ensuing eleven seasons he went on to play a total of 195 VFL games. Tough, hard-hitting, and a thumping kick with either foot, he was one of the most reliable half back flankers of his day, although he could also perform serviceably in other positions if required. A smooth ball handler who played the game in a straight ahead, uncomplicated manner, Bos improved the longer his career went on, and won club best and fairest awards in 1987 and 1988. His last game was the 1989 grand final in which Geelong went down to Hawthorn by 6 points. Mark Bos represented Victoria in 1980, 1984, 1985 and 1988. |
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| Recruited
from North Albany, Ron Boucher made his league debut with Swan
Districts in 1971. Extremely powerfully built at 192cm and
102kg, he used his strength to awesome effect, most notably during Swans'
halcyon period under John
Todd in the early 1980s. He was one of his team's best in the
losing grand final against South
Fremantle in 1980, and was a key contributor to premiership wins in
1982-3, despite having to battle for much of the time with persistent
niggling injuries. He was equally effective as a knock ruckman or a
strong marking forward, and was selected in a forward pocket in Swan
Districts' official 'Team of the Century'.
Ron Boucher played 190 games for Swan Districts between 1971 and 1983, as well as representing Western Australia. He won the club's fairest and best award in his penultimate season. |
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| Barry Bourke was an extraordinarily versatile but sometimes underrated player who commenced his VFL career in 1963, just as Melbourne's decade of dominance was coming to an end. He did manage to contribute to one premiership, however, lining up at full forward in the Demons' 4 point grand final defeat of Collingwood in 1964. The previous season, Bourke had finished as Melbourne's leading goalkicker with 48 goals. For much of the remainder of his eleven season 175 game league career he played either as a defender or an on-baller, and indeed he only added a further 7 goals to his debut season total. Characteristically efficient and reliable in everything he did, Bourke was a regular member of VFL representative sides, and went to both the 1966 Hobart and 1969 Adelaide carnivals. |
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Daryl Bourke (Melbourne & Morningside)
by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| An in-and-under centreman who joined Morningside in 1987 after 23 VFL games with Melbourne, Daryl Bourke was a dual Grogan Medalist (1989 and 19993), a triple premiership player (1991-3-4) and triple club best and fairest winner. He played a total of 187 QAFL games despite a 1988 knee reconstruction, and was captain and assistant coach through the club's most successful era. He played 10 times for Queensland. |
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Edward Bourke (Brunswick, Richmond, South Melbourne, Sandringham, Yarraville)
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| Best remembered for his Recorder Cup win in 1929 with Sandringham, Ted Bourke was a much travelled footballer who gave fine service to five clubs of league standard during an illustrious career. A strong and dashing key position defender for much of that career, he had to stand out of football for the entire 1928 season in order to win his clearance from South Melbourne, where he had managed just 6 VFL games in 1927, to Sandringham. Earlier on, Bourke had played with Brunswick in the Association, and Richmond (32 VFL games from 1924 to 1926). He also spent time as captain-coach of Yarraville and Wimmera League club Ararat. |
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| Recruited
from Nathalia, Francis Bourke overcame a heart murmur to become one of Richmond's
greatest ever players - quite an accolade when you consider the number of
out and out champions whose names grace the Punt Road honour board.
Initially a wingman, Bourke later excelled in defence where his courage, pace, anticipation and refusal to be beaten made him ideally suited. Known affectionately as 'Saint Francis' Bourke represented Richmond in 302 VFL games and his state on 13 occasions. He won the Tigers' top award in 1970, and was a member of five Richmond premiership teams. Following his retirement, Bourke coached Richmond to the 1982 grand final, which was disappointingly lost against arch rivals Carlton. When the side slumped to 10th place the following year, Bourke's brief VFL coaching career came to a peremptory end, but no coach since has managed to steer the Tigers beyond the preliminary final. |
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Peter Bourke (South Ballarat & South Melbourne)
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| During
the two decades or so prior to the first World War the standard of
football played in Ballarat was, at times, the equal of that played
anywhere else in Australia, and it is at least arguable that games played
by footballers in the Ballarat Football Association should be regarded as
having been of league standard.
By whatever yardstick you care to adopt, South Ballarat's Peter Bourke was an accomplished footballer. He played numerous games for the blue and reds in two separate spells, in between which was sandwiched a two season (1905-6), 17 game stint with South Melbourne in the VFL. Bourke, who was a member of South Ballarat's 1909 premiership team, was a regular BFA representative player, with arguably his best performance coming in a 41 point loss to a South Australian number 2 combination at Jubilee Oval in 1910, when "the visitors created a good impression and were heartily applauded for their uphill game" (see footnote 1). |
Footnotes1. A contemporary, but unnamed, press report, quoted in 100 Years On: Centenary Ballarat Football League, page 45. Return to Main Text |
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Robert Bowden (Collingwood, Richmond, St Kilda)
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| After managing just one game with Collingwood in 1906, Robert Bowden made a more concerted return to league ranks a couple of years later when he was a regular member of Richmond's inaugural VFL side. He remained at Punt Road for five years, amassing 83 senior games, before crossing to St Kilda in time to participate in that club's first ever premiership play-off in 1913, which resulted in a loss to Fitzroy. A talented and extremely consistent wingman, he added a further 66 games to his VFL career tally with the Saints before finally retiring at the end of the 1919 season. |
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| Arguably
one of the finest defenders in the pre-World War One VFL, Len Bowe was a
consistent tower of strength for Essendon despite hardly ever
training. He arrived at the Same Old in 1907, and was a key factor
in the Dons' re-emergence as a league power after several seasons of
under-achievement. When Essendon
made the 1908 grand final, Bowe, playing in a back pocket, was his side's
best player in a 9 point loss to Carlton.
He later starred on a half back flank as the Dons recorded consecutive
grand final wins over Collingwood in 1911
and South Melbourne the following
year. The 1912 season saw him selected to represent the VFL in two
interstate matches against South Australia.
Had it not been for Essendon's temporary disbandment for two years during the war, Len Bowe might well have been the club's first player to record 200 VFL games. It would have been a fitting reward for a player who always played his football with consummate fairness, and who could always be relied on to produce his best form when it mattered most, such as in finals. As it was, when Bowe was forced to retire owing to an illness known as athlete's heart in 1920 he had amassed a total of 185 senior games, and kicked 4 goals. One imagines his having been a strong candidate for inclusion in Essendon's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
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George Bower (South Melbourne)
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| Slick, dashing and talented, George Bower played 75 VFL games for South Melbourne between 1909 and 1914. In his debut season he was in the centre as South overcame Carlton by 2 points in the challenge final, thereby ending the Blues' hopes of a fourth successive premiership, and giving the southerners their first flag at league level. |
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| Percy Bowyer's VFL career with Collingwood spanned 154 games over more than a decade, during which time he played in almost every position on the field. He was a member of Magpie premiership teams in 1929 (on a wing), 1930 (in the back pocket), and 1935-6 (as a ruckman). Exceptionally strong overhead, Bowyer also read the play well, and was an excellent team man. He retired prematurely in 1938 when he wrongly believed himself to be suffering from a stomach ulcer. |
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Peter Box (Footscray and Camberwell)
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| Originally
from Federal League club Cheltenham, Peter Box had to overcome the
horrendous setback of being involved in a serious road accident early in
his VFL career before developing into one of the finest centremen of his
era. In 1954, his third league season, he helped Footscray
to defeat Melbourne in the grand final to secure its first ever VFL
flag. Two years later he became the club's second Brownlow
Medallist (or the third if you include Alan
Hopkins' retrospective
1930 Medal), making him the only Bulldogs player to date to procure the 'double'
of Brownlow and premiership win. Perhaps a touch surprisingly, Box
did not win Footscray's club champion award in his Medal-winning year -
that honour went to Don Ross -
but he had managed to lift the award a year earlier. All told, Box
played 107 VFL games for Footscray in seven seasons.
In 1958, aged twenty-six, Box transferred to Camberwell where, in what proved to be his final season, he continued to display fine form, winning the club's best and fairest award, and representing the VFA at the Melbourne centenary carnival. |
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Marcus Boyall (Collingwood, Glenelg, Camberwell)
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| Marcus
Boyall made his VFL debut with Collingwood
in 1935 but did not become a regular in the side until two years
later. In 1936 he won the Gardiner Medal for best and fairest in the
VFL reserves competition.
Strong overhead, and deceptively dashing for one who appeared so angular and uncoordinated, Boyall made the centre half back position his own in 1937-8, but in 1939 he accepted an offer to join Glenelg, much to the ire of the Magpie committee, which refused to clear him. Boyall was forced to stand out of football for the whole of the 1939 season, but quickly made up for lost time by performing heroically when finally cleared the following year. Boyall spent part of the 1940 season as Glenelg captain-coach only to resign mid-season when things were not going well. With the coaching burden removed he began to play better than ever, and this stellar form continued during a 1941 season which saw him land both a Bays best and fairest award and South Australian football's most prestigious individual honour, the Magarey Medal. Boyall once again played for Collingwood while stationed in Melbourne on war service in 1944-5, but in the latter year he again courted controversy by crossing to VFA club Camberwell without a clearance. He gave the Tricolours excellent serviced over the next three seasons, winning a best and fairest award during a 1947 season that saw him replaced as senior coach half way through the year by Harry Collier, and later achieving selection on a half back flank in Camberwell's official 'Team of the Century'. Marcus Boyall's last season in top level football, 1948, was spent with Glenelg, although as he was actually based at Whyalla he only managed to front up occasionally. His final tally of league games with the Tigers was 49. He also played 50 games for Collingwood, and 54 for Camberwell. |
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Local product and lifelong Port Adelaide supporter Davey Boyd (he was almost never referred to as 'David' or 'Dave') made his league debut with the Magpies in 1948, after topping the club's seconds goal kicking list with 80 goals from full forward the previous year. He did not play at full forward in the seniors, however; after spending most of his debut season as a half forward flanker, in 1949 he replaced retiring champion Lew Roberts in the centre and never looked back. Tireless, beautifully balanced, and a superb stab pass, Boyd went on to play 222 SANFL games for Port in 13 seasons and was never once dropped. He was also a near automatic choice for South Australia for much of his career, playing at the 1950 Brisbane, 1953 Adelaide and 1956 Perth carnivals. One of his greatest displays came against the VFL in Perth when he lowered the colours of champion Footscray centreman Peter Box; later that year, Boyd and Box would win their respective competition best and fairest awards. A member of seven Magpie premiership teams, Boyd was often cited as a primary reason for the team's dominance, and yet somewhat surprisingly never won a club best and fairest award. Part of the reason for this may have been his tendency to reserve his finest performances for big games - he was almost invariably among the best players afield in grand finals, for instance - but his Magarey Medal win in 1956 suggests that he was also perfectly capable of playing well consistently. In 2000, Davey Boyd was selected on a half forward flank in Port Adelaide's official 'Greatest Team 1870-2000'. His sons Greg and Russell later maintained the family tradition by playing premiership football for the Magpies. |
| One of three Sandover Medal winning half backs to play for West Perth during the 1920s, the ultra assured and reliable Harold Boyd was arguably the pick of the bunch. He won his medal in 1922, with Jim Gosnell and Jim Craig following suit in 1924 and 1927 respectively. Boyd spent the first seven seasons after World War One with West Perth, winning the club's fairest and best award in 1923, the same season in which he captain-coached the club. He also captained the Cardinals in 1924. Boyd counted both matches at the 1921 Perth carnival, which the home state won, among his 7 appearances for Western Australia. In 1928, three seasons after retiring as a player, he took over as West Perth senior coach, steering the side to 5th, 3rd and last place finishes in his three seasons in charge. It was as a player that he established his reputation, however, and he was a worthy inclusion, on a half back flank, in his club's official 'Team of the Century'. |
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Robert Boyle (North Melbourne & Carlton)
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| Robert Boyle began his senior career with North Melbourne, and was on a half back flank in the side's 7.6 (48) to 3.9 (27) grand final defeat of Richmond. The following year saw him cross to Carlton, where he crowned an outstanding debut season by appearing in the centre in the grand final clash with Fitzroy, which resulted in a 24 point win to the Maroons. Boyle entered the 1905 season regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the VFL, and along with wingmen George Bruce and Edward Kennedy he helped give the Blues arguably the most damaging centreline in the competition. In 1906, however, his form fell away, and, after missing the club's ultimately successful finals campaign, he retired at the end of the season having made just 36 VFL appearances. The best of those appearances, however, were sufficiently noteworthy for him to be remembered with respect, not least because he arguably established the tactical prototype which was later developed to such outstanding effect by his successor as Carlton centreman, Rod McGregor. |
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Jim Bradford (Collingwood, Camberwell, North Melbourne, West Torrens)
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| Fatuously,
but perhaps a tad evocatively, nicknamed either 'Mighty Mouse' or
'Nipper', West Torrens' diminutive goal
kicking rover Jim Bradford was a real crowd pleaser over the course of 76
league games between 1950 and 1954. He booted a total of 197 goals
during that time, including a club list-topping 52 (jointly with John
Willis) in 1951. Bradford began his senior career with Collingwood
where he managed 7 VFL games and 16 goals in 1943. Bradford then
spent the four year period from 1945 to 1948 with VFA side Camberwell,
winning consecutive club best and fairest awards in 1945-6, and starring
in the 1946 grand final, in which the 'Wells lost to Sandringham
by 7 points. His VFA career comprised 76 games and saw him kick 169
goals. In 1949 he added another 9 VFL games, and 8 goals, with North
Melbourne, but it is for his stints at Camberwell and West Torrens that he deserves to
be best remembered. "About the goal front he was the quickest
ever," opined Jeff Pash. "When he was in motion every hair
lay along the line of his flight." (See
footnote 1)
When Camberwell announced its official 'Team of the Century 1884 to 1994' in 2003, 'Nipper' Bradford was named as first rover. |
Footnotes1. The Pash Papers by Jeff Pash, page 82. Return to Main Text |
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Craig Bradley (Port Adelaide & Carlton)
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| Almost
universally acclaimed as one of the bona fide greats of the modern game,
Craig Bradley might well have been lost to football had he enjoyed greater
success at his first sporting love, cricket. Indeed, Bradley will
probably be looked back on as one of the last Australian sportsmen to
enjoy simultaneous pre-eminence, or near pre-eminence, in the country's favoured summer and
winter pastimes.
Once it was clear that he would not quite achieve his ambition of playing cricket internationally, Bradley chose to devote more and more of his time, commitment and energy to football. In 98 SANFL games for Port Adelaide he proved that he was a player of the top echelon, but it was in his seventeen seasons at Carlton, where he accumulated a club record 375 games, that Bradley really stamped himself as one of the all time greats. Quick, both in mind and body, sublimely skilled, and always impeccably fair, there have been few better role models for youngsters aspiring to succeed in sport than Craig Bradley. A star in Port Adelaide's grand final defeat of Glenelg in his debut season of 1981, Bradley would go on to play in another six premiership deciders, one with Port, and five with the Blues. When Carlton went top in 1987 and 1995, Bradley's contribution was considerable. Equally significantly, when the Blues underwent a re-building exercise early in the twenty-first century, Bradley, as club skipper, played a crucial role in helping maintain equilibrium, as well as providing a constantly reassuring sight to supporters of longer standing. Six times a club best and fairest award recipient, Bradley's failure to land a competition best and fairest remains more than a trifle surprising. However, he emphasised his brilliance in numerous other ways, most notably with his habit of producing his very best football when it mattered most (he won no fewer than four Fos Williams Medals, for example). Bradley's aggregate of 501 senior games at the top level is likely to remain unchallenged for some time, while it is hard to imagine the powers-that-be allowing his record of 15 South Australian state of origin appearances (held jointly with John Platten) ever to be overhauled. (Bradley also played 4 interstate matches for South Australia which were not classified as state of origin affairs.) |
