Go straight to the biography of your choice by clicking on the appropriate link:
[James Coad] [George Coates] [Craig Cock] [Jack Cockburn] [Norman Cockram] [Denis Coffey] [John Coffey] [Arthur 'Bull' Coghlan] [Kevin Coghlan] [Leigh Colbert] [Brian Colbey] [Bill Cole] [Bob Coleman] [John Coleman] [Charles Coles] [John Colgan] [Mike Coligan] [Albert Collier] [Harry Collier] [Gary Colling] [David Collins] [Edward Collins] [Geoff Collins] [George Collins] [Jack Collins] [Maurice Collins] [Norman Collins] [Gordon Collis] [Ted Colquhoun] [Gavin Colville] [Bruce Comben] [Hector 'Johnny' Compton] [Harold Comte] [Dick Condon] [Don Condon] [Angelo Congear] [Neil Conlan] [Jack Conley] [Alec Conlin] [Jock Connell] [John Connell] [Reg Conole] [Darrel Conrad] [Jim Conway] [Brian Cook] [Fred Cook] [Lorne Cook] [Allan Cooke] [Mark Coombe] [Graham Cooper] [Ian Cooper] [Jack Cooper] [Ron Cooper] [Robert Corbett] [Denis Cordner] [Don Cordner] [Jock Cordner] [Ted Cordner] [Darryl Cormack] [Wayne Cormack] [Graham Cornes] [Stan Costello] [Gerry Cotter] [Jack Cotter] [Jason Cotter] [Paul Couch] [Frank Coulson] [George Coulthard] [Murray Couper] [Bryan Cousins] [Gordon Coventry] [Harry Coventry] [Peter Coventry] [Syd Coventry] [Jim Coverlid] [Jim Cowell] [Gary Cowton] [Harold Coy] [Darcy Cox] [Allan Crabb] [Jim Craig] [Neil Craig] [Gary Crane] [Len Crane] [Harold 'Bull' Crase] [Harold Craven] [Daryn Cresswell] [Peter Crimmins] [Cresswell 'Micky' Crisp] [Matthew Croft] [Harry Crompton] [Neil Crompton] [Phil Cronan] [Deverick 'Mick' Cronin] [Gavin Crosisca] [Brent Crosswell] [Roger Crouch] [Max Crow] [Russell Crow] [Jim Crowe] [Neville Crowe] [Craig Crowley] [William Cubbins] [Wally Culpitt] [Harry Cumberland] [Daryl Cumming] [Brian Cunningham] [Kevin Curran] [Bill Curtis] [Stephen Curtis] [Arthur Cutting] [Dave Cuzens]
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Jim Coad was an adaptable and talented forward who made his league debut with West Adelaide in 1938, and, taking into account a two year absence during the war while engaged in military duties, had given the club ten seasons and 138 games of service by the time he retired in 1949. He booted 269 goals, including tallies of 50 in 1946 and 38 in 1949 to top the club's list. Coad was at half forward right, and was vice-captain, in the grand final of 1947 when West overcame Norwood by 5 goals. He won the Trabilsie Medal as Westies' best and fairest player in his final league season, and represented South Australia twice, kicking 4 goals. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| A talented rover who averaged almost a goal a match in his eight season, 128 game VFL career, George Coates was a highly devoted servant of the Fitzroy Football Club over many years. After retiring as a player at the end of the 1954 season, he served the Roys in a variety of administrative posts. As a player he represented the 'Big V' and was seldom less than serviceable. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Craig Cock was a handy player for South Adelaide during a predominantly dismal era for the club. During the course of his 206 game league career between 1967 and 1978 the Panthers only contested one finals series. Ironically, the season after Cock retired they reached only their second post-war grand final. Recruited from Westminster school, he was a dogged and pacy defender who typically kept very tight reins on his opponent. However, he was not afraid of backing his judgement and leaving his man to tear downfield after the ball if the occasion allowed. |
|
Jack Cockburn (South Adelaide & Essendon)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Despite
a late start to his league football career - he was already twenty-four when he
joined South Adelaide from Blyth in 1934
- Jack Cockburn was one of the most accomplished footballers of his
generation. Known as 'the human horse stinger', he won a Magarey
Medal in only his second season, was a key member of two South
Adelaide premiership teams, and played 7 times for the state. His
Magarey Medal win was memorably saluted in the 'SANFL Football Budget'
thus:
Although of particularly robust physique, Cockburn has compelled admiration by the transparent fairness of his methods, and his concentration on the ball. What an easy task our umpires would be set if every player emulated Cockburn's style! The ball is invariably his objective, and his brilliance in gaining possession by dashing groundwork, and brilliant high flying, has made him the outstanding player of the season. (See footnote 1) While stationed briefly in Melbourne during World War Two, Cockburn played 10 VFL games with Essendon. The last of his 167 league games for South Adelaide was played in 1947. Few people would have been surprised when he gained a place on a half back flank in South Adelaide's official 'Greatest Team'. |
Footnotes1. 'SANFL Football Budget', 14/9/35, page 3. Return to Main Text |
|
Norman Cockram (Northcote & Fitzroy)
[Click to enlarge] |
| A
versatile, long-kicking player who could hold down any key position, Norm
Cockram began his senior career with Northcote
after the first World War. In 1922 he moved to Fitzroy,
and after spending a season or so finding his feet he developed into a
decided acquisition. He was at centre half forward in 1923 when the
side lost the grand final to Essendon,
and in later years he became acknowledged as one of the league's finest
full backs.
Between 1929 and 1931 Cockram played at Northcote once more as the Brickfielders emerged as a force in the Association for the first time. The 1929 season brought the club's first ever VFA flag, with Cockram playing a key role at full back in the comfortable 42 point grand final win over Port Melbourne. The 1930 and 1931 seasons brought further grand final appearances for both Northcote and Cockram, but Oakleigh proved too strong on both occasions. In 1932, Norm Cockram returned to Fitzroy for two last seasons of senior football, bringing his final tally of VFL games to 120. He also booted 82 goals, most of them early in his career when he spent a lot of time on the forward line. |
| Denis
Coffey, invariably
referred to as ‘Dinny’, was an extremely gifted footballer who began
his league career with East Fremantle
as a forward before developing into one of the finest and most damaging
centremen in the game. In his debut season of 1923 Coffey amassed 46 goals
to top Old Easts’ list. He was at full forward in the losing challenge
final of 1924 against Subiaco, but by the
time of the ‘revenge’ victory over the same opponent a year later he
had replaced the legendary ‘Nipper’
Truscott in the pivot. Pacy and decisive, he kicked superbly with both
feet, and his all round attitude and approach to the game were invariably
beyond reproach.
Coffey went on to play in two further premiership sides during the course of his 118 game league career with Old Easts which ended after the triumphant 1929 flag decider against South Fremantle. He represented Western Australia in the interstate arena 7 times. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| John Coffey played 89 VFL games and kicked 52 goals in two separate spells with St Kilda, separated by a five year stint at Morwell. He joined the Saints from West St Kilda in 1948, and immediately impressed as a highly creative, high leaping type ideally suited to a half forward flank. A Big V representative player, everything Coffey did was stylish in the extreme, and had he not spent his most productive years in the Latrobe Valley Football League he might conceivably have eked out a reputation as one of the all time greats. |
|
Arthur 'Bull' Coghlan (Geelong)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Arthur Coghlan gloried in the nickname 'Bull' and was renowned as one of the toughest players of his generation. Geelong recruited him from Toora and he made his VFL debut, the first of 145 appearances, in 1922. A controversial suspension in 1925 cost him his place in Geelong's historic first VFL premiership team, but he played when the Cats next went top six years later. Coghlan was selected to captain the VFL's interstate side in 1929.. Most commonly used as a hard-hitting, bullocking ruckman, 'Bull' Coghlan was equally at home in a key position. The archetypal team player, he combined particularly well with fellow ruckman Len Metherell, and was continually to be heard shouting encouragement to the younger players in the team. |
|
Kevin Coghlan (Collingwood & Hawthorn)
[Click to enlarge] |
| The smallest VFL player of his era at just 163cm and 55.5kg, Kevin 'Skeeter' Coghlan began his league career at Collingwood where he spent four seasons without ever really establishing himself. In 1953, after 31 games and 25 goals for the Woods, he crossed to Hawthorn and promptly hit his straps to become one of the most damaging rovers in the league. He played 59 games in four seasons with the Hawks, booting a total of 96 goals which included tallies of 19, 27 and 28 in 1953-4-5 respectively, all of which were good enough to top his club's list. Coghlan later became a football journalist who also did football commentaries on both TV and radio. |
|
Leigh Colbert (Geelong & Kangaroos)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Geelong drafted Leigh Colbert from South Bendigo and, after making his AFL debut in 1993, he was quick to establish himself as a regular, and valued member of the team. Talented, courageous and persistent, he was equally effective in offensive and negating roles, with his best football often coming when opposed by some of the game's most noteworthy names. Chosen to represent Victoria in 1996, Colbert went on to play 105 AFL games for the Cats before deciding that he wanted to leave at the end of a 1999 season that had been a complete write-off after he seriously injured a knee. The 2000 season saw him lining up for the Kangaroos where, after struggling initially to produce his best form, he developed into a consistently handy contributor. He retired at the end of the 2005 season, with his 104 appearances for the Kangas giving him a career total of 209 AFL games. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Socks
at half mast, and with a characteristic angular gait that suggested he had
difficulty running in a straight line Brian Colbey scarcely looked like a
league footballer, let alone a very good one. Other footballers - Kevin
Murray and Martin Leslie spring to mind - have afforded similarly less
than conclusive overt evidence of their prowess, but in football, as in
life, looks can be deceptive.
Tough, resilient and unrelenting, Colbey was a key fixture across half back in Neil Kerley's powerful Glenelg sides of the late 1960s and early '70s. He played a total of 206 SANFL games for the Tigers, plus 11 for the state, between 1966 and 1976. A member of the Bays' 1973 grand final winning team against North Adelaide (reviewed here), another career highlight came in 1969 with selection in the All Australian team after the Adelaide carnival. |
|
Bill Cole (Northcote & St Kilda)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Bill Cole (sometimes wrongly referred to as Bill Coles) commenced his senior career in the VFA, as a member of Northcote's all-conquering teams of the late 1920s through to the mid-thirties. He was on a half forward flank, and one of the best players afield, in the club's 15.21 (111) to 10.9 (69) grand final demolition of Port Melbourne in 1929, and played on the wing in consecutive premiership triumphs against Coburg in 1932 and 1933. After 101 games for the Brickfielders Cole crossed to St Kilda in the VFL in 1934, but did not make his senior debut until the following year. Between 1935 and 1937 he played a total of 29 VFL games for the Saints and kicked 19 goals. When playing at peak form, usually either on a wing or across half forward, he was elusive and highly damaging, but overall he was too inconsistent to be rated an unequivocal success. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Bob Coleman was singularly unfortunate in that his league career with Perth, which commenced in 1957 and ended after 155 league games in 1965, slotted neatly into the gap between that club's 1955 premiership and its halcyon era of the mid to late 1960s. Nevertheless, it was an auspicious career. Coleman, who could play equally well at both ends of the ground, was the Redlegs' leading goal kicker on four occasions, kicking 44 goals in 1960, 52 in 1961, 44 in 1962, and 46 in 1964. He also won his club's 1960 fairest and best award, and was a West Australian interstate representative 4 times. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
|
In a post-war world hungry for heroes, John Coleman fitted the bill impeccably. Prolific full forwards had always attracted attention and a certain amount of adulation before but never in quite such a personal way as Coleman, whose film star good looks only served to enhance the superstar image. In pure footballing terms he wasn't all that bad either. Indeed, from the time he burst onto the VFL scene with 12 goals on debut against Hawthorn in 1949 it was obvious that the Dons had hit the jackpot. Coleman combined freakish aerial ability with superb ground skills, and was a deadly accurate kick for goal, but his greatness was much more than the sum of these parts. Truly great champions often possess an elusive magnetism deriving as much from bearing and overall approach as from actual achievements; such was very much the case with Coleman - very few footballers have possessed such an arresting and impressive on field presence. Moreover, at a time when full forwards were traditionally greedy for goals, John Coleman broke the mould by being quintessentially team-orientated. As Jack Dyer tautly observed, "As long as Essendon get the goals Coleman doesn't worry who kicks them" (see footnote 1). Of course, no matter how team-orientated a full forward is, he will still tend to be judged primarily on the number of goals he kicks, and in this respect Coleman was the most prolific player in the VFL for a decade. When a badly dislocated knee prematurely ended his career in June 1954 he had topped Essendon's goal kicking list every season since 1949 (and would again in 1954, despite missing the last half of the season); he had led the league list on four occasions too, which included three tallies of 100 or more goals. A premiership player in 1949 and 1950, many people remain convinced that his controversial suspension for the 1951 grand final cost the Dons that year's flag. Needless to say, Coleman was often on the receiving end of some pretty rugged treatment from opponents, and although fundamentally disposed to 'play the ball', he was not averse to retaliating if he felt the occasion demanded it. Sadly, the fact that umpires then, as now, habitually interpreted the laws of the game differently when the ball was in scoring range meant that Coleman's direct opponents often got away with near murder, making retaliation frequently seem like the only, or at any rate the most immediately rewarding, option. Every camel's back has its breaking point, and Coleman's suspension for 4 matches, which included the 1951 grand final, came after Carlton, courtesy of Harry Caspar, applied just one straw too many during the last home and away match of the season. Eloquently summarising Coleman's unique appeal to football fans of virtually all persuasions, Herald journalist Hec De Lacy observed: To me the greatest delight in the Coleman technique is to see him one split second as the polesitter, the disinterested spectator of the hustle and bustle; the next to rise with the crowd's excitement as he comes from nowhere, throws himself into the air and drags down the seemingly impossible mark. Coleman is football's personality player - the greatest player in the game's greatest era. (See footnote 2) Coleman was later a highly successful coach, steering the Bombers to the 1962 and 1965 flags. His premature death in 1973 aged just 44 was a tragic loss for football. |
Footnotes1. Cited in The Great John Coleman by Wayne Miller and Vikki Petraitis, with Victor Jeremiah, page 76. Return to Main Text 2. Ibid., page 52. Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally from Chilwell, Charles 'Dummy' Coles was an extremely effective follower whose career with Geelong was undermined, and ultimately ruined, by injury. Strong overhead, and exceptionally mobile, he teamed particularly well with fellow ruckman Henry 'Tracker' Young, and the pair were at the forefront of many of Geelong's best moves. Coles was a fine kick, and was sometimes asked to fill in at full forward, which he normally did to good effect. He made his VFL debut in the competition's opening round in 1897, and had played a total of 72 senior games and kicked 81 goals by the time his career was brought to an end by a badly broken leg sustained in the round 8 clash with Collingwood in 1904. He had earlier been forced to miss numerous matches through various injuries, the worst of which was probably the broken arm he suffered in 1902 (ironically, also against Collingwood). |
| After half a season with Boulder City in 1950 John Colgan moved to the coast the following year where he attracted the interest of no fewer than half a dozen WANFL clubs. He eventually opted to play for South Fremantle after the club promised him an open clearance at the end of his first season if he wished to move on. In the event, however, Colgan played out his entire, 220 game league career at South, establishing himself as one of the club's all time favourite sons. A shrewd, speedy wingman, he starred in the grand final wins over West Perth and East Fremantle in 1953 and 1954, and also played well in the team that lost narrowly to East Perth in the 1956 play-off. The biggest disappointment in Colgan's career came when he was chosen in Western Australia's squad for the 1961 Brisbane carnival, but then was injured and had to pull out; the Western Australians subsequently went on to win the carnival. His total of 10 interstate appearances did include matches at the 1953 Adelaide and 1958 Melbourne carnivals, however. A highly respected figure at Fremantle Oval, John Colgan captained South in 1957 and 1960. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Mike Coligan made an important contribution to Norwood's emergence from a prolonged period in the doldrums during the early 1970s. A chunkily built, well balanced, strong marking full forward, his tally of 77 goals in 1970 was good enough to top the Redlegs' list, while the 81 he managed two years later was the season's best in the SANFL. Between 1969 and 1975 Coligan played 83 senior games, but his career ended disappointingly when he managed just 1 league appearance during his final year, and ended up playing in the reserves grand final on the day that the seniors lifted their first flag in a quarter of a century. Nevertheless, good clubman that he was, Coligan will doubtless have gleaned at least a small measure of consolation from the fact that the reserves won their premiership as well. |
|
Albert Collier (Collingwood, Cananore, Fitzroy, Camberwell)
[Click to enlarge] |
|
Something of a sporting prodigy as a youth, Albert Collier captained Victorian schoolboy teams at both football and cricket, but the oval ball game was always his first love. Residing within walking distance of Victoria Park, and playing locally with Ivanhoe, he was perhaps always destined to join Collingwood, and made his debut with the Magpies, as a full forward, in 1925. However, his vigorous, often fiery style of play proved better suited to the backlines, and it was at centre half back that he eventually found his niche, occupying either that position, or a half back flank, in each of Collingwood's grand final teams between 1926 and 1930. The 1929 season was especially auspicious with Collier not only making a telling contribution to the Magpies' grand final defeat of Richmond, but landing the first of three Collingwood best and fairest awards, plus the Brownlow Medal. Nicknamed 'Leeter' (or 'Leeta'), for reasons which neither he nor his fellow Collingwood-playing brother Harry could recall, Albert Collier moved to Tasmania in 1931 and fronted up, with considerable success, for TANFL side Cananore. In what proved to be a record-breaking year for the TANFL in terms of attendances, the Canaries, aided by a sterling contribution from their star import, overcame North Hobart by 3 points in a replayed grand final, and shortly afterwards defeated North Launceston for the state crown. Collier, who had displayed outstanding form for much of the season, was awarded the William Leitch Medal for the best and fairest player in the league. After one more season with Cananore Albert Collier returned home to Collingwood and, following his success in an on ball role with the Canaries, was asked to play as a ruckman, a role he assumed with great aplomb and outstanding success. Renowned for his formidable defence of smaller team mates, notably older brother Harry, 'Leeter' won consecutive club best and fairest awards in 1934 and 1935 and became a near automatic selection for VFL interstate teams. When Collingwood beat South Melbourne in the 1935 grand final the two Collier brothers vied with one another for best afield honours. Later in his career, Albert Collier suffered a series of knee injuries which undermined both his pace and his impact. Nevertheless, he continued to give solid service to the Magpies until 1939, when the effects of his injuries forced him to call it a day. In 1941 he made a brief, 12 game comeback with Fitzroy, and in 1945-6 he captain-coached VFA club Camberwell, steering the side to a losing grand final against Sandringham in his second season. However, it is for his 205 games in a Collingwood jumper that the redoubtable Albert 'Leeter' Collier, who was placed at centre half back in the club's official 'Team of the Century', will be best remembered. |
Harry Collier (Collingwood & Camberwell)
[Click to enlarge] |
|
Fifteen months older than his equally famous brother Albert, Harry Collier did not actually make his league debut with Collingwood until a year later. He played his early football with Ivanhoe in the Sub-District Football League, winning his club's best and fairest award in 1924. He was quick to make up for any lost time when he crossed to league ranks, playing superbly in a losing grand final side in his debut season of 1926, and going on to amass what, at the time of his retirement after the 1940 season, was a near club record 254 games. A brilliant rover with a superb goal sense, some of Harry Collier's best football was played during the 1930s in tandem with his ruckman brother, who despite being only 179cm in height - just 6cm taller than Harry - was considered a 'big man' at the time. With Albert providing vigorous and highly effective physical protection, Harry was frequently able to run riot, most notably of all perhaps in the 1935 VFL grand final when his superlative, all action four quarter performance was a major contributory factor to the Magpies' 20 point defeat of highly favoured South Melbourne. All told, Harry Collier played in no fewer than six Collingwood premiership teams and was both a dual premiership captain and a dual club best and fairest winner. Hardly surprisingly, he was chosen as first rover in the Magpies' official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. In 1930, along with Footscray's Alan Hopkins, he lost the Brownlow Medal to Stan Judkins of Richmond on a countback; fifty nine years later the VFL saw fit to overrule itself and awarded both Hopkins and Collier retrospective Medals. Almost always an eminently fair if vigorously combative competitor, the most controversial incident in Harry Collier's career occurred in 1938 when, despite a previously unblemished Tribunal record, he incurred an astonishing 14 game suspension for striking Carlton wingman Jack Carney. Just as controversial and astonishing as the length of the penalty was the fact that the initial report on the striking incident was lodged, not by any of the four umpires officiating at the match, but by the Carlton Football Club. In the view of some, the whole affair ultimately cost Collingwood the 1938 flag, for with Collier's suspension still in force the Magpies narrowly lost the grand final by 15 points, a margin they might well have reduced or overcome with their tenacious little rover in the line-up. And Collingwood's opponent in that grand final? None other than Carlton. Small wonder there is so little love lost between the two clubs! Midway through the 1947 season, Collier replaced Marcus Boyall as coach of VFA club Camberwell. "I was happy to help out," he later recalled, "but I was not particularly interested in the job" (see footnote 1). Perhaps his lack of interest was one reason for the significant dip in form that saw the team slump to a mid table finish after getting to within 8 points of a premiership the previous year. Collier even donned the boots himself during the year, playing a total of 12 games in the unfamiliar red, white and blue colours, but to no avail. |
Footnotes1. The VFA: A History Of The Victorian Football Association 1877-1995 by Marc Fiddian, page 141. Return to Main Text |
|
Gary Colling (Frankston & St Kilda)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Solid and unspectacular, but immensely reliable, Gary Colling gave the St Kilda Football Club loyal and committed service in 265 VFL games between 1969 and 1981. He joined the Saints from VFA side Frankston, and soon attracted respect as one of the hardest defenders to beat in the league. Highly determined and relentless, he also boasted an attacking side to his game, made manifest most noticeably through his creative use of handball. As a consummate team player it was highly appropriate when he was made St Kilda captain in 1978, but he only spent a year in the job. In his later years he began to spend more and more time on the ball, where his strength, courage and wholehearted determination were unleashed to good effect. After retiring as a player, Gary Colling continued to serve the Saints in a variety of off-field roles. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Best remembered for having the ball in his hands well within goal kicking range when the infamous 'goal post final' (reviewed here) was abandoned, North Hobart's David 'Dickie' Collins was a mercurial forward who could send his trademark left foot torpedo punts a 'country mile'. He began with the Robins in 1961, and went on to play precisely 250 senior games for the club in thirteen seasons. A premiership player in 1962, 1967 and 1969, he topped the TANFL's goal kicking ladder in 1962 with 77 goals, and in 1967 with 58. Collins won the Robins' best and fairest player award in 1970, and played interstate football for Tasmania twice. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Quick, resilient and full of nouse, Edward Collins was one of St Kilda's best players on either side of World War One. He played most of his 78 VFL games as a wingman, including the 1913 challenge final, when the Saints lost narrowly to Fitzroy. Originally from Port Melbourne Juniors, his career commenced in 1913 and ended in 1921. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Dogged, determined and extremely tough, Geoff Collins gave Melbourne fine service, mainly as a defender, in 88 games between 1948 and 1952 and in 1954. He missed the 1953 season while on armed service in Korea. A VFL representative, Collins played on a half back flank in Melbourne's premiership-winning team of 1948, and again in the losing grand final side of 1954, when he was also captain. In retiring when he did he missed participating in the Demons' 'golden age'. |
|
George Collins (Essendon & Preston)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Invariably known as 'Tod', rather than by his given name of George, Collins was one of the pre-eminent members of Essendon's early VFL combinations. In addition to being a top footballer, he also represented Victoria at cricket. Most of his 93 VFL games between 1897 and 1903 were played in the back lines, where he was conspicuous for his tremendous pace, fine kicking, and, most particularly, his superlative marking ability. He was a key member of the Same Old's 1897 premiership side, and when they next went top four years later, courtesy of a 6.7 (43) to 2.4 (16) grand final defeat of Collingwood, Collins made a noteworthy contribution as captain. He also captained the Dons to a losing challenge final against Collingwood the following year. In 1900, 1901 and 1902 he represented the VFL against South Australia. No relation to team mate Maurice Collins, he returned to senior football after a two season break in 1906 as captain-coach of VFA side Preston. However, after just 5 games - only 1 of which was won - he elected to retire for good. |
|
Jack Collins (Yarraville & Footscray)
[Click to enlarge] |
| After
playing initially with Yarraville, where his
father Jim had been captain-coach in 1918-19 before embarking on a VFL
career with Essendon, Jack Collins
joined Footscray in 1950.
During his debut season he played a number of games at centre half back,
but it was ultimately as a key position forward that he made his
name. Powerful overhead, and a tremendously accurate kick over long
distances, he topped the VFL's goal kicking list on two occasions, and the
Bulldogs' on five. His best season was 1954, when he amassed a
personal record tally of 84 goals, the last 7 of which helped his club to
a 51 point grand final defeat of Melbourne.
A regular VFL interstate representative, Collins also won Footscray's club champion award twice. His older brother Alan had earlier played with great success for both Yarraville and Footscray, as well as representing the 'Big V'. After his retirement as a player, Jack Collins continued his association with the Bulldogs by serving on the club committee, initially as secretary, and later as president. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| A top quality defender in Essendon's early VFL teams, Maurie Collins gave the club consistently impressive service in 97 league games between 1897 and 1904. He represented the VFL against South Australia in both 1899 and 1903. After suffering the misfortune of missing the 1897 round robin final series with injury, he made amends by lining up in a back pocket in the 1901 premiership decider against Collingwood, which the Same Old won by 27 points. A strong player who marked well, he was particularly effective when minding the opposing team's resting ruckman. He served as Essendon's vice-captain during his final season. |
|
Norman Collins (Fitzroy, Carlton, Hawthorn)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Solid and serviceable rather than brilliant, Norm Collins fought hard to make the grade as a league footballer, and although he was seldom first choice at any of his three clubs he remained involved in the game at its highest level for a full decade, which bears incontrovertible testimony both to his talent and persistence. Collins commenced his VFL career in 1924 with Fitzroy, the same club at which his brother Goldie was already an established player, but found it extremely hard to break into what was at the time one of the strongest combinations in the competition. After managing just 4 senior games and 1 goal in two seasons he transferred to Carlton where he developed into a handy bit part player, equally at home in the backlines or on the ball. Midway through the 1931 season, after 57 games and 14 goals for the Blues, he crossed to Hawthorn where he proved himself a dependable defender in a final 31 league games spread over two and a half years. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Carlton's
Gordon Collis only had a comparatively brief career at the top level, but
it was certainly eventful. He made his VFL debut as a forward in
1961 after the Blues had won a race with Fitzroy
to procure his signature. Most of his early football was played on the forward
lines, and he was successful enough to be chosen at centre half forward in
the VFL 'B' team in 1962. In 1963 his form fell away, and it later
emerged that he had been having sight problems. Prior to the start
of the 1964 season, he was fitted with contact lenses, and, lo and behold,
his form underwent a remarkable improvement. After beginning the
season at full back he was moved to centre half back during the round 5
clash with Collingwood at Victoria Park
after Magpie full forward Terry Waters had threatened to cut loose.
Collis took to centre half back as though born to the position: week after
week he made the best player lists, he was selected to play there in the
senior VFL interstate team, and he ended up running away with the Brownlow
Medal, 8 votes clear of Hawthorn's
Phil Hay, and Ken Fraser of Essendon.
For good measure, he also won Carlton's best and fairest award.
Unfortunately, the remainder of Gordon Collis' 95 game VFL career was short-circuited by recurrent, niggling injuries, culminating in serious damage to a foot which prompted him to 'retire' at the end of the 1965 season. Still aged only 27, he decided after a year away from the game that he would give it one more try, and 1967 saw him back at Princes Park for what proved to be his final league season. On doctors' advice, he retired for good at the end of the year after being diagnosed with stomach ulcers. Ironically, in 1968 the Blues broke through for their first flag since 1947, an achievement to which Gordon Collis would, no doubt, dearly have loved to contribute. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| A
top ranking defender, Ted Colquhoun commenced with Sturt
in 1919, and was a member of the club's premiership-winning team that
year. In the decisive match of the season against North
Adelaide he played a crucial role in securing victory when his
desperate goalmouth lunge late on prevented what seemed likely to be a certain goal to
the red and whites. Had the ball gone through for a major score,
North would have moved into a virtually unassailable 20 point lead.
As it was, the Double Blues quickly moved the ball to the other end of the
ground and reduced the deficit to just 8 points before, with the momentum
now firmly in their favour, going on to secure a last gasp victory,
courtesy of a goal from Ivor
Nicolle, by 5
points.
In 1922, Ted Colquhoun was one of several Sturt players to quit the club in protest at the sacking of dual premiership captain-coach Bill Mayman. However, he resumed in 1923 and went on to complete 83 senior games for the Blues before retiring two seasons later. Colquhoun also represented South Australia on 3 occasions. If he had a weakness as a player, it was that, on occasion, he tended to hold onto the ball too long. However, the converse of this was that his runs from defence were sometimes exhilarating and team-lifting. |
| In the brief history to date of the Woodville-West Torrens Football Club it is doubtful if there has been a more important on-field contributor than Gavin Colville. Nicknamed ‘Scratcher’, the distinctively red-haired on-baller joined the Eagles from TAC under eighteens club Geelong Falcons, and made his league debut in 1996. Four times a club best and fairest award winner (once jointly), he suffered the ultimate agony in 2006 when, in his sixth season as club captain, he missed out on the Eagles’ long overdue premiership triumph owing to injury. Runner-up in the Magarey Medal voting in both 2000 and 2004, Colville has been a regular South Australian state league representative for much of the past decade. Combining an abundance of energy with finely honed skills, he had, when he retired in 2008, been an adornment both to his club and the SANFL in an Eagles record 232 senior games, plus 3 for South Australia. |
|
Bruce Comben (Carlton & Werribee)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Known
as 'Bugsy', Bruce Comben was a tough, determined and highly talented back
pocket specialist who gave sterling service to Carlton
during an unusually inauspicious era for the club. Between 1950 and
1961 he played a total of 188 VFL games, and was captain from 1958 to
1960. During the 1960 season he suffered the ignominy of captaining
the first ever VFL representative team to lose against Tasmania.
However, a more fitting testimonial was accorded when he was selected in
the back pocket in Carlton's official
'Team of the Twentieth Century'.
Between 1970 and 1972 Comben coached Werribee in the VFA's 2nd division, but the side struggled, winning just 9 and drawing 1 of its 54 matches over the three years. |
|
Hector 'Johnny' Compton (Claremont & Kalgoorlie City)
|
| Immensely aggressive and combative, and boasting good all round skills, 'Johnny' Compton might easily have developed into one of the game's all time greats had World War Two not deprived him of potentially his most noteworthy seasons. As it was, he merely enjoyed a very good, rather than genuinely great, career. He began with Claremont in 1935 but then spent a season away from the limelight with Kalgoorlie City in the GNFL. He returned to the Monts in 1937 and altogether tougher and more explosive player, and during the club's first truly auspicious era he revelled in the role of the team's enforcer. He was at full forward when Claremont beat East Fremantle for the 1938 premiership, and in the centre two years later when South Fremantle was vanquished. He missed the winning grand final of 1939, also against East Fremantle, after being reported during the previous week's preliminary final defeat of East Perth, and suspended for three matches. Such was the 'no holds barred' nature of his approach to the game that, during the course of his career, Compton became extremely well acquainted with the dealings of the Tribunal. That career continued when senior WANFL football resumed after a three year break for the war in 1945, and by the time he retired in 1948 'Johnny' Compton had played a total of 105 league games. He also represented a West Australian second string combination against St Kilda in 1938. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally from Echuca, Harold Comte made his VFL debut with St Kilda in 1930. Despite standing only 175cm in height and weighing just 71kg he possessed formidable strength and this, allied to great determination and vigour, made him very hard to beat in the clinches. He could play equally well as a rover or in the backlines. A VFL representative, he won the Saints' club champion award in 1933. Comte had played 104 games and kicked 55 goals by the time he retired in 1937. He died in action during World War Two. |
|
Dick Condon (Collingwood, Richmond, East Sydney)
[Click to enlarge] |
|
Dick Condon was a dazzlingly skilful centreman
who played a major role in the development of Collingwood's
famed 'system', a style of play which was based on extensive use of the
then newly invented stab pass. Despite this, Condon was scarcely an
archetypal team player, and was frequently involved in altercations with
team mates, club officials and umpires. In 1900 he was suspended
'for life' for abusing an umpire, but the penalty was eventually lifted
after eighteen months. He was captain-coach of Collingwood in
1905-6, but in trademark fashion he managed to upset both his team mates
and the club hierarchy, and was shown the door.
After spending the 1907 season umpiring in Tasmania he returned to Victoria the following year and joined fledgling league side Richmond. In 1909, he was appointed coach - much to the disgust of former team mate Charlie Pannam, who resigned from the club in protest - but lasted only a year before becoming such a constant source of irritation to all concerned that he was asked to leave. Condon subsequently moved to New South Wales where he spent the 1910 season coaching East Sydney to a losing grand final against YMCA. Uniquely among Collingwood's ten year players, Dick Condon was never made a life member of the club, and a century on it is hard to avoid the impression that here was a troubled soul whose personal deficiencies prevented full expression of what may well have been a unique talent. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Calm in a crisis, deadly in front of goal, and extremely consistent, Don Condon was an excellent if underrated performer for North Melbourne in 131 VFL games between 1944 and 1951. Those games yielded 213 goals, including a club ladder topping 38 in 1948. He was on a half forward flank when North contested its first ever VFL grand final in 1950, but was unable to prevent a 38 point loss to Essendon. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Don Condon was never selected to represent the VFL in interstate football, although there can be no doubt that he was worthy of the honour. |
|
Angelo Congear (Port Adelaide)
[Back to Top] |
| A
member, along with E.J.Callinan and Frank Curnow, of the famous 'three-Cs'
ruck combination which helped propel Port Adelaide to the 1910 SAFL flag
and Australian
championship, wily rover 'Ongie' Congear was still going strong with
Port Adelaide a dozen seasons later. In fact, he began with the
Magpies in 1908, and went on to play in no fewer than four premiership and
three Australian championship-winning sides, as well as representing South
Australia at the victorious 1911
Adelaide carnival. This truly exceptional record was shared with
two other great players, 'Shine'
Hosking and Harold
Oliver. Owing to uncertainty over records pertaining to the
1908, 1910 and 1915 seasons, it is unknown exactly how many league games
Congear played, but it is believed to have been in the region of 150.
It is known that he represented South Australia on 15 occasions, kicking
35 goals.
As a rover, he was extremely clever, nimble both of body and mind, and well able to look after himself. He was a great favourite among Port Adelaide's loyal following, and perhaps the only surprising fact about his career is that he somehow failed to procure a club best and fairest award. |
|
Neil Conlan (New Town/Glenorchy, Devonport, Manuka, Belconnen)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Neil
Conlan was a young prodigy as a footballer who joined New
Town as a 17 year old in 1953. Later that year he became the
youngest player to represent Tasmania when he played at the
Adelaide carnival. He went on to play a total of 25 games for
his state, a Tasmanian record.
Resilient, courageous and highly skilled, Conlan was regarded by Tasmanian football historian Ken Pinchin as "probably the toughest and certainly the best centreline player Tasmania produced" (see footnote 1). Consistently noteworthy performances at interstate level saw mainland clubs begin to take a keen interest, and on a couple of occasions during the 1950s he was 'signed' by Richmond. Conlan, however, was happy to remain in Tasmania, winning a club record four successive best and fairest awards with New Town/Glenorchy from 1955-58, and playing in the 1953, 1955-56 and 1958 premiership sides. In 1959, Conlan accepted the position of captain-coach of NWFU team Devonport. In 1962, he steered the Magpies to a grand final, but they lost to Burnie. He continued to perform well as a player, gaining regular Tasmanian selection, winning a major media award in 1960, and being chosen as the best NWFU player in intrastate games in 1963. Replaced as coach of Devonport in 1964 by Jervis Stokes, Conlan carried on as a player for another couple of seasons before spending a year with NWFA side Wesley Vale. In 1967, he embraced a new challenge by accepting the role of playing-coach at Manuka, where he was to achieve outstanding success. In his first season he steered the Bullants to their first flag since 1955, repeating the success in 1968, and then again in 1969 (this time as non-playing coach). All told, he oversaw a total of 5 premierships at Manuka, making him one of the most successful ACTAFL coaches ever. After a break from football in the mid-1970s he returned as Manuka's chairman of selectors in 1977 and the following year was appointed non-playing coach of Belconnen. Tragically, in July that year he died in his sleep aged just 42. His son Michael later carried on the family's football tradition by playing at senior level for Manuka, Fitzroy and Sandringham. Neil Conlan's contribution to Tasmanian football was amply recognised in 2004 with his inclusion in the state's official 'Team of the Century'. |
Footnotes1. A Century Of Tasmanian Football 1879-1979 by Ken Pinchin, page 163. Return to Main Text |
|
Jack Conley (Coburg & Carlton)
[Click to enlarge] |
| A tough, resolute and dependable performer, Jack Conley commenced his senior career with Coburg in the VFA before crossing to Carlton in 1944. After playing his early VFL games as a rover, he developed into a fine defender, renowned for his vigour and close-checking. He was first rover in Carlton's winning grand final team against Essendon in 1947, and also played two years later when the result was reversed. Conley retired in 1952 after 135 VFL games and 103 goals. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Robust, vigorous and speedy, West Adelaide's Alec Conlin was one of the best specialist half forward flankers of his day. Especially renowned for his prodigious place kicking, on one occasion at Adelaide Oval he scored a goal from a distance later measured at 80 yards. Spectacular to watch when in full flight, Conlin's prominence was short-lived as he played just 37 games for West between 1911 and 1913, kicking 30 goals. He was a member of premiership sides in 1911 and 1912, and in the former year was one of the best players afield as the red and blacks overcame Essendon by 5 points in a championship of Australia match at the Adelaide Oval. Alec Conlin's 3 interstate appearances for South Australia all came at the 1911 Adelaide carnival, which the home state won convincingly. |
|
Jock Connell (City & Longford)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Brilliant overhead, and a superb kick over distance, Jock Connell was one of the best Tasmanian ruckmen of the inter-war years, although his senior league career actually continued until 1950. Beginning in 1929 he played close to 300 senior games, comprising 220 for his first club, City, an unknown number for Longford, 33 for the NTFA representative side, and 4 for Tasmania at the 1933 Sydney carnival. Connell won the Tasman Shield Trophy for NTFA best and fairest in 1934 and 1939, and was four times selected as club champion with City. He left City at the end of the 1946 season to coach Tamar League side Lefroy, but in 1949 he made a playing comeback, which was to last two seasons, with NTFA club Longford. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| John Connell was a handy utility for West Adelaide during a somewhat unmemorable era for the club. He made his debut in 1928, and over the next seven years played a total of 118 SANFL games and kicked 49 goals, captaining the club for part of the 1931 season and the whole of 1933. He was a near automatic choice for South Australia for much of his career, and played a total of 13 interstate matches, which included games at both the 1930 Adelaide and 1933 Sydney carnivals. During the Adelaide carnival he was one of the home state's most consistent and noteworthy performers. |
|
Reginald Conole (Port Adelaide & Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Solidly built, hard at the ball, and with a fine turn of pace, Reg Conole was a key player for Port Adelaide between 1926 and 1929, during which time he played a total of 61 club games, plus 1 for South Australia. In 1928 he was a member of the Magpies' victorious challenge final team against Norwood. Twelve months later, however, he was one of four injured first choice players forced to watch from the sidelines as the Redlegs gained their revenge with somewhat disquieting ease. Still carrying his injury, Conole crossed to VFL club Melbourne in 1930, for whom he impressed after making his debut mid-way through the year. Used mainly across half back, with occasional runs on the ball, he had played a total of 47 senior games for the Fuchsias by the time he hung up his boots in 1933. |
|
Darrel Conrad (North Adelaide)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Consistently reliable, and capable of the odd burst of genuine brilliance, Darrel Conrad was a highly rated member of North Adelaide's teams for over a decade. An excellent ball handler, he was a key factor in North's re-emergence as a power in 1926, with his injury during the challenge final against Sturt being viewed in the wash-up as perhaps the single main reason for his team's eventual 13 point loss. A South Australian interstate representative on 9 occasions, including games at both the 1924 Hobart and 1930 Adelaide carnivals, Conrad rounded off his league career in style with telling performances on a half back flank - his favoured position - in the 1930 and 1931 premiership deciders against Port Adelaide and Sturt respectively. Between 1922 and 1932 he played a total of 125 senior matches, and was named North's best and fairest player twice during an era when such awards were not conferred every year. |
|
Jim Conway (East Fremantle & Claremont)
[Click to enlarge] |
|
East Fremantle's 1950 Sandover Medallist Jim Conway was a highly skilled, elusive, goal kicking rover who represented his club on 180 occasions in 1943, when the WANFL's wartime under-age competition was still in operation, and then from 1946 to 1956. In his first season of full scale, open age competition he was a member of Old Easts' winning grand final side against West Perth. Best remembered as a rover, Conway was, despite his small physical stature, sometimes used at centre half forward on occasion, in which position he was surprisingly effective. Besides winning a Lynn Medal (East Fremantle's fairest and best player award) in the same year as his Sandover, he twice topped the club's goal kicking list (his 77 goals in 1951 being especially meritorious), and represented Western Australia in the interstate arena 15 times. He captained the club in 1948, 1951 and 1956. After one particularly dazzling display it was noted: "East Perth had as much chance of bottling up Conway as a cat would have of catching an asbestos mouse through a furnace at the East Perth powerhouse." (See footnote 1) After leaving Old Easts at the end of the 1956 Conway spent some time in country New South Wales before being somewhat surprisingly appointed non-playing coach of Claremont in 1964. He promptly lifted the Tigers, who had finished last the previous year, to their first premiership since 1940 (achieved, somewhat ironically, at the expense of his former club, East Fremantle, and reviewed here). An innovative and adventurous coach, he spent five seasons at the helm at Claremont, but things gradually went downhill after 1964 with the side finishing 3rd, 5th, 5th and 6th. When East Fremantle announced its official 'Team of the Century' in 1997 few long-standing supporters would have been surprised to see Jim Conway named as first rover. |
Footnotes1. Celebrating 100 Years Of Tradition by Jack Lee, page 227. Return to Main Text |
| A stalwart at Perth for a dozen seasons, Brian Cook was a sometimes underrated, but consistently effective, footballer, who improved as he got older. He made his league debut in 1971, and played on a wing in the 1974 grand final which Perth lost to East Fremantle. He later developed into a strong marking, commanding key position player, performing creditably at centre half back in the winning grand finals of 1976 and 1977. A Western Australian interstate representative on 5 occasions, Cook had played a total of 181 senior games by the time he retired in 1982, with one of the highlights being a club fairest and best award in 1980. |
|
Fred Cook (Footscray, Yarraville, Port Melbourne, Moorabbin)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Despite
showing promise in 33 VFL games with Footscray
from 1967 until midway through the 1969 season, Fred Cook was ultimately dumped by
the Bulldogs for 'disciplinary reasons'. After being offered a
financially attractive package by Yarraville,
he crossed to the VFA without a clearance, and one of the most spectacular
and inspiring success stories in modern football was set to start.
In 1970, Yarraville coach John Heriot used his new signing mainly as a ruckman or centre half back, and although the Eagles endured a dreadful season and were ultimately relegated, winning both the club best and fairest award and the Liston Trophy. Following the club's relegation, however, he was faced with a difficult choice: he could either stay at Yarraville on reduced match payments, or look elsewhere. In the end, he asked the club for a transfer, and was sold to Port Melbourne. The Borough were one of the VFA's leading clubs, and in 1971 they were desperate to recapture the premiership success they had last enjoyed in 1966. They saw Fred Cook as a potentially important contributor to that success, but although these hopes would ultimately be realised beyond their wildest dreams, initially at least there were serious setbacks to be overcome. In Cook's first season, Port failed to qualify for the finals, and even worse was to follow; after a practice match prior to the start of the 1972 season, Cook suffered a heart attack, and was not expected to play football ever again. Showing the sort of fortitude and determination that would come to be regarded as his trademark, however, he returned to training before the end of the year, kicked 16 goals in a seconds match, and made it clear that he was raring to go in 1973. The next decade or so proved to be the most auspicious in the long and proud history of the Port Melbourne Football Club, and Fred Cook, now playing mainly as a full forward, was not only an important contributor, he was easily the VFA's most popular player. He topped the VFA's goal kicking list in 1976 (124 goals), 1977 (155), 1978 (115), 1980 (112) and 1982 (140), played in 6 grand finals without a loss, and won Port Melbourne's best and fairest award in 1976. What mere statistics cannot reveal, however, is the enormity and significance of Cook's impact on the game, and most especially on the unique manifestation of that game that was the VFA of the 1970s. Single-handedly, with great flamboyance, verve, exuberance and skill, Fred Cook brought fans flocking back to Association grounds, effectively generating a kind of Indian summer for a competition that was living on borrowed time. Although football is a team game, it is often the cult of personality more than anything else which attracts people, especially new fans, to the game. For Warwick Capper (Sydney, 1980s) or Tony Modra (Adelaide, 1990s) read Frederick William Cook (Port Melbourne, 1971-83). Cook finished his senior football career with Moorabbin, finally retiring after a total of 305 games, which spawned a VFA record 1,364 goals. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| After
working his way through the ranks at Claremont,
Lorne Cook made his senior WANFL debut in 1959 en route to a fourteen
season, 230 game league career. Extremely versatile, he played in
most positions on the field during that career, excelling in nearly all of
them, but was perhaps at his best across half back. Sometimes too courageous for his own good, he sustained
numerous injuries, with undoubtedly the most upsetting being that
sustained in the 1964 preliminary final which ruled him out of the Monts'
grand final winning team the following week. A fine overhead mark,
he combined considerable pace with smooth ball handling skills, and was a
useful kick, particularly with his favoured left foot.
Cook was captain of Claremont in 1967-8 and again in his final season of 1972, and won a fairest and best award in 1968. His 10 interstate appearances for Western Australia included all three matches at the 1961 Brisbane carnival, which the Western Australians won. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Recruited by Richmond from Eastern Suburbs Football League Club Mitcham, Allan Cooke gave the Tigers 116 VFL games worth of solid service between 1949 and 1958. He booted 54 goals. An energetically powerful ruckman, he marked well and gave sterling support to the likes of Bill Morris and, more especially, Roy Wright. He later served as Richmond's chairman of selectors. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| A
truly gifted, two-sided footballer who played with great verve, invention
and skill, Mark Coombe suffered the misfortune of having his career
peremptorily de-railed by a shoulder injury while he was still just
twenty-four years of age. Nevertheless, he achieved enough in his
eight season, 119 game league career to earn inclusion, on the wing, in South
Adelaide's official 'Greatest Team' (see footnote 1).
It was on a wing that Mark Coombe, having risen through the ranks, commenced his senior career at South Adelaide in 1968. So noteworthy were his performances in that debut season that he was widely considered to be the SANFL's recruit of the year - no mean achievement when you consider that 1968 also introduced the likes of Russell Ebert, Ian Verrier, Robin Mulholland, Malcolm Blight and Mike Poulter to the South Australian football public. Coombe was runner-up to Peter Darley in that year's Knuckey Cup, South's best and fairest trophy, and the following season he went one better to become, at just eighteen, one of the award's youngest ever recipients. His good form continued over the next three years, culminating in selection in South Australia's 1972 Perth carnival team. South Adelaide was a struggling team for most of Mark Coombe's playing career, and did not manage to qualify for the finals even once. Ironically, following his enforced retirement the club entered a mini-halcyon phase under the innovative and energetic coaching of Haydn Bunton junior. |
Footnotes1. As early as the opening round of the 1969 season a writer in the 'SA Football Budget' felt sufficiently confident to proffer the percipient suggestion that, in Coombe, South possessed a player "who could go on and join their club's hall of fame". ('SA Football Budget', 5-7/4/69, page 7.) Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Graham Cooper was a fine defender who gave Port Adelaide good service in 118 SANFL games between 1961 and 1967. He was at centre half back in the Magpies' winning grand final teams of 1962, 1963 and 1965, but was equally effective at full back, in which position he represented South Australia 3 times in 1965 when club and state colleague Ron Elleway was injured. |
|
Ian Cooper (St Kilda, Swan Districts, Sandringham)
[Click to enlarge] |
|
After bursting onto the VFL scene in spectacular fashion in 1964, Ian Cooper went on to be a major contributor to St Kilda's emergence as a major league force over the ensuing couple of seasons. Built like a stick insect at 191cm and just 67kg Cooper was capable of spectacular aerial exploits but he supplemented this with tremendous intelligence that prevented him from over-exploiting or misusing the talent. The quintessential big game player, he was one of St Kilda's most effective players in the losing grand final against Essendon in 1965, and was many observers' choice as best afield when the Saints broke through for their first flag against Collingwood the following year (click here for details). In 1967 he was selected in the VFL state squad but was prevented from playing by a bout of rheumatic fever, an ailment which effectively, if only temporarily, de-railed his career. In two further seasons with St Kilda he seldom re-discovered his best form, and in 1970 he was cleared to Swan Districts. Midway through the 1970 season Cooper, who had been playing his best football in three years, was back in Melbourne as a member of the West Australian state side which took on, and very nearly defeated, the VFL. A couple of days later, however, the boot was firmly on the other foot as the West Australians succumbed to the rare humiliation of defeat at the hands of a more desperate and better coordinated Tasmanian combination in Hobart. Cooper, with 3 goals, was one of his adopted state's better performers, but he could not prevent the home side edging home by 2 points, as described here. Later in the year, Cooper helped the sandgropers to a hard fought win over South Australia in Perth. After two successful seasons with Swans, during both of which he topped the club's goal kicking, Cooper returned to Victoria in 1972 where he joined Sandringham. Cleared in time to line up against Oakleigh in round 6, Cooper gave the Zebras a much needed fast leading, strong marking option on the forward lines, and went on to boot 64 goals for the year in just 10 games. In 1973 he did even better, topping the ton for the only time in his twelve season league and Association career. When Cooper was cleared to Federal League club Cheltenham at the end of the 1975 season he had kicked 282 goals in 56 games for the Zebras which represented an auspicious end to a career that, overall, perhaps delivered somewhat less than it initially promised. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| A
vigorous and extremely determined defender who always gave 100%, Jack
Cooper was a stalwart with Fitzroy for nine
seasons, during which time he played 135 VFL games and kicked 8
goals. The highlight of his career was probably the 1913 challenge
final against St Kilda, a match which
the Roys won by 13 points, with Cooper best afield. A close second
to this, however, would be his captaincy of the VFL in a match against
South Australia the previous year.
Jack Cooper left the game at the end of the 1915 season when he enlisted in the armed services. He was later killed in action. |
|
Ron Cooper (Claremont-Cottesloe, Carlton, Prahran)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Precociously
talented teenager Ron
Cooper was recruited by Claremont-Cottesloe
from the Albany district in 1929, and quickly proved himself a ready-made
league footballer. In three seasons with the Monts he played 49
senior games, and won the club's best and fairest award in 1931.
That same season saw him finish second to East
Fremantle's Lin Richards in the Sandover
Medal voting. At the end of the year, however, he requested and
was granted a clearance to Carlton, with
the Claremont committee doubtless motivated by a certain sympathy for the
young player whose job prospects in Melbourne would be significantly
better than they were at home.
Over the next eleven seasons, Cooper established himself as a highly effective centreman or rover, although his 157 VFL games did not, sadly, include the Blues' 1938 grand final defeat of arch rival Collingwood, as Cooper had incurred a suspension after striking St Kilda's Doug Raiment in the final home and away match of the year. Known as 'Socks', because of his habit of wearing his socks 'round his ankles (allegedly so as to contrast visually as much as possible with the acknowledged 'glamour boy' of the league, Fitzroy's Haydn Bunton), Cooper was a firm favourite among the Blues faithful, as well as his team mates. Jack Hale, whose career at Carlton coincided with Cooper's, later recalled that: "Ron could do anything with a football. He would hide himself in a game and then, whammo, he would take on the world. He had few defensive skills, but that did not matter as the opposition had to worry about what Cooper was going to do." (See footnote 1) Ron Cooper was allegedly so devastated after missing the 1938 grand final that his form deteriorated alarmingly, but he nevertheless managed to retain his place in the Carlton senior side until the end of the 1942 season. After leaving Carlton, Cooper spent half a dozen seasons at Prahran, initially as a player, and later as coach of the club's reserve team. |
Footnotes1. Quoted in Carlton: The 100 Greatest by Jim Main and Russell Holmesby, page 104. Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Bob Corbett was a key player for Melbourne in 161 VFL games between 1920 and 1929. He was originally from Ballarat Football League side Golden Point, one of many players from that club to have graced league ranks. He missed the Fuchsias' 1926 challenge final win over Collingwood because of a serious head injury sustained against Essendon in the previous week's final. Widely regarded as one of the champion centremen of his day, Bob Corbett was a regular VFL representative player. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
|
At a time when football was rapidly becoming more business-like and overtly professional in its outlook, Denis Cordner played out his entire VFL career as an amateur. Despite the fact that his older brothers, Ted and Don, were both playing for Melbourne, Denis had no real aspirations toward league football, but when he came home to Melbourne on three weeks' leave from the navy in 1943 he was persuaded to try out with the Redlegs' reserves. After a couple of creditable displays, he won selection in the senior team to play Richmond. On what was the final weekend of his leave of absence he put in another highly serviceable display, despite being pole axed moments after the opening bounce by a Jack Dyer anxious to ensure that the youngster went away with a full appreciation of the verities of league football. Despite impressing Melbourne officials with his fortitude and commitment it was to be another five years before Cordner again represented the club. When he returned from war service in 1946 he embarked on a three year university course during which time he played football in the Victorian Amateur Football Association for University Blacks. With Cordner starring in the ruck, the Blacks won successive A Section flags in 1946-7-8. Then, a week after the last of these premierships, Denis Cordner's Melbourne career was unexpectedly resurrected in the most dramatic fashion. The Redlegs had won through to the grand final, but were faced with a dilemma after centre half back Alan McGowan was suspended for the big match. Perhaps recalling the prowess he had displayed five years earlier, or maybe at the instigation of his elder brother Don, who was now skippering Melbourne, the Redlegs hierarchy handed the centre half back position to young Denis, who far from letting anyone down proved to be one of the best players afield as Melbourne and Essendon fought out a gripping draw. He again played well the following week as the Redlegs clinched an emphatic win, so that after just three VFL games he had achieved something that eludes many players for their entire careers, a VFL premiership. (Brother Don, however, had managed the feat even more quickly seven seasons earlier.) In 1949, Denis Cordner was back at Melbourne, this time as a permanent member of the side, and his form was so good that he earned selection in the VFL interstate team. Revered by his team mates for his passionate, never say die approach, Cordner belied his 193cm 89kg stature by putting in many of his best performances in wet weather. Indeed, many observers who saw him play still rate him as the best wet weather ruckman of all time. Melbourne struggled during the early 1950s, but when it emerged from the doldrums with a 28 point grand final win over Collingwood in 1955 Denis Cordner, who led the ruck, was a widespread choice as best afield. The following year he was again prominent as the Demons once more beat Collingwood on grand final day. Now aged thirty-two, however, he decided it was time to bring the curtain down on a 152 game VFL career which had spawned two Melbourne best and fairest awards, numerous accolades and plaudits, regular interstate representation, but not a single penny of hard cash. This combination of supreme talent, and a devotion to the game completely divorced from financial considerations, makes Denis Cordner one of the archetypal heroes of the Melbourne Football Club, status that was emphasised in 2000 with his inclusion in the Demons' official 'Team of the Century'. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| One
of four brothers to play for Melbourne, Don
Cordner began his senior football career with Melbourne University, and
made his VFL debut for the Fuchsias in the 1941 2nd semi final against Carlton.
A fortnight later he had the distinction of appearing in a premiership
team in only his second league match as Melbourne overcame the grand final
challenge of Essendon by 29 points.
Strong, solid, tireless and dependable, Don Cordner played most of his ten season, 166 game VFL career as a follower resting in defence. He captained Melbourne in 1948-9 and was a VFL representative in both years. His most satisfying all round season was undoubtedly 1948 when he not only skippered his club to a flag but earned himself a Brownlow Medal to boot. Somewhat surprisingly, however, he failed to land Melbourne's club champion award, that honour falling to Jack Mueller. Cordner had previously won the award himself in 1943. During the 2000 season, Don Cordner was selected, along with his younger brother Denis, in Melbourne's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
|
Jock Cordner (Footscray, Fitzroy, North Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| A long kicking, strong marking centreman who almost invariably used the ball to good effect, Jock Cordner surprisingly struggled to establish himself at his first two league clubs before becoming acknowledged as one of the foremost players in the game at the third. He commenced his VFL career at Footscray in 1931, but a leg injury, sustained while playing cricket, restricted him to just 7 games in two seasons. He moved to Fitzroy in 1933 but failed to earn consistent senior selection despite putting in some fine performances. In 1935, after 24 VFL games for the Roys, he was cleared to North Melbourne, and here at last he hit his straps. A VFL interstate representative every year between 1937 and 1939, he had few peers as a centreman in the league, and was arguably North Melbourne's most important player. He won the club's best and fairest award in 1938, and was appointed captain at the start of a 1941 season that saw him forced to retire because of injury. The North Melbourne phase of his career saw him play a total of 88 league games. |
| The
oldest of four brothers to play league football for Melbourne,
Ted Cordner was also, in some people's opinion, the most talented, but his
medical career restricted him to just 51 senior games in six
seasons. Extremely powerful, and boasting good pace despite his
hefty, 185cm, 90.5kg frame, he was also - unlike his brothers - a more
than useful kick. He joined Melbourne in 1941, having played
previously with University Blacks, and at the end of the year helped his
side to a 29 point grand final win over Essendon.
On the personal front, his form had been exceptional all season, although Allan La Fontaine
somewhat surprisingly won the Fuchsias' best and fairest player award.
After a 1943 season during which his form was once again outstanding, Ted Cordner only managed sporadic league appearances owing to his work as a naval doctor. However, he did manage 1 interstate match for the VFL in 1946, and he rounded off his VFL career with a solid performance at centre half back in that year's losing grand final against Essendon. He then returned to the VAFA with Old Melburnians. |
|
Darryl Cormack (East Fremantle)
[Click to enlarge] |
| After working his way through the ranks at East Fremantle, Darryl Cormack made his league debut in 1959. So impressive was the young wingman that he played all 23 of Old Easts' matches for the season, en route to a career tally of 160 games in ten seasons. Blisteringly fast, and a superb exponent of the stab pass, Cormack earned interstate selection for Western Australia on 2 occasions. He was on the wing in East Fremantle's 1965 grand final defeat of Swan Districts (reviewed here). |
|
Wayne Cormack (East Fremantle)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally from Melville, Wayne Cormack overcame a slow start to his league career with East Fremantle to develop into a fine servant of the club. Boasting excellent all round skills, he made his senior debut in 1977, and his final tally of 119 games in eight seasons included an appearance on the half forward flank in the 1979 grand final, in which Old Easts defeated arch rivals South Fremantle by 33 points. Cormack played his best football as a ruck-rover or centreman, and was occasionally touted as a possible state representative in those positions. |
|
Graham Cornes (Glenelg, North Melbourne, South Adelaide, Adelaide)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Among
post-war South Australians, perhaps only Fos Williams and Neil
Kerley can rival Graham Cornes in terms of the extent and duration of
their all round contributions to interstate football, both on and off the
field of play. In Cornes' case, that contribution began with 21
appearances as a player, highlighted by All
Australian selection in 1979 and 1980, a Simpson
Medal against Western Australia at Subiaco Oval in 1979, and
culminating in the 1980 Tassie
Medal.
Described by his first league coach Neil Kerley as looking "like a skun rabbit" (see footnote 1), Cornes nevertheless belied his physical appearance with considerable all round football ability that was effectively redoubled by his exemplary wholeheartedness, endeavour, energy and enthusiasm, qualities which would earn him three club best and fairest awards in 317 games with Glenelg between 1967 and 1982. He was also one of the most spectacular high-fliers of his generation, as exemplified by the above photo which was taken by Paul Tyson during a minor round clash between the Bays and Norwood. Cornes also played 5 games with North Melbourne under Ron Barassi, and a further 47 games for South Adelaide, where he commenced his career as a league football coach in 1983. Cornes later enjoyed considerable success as coach of Glenelg, steering the club to two premierships from five grand finals over half a dozen seasons, and was also the man responsible for establishing the Adelaide Crows in the 'big time' when that club took its AFL bows in 1991. However, it was as an interstate coach in charge of South Australia that he achieved the greatest renown, twice achieving selection as All Australian coach, and leading his team to an astonishing 6 wins in 8 games against the hitherto virtually invincible 'Big V'. |
Footnotes1. Pride Of The Bay by Peter Cornwall and John Wood, page 176. Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Stan Costello played 126 SANFL games for West Adelaide in three separate stints, beginning in 1954, and ending ten years later. An old-fashioned, straight ahead, hard-hitting defender, he won All Australian selection after the 1956 Perth carnival, and was a joint winner of Westies' best and fairest award (with Aldo Rossetto) the same year. |
|
Gerry Cotter (Subiaco & Kalgoorlie City)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally from Coolgardie, Gerry Cotter was a typically tough, resolute goldfields product who gave Subiaco 42 games of solid service between 1979 and 1983. He returned to the goldfields in 1984 when he was appointed captain of Kalgoorlie City and promptly put his big game experience to good use by steering the Kangas to a premiership courtesy of a 19.24 (138) to 14.10 (94) grand final defeat of Kambalda. |
|
Jack Cotter (Richmond & South Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Jack Cotter was a useful all round footballer who joined Richmond from North Williamstown in 1935 and had played a total of 105 VFL games by the time he embarked on military service in 1941, thereby putting his career on hold. In 1946 he resumed in the VFL, this time with South Melbourne, where he added a final 9 senior games before retiring. In 1940 he had been one of Richmond's most conspicuous performers in a 39 point grand final loss to Melbourne. Cotter played virtually all of his league football as a defender, mainly across half back, and the fact that he was seldom inclined to roam is revealed by his failure to register a single goal during his career. |
|
Jason Cotter (Southport & Broadbeach)
by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| As a player, Jason Cotter was a tenacious rover, originally from Surfers Paradise, who enjoyed a wonderfully successful career at Southport, winning the 1990 and 1993 Grogan Medals, and sharing in no less than six QAFL premierships during the period from 1983 to 1994. He played 188 games for the Sharks after making his debut in a state championships grand final aged 17, and won the club best and fairest award in 1985 and 1990. He later became a most successful coach, taking Palm Beach, Broadbeach and Southport to five flags in six years, including three in a row at Southport. Jason Cotter played 12 times for Queensland, and was State captain from 1998-2000, and was among the Maroons' best in a state of origin match against New South Wales at the SCG in 1992. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Geelong's 1989 Brownlow Medallist Paul Couch was a long kicking, long striding centreman who was among the most creatively damaging players of his generation. Not conventionally quick, he was nevertheless able to dodge and weave with admirable adroitness. Between 1985 and 1997 he played 259 V/AFL games for the Cats, kicking 203 goals. He won the club's best and fairest player award on three occasions, and made the AFL All Australian team in 1991 and 1995. Couch's achievements are all the more remarkable in light of the fact that he suffered from knee problems throughout his career, and was only able to take to the field each weekend because he undertook a specially modified training programme. In 2001, Paul Couch was selected on the interchange bench in Geelong's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
|
Frank Coulson (East Fremantle)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Frank Coulson was a valuable and versatile performer for East Fremantle in a career stretching from 1954 to 1966, encompassing exactly 200 league games. Equally at home in the ruck, or holding down a key position, he was a member of Old Easts premiership teams in 1957 and 1965, and was a Western Australian state representative on 3 occasions. During the 1964 grand final against Claremont (reviewed here) he was forced to leave the ground with an injury and East Fremantle supporters argued that this contributed in no small measure to the Tigers' eventual victory. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Regarded
by some as the greatest player of his time, George Coulthard was a major reason behind Carlton's
success in the early years of the VFA, most notably in its premiership
year of 1877. Quick, highly skilled, aggressive and versatile, 'The
Australasian' in 1879 described Coulthard as "the grandest player of
his day". Capable of playing in most positions, he was a
superb kick, particularly over distance, and was the VFA's leading goal
kicker on three occasions (once jointly).
A farmer by trade, he travelled north in 1877 to spread the football gospel to the 'heathens' of New South Wales, only to cut his journey short after he was allegedly attacked by a shark while out fishing from a boat. In addition to his splendid all round talent, Coulthard was not a man to take a backward step. In 1882 he was involved in two fiery altercations with Hotham's Joey Tankard, after the second of which he was suspended for the remainder of the season. Tragically, his senior football career came to an end, after a mere seven seasons, without his playing another senior game. In 1883, aged just twenty-seven, he contracted tuberculosis, and died shortly afterwards. |
| Murray Couper was a mercurial and highly damaging forward who was a key factor in Perth’s emergence as a league power under Ken Armstrong during the 1970s. He commenced with the club in 1971 and over the course of his nine season stint played 134 games and kicked 459 goals. He was Perth’s leading goal kicker on three occasions, with his tally of 63 goals in 1975 also good enough to top the WANFL list. His 13 goal haul in a match against South Fremantle in 1975 has only been bettered once by a Perth player. Couper also broke into double figures against Subiaco in 1977 and West Perth two years later. He was the Demons’ top goal kicker in their grand final wins of 1976-7, booting 4 goals against East Perth in the former season and 6 against East Fremantle in the latter. Couper was also a member of Perth’s losing grand final team against Old Easts in 1974. His only interstate appearance came in 1973 when he contributed a couple of goals to Western Australia’s narrow home win over South Australia. After leaving the Demons he spent the 1980 season with East Perth, playing 14 games and kicking 45 goals, and then ended his career with a single game for East Fremantle in 1981. |
|
Bryan Cousins (Perth & Geelong)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Armadale boy Bryan Cousins made his league debut with Perth in 1970, the same season that saw him win the club's fairest and best trophy at reserves level, and went on to become one of the club's most noteworthy and respected performers. Dynamic, pacy and a penetrative kick, he won the Demons' fairest and best award in 1972, and played in the centre in the losing grand final of 1974 against East Fremantle. In 1975 he moved to VFL club Geelong where he spent five seasons and played 67 games. For most of that time he played as a rover/forward pocket and enjoyed only modest success, but in his final season he was a highly conspicuous contributor from a wing. He continued to play good football when he returned to Perth in 1980 although he had had the bad fortune to miss the club's halcyon spell of the late 1970s. He won a second club fairest and best award in 1982, the same season that saw him assume the senior team captaincy, a role he retained for three years. In 1983 he lost the Sandover Medal to East Perth's John Ironmonger on a countback; fourteen years later he joined all other such runners-up in being awarded a retrospective Medal by the Westar Rules authorities. Cousins continued playing with the Demons until 1987, by which time he had amassed 238 senior games for the club. After playing as a centreman or on-baller for the majority of his career, he developed into a solid, rebounding back pocket player in his later years. Somewhat surprisingly, Bryan Cousins made just one interstate appearance for Western Australia, against South Australia at Subiaco in 1985. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
|
Besides being a one man record-making machine, Gordon Coventry affords a classic example of a footballer making the very most of his strengths in order to succeed. Neither fleet of foot nor elegant, Coventry was once described as "more of the plodding war horse......than the dashing cavalier" (see footnote 1), and used strength of body and adroitness of mind instead of the traditional full forward's attributes of speed off the mark and aerodynamic prowess to obtain possession of the football. Once Coventry had gained such possession within goal kicking range, the result was virtually inevitable, and on no fewer than 1,299 occasions over the course of 18 league seasons the goal umpires were forced to undergo their familiar, ritualised race from goal post to goal post, followed by the time-honoured signal of success. Until the arrival of an ostensibly similar physical specimen in the shape of Tony Lockett, Coventry's career tally of 1,299 majors remained as a VFL record. Other records procured by Coventry - known, almost universally, as 'Nuts' - will stand for all time. In 1929 he became the first VFL player to kick 100 goals in a season (he finished with 124), while shortly before his retirement in 1937 he became the first VFL player to participate in more than 300 games (he ended up playing 306). His record of booting 50 or more goals in 13 consecutive seasons will also take some beating, as will his achievement in topping Collingwood's goal kicking list on 16 straight occasions. His 100 goals for the VFL in 25 interstate matches is also a record. Perhaps the biggest disappointment of Coventry's career came when he was suspended for 8 matches in 1936 after striking Richmond's Joe Murdoch. Coventry had played against Richmond despite having a crop of boils on his neck, and the striking incident occurred when he retaliated after Murdoch had, if the expression can be pardoned, hit him where it hurts. Despite Coventry's impeccable disciplinary record the Tribunal showed him no mercy, and he ended up missing the Magpies' grand final win over South Melbourne. Coventry's place at the goal front went to a young Ron Todd, a very different but no less effective player, who would eventually, at least for a time, step into his legendary predecessor's shoes on a more permanent basis. After topping the VFL's list of goal kickers one last time in 1937, Gordon Coventry opted to retire, whereupon a special celebratory gathering was arranged at Melbourne's ANZAC House, at which he was presented with the princely sum of £128. During the get-together Collingwood's president Harry Curtis summed up Coventry's career in the following, carefully chosen words: "When the big gossoon came down from Diamond Creek he was slow and awkward. However, Jock McHale turned him out a champion" (see footnote 2). Seldom, if ever, have truer words been spoken in jest. |
Footnotes1. Cited in Football's 50 Greatest by Greg Hobbs and Scot Palmer, page 67. Return to Main Text 2. Ibid., age 67. Return to Main Text |
|
Harry Coventry (Latrobe, Mersey, Launceston)
[Click to enlarge] |
|
Prior to the emergence of Horrie Gorringe, Harry Coventry could lay serious claim to having been the finest rover ever seen in Tasmanian football. Quick, elusive, and a deadly accurate kick with either foot, he debuted with Latrobe in 1897 aged just thirteen, and by the turn of the century he was acknowledged to have all the makings of a champion. When South Melbourne visited Tasmania and played a combined north-west coastal team in 1903, Coventry produced an eye-catching performance that soon had VFL clubs chasing his signature. Twenty-one years later, when Coventry was aged forty, that pursuit was still going on - and still failing. Happy in Latrobe, where he had secure work as a chemist, Coventry saw no reason to uproot himself and perhaps compromise his future in an unfamiliar and challenging environment. After thirteen seasons with Latrobe he embarked on a three season walkabout in 1910, spending the first and last of those seasons with Mersey, and playing the 1912 season with Launceston. At heart he was always a Diehard, however, and the 1913 season saw him back home with Latrobe. Coventry officially retired at the end of the 1924 season, but continued to play in home matches for some time afterwards. Then, when asked to take over as coach of the Diehards three years later, he inevitably chose to bring his boots with him, and added several more games to a tally which, though unknown, was almost certainly a Latrobe Football Club record. Coventry played in five Latrobe premiership sides and was a regular member of NWFA/NWFU representative combinations. Oft-mooted suggestions that Coventry played "in excess of 500 senior games" during his career have been comprehensively scotched by Launceston-based football historian Ross Smith. Click here for details. |
|
|
| Peter Coventry commenced his league career with Perth in 1950 and played in that season's losing grand final against South Fremantle as a wingman. An adaptable footballer, he could also play as a defender or forward when required, and was in the back pocket when the Redlegs won the 1955 flag with an 11.11 (77) to 11.9 (75) grand final defeat of East Fremantle (reviewed here). Perth's premiership coach Ern Henfry described Coventry as "a quiet, efficient player who always carried out the duties as they were explained to him" (see footnote 1). He continued with the Redlegs until 1959, playing a total of 111 senior games as well as winning consecutive reserves fairest and best awards in 1953-4. |
Footnotes1. From Redlegs To Demons by Alan East (ed.), page 92. Return to Main Text |
|
|
|
Originally from Diamond Creek, Syd Coventry journeyed across the Bass Strait after the first world war to work in the mines at Queenstown, taking with him a reputation as a fine footballer. While still in Queenstown he was approached by St Kilda who wanted him to play for them in 1921. Syd duly agreed, but when he returned to Melbourne he was persuaded by his younger brother Gordon, who had just finished his first season with Collingwood, to reconsider. Apart from the issue of family loyalty, there was the small matter of the excessive distance between Diamond Creek and St Kilda to think of. The upshot of it all was that Syd Coventry elected to throw in his lot with Collingwood, whereupon St Kilda, not surprisingly, screamed "foul!" The VFL Permits Committee was called in to adjudicate, and Coventry was faced with the choice of playing with St Kilda, or sitting out of football for twelve months so that he could join the Woods. He opted for the latter course of action, and in 1922 he started out on an illustrious thirteen season, 227 game league career with Collingwood. Despite standing only 180cm in height, Syd Coventry played mainly as a ruckman, where his aggression, vigour and dynamism more than compensated for any deficiency in stature. A born leader, he captained the Magpies from 1927 until he moved to Footscray as coach at the end of the 1934 season. He thus enjoyed the unique privilege of captaining four successive VFL premiership teams. Often at his best when the going was rough, one of Syd Coventry's finest performances came on a waterlogged MCG in the 1927 grand final, when Collingwood and Richmond between them could manage only 3 goals for the match. The 1927 season also saw him win both the Brownlow Medal and Collingwood's best and fairest award. He repeated the second achievement five years later. A virtual ever-present in VFL representative teams for most of his career, Coventry made a total of 27 interstate appearances. His eventual departure from Victoria Park to coach Footscray came with the blessing of the Collingwood committee, but only on the proviso that he did not continue as a player. After two unsuccessful and unhappy years with Footscray, Syd Coventry returned to Collingwood in an administrative capacity. He served as club vice-president from 1939 to 1949, and as president between 1950 and 1962. From 1963 until 1976 he was Collingwood's patron, rounding off more than fifty years of involvement with the club. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Tough, dependable and relentlessly aggressive, ruckman Jim Coverlid (left in the above photograph) was a tremendous clubman for West Torrens in the first decade after World War Two, during which time he played 178 SANFL games and kicked 164 goals. He was a member of a Torrens premiership team in his debut season of 1945, and was one of the best players afield in the winning grand final of 1953 (reviewed here). His tenacity, courage and resolve made him a valuable player in interstate games, particularly against the VFL, and he represented South Australia 14 times, kicking 13 goals. His commitment to West Torrens was always wholeheartedly overt, and in 1956, his final season, he was rewarded with the club captaincy. Coverlid would be a strong candidate for inclusion, as a ruckman, in any official West Torrens 'Team of the Century'. |
|
Jim Cowell (St Kilda & Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally recruited from Mentone College, Jim Cowell played 92 VFL games and kicked 27 goals for St Kilda between 1902 and 1908. In 1909 he had to fight to win a clearance to Melbourne but ended up playing just 7 games and kicking 1 goal. He played mainly as a follower, where his work was effective and energetic rather than spectacular. |
|
Gary Cowton (North Melbourne, Footscray, South Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Hard working, versatile and extremely tenacious, utility Gary Cowton began and ended his career with North Melbourne, for whom he played in five grand finals. He arrived at North from Benalla, and made his VFL debut in 1971. He was a reserve when the Kangas lost to Richmond in the 1974 premiership decider, as well as when they won their first league premiership by defeating Hawthorn the following year. He was at centre half back in the losing grand final of 1976, also against Hawthorn, on a half back flank against Collingwood for both the drawn grand final of 1977, and the winning replay, and in the back pocket in the loss against Hawthorn in 1978. He could also do a serviceable job on the ball if required. In 1979 he crossed to Footscray and played 40 senior games for the club in two seasons. An 8 game stint with South Melbourne in 1981 followed, before he returned 'home' to North Melbourne in 1983 to round off his league career. When he retired the following year he had played a total of 151 VFL games for the Kangas. |
|
Harold Coy (Port Melbourne & Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Harold Coy made his senior debut with Port Melbourne in 1919. After two seasons and 28 games with the club he moved to Melbourne where, despite standing only 178cm in height, and weighing just 75kg, he rapidly developed into one of the most effective full backs in the VFL. Combining formidable pace with astute judgement, he was extremely hard to beat one on one, and was a key factor in Melbourne's sudden rise to prominence in 1926. In that year's challenge final win over Collingwood he kept his much heftier and more powerful opponent Gordon Coventry to just a couple of goals. Coy played 115 games and kicked 4 goals for the Fuchsias between 1921 and 1928. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Darcy Cox was a tenacious, hard hitting rover who made a key contribution to North Adelaide's emergence as one of the power side's of the SANFL during the late 1940s. He made his league debut in 1946, and three years later booted 3 goals and was close to best afield as first rover in North's 13.17 (95) to 9.18 (72) grand final defeat of West Torrens. When North next went top in 1952, courtesy of a 108 point grand final annihilation of Norwood, Cox was again first rover, and again contributed 3 goals to what was at the time a record tally for a grand final of 23.15 (153). The grand final was the last of Cox's 115 league games, during which he booted 98 goals. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Ruckman
Allan Crabb began his senior career in 1942 with the West
Adelaide-Glenelg wartime
combination. When full-scale football resumed in 1945 he made his
home at the Bay Oval, where he went on to give a dozen seasons of
excellent service, becoming in the process one of the most popular and
well-respected footballers in the state.
Outwardly placid and almost contemplative, Crabb was nevertheless well able to take care of himself when the going got vigorous. A superbly deft palmer of the ball, he was equally adept at thumping it mightily forward when the occasion demanded it. His kicking was polished, accurate and appealing to the eye, and he was almost equally capable with either foot. Allan Crabb was a regular member of South Australian interstate teams for many years, often forming a highly effective ruck partnership with Norwood's John Marriott. He was runner-up in the Magarey Medal in both 1949 (on a countback) and 1950, with the former loss being retrospectively upgraded to a win by the SANFL in 1998. Crabb also won the Bays' 1949 best and fairest award, and captained the club for three seasons. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Along with Jim Gosnell and Harold Boyd, Jim Craig gave the West Perth teams in which he played during the 1920s one of the strongest half back lines in Western Australian football history. All three players won Sandover Medals, and were regular interstate representatives. Craig won his Medal in 1927, and played for Western Australia 17 times, including games at the 1924 Hobart and 1927 Melbourne carnivals. At his best he was well nigh impassable at centre half back, and it is therefore somewhat surprising to note that the nearest he got to playing in a premiership side was his membership of the Cardinals' losing grand final team of 1922. Craig captained West Perth for part of the 1928 season, and again in 1930. He played a total of 216 league games. In October 2000, he was included in his club's official 'Team of the Century'. |
|
Neil Craig (Norwood, Sturt, North Adelaide, Adelaide)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Neil Craig enjoyed an auspicious eighteen season league career with three clubs during which time he played a total of 321 SANFL games, plus 11 for South Australia. A skilful, hard running footballer, he commenced with Norwood in 1973, and two years later was a member of the club's first senior premiership team for a quarter of a century. When the Redlegs again went top in 1978, Craig was close to best afield in a stirring, come from behind grand final victory over Sturt (reviewed here). In 1980, after 126 games for Norwood, he crossed to Sturt where he added another 134 games in seven seasons, skippering the side in 1985 and 1986. He also captained his state against Victoria in 1984. His final port of call was North Adelaide, where he played 61 games in four years. Towards the end of the 2004 season Neil Craig was appointed coach of Adelaide and in a highly promising first full season in charge he led the side to the minor premiership and thereafter as far as the preliminary final. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Particularly renowned for his courage, Carlton's Gary Crane was a top class wingman who played in premiership teams in 1968, 1970 and 1972. Blues fans loved him for his uninhibited, fearless style of play, and he was a popular winner of the club's 1969 best and fairest award. He played a total of 159 games with Carlton between 1964 and 1976, and also represented the VFL. He was chosen on a wing in Carlton's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
|
Len Crane (South Melbourne, Hawthorn, Mordialloc)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Playing mainly on a half back flank, Len Crane appeared to be a footballer of modest ability and potential during his 43 VFL games with South Melbourne in 1945 and from 1947 to 1950. On moving to Hawthorn in 1951, however, he found a new lease of life as a negating full back of the highest order. A VFL representative in 1953 and 1954, Crane played 102 senior games for the Hawks from 1951 to 1955 and in 1957, and was widely considered to be one of the finest defenders in the league. In 1958 he was appointed captain-coach of Mordialloc, which was making its debut in the VFA, and he was joined there by several former Hawthorn team mates including Barry Metcalfe, Bernie Sheehan and Max Jose. Crane coached the Bloods for four seasons, the last in a non-playing capacity. He represented the VFA at the 1958 Melbourne carnival. |
| One of Perth’s finest early players, ‘Bull’ Crase was with the club when it made its WAFA debut in 1899, and went on to enjoy a fine ten season top level career during which he is believed to have played in excess of 100 games. A powerful, authoritative figure, he typically held down one of the two key defensive positions. When Perth overcame East Fremantle in controversial circumstances to claim the 1907 premiership Crase produced a superb performance on the last line of defence to be some observers’ nomination as the best man afield. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Despite being only 174cm tall and weighing just 76kg - small even by the standards of the time - Harold Craven played most of his eight season, 90 game VFL career at full back. Solid and imperturbable, he used a combination of intelligence and good judgement to outpoint stronger, bigger opponents. Popularly known as 'Oily', Craven captained Geelong in 1921-2, and represented the VFL on three occasions. He retired at the end of the 1924 season, thereby just missing possible participation in the Cats' 1925 premiership team. |
|
Daryn Cresswell (Glenorchy, North Hobart, Sydney)
[Click to enlarge] |
| A typically hardy, courageous and resilient Tasmanian, Daryn Cresswell played initially with Glenorchy and North Hobart before being drafted by Sydney, for whom he made his AFL debut in 1992. Tough, resilient and hard working, but also highly skilled, he was one of the Swans most consistent performers over the ensuing decade. Moreover, he knew how to get the ball and use it effectively, regularly topping the Swans' stats tables in both kicks and handballs (and, needless to say, in overall possessions, too). Named in the 1997 AFL All Australian side, he was Sydney's club champion in 1994, and finished in the top three in five of the next six seasons. Cresswell played a total of 243 AFL games in twelve seasons, with his last game coming in the losing preliminary final of 2003 against Brisbane. The significance of his impact with the Swans was recognised in 2003 with his inclusion in the club's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. He remained involved in top level football after his retirement with assistant coaching roles at, first, Geelong, and later Brisbane. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Both on and off the field of play, Peter Crimmins' name was a synonym for courage. As a rover for Hawthorn, he combined tenacity and brilliance in generous measure, playing 176 VFL games and kicking 231 goals between 1966 and 1975. In the 1971 grand final he was among the best players afield as the Hawks came from behind to defeat St Kilda by 7 points. A VFL interstate representative, Crimmins captained Hawthorn in 1974 and 1975, but was forced to stand down in 1976 when he began to lose his battle with the cancer that had first been diagnosed a couple of years earlier. Acutely conscious of their team mate's deteriorating condition, and desperate to achieve something meaningful and lasting on his behalf, the rest of the Hawthorn players mounted an assault on the 1976 VFL premiership that was tantamount to an unrelenting quest for the Holy Grail. Hours after bringing their quest to a successful conclusion with a 30 point grand final defeat of North Melbourne, several of the players turned up at Crimmins' home with the premiership cup, to 'the little feller's' obvious and unadulterated delight. A few days later the emotions surrounding one of the most poignant VFL grand finals on record intensified still further as Crimmins sadly passed away. |
|
Cresswell 'Micky' Crisp (Carlton)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Centreman, and one of the best players afield, for Carlton in the winning 1938 VFL grand final against Collingwood, 'Micky' Crisp gave the Blues sterling service in 183 games, kicking 281 goals, over eleven seasons. Having played for both Sandhurst and Wedderburn, he joined Carlton in 1931, and spent the early part of his career as a highly damaging forward or half forward, topping the club's goal kicking list with 44 goals in 1934. Later on, he moved to the centre where his persistence and toughness, allied to great skill, made him enormously effective. Renowned as one of the finest exponents of the stab pass in the VFL, he could also kick accurately over distance. Despite being outreached by many opponents he more than held his own in marking contests because of his immense determination, strong hands, and good leap. He won Carlton's best and fairest player award twice, and was a VFL representative. |
|
Matthew Croft (Footscray/Western Bulldogs)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Drafted from Mildura Imperials in 1989, Matthew Croft made his AFL debut for Footscray a couple of years later. Initially he was only a fringe senior player, but by the late 1990s he had established himself as a lynch-pin of the team. Most often used as a defender, where he was cool, unflustered and inordinately reliable, he could also do a job in the forward lines when required. Croft was especially adept at quelling the impact of the opposing team's star forward. Everything he did was smoothness personified, and if he was not the type of player to attract bundles of Brownlow votes, his value to the Bulldogs was nevertheless immense. He retired at the end of the 2004 season having played a total of 186 AFL games, and kicked 72 goals. |
|
Harry Crompton (Port Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Without doubt one of the greatest ever players in the illustrious history of the Port Melbourne Football Club, Harry Crompton managed 149 senior games between 1923 and 1939 without ever playing in a premiership team. Ironically, Port went top in both 1922 and 1940! A half forward specialist who boasted all the skills of the game, Crompton was a member of Borough runner-up sides in 1923, 1925, 1928 and 1929. He was voted the senior team's best and fairest player at least once, in 1924, but given that Port's records for the 1920s and '30s are incomplete it seems quite possible that he may have won the award on other occasions as well. |
|
Neil Crompton (Melbourne, Glenelg, Werribee, Oakleigh)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Best remembered for kicking the winning goal for Melbourne in the 1964 VFL grand final against Collingwood (reviewed here), Neil 'Froggy' Crompton was a model of consistency for the Demons in 99 games between 1957 and 1960 and from 1962 to1966. The majority of those games were played in the back pocket, and many opposing resting rovers regarded him as the toughest player to beat in the VFL. Crompton typically did not pick up many possessions during the course of a game, but neither did his opponents. He spent the 1961 season in South Australia, where he played 16 games and kicked 37 goals for Glenelg. After leaving Melbourne, he captain-coached VFA 2nd division side Werribee between 1967 and 1969. An accomplished all round sportsman, he also played Sheffield Shield cricket for Victoria. In 1978 he returned to football as coach of VFA 2nd division club Oakleigh, getting his side as far as a losing grand final against Camberwell in his second, and last, season. |
|
Phil Cronan (South Fremantle, West Perth, St Kilda, Footscray)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Phil Cronan was a talented half back flanker or wingman who gave solid service to four league clubs. He commenced with South Fremantle in 1979 and became a regular, first choice player the following year. Cronan was a member of South's 1980 premiership team (grand final against East Fremantle reviewed here), and also played in the losing grand final of 1981 against Claremont. He made his interstate debut for Western Australia in 1981 and went on to play a total of 8 state games. At the end of the 1982 season, after 74 senior appearances for South, he decided that he needed a fresh challenge, and crossed to West Perth. He played in all 21 of the Falcons' home and away matches in 1983, plus 1 NFL game, greatly enhancing his reputation as one of the finest half back flankers in the state in the process. The 1984 season saw him heading east to try his luck in the VFL with St Kilda. He spent three seasons with the Saints, playing 49 games, mostly as a wingman, and giving a generally good account of himself, as he would also do in a two season, 26 game stint with Footscray. |
|
Deverick 'Mick' Cronin (East Perth)
[Click to enlarge] |
| East
Perth centreman Deverick Cronin (invariably referred to as 'Mick') was
at the peak of his form during the 1937
interstate football carnival in Perth when he put in two near best on
ground performances in helping Western Australia to annihilate South
Australia by 19 goals, and get to within 8 points of al powerful 'Big V'
combination. A forceful, energetically dynamic performer, Cronin was
just as much at home on the half forward line as in the centre, and it was
as a half forward flanker that he represented the Royals in their winning
grand final team of 1936. In 1939, he took over as coach of the club
from the legendary 'Jerry'
Dolan, steering his side to two finals
appearances in his three years at the helm. He also continued
playing, but a series of bad leg injuries limited his availability, and
adversely affected his form when he did manage to front up.
After retiring as a player, 'Mick' Cronin took up umpiring for a time, and it was in this capacity that he ventured to Hobart in 1947 for the first post-war Australian interstate championship series. He returned to East Perth as non-playing coach in 1951 but in five seasons in charge he was unable to lift his charges above 4th place on the ladder. Besides his Tassie Medal, Cronin also won the Royals' fairest and best award in 1931, and represented Western Australia in the interstate arena on 12 occasions. He also coached the state in 1951. In June 2006, Cronin was included at half forward right in East Perth's official 'Team of the Century 1906 to 1944'. |
|
Gavin Crosisca (Western Districts & Collingwood)
|
| After
an outstanding junior career Gavin Crosisca commenced senior football with
Western Districts as a 16 year old,
making such an immense immediate impact that he was picked to represent
Queensland and soon attracted the attention of southern talent scouts.
Eventually recruited by Collingwood,
he made his senior VFL debut in 1987, finding his niche almost immediately
as a hard running, and highly skilled half back flank specialist. A
member of the Magpies' 1990 premiership team, he went on to be a stalwart
in the side throughout the 1990s, eventually retiring after a 2000 season
which brought his final tally of V/AFL games to 246. Only the third
ever Queenslander to break the 200 game barrier, Crosisca also played
state of origin football for three different teams: Queensland, Victoria and
the Allies.
Although he never managed to win Collingwood's best and fairest award, Crosisca consistently polled well, finishing runner up to Nathan Buckley in 1998, and running third on two occasions. |
|
Brent Crosswell (Carlton, North Melbourne, Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| 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. In 2004, he was selected on a half back flank in the official Tasmanian 'Team of the Century'. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| A tenacious, hard working defender who often produced his best football when his team was up against it, Roger Crouch experienced both the highs and the lows during the course of his six season, 78 game league career with East Fremantle. He worked his way up through the club's junior ranks before making his league debut in 1978, and was at full back the following year in the grand final victory over South Fremantle. Between 1980 and 1982 Old Easts struggled, managing an overall success rate of just 28.6%, but Crouch made the best player lists virtually every week. There was nothing fancy about his play: he merely made sure, by whatever means possible, that the ball and his direct opponent did not come into regular contact with one another. |
|
Max Crow (Essendon, St Kilda, Footscray)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Originally from Underbool, Max Crow was a long kicking, strong marking key position forward or ruckman who enjoyed a fine, twelve season VFL career with three clubs. In 1974 and from 1976 to 1982 he played 136 games and kicked 139 goals for Essendon, topping the Bombers' goal kicking list in 1977 with 38 goals. He transferred to St Kilda in 1977 and promptly won the club's best and fairest award. His three season stint with the Saints yielded 40 games and 53 goals. Crow finished his league career at Footscray, where he played a dozen games and booted 18 goals. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| A hefty but not overly tall ruckman (191cm, 97.5kg) who played with immense energy and determination, Russell Crow was a popular figure at Fitzroy during two separate stints in the 1960s and early 1970s. He hailed from Waracknabeal, where he worked as a sheep shearer, and he made his VFL debut with the Lions in 1960. Four years later he departed the VFL scene, only to be wooed back in 1968 for a second, longer stint. Fitzroy was a struggling side for most of Crow's career but he invariably struggled tirelessly and never lowered his head. When he retired in 1973 he had played a total of 151 VFL games, and kicked 115 goals. |
|
Jim Crowe (Carlton & Collingwood)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Jim Crowe was an adaptable footballer who combined tenacity, determination and skill in ample measure. Early in his career he played mainly as a half forward flanker, but later on he developed into a talented rebound defender. His 83 VFL games for Carlton between 1929 and 1934 included the losing grand final of 1932 against Richmond, when, playing in a back pocket, he was one of the Blues' best players. Crowe finished his league career with 21 games for Collingwood in 1936 and 1937. In the former season, once again lining up on the last line of defence, he was a member of the Magpies' side that emerged victorious from their grand final clash with South Melbourne. |
|
Neville Crowe (Richmond & Caulfield)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Neville
Crowe achieved everything of note at Richmond
except participation in a premiership team, an honour he missed in the
most controversial and unfortunate of circumstances. In the 1967 2nd
semi final he was reported, and subsequently suspended, for striking Carlton's
John Nicholls.
It was the first suspension of his eleven season, 150 game VFL career, and
Nicholls later admitted that he had staged the whole affair simply to win
a free kick. Two weeks later, Crowe missed the grand final in which
the Tigers triumphed over Geelong, and
shortly afterwards he announced his retirement. In 1971, he made a
brief return to football with VFA side Caulfield.
Recruited from VAFA club State Savings Bank, Crowe made his VFL debut in 1957, and soon earned a reputation as a hard working and influential ruckman. He won Richmond best and fairest awards in 1963, 1964 and 1966, and captained the side from 1963 to 1966. At the 1966 Hobart carnival he put in a series of Herculean performances in the ruck for the VFL to achieve All Australian selection. Neville Crowe later served as an effective and highly respected president of the Richmond Football Club. |
|
Craig Crowley (Dandenong & Southport) by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| An ever vigorous utility player originally from Dandenong, Craig Crowley played 190 games for Southport after moving north in 1983. He played in six QAFL premiership sides during the period from 1983-92, and won the club best and fairest award in 1988-89. Crowley played 12 times for Queensland, and was rewarded for his great commitment to the state jumper with the captaincy. |
|
William Cubbins (St Kilda & Footscray)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Superb overhead and a tremendous kick, full back Bill Cubbins maintained intermittent involvement in VFL football for two full decades. He began with St Kilda in 1915, but then enlisted for military service overseas, and missed the next three seasons. Between 1919 and 1927 he again fronted up with the Saints when he proved himself one of the toughest and most accomplished defenders in the game. Captain of St Kilda in 1921-2 and again in 1925 he spent the 1928 season with Western District Football League club Warrnambool before again captaining the Saints in 1929-30. He finished his VFL career with Footscray where he was captain-coach in 1931-2, non-playing coach in 1933, and resumed briefly as a player in 1934. Four times voted St Kilda's best and fairest player, Bill Cubbins was a regular VFL representative, and must have been within a whisker of gaining selection in St Kilda's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Despite standing only 175cm in height, Hawthorn's Wally Culpitt was an accomplished key position player, equally at home in attack or defence. he could also take a turn on the ball when required. He owed his success to a combination of formidable physical strength and prodigious leaping ability. In 1943 and 1944, while playing mainly at full forward, he topped the Mayblooms' goal kicking list with tallies of 43 and 57 goals. He spent much of the rest of his career at full back, in which position he represented the VFL at the 1947 Hobart carnival, and won his club's best and fairest trophy the same year. Originally from West Hawthorn, Culpitt played a total of 125 VFL games and kicked 116 goals between 1940 and 1948. |
|
Harry Cumberland (Melbourne, St Kilda, Sturt)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Playing
at a time when football, paradoxically, had a much more universalist
flavour than has latterly become the case, the recent emergence of a
nominally 'national' competition notwithstanding, Harry Vivian Cumberland
epitomised the spirit of his era by eking out an auspicious three decade
football career in three Australian states plus New Zealand. When he
finally retired from top level football in 1920 he was, at forty-three years of
age, the oldest player ever to have appeared in the VFL. He was also
one of the best.
That said, his greatest achievements came not in Victoria but in South Australia where, during a three season 39 game career with Sturt as one of 'Dempsey's immigrants', he won the 1911 Magarey Medal and was a member that same year of his adopted state's victorious carnival team. Born in Toorak, Victoria, Cumberland's early senior football was played across the Bass Strait in Tasmania where he soon caught the eye with his skill, endurance and tremendous marking ability. Between 1898 and 1901 he played 50 games for Melbourne before going on to the first of four separate stints with St Kilda, where all told he participated in a total of 126 premiership matches, including the losing 1913 challenge final against Fitzroy. On two occasions, in 1904 and 1913, he was adjudged the 'Outstanding Footballer of the Year' by Melbourne's leading football writers. Interspersed between his stints at St Kilda were the periods in New Zealand and South Australia previously alluded to plus time spent abroad on service duty during World War One. Just seven years after retiring as a player Cumberland died tragically in a motor cycle accident. |
|
Daryl Cumming (Richmond, Melbourne, North Melbourne, South Melbourne)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Daryl Cumming joined Richmond from South Mildura and for a time seemed likely to develop into a champion. He roved for the Tigers in the 1972 grand final loss to Carlton, and the victory two years later against North Melbourne. Thereafter, he seemed to lose his way somewhat, and in 1977, after 88 VFL games and 64 goals for Richmond, he crossed to Melbourne, where he added a further 10 games and 7 goals. The 1978 season saw him at North Melbourne, where he added just 1 game and 0 goals, and he rounded off his league career with 10 games and 4 goals for South Melbourne in 1979. |
|
Brian Cunningham (Port Adelaide)
The following profile was specially written for Full Points Footy by Max Sayer, whose 2003 book, Champions Of Australia, is well worth seeking out. |
| From
a debut with the Magpies under age teams in the late 1960s, to his
stint as Chief Executive Officer of the club when the Power won its first
AFL flag in 2004, Brian Cunningham played an integral role with the Port
Adelaide Football Club over a period spanning
thirty-five years. The
years in between saw 'Bucky', as he was affectionately known, kick 428
goals from a total of 256 league games for Port after debuting in 1971.
Impeccably fair, highly skilled and one of the most naturally two-sided
players of his era, he formed one half of a formidable roving combination
with Darrell Cahill for much of the seventies. He
kicked 4 goals and was Port’s best player in the drought-breaking 1977
grand final win against Glenelg, and captained the Magpies to three
consecutive premierships between 1979 and 1981. He also represented After
a stint as a television commentator, Cunningham became Chief Executive
Officer at Port Adelaide in 1992 and oversaw the club’s successful bid
for an AFL license in the mid nineties. Leading a stable and effective
administration, his influence was a significant part of Port’s
successful transition into the AFL, and fittingly the club secured its
first AFL premiership in 2004, his final year as CEO. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| After joining Hawthorn from Traralgon in 1940, Kevin Curran managed just 1 senior game before embarking on five years of military service, much of it abroad. When he resumed in the VFL in 1946, by this time aged twenty-six, he immediately impressed as a follower who combined an almost recklessly rugged approach with considerable skill. He was selected to represent the VFL at the 1947 Hobart carnival, and all told made a total of 9 interstate appearances. Curran spent part of the 1950 season as Hawthorn captain, but by that time his career at the top level was winding down. When he retired at the end of the following year he had played a total of 85 VFL games and booted 9 goals. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Quick thinking, tidy and efficient, Bill Curtis may have been considered one of the lesser lights at Perth during the 1950s but he was nevertheless a consistently useful performer. He contributed a goal from his half forward flank to the Redlegs' 2 point grand final win over East Fremantle in 1955 (reviewed here) and all told played 91 senior games between 1953 and 1960. A good team player, Curtis was essentially a half forward specialist, but could do a job across centre or even in defence if required. |
|
Stephen Curtis (East Perth & Port Adelaide)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Stephen Curtis was a powerful, purposeful defender who enjoyed an auspicious 300-plus game league career in two states. That career began in 1973 at East Perth where, over the course of the next ten seasons, he played a total of 215 senior games and kicked 61 goals. Playing in a back pocket, he was among the Royals' best players in an 11.15 (81) to 12.7 (79) grand final defeat of Perth in 1978 (match reviewed here). Undoubtedly one of the finest West Australian defenders of his generation, he represented his state 12 times, including the inaugural state of origin match against Victoria in Perth in 1977. Curtis won the Royals' fairest and best award in 1977 and 1982. In 1983, he transferred to Port Adelaide, where he added a final 125 games and 44 goals over the next half a dozen seasons. In his debut season with the Magpies he was selected to represent his adopted state of South Australia against his state of origin, Western Australia, in Perth. The home state won by 4 goals, but Curtis's performance in what proved to be his only state appearance for South Australia was so eye catching that he ended up being selected in the 1983 All Australian team. However, overall his best and most consistent football was produced during his time with East Perth, a fact that was recognised in 2006 with his selection in a back pocket in the Royals' official 'Team of the Century 1945 to 2005'. |
|
Arthur Cutting (Yarraville & Williamstown)
|
| After playing briefly with Yarraville and then Footscray seconds, Arthur Cutting moved to Williamstown where he would establish himself as one of the VFA's most exciting talents. Playing as a half back flanker he won consecutive VFA Medals in 1938-9 and tied for the 1938 Recorder Cup with Bill Downie of Northcote. He also won the Seagulls' best and fairest award in both years, and was a driving force behind the club's 1939 premiership win. Cutting, who was pacy and agile, and who kicked beautifully, was still at Williamstown when the side went top again in 1945, and he was among the best players afield in the grand final win over Port Melbourne. His high reputation among his peers was evidenced by Sandringham coach Len Toyne's comment that Cutting was "the best footballer I've seen anywhere" (see footnote 1). |
Footnotes1. The Pioneers by Marc Fiddian, page 116. Return to Main Text |
|
Dave Cuzens (Kalgoorlie City, Richmond, Subiaco, East Perth) |
| Originally from Bassendean, Dave Cuzens was trekking around Australia on a motor bike when he stopped in Kalgoorlie to have a look around. He obviously liked what he saw, because the 'look around' became a four year stay, during which time he established himself as a footballer of the highest quality with Kalgoorlie City, playing in the club's 1953 and 1954 premiership teams and winning the 1955 fairest and best award. In 1957 he was recruited by Richmond where he reinforced his already high reputation with a series of brilliant performances on the last line of defence. Strong overhead, a thumping kick, and a superb reader of the play, he won Tiger best and fairest awards in 1958 and 1959, and was a VFL representative in 1959 and 1960. Between 1957 and 1961 he played a total of 69 VFL games, and was club vice-captain in 1960 and 1961. In 1962 he returned to the west as captain-coach of Subiaco, playing 13 games that year before carrying on in a non-playing capacity in 1963. Cuzens was not a success as a coach, and during the 1963 season he was deposed, and replaced by Bob Browning. He made a brief playing comeback with East Perth in 1964, adding a final 5 WANFL games to his tally before retiring. |
