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Ray Gabelich (Collingwood, West Perth, Waratahs)
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| In
a sign of things to come, young West Australian ruckman Ray Gabelich was
signed by Collingwood in 1954 before he had
even played a single senior game in his home state. Formidably
built, he gave the Magpies great service in 161 VFL games from 1955 to
1960 and 1962 to 1966, winning a Copeland Trophy in 1960, and being chosen to represent
the VFL. He spent the 1961 season back home in Western Australia
where he played 18 games with West Perth and was a member that
year of his native state's Australian championship winning side at the Brisbane
carnival, securing All Australian selection and a Simpson
Medal in the process. During the 1961-2 summer he played briefly
with Waratahs in Darwin, which he later
recalled as the toughest time of his entire football career.
Ray Gabelich entered football folk lore in 1964 with a fifty metre run, which culminated in a goal, during that season's VFL grand final against Melbourne (match reviewed here). Gabelich finished on the losing side that day, as he had in 1956 and 1960. He played in the Magpies' winning grand final team of 1958, however. |
| Solidly built, speedy, and strong overhead, East Fremantle's Don Gabrielson was one of the best West Australian half back flankers of the immediate pre- and post-war periods. Despite a lack of inches, he could also do a more than serviceable job at centre half back when required. A superb kick with either foot, and a smooth ball handler, Gabrielson was a member of Old Easts' winning grand final teams of 1945 and 1946. Between 1938 and 1941 and from 1945 to 1951 he played a total of 183 WANFL games, and represented Western Australia in the interstate arena 4 times. |
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| A lion-hearted follower whose tough,
resolute approach was allied to more skill than was often realised, Allan
'Butch' Gale was Fitzroy through and through. His consistency over
213 senior VFL games in fourteen seasons was emphasised by his finishing
second in the club's best and fairest voting on no fewer than seven
occasions. Sadly, he never managed to finish first, but over the
years there have been few Fitzroy players who would have made more worthy
recipients of the club's top honour.
'Butch' Gale joined Fitzroy from the Police Boys' football team and made his league debut in 1948, and if his early games suggested he was little more than an honest trier he wasted little time in elevating his performances to a new, higher level. For much of the 1950s he was a virtual ever present in VFL interstate sides and his gritty, tireless, never say die approach boasted all the hallmarks traditionally associated with the 'Big V'. Some of his best football came while resting in defence, and he would undoubtedly have made a fine key position defender had Fitzroy been able to spare him from the ruck. Gale was appointed Fitzroy captain in 1958 and continued in the role for the final four seasons of his VFL career. Once that career was over he became a football commentator on HSV7. |
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Brendon Gale (Penguin, Burnie, Richmond)
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| A vigorous and hard-working ruckman/forward, Brendon Gale performed consistently for Richmond throughout the 1990s and into the early years of the new decade. He was equally effective leading the ruck or holding down a key forward position, his aerial prowess and physical strength making him a match for almost any opponent. Never the most spectacular of players - a fact which doubtless prevented his entering the discussions all that often when Brownlow votes were allocated - his impact on games was nevertheless often considerable. Between 1990 and 2001 he played a total of 244 AFL games for the Tigers, kicking 209 goals. Brother Michael also appeared for the Tigers, while father Don was a star in Tasmania in the '50s and '60s. |
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Don Gale (Wynyard, Hobart, Burnie)
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| After
showing great promise as a schoolboy footballer, Don Gale was signed by Wynyard
in 1953. His early form was magnificent, and he was wooed by South
Melbourne, but was prevented from transferring by the TFL. In
1956, he sought a clearance again, and even re-located across the Bass
Strait, but the TFL would not budge. After a season spent playing
Sunday League football in Melbourne he returned to Tasmania and signed for
Hobart, but after just 12 months in the TFL he
was enticed back home to Wynyard.
The 1958 season proved to be one of Gale's best as he was selected to represent Tasmania at the centenary carnival in Melbourne and, after a series of superb performances in a back pocket, became the first ever NWFU footballer selected in an All Australian team. (Three years later, at Brisbane, Latrobe's Darrel Baldock would emulate the feat.) Gale was again selected for his state in 1959 when he played against the Vics in Devonport. Later that same year, however, he was forced to withdraw from the side which met West Australia at Hobart owing to injury. In 1960 Gale was a prominent contributor to arguably the most auspicious achievement in Tasmanian football history as the state side overcame a supposedly invincible VFL combination at York Park, Launceston. Tasmania led at every change en route to a 7 point success, with most newspapers listing either Stuart Spencer or Don Gale as best afield. (Match reviewed here.) The only remaining ambition for Don Gale at this stage in his career was to play in a premiership team, and a couple of seasons later, having crossed to Burnie as captain-coach, he finally achieved it. In 1961, Gale's first season at Burnie, the side had come agonisingly close, losing to arch rivals Cooee by 5 points, but in 1962 everything came together and Devonport was vanquished by 10 points. The only disappointment was losing the state premiership final against North Hobart. Having now achieved his main outstanding ambition, Don Gale chose to retire, despite being only 27 years of age. In later years, sons Brendon and Michael would keep the Gale name alive both at home and in Victoria. |
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| Len Gale was a wily and stylish rover who played 58 VFL games and booted 54 goals for Fitzroy between 1920 and 1924. He was a member of the Maroons' victorious 1922 challenge final team against Collingwood, but was missing from the line-up the following year when the Roys went under to Essendon. He was a prominent performer for his side during the 1924 round robin finals series which saw Fitzroy beat Richmond but lose to both Essendon and South Melbourne. |
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Adrian Gallagher (Carlton, Footscray, North Melbourne)
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| A tough, tenacious rover who was never flashy but almost invariably effective, Adrian 'Gags' Gallagher joined Carlton from Yarram, and was a key player for the Blues in 165 VFL games between 1964 and 1972, booting 236 goals. He developed a great understanding during that time with ruckman John Nicholls, and the pair were strongly instrumental in Carlton reaching four grand finals in five years, for premierships in 1968, 1970 and 1972. Gallagher's individual contribution was particularly noteworthy in 1970 when he won the club's best and fairest award. Four years earlier he had been the Blues' top goal kicker for the season with 24 goals. At the end of the 1972 season, Gallagher crossed to Footscray under the VFL's short-lived ten year rule, and, although undoubtedly a little past his best, gave the Bulldogs consistently good service in 54 games over three seasons, kicking 38 goals. In 1976 he transferred to North Melbourne, the club that it had been mooted he was going to join four years earlier, but he managed just 1 further senior game before calling it a day. |
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| Hailing from the famous football breeding ground of Assumption College, Footscray's Jim Gallagher was a relentless, extremely determined half back flanker who played the game close and hard. His reluctance to take risks is evidenced by his failure to kick a single goal during the course of his ten season, 151 game VFL career. A VFL interstate representative in 1954, he was on his customary half back flank when Footscray broke through for a first ever VFL premiership with a 15.12 (102) to 7.9 (51) grand final defeat of Melbourne. |
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Les Gallagher (St Kilda & Richmond)
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| Originally from amateur club Elsternwick, Les Gallagher commenced his VFL career with St Kilda, where he played mainly as a forward, without notable success. After 9 games and 14 goals for the club in 1924 and 1925 he crossed to Richmond, where he was to enjoy a much more productive time. The Tigers converted him into a centreman, and he occupied that position in both the 1927 and 1928 losing grand finals against Collingwood. A fine reader of the play, and boasting good disposal skills, he added totals of 62 games and 27 goals to his respective tallies while at Richmond, where he remained until 1929. |
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| Known, with mundane inevitability, as 'Gags', Norwood's Phil Gallagher was one of that club's most popular ever players in a 292 game league career that ran from 1973 to 1986. Quick, poised and skilful, he played most of those games as a wingman, but could also make a highly effective contribution as a centreman. He played in Redleg premiership teams in 1975, 1978 - when he kicked the match-winning goal in a 1 point victory over Sturt (reviewed here) - 1982 (as captain) and 1984. Gallagher's obviously wholehearted commitment to the club cause made him a firm favourite at the Parade. His 8 interstate matches for South Australia gave him a career total of precisely 300 senior games. Phil Gallagher's high reputation at Norwood was clearly evidenced with his selection on a wing in the club's official 'Team of the Century'. |
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Alan Galloway (North Adelaide)
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| Hard hitting and tenacious, sometimes almost to the point of recklessness, North Adelaide's Alan Galloway often found himself sidelined through injury, but always seemed to come up with the goods when it mattered most, such as in finals. He was one of North's best in the winning grand final of 1949 against West Torrens, and also performed creditably in the play-off of 1952 against Norwood, which the red and whites won by a record margin of 108 points. In the 1951 grand final against Port Adelaide he produced a performance rated by many as best on the ground, but could not prevent the Magpies getting home by 11 points. Between 1947 and 1953, Galloway played a total of 69 SANFL games for North, kicking 10 goals. |
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Cyril Gambetta (Hawthorn & St Kilda)
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| Without
doubt one of the finest St Kilda
footballers of the inter-war years, Cyril Gambetta eked out a 129 game VFL
career for himself despite suffering from badly bowed legs, which were a
legacy of an attack of polio while he was a youngster. He began his
senior career in the VFA with Hawthorn,
where he earned a reputation as a useful forward, but it was a full back
that he played for most of his time with the Saints. His judgement
and anticipation were first rate, and he was regarded as one of the best
high marks of his time. Gambetta arrived at St Kilda in 1922, and
played his last match in 1931, which meant that he only ever got to play
in one finals team. That was in a 1929 semi final against Carlton
in which the Saints trailed narrowly all day in going down by 8
points. Gambetta, who won his club's best and fairest award in 1925,
played interstate football twice for the VFL. The fact that he
played some of his early football with the Saints on the forward lines is
evidenced by his feat in kicking 75 goals during the course of his league
career.
One does not envy the St Kilda 'Team of the Century' selectors having to chose between Gambetta and the likes of Verdun Howell, Danny Frawley and Barry Lawrence for the coveted full back position in the side. In the end, they went for Howell, but there can be no doubt that Gambetta's contribution to the club, during an era that combined intermittent promise with repeated under-achievement, was noteworthy in the extreme. |
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| Jeff Gamble was tall, rangy and talented defender whose promising VFL career with Essendon career was brought to a premature end by a serious knee injury sustained in 1959, when he was aged just twenty-four. Although he tried to resume, he was never the same player, and he retired the following year after a total of 90 VFL games in eight seasons. Gamble played much of his early football as a follower but was better suited to a key defensive role. He was quick for his height (191cm), and relished the physical side of the game. |
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Joe Garbutt (Port Melbourne & St Kilda)
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| One of the Port Melbourne Football Club's most noteworthy identities, Joe Garbutt was also among the finest full backs in the VFA, and arguably Australia, for much of his seventeen season, 188 game top level career. All but 7 of those games were played with the Borough, for whom he made his debut in 1922. At the end of that year, Port won the premiership courtesy of a 2 point challenge final victory over Footscray, but sadly for Garbutt he had yet to establish himself as a regular senior player, and missed the game. Over the course of his career he would take part in 3 premiership deciding matches, but finish on the losing side every time. Strong overhead, a mighty kick, and blessed with tremendous pace for a big (185cm, 79kg) man, he proved his class on numerous occasions in inter-league matches against the VFL. Unfortunately, when he moved to the VFL himself with St Kilda in 1935 he was thirty-one years of age, and probably past his best. In any case, he managed just 7 senior games for the year before returning to Port Melbourne, where he continued playing for three more seasons. |
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| A clever, dashing, long kicking half forward flank specialist, Carlton's Cohuna recruit Ray Garby gave the Blues five seasons and 86 VFL games worth of service from 1946 to 1950. A member of his club's 1947 grand final winning side against Essendon, he also played two years later when the Dons turned the tables. Always dangerous near goal, Garby managed 125 majors during his league career. |
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| One
of many players to lose what would probably have been his best years to
war service, Jack Garden played briefly for Essendon
in 1915 before spending the next three years at the front in
Flanders. He resumed in the VFL in 1920, and promptly won the Same
Old's best and fairest award.
Short at just 165cm, and somewhat squat in build, Garden nevertheless had lightning acceleration and was ideally suited to the wing, which was where he played for most of his senior career. Between 1921-3 he was a regular Big V representative, and in the last of those years he starred for the Dons in their 17 point challenge final defeat of Fitzroy. He was similarly prominent the following year as Essendon went 'back to back' by winning the VFL's experimental 'round robin' finals series (see footnote 1). At the end of the 1926 season, after 115 VFL games, Garden left Essendon and joined Victorian Sub-District Football Association side Kew where, as captain-coach, he enjoyed immediate success, steering the side to the 1927 flag. |
Footnotes1. Despite a last round loss to Richmond, the Dons, courtesy of comfortable wins over Fitzroy and South Melbourne in their earlier matches, won the 1924 flag on percentage. The format itself did not prove popular, however, and was immediately dispensed with. Return to Main Text |
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Alex Gardiner (Footscray & Box Hill)
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| Speedy and intelligent, wingman Alex Gardiner gave Footscray good, if occasionally inconsistent, service in 91 VFL games between 1955 and 1962, He was a member of the Bulldogs' losing grand final team of 1961 against Hawthorn. In 1963, Gardiner was appointed captain-coach of VFA 2nd division side Box Hill, where he remained for five seasons. His form as a player during that time was excellent, and he ran 4th in the Field Trophy voting in his first season, was runner-up in 1964, and finished equal 3rd in 1966. |
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Jack Gardiner (Carlton, Melbourne, Cananore, North Hobart)
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| Jack
Gardiner's involvement in football lasted over half a century and took in
stints as a player, coach, umpire and administrator. The son of a
prominent Carlton player of the 1870s, he
commenced his own senior playing career with the Blues in 1900, but after
just 16 games in two seasons he crossed to Melbourne.
Slight of build, he nevertheless had the courage and skill necessary to
succeed, and during five and a half seasons and 69 games with the Redlegs
he established a reputation as one of the premier rovers in the league.
In 1908, Gardiner accepted the position of coach of the Tasmanian Football League, a role he combined with umpiring. After serving as Tasmania's coach at the inaugural interstate carnival in Melbourne he finished the 1908 season with his old club Melbourne, but the following year saw him back in Tasmania where he threw in his lot with Cananore. With Bruce Carter as playing-coach, and Gardiner as captain, the Canaries enjoyed unprecedented success over the next few seasons, winning premierships in 1909-10-11, and again in 1913. Gardiner's playing form was excellent, and he was a member of Tasmania's carnival team at Adelaide in 1911, helping the state to a commendable 3rd place courtesy to a large extent of a hard fought 5 point win over Western Australia. After the Great War, Jack Gardiner resumed at Cananore, this time as captain-coach, leading the team to further premierships in 1921 and 1922. In 1924 he transferred to North Hobart as captain-coach, before finally retiring as a player, aged forty-two, at the end of the following season. Remaining in Tasmania, Gardiner continued to be heavily involved in football in a variety of administrative roles for most of the next thirty years. He died in Hobart in 1967 at the age of eighty-four. |
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| Dependable,
reliable and solid are over-used terms in football, but they epitomised
Les Gardiner's approach throughout his ten season, 166 game VFL career
with Essendon. Most of those games
were spent either in a back pocket or across half back where the qualities
mentioned above, allied with great determination and tremendous pace, made
him extremely difficult to beat.
Gardiner debuted with the Dons in 1943, winning the club's best first year player award, but he was then forced to miss the entire 1944 season with a spinal injury. He resumed as good as new in 1945, and went on to be a key member of Essendon's premiership teams in 1946, 1949 and 1950. His performance in a back pocket in the 1950 grand final defeat of North Melbourne was particularly noteworthy. Always the consummate team man, Gardiner was the recipient in 1951-2-3 - his last three seasons of league football - of Essendon's most unselfish player award. |
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Vin Gardiner (Melbourne & Carlton)
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| After failing to impress during a brief stint with Melbourne in 1905, Vin Gardiner took a second stab at league football with Carlton a couple of years later. Despite standing only 168cm in height and weighing just over 60kg, he quickly showed himself to be a superb key position forward, going on to play a total of 157 games for the Blues over the course of the ensuing 11 seasons. He booted a total of 338 goals in his career, topping the VFL list with 46 in 1911, the same year in which he was chosen to represent the Big V at the Adelaide carnival. Many of the spectators who watched him in action during his peak described him as the most prodigious kick of a football for his inches they had ever seen. |
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Tom Garland (West Torrens & Port Adelaide)
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| Tom Garland commenced his league career with West Torrens in 1945, but managed just 1 senior game before transferring to Woodville in the amateur league. He spent the next half dozen seasons playing amateur football, helping Woodville to the 1946 A1 premiership, and regularly representing South Australia. In 1952 he was recruited by Port Adelaide, where he became the prototype for the strong, mobile ruckman-centre half forward type of player, much favoured by coach Fos Williams, who arguably came closest to full fruition in the person of his successor in the role, Ian Hannaford. Nevertheless, Garland, who played 136 games and kicked 86 goals for Port between 1952 and 1958 was no mean performer himself. He topped the Magpies' goal kicking list in 1954 with 44 goals, and was a member of premiership teams in 1955-6-7-8. Most of Garland's time was spent in the key forward position but his occasional forays into the ruck often met with spectacular, and on occasion match-winning, success. |
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| A stalwart of the Yarraville Football Club for close to two decades, George Garlick played for and coached both the seniors and the reserves, the latter to two flags, and was the winner of senior best and fairest awards in 1945 and 1947. Renowned for his prodigious kicking, he once beat VFL champions John Coleman, Dick Reynolds and Charlie Sutton in a long kicking competition. Garlick began his connection with Yarraville in 1939, and ended it in 1957, after which he was made a life member of the club. |
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Jack Garrick (Yarraville & South Melbourne)
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| Jack Garrick was a solid, durable ruckman who played initially for Yarraville and later for South Melbourne. Strong overhead, he worked tirelessly and was an important player for the Swans in 117 VFL games between 1948 and 1955. |
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Reg Garvin (Newtown, St Kilda, Prahran)
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| A member of New South
Wales’ 1933 Sydney carnival team,
follower Reg Garvin won the Phelan
Medal with NSWANFL premiers Newtown in 1936 before
heading for the ‘big time’ with St Kilda
the following year. As a fireman Garvin had little choice but to remain in
optimal shape physically and this probably helped him to compensate for any
deficiencies in skill resulting from his late start in the game. As a youngster
in Sydney he had played soccer and rugby but, in common with most of his
compatriots, regarded Australian football as a ‘foreign’ sport. Once exposed
to it, however, his determination, toughness and vigour quickly yielded
dividends and he ultimately took to the hurly burly of VFL football as though
born to it. Indeed, so thoroughgoing was his assimilation that he was appointed
captain-coach of the Saints in 1942, a position he held for two years. He was
also a VFL interstate representative and winner (in 1944) of St Kilda’s club
champion award.
After 129 games with the Saints Reg Garvin finished his senior career with Prahran in 1947. |
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Rex Garwood (New Town & New Norfolk)
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| One
of only two triple winners of the TANFL's best and fairest award (the other being
Len 'Apples'
Pye), Rex Garwood began his
senior football career with New Town as a 20
year old in 1950. Playing as either a half forward or in the ruck,
his talent was evident right from the start, and in 1951 he not only won
the first of his Leitch Medals but also landed 'The Mercury' newspaper's
Player of the Year Award, played representative football for the first
time both the TFL and Tasmania, tied for the Wander
Medal for the best player in intrastate matches, was New Town's
leading goal kicker with 37 goals, and was close to best afield in his
club's 71 point grand final annihilation of North
Hobart. So much for second season blues!
Two seasons later, the Magpies appointed Garwood as captain and he promptly led them to their second premiership in three seasons, with Garwood himself best afield in the grand final. Earlier in the year he had represented Tasmania at the 1953 Adelaide carnival. The 1954 season saw Garwood transfer to New Norfolk, who appointed him as captain-coach. The following year he captained Tasmania on its victorious tour of New South Wales and Canberra, while back at home he secured a second Leitch Medal. In 1956 he was again appointed captain of his state, this time for the interstate carnival in Perth. Garwood's tenure as New Norfolk coach ended in 1957, but he continued to give excellent service as a player, winning his third and final Leitch Medal in 1958. Somewhat surprisingly, he never won a club best and fairest award. He was, however, selected in both the Glenorchy/New Town, New Norfolk and official Tasmanian 'Teams of the Century'. |
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John Gastev (West Perth, West Coast, Brisbane)
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| Recruited from Tuart Hill, John Gastev made his league debut for West Perth midway through the 1983 season, and went on to play a total of 48 games and kick 60 goals for the club over the next three and a half years. In 1987 he was a member of West Coast's inaugural VFL squad, playing 30 games and kicking 31 goals before being somewhat surprisingly released to Brisbane in 1989. It was while with the Bears that Gastev played probably his best and most consistent football, winning club best and fairest awards in 1989 and 1992, and establishing a reputation as one of the toughest and most courageous on-ballers in the game. Renowned for his hard attack on the football, and his unflinching valour under enemy fire, Gastev was a firm favourite among Brisbane's fans, and one of the club's most important players during its formative years. He played a total of 113 games for the Bears between 1989 and 1994, kicking 41 goals. He also played 2 interstate games for Western Australia. |
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Charles Gaudion (Footscray, Coburg, North Melbourne, West Adelaide)
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| Charles Gaudion enjoyed a fine and varied career at four clubs. A strongly built, versatile footballer, he began with Footscray in 1926, and over the ensuing four seasons went on to play a total of 63 VFL games and kick 7 goals. He also played interstate football for the VFL. After spending the 1930 season with VFA side Coburg he resumed in the VFL the following year with North Melbourne, where he played 77 games and kicked 9 goals in seven seasons. His ability to play equally well in almost any key position ensured that he was one of the most highly regarded footballers of his time, as his evidenced by his selection in 'Big V' interstate sides every year between 1932 and 1936. He captained the VFL in 1936. In 1940, after two seasons out of league football, he accepted the position of coach at West Adelaide, steering the side to 6 wins and a draw from 17 matches (with the draw effectively causing the side to miss the finals). He also made one final senior appearance as a player. Gaudion's last involvement in top level football came in 1956 and 1957 when he coached his former club North Melbourne to 12th and 8th place finishes. Among his charges in the second of those seasons was his son, Michael Gaudion. |
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Michael Gaudion (North Melbourne)
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| After struggling initially to maintain a regular place in the senior side, North Melbourne's Mick Gaudion developed into one of the finest wingmen in the VFL. Early in his career he was tried in a number of positions, including the half forward flank and rover, with minimal success, but it was after being moved to the wing that his strengths - exhilarating pace, a lively football brain, and superb kicking to position - really came to the fore. He played interstate football for the VFL in 1960, and at the 1966 Hobart carnival. When he made his VFL debut in 1957 his famous father, Charles Gaudion, was coach of the side, which may have exacerbated the difficulties he experienced establishing himself. When he retired in 1967, Mick Gaudion had played a total of 152 league games, and booted 54 goals. |
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Hugh Gavin (Essendon, Boulder City, Essendon Association, Boulder Stars, Mines Rovers)
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| When
Hugh Gavin first broke into the Essendon
team he was seen as the natural replacement for champion full back 'Ned'
Officer, who was approaching the end of his illustrious career.
Sure enough, Gavin proved to be a fine full back, but it was after he was
moved to centre half back that he truly came into his own. Superb
overhead, and fast and sure at ground level, he rapidly became
acknowledged as the finest exponent of the position in Victoria. In
1897 he was a key factor in Essendon's securing the first ever VFL
premiership, while four years later his consummate display of all the
skills of the game earned him best afield honours in the grand final win
over Collingwood.
Gavin was now probably at his peak as a player, and in 1902 he emphasised his high stature by lifting Victorian football's most prestigious individual honour, the Champion of the Colony award, together with his club's best and fairest trophy. He also represented the VFL that year, as he had done in 1900 and 1901, and would do again in 1904. In 1903 he ventured to the West Australian goldfields where he spent the season as captain-coach of Boulder City. After returning briefly to the Same Old in 1904 to take his final tally of VFL games to 108, Gavin spent a year as captain-coach of Essendon Association before heading back to Boulder, where he played for Boulder Stars, in 1906. The following year saw him fall victim to a strong wave of anti-professional feeling that swept through the GFA and he ended up being suspended for two years after frankly describing himself at an inquiry as a 'professional footballer'. Gavin still had plenty of fine football left in him, however. He resumed with Boulder City in 1909, and was a member of the club's premiership teams both that year and the next. In 1910 he captained a combined goldfields team that achieved a famous victory over Port Adelaide, while in 1911 he was chosen to skipper Western Australia's team at the Adelaide carnival. Hugh Gavin rounded off his illustrious career with participation in Mines Rovers' 1915 premiership-winning team. |
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Alan Geddes (Williamstown & Richmond)
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| After
three seasons at Williamstown, which
culminated in a losing grand final against Footscray,
Alan Geddes joined Richmond in 1925 and quickly
established a reputation as one of the finest wingmen in the VFL.
Indeed, some of the people who saw him in action at his peak went as far
as to describe him as the greatest wingman of all time, and he was fondly
and popularly known at Punt Road as 'Alan the Great'.
Like many bona fide champions, Geddes sometimes appeared to be travelling almost at half pace, but this was deceptive, and he was rarely caught in possession of the ball. Almost invariably one of the first names to be pencilled in when VFL state squads were selected, Geddes ran equal second in the 1926 Brownlow voting, and was the winner of Richmond's best and fairest award the same year. He played in six Tiger grand final sides, enjoying success in 1932 and 1934, before retiring at the end of the 1935 season after 182 VFL games. |
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| Pacy, elusive and a fine left foot kick, Bob Geisler played 96 league games for North Adelaide between 1962 and 1969. In his second season, playing mainly on a half forward flank, he was one of the main reasons behind North's reaching the grand final, which they lost to Port Adelaide, and he was rewarded with the club's best and fairest award. He also made the state training squad that year, but in subsequent seasons he failed to build on his potential, although he was still capable of the odd burst of brilliance. Geisler was aged just twenty-six when he departed league ranks. |
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William Gent (Essendon Association & South Melbourne)
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| William Gent was an extremely talented rover whose VFL career was sullied by his bad behaviour on the field. After commencing his senior career with Essendon Association he joined South Melbourne in 1903, and the following year incurred a suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct that took in the remainder of the 1904 season and the whole of 1905. He returned in 1906, but was in trouble again late in the 1907 season when the Tribunal handed him a lifetime ban. This was later reduced, however, and he resumed briefly in 1908 to take his final tally of VFL games to 62. |
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Max George (Swan Districts, Fitzroy, Central District)
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| Full forward Max George's league career was comparatively short, but it had its memorable moments. In one game against West Perth in 1974, for example, he notched 14 goals. A spectacular high flier, and an excellent kick for goal, especially from distance, he topped the WANFL goal kicking ladder with 90 goals in 1974, having earlier headed Swans' list with 30 goals in 1969 and 46 in 1973. He played 3 interstate games for Western Australia, kicking 11 goals. In 1976 he moved to Fitzroy, where he booted 21 goals in 8 games. Always quick to pour scorn on interstate recruits, the Melbourne press branded him a 'flop', conveniently ignoring the obvious fact that a full forward needs good service in order to shine, something which the impoverished Fitzroy midfield of the mid-1970s was patently incapable of providing. After a season back in Western Australia with Geraldton, George moved to Central District, where he played a total of 33 SANFL games in 1978, 1979 and 1981, kicking 120 goals. He was the Bulldogs' top goal kicker in 1978 with 68 goals. |
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Daryl Gerlach (Essendon & Eastlake)
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| After
commencing his Essendon career in 1963
as a centreman, Daryl Gerlach was used in several positions before finding
his niche in a back pocket. He played in that position in the
winning grand final of 1965 against St Kilda,
and during the second half of the sixties was widely acknowledged as one
of the finest defenders in the game. He represented the VFL in
1967-8-9, and in 1970 won Essendon's best and fairest award, despite
having been one of five players who, before the season commenced,
threatened to walk out on the club over a payment dispute.
In 1973 and 1974 Gerlach captain-coached ACTAFL side Eastlake to 3rd and 2nd places on the ladder. In 1975 he continued with the club as a player. While in Canberra, he played for the ACT in representative games. After retiring as a player, Gerlach returned to Melbourne where he undertook a number of support and administrative roles at Essendon. |
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John Gerovich (South Fremantle)
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| Arguably
the most distinctive feature of Australian football is the high
mark. Virtually every other facet of the game is shared by other
sports, but the sight of a player taking a fingertip 'screamer' while
perched on the shoulders of an opponent is unique to footy, and players
who perfect this art are among the code's most celebrated and well
remembered.
John Gerovich, who played 221 league games for South Fremantle between 1955 and 1969, mastered the high flyer's art more comprehensively and eye-catchingly than most. The photograph of a skyscraping mark taken by Gerovich during the 1956 preliminary final against East Fremantle (shown here) remains one of the most visually stunning and indeed iconic in football history. The unfortunate 'step-ladder' was Ray French. John Gerovich was much more than just a spectacular aerialist, however, as he "had superb balance, a blistering turn of speed and the ability to kick goals from long distances with either foot" (see footnote 1). Equally at home at either centre half forward or the goalfront, he topped South Fremantle's list of goal kickers on eight occasions and the league list in 1956 (74 goals), 1960 (101) and 1961 (74). He booted 721 WANFL goals altogether, and was a regular interstate representative (18 games, 56 goals). When West Australia won the 1961 Brisbane carnival, John Gerovich played at full forward in all 3 matches, kicking 8 goals. Perhaps the most persuasive testimony as to Gerovich's brilliance came from Marty McDonnell, who coached South during the early '60s, and who had played at full back on the great Essendon full forward John Coleman. McDonnell's unequivocal assessment was that "Gerovich was the most sensational forward he had seen in Australia" (see footnote 2). |
Footnotes1. WA's Fabulous 40 - The Best 40 Footballers Over 40 Years by Alan East (ed.), page 79. Return to Main Text 2. Football Greats of Western Australia volume one by Anthony James, page 32. Return to Main Text |
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Jack Gervasoni (Fitzroy & Northcote)
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| Initially from Ballarat, Jack Gervasoni was a gifted rover who played 89 league games for Fitzroy between 1951 and 1956. He kicked 85 goals. Pacy, skilled and elusive, opponents underestimated him at their peril. In 1957, Gervasoni succeeded William Faul as coach of VFA club Northcote, but his two seasons at the helm produced just 6 wins from 38 matches. |
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| A talented centreline player or on-baller with a fearless, never-say-die approach, George Giannakis was a consistently eye catching performer for East Perth during a comparatively bleak era for the club. The Royals recruited him from Manjimup, and handed him a senior WAFL debut in 1985. Right from the outset it was clear that they had unearthed a player of quality - pacy, hard at the ball, and with a clear sense of what to do with it when he got it. A club fairest and best winner in 1987 and 1989, Giannakis would seem to have possessed all the qualities required of a budding V/AFL footballer, but he spent his entire 153 game senior career, which ended in 1993, in the WAFL. |
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Percy Gibb (Richmond & Collingwood)
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| Percy Gibb commenced his senior career in the VFA with Richmond where he proved himself a fast, elusive wingman of the highest order. He transferred to Collingwood in 1905, and was a stalwart of the Magpie line-up for the next ten seasons. He was on the wing in both the 1910 challenge final defeat of Carlton, and the loss to Essendon a year later. Gibb played a total of 157 VFL games and kicked 10 goals. He also represented the VFL. Once his playing days were over he served on the Collingwood committee. |
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| Tom Gibbons was a prominent Norwood rover during the first decade of the twentieth century. It is not known exactly how many games he played for the club, but records do show that he began his career in 1903 and ended it in 1908. During that time he represented the Redlegs in the winning challenge finals of 1904 (reviewed here) and 1907, both against Port Adelaide. When Norwood defeated Carlton on the Adelaide Oval in 1907 to lift the championship of Australia, Tom Gibbons was one of the best players afield. He played interstate football for South Australia 3 times. |
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Ross Gibbs (West Perth & Glenelg)
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| Originally from Mirrabooka, Ross Gibbs was recruited by West Perth and made his WANFL debut in 1979. Initially used mainly as a back pocket player he eventually developed into a highly skilled and exciting ruck-rover, in which position he twice represented Western Australia. In 1984, after 97 senior games, he crossed to Glenelg where he reverted to his original back pocket position without compromising on either skill or excitement. In eleven seasons at the Bay Oval Gibbs played 253 league games and represented his adopted state once. A consistently eye-catching performer, he was a member of Glenelg premiership teams in 1985 and 1986. |
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| Extraordinarily popular among the West Torrens supporters, but often underrated by opposition fans, Bob Gibson was a pacy, tenacious but exquisitely fair player who began life as a rover before developing into a top class back pocket specialist. He played a total of 212 SANFL games for the Eagles between 1959 and 1972, kicking 61 goals (mostly during the early phase of his career). Despite his small stature (168cm, 70.5kg) he was strong overhead, often outmarking taller players, and his ball handling and judgement were superb. He must be considered somewhat unfortunate never to have been selected to represent his state. |
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Michael Gibson (Coorparoo, Fitzroy, Brisbane) by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| A passionate homegrown Queenslander and All Australian junior, originally from Coorparoo, Michael Gibson played 3 VFL games with Fitzroy in 1985 before returning ‘home’. He was a Coorparoo premiership team member in 1984 and 1986, either side of his stint in Melbourne, and played a further 52 VFL games with the Brisbane Bears from 1987-91. He was an ever courageous and running half back flanker who was occasionally called into a key defensive role. Gibson played 15 times for Queensland. He later coached Coorparoo in the QAFL, and Springwood and Palm Beach at lower levels. |
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Don Gilbourne (North Adelaide)
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| Born
and raised in Prospect, it was almost inevitable that Don Gilbourne would
develop a strong desire to play league football for North
Adelaide, an ambition he satisfied when he lined up in the centre
against West Torrens at Kensington in round
13 1949. It proved to be a winning start, the red and whites edging
home by 4 points, and Gilbourne would go on to enjoy many more triumphs
during an illustrious, fourteen season 200 game SANFL career. Club
best and fairest in 1959, and a regular interstate representative (10
games), he played in three premiership teams, in 1949 (starting as 20th
man), 1952 and 1960. In the last of these, playing in a back pocket
- the position in which he finished his career, having spent most of it
playing either in the centre or at half forward - Gilbourne was close to
best afield.
North Adelaide's annual report in its premiership year of 1952 described Gilbourne as "a sure-footed ground player, a fine mark, and one of the best drop kicks in the game". In 2001, Don Gilbourne was chosen in the left back pocket in North Adelaide's official 'Team of the Century'. |
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| After playing in Coburg's inaugural VFA side in 1925, Fred Gilby joined Carlton the following year and quickly established himself as a solid and reliable half back flanker. Boasting plenty of pace, he was a straight ahead type of player who never shirked, and indeed seemed to relish, a physical challenge. His 179 games for the Blues between 1926 and 1937 included the losing grand final of 1932 against Richmond. |
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| Graham Gilchrist joined Carlton as a nineteen year old in 1952 and went on to give the club ten years of commendable service, during which he played 114 games and kicked 26 goals. A solid mark, pacy and boasting excellent disposal skills, he was ideally suited to a wing, which was where he played most of his football, although he could also hold down a flank position. The fact that he did everything with a minimum of fuss meant that his contribution often went unheralded, but there were few more effective wingmen in the VFL during the 1950s. |
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Robert Giles (South Melbourne)
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| After suggesting, early in his career, that he had the raw natural ability to develop into a bona fide champion, Bob Giles never really managed to fulfill his potential, although he was a serviceable player, mainly on a wing, in 67 VFL games for South Melbourne between 1949 and 1955. |
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| Recruited from Yorketown, Tony Giles was a typically tough, gritty, reliable Port Adelaide footballer who played 190 senior games for the club, mainly on a half back flank, between 1975 and 1984. This included appearances in the winning grand finals of 1979 against South Adelaide and 1981 against Glenelg. A South Australian interstate representative on 8 occasions, he earned selection in the 1983 All Australian team. |
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Barry Gill (Carlton & Williamstown)
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| Recruited by Carlton from Casterton, Barry Gill was somewhat less of a household name than many of his Blues team mates, but was nevertheless an important contributor to two premierships. Combining pace and toughness with a knack for getting the ball onto his boot both quickly and effectively, he was the archetypal no frills defender who seldom gave his opponent any latitude. He was on a half back flank when Carlton outlasted Essendon by 3 points in the 1968 grand final, and in his more accustomed position of back pocket two years later in the famous come from behind victory over Collingwood (reviewed here). He also played in the losing grand final of 1969 against Richmond. Barry Gill's senior VFL career comprised 132 games between 1964 and 1972. Gill spent the 1973 and 1974 seasons as captain-coach of VFA 1st division club Williamstown. |
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| Dave Gill played 145 games for Port Adelaide in two stints: first of all, from 1957 to 1960, and then from 1962 to 1967. Somewhat more individualistic than many Magpie players of his era, Gill was the sort of player who made the game look easy. Equally at home on the ball or anywhere in the backlines, he was a member of Port Adelaide premiership teams in 1958-9, 1962-3 and 1965. |
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| A tough, tenacious and hard-hitting defender of the old school, Frank Gill could lay strong claim to having been the finest full back in Carlton's history. Originally from Wimmera League club Nhill, he spent fourteen seasons with the Blues, between 1929 and 1942, playing a total of 205 VFL games, and winning a best and fairest award in 1939. He was one of the best players afield when Carlton overcame Collingwood by 15 points in the 1938 VFL grand final, having also played well in the losing grand final against Richmond six years earlier. One of the longest kicks in the game, and brilliant overhead, he was a master of upsetting opponents using a range of surreptitious means that avoided attracting the ire of umpires. He was one of many top footballers to make the ultimate sacrifice during World War Two. |
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| John Gill joined Essendon from Longerenong Agricultural College and made an immediate impression, winning the Dons' best first year player award in his debut season. Superb overhead, he was the sort of player who could almost single-handedly dominate a game. He won Essendon's best and fairest player award in 1954, and was a regular VFL interstate representative. On two occasions, Gill was named in the prestigious 'Sporting Globe' Team of the Year. He played 107 VFL games for Essendon between 1951 and 1957, kicking 76 goals. He was only twenty-five when he retired, citing pressure of work as his reason. |
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| Ian Gillett gave solid service to South Melbourne as a ruckman and in key positions at both ends of the ground during a 135 game VFL career which ran from 1951 to 1958. A forward during his first few seasons, he booted a total of 112 goals, including a club list topping 34 in 1953. As a ruckman he was strong, fearless and extremely team orientated. He won South's best and fairest award in 1956, the same season that team mate Fred Goldsmith won the Brownlow. Gillett played as a defender towards the end of his career, and almost always performed serviceably. |
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Brian Gilmore (Yarraville & Footscray)
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| At 193cm in height Brian Gilmore was one of the tallest players in both the VFA and VFL, where he played for Yarraville and Footscray respectively. A follower in Footscray's 1954 grand final-winning team, he gave the Bulldogs sterling service in 105 senior games between 1952 and 1958, with his tally of 61 goals during that time affording persuasive evidence that he was reasonably handy when resting up forward. Gilmore, a VFL representative player, went to Ganmain after his league career was over. |
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Tim Ginever (Port Adelaide & Port Adelaide Magpies)
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| If
you were to undertake a detailed objective assessment of Tim Ginever's
football ability - marking, kicking, pace, ball skills and so forth - you
might conceivably end up wondering how they could possibly be combined to
produce a player of league standard. Tim Ginever, however, was much
more than just an average league player; he was arguably one of the most
important SANFL footballers of the 1980s and 1990s, and provided
conclusively persuasive evidence that success in football is at least as
much attributable to mental as to physical capabilities. When Tim
Ginever entered the playing arena he became so consumed by white line
fever as to metamorphose, almost literally, into a completely different
person from the happy-go-lucky larrikin who confronted the TV cameras
during post-match interviews. Tough, intense, courageous and
dynamic, he was the heartbeat of a Port
Adelaide side that won no fewer than seven SANFL premierships between
1988 and 1996. For the flags of 1994-5-6 Ginever led from the front
as team captain, and the longer his 314 game league career went on, the
better he played. At the start, in fact, it was a struggle even to get into
the team: he made just one senior appearance in his debut season of 1983,
and managed only half a dozen games the next. Even when he became a
regular in 1985 there were no obvious indications that he was going to
develop into such an important and influential performer, but as soon as Port
began to make regular assaults on the premiership, Ginever came into his
own. During the 1990s in particular his trademark desperation, which
repeatedly seemed to involve treating his own body almost as an expendable piece of equipment, became
virtually indistinguishable from the
perpetually evolving Magpie ethos. Ginever won a best and fairest
award in 1994, his first year as club captain, was arguably best afield in
the 1995 grand final defeat of Central
District, was high among the best players in the both the winning 1996
and losing 1997 grand finals, and rounded off his playing career in style
with the 1997 best and fairest award. Somewhat surprisingly, he only
represented South Australia once, but this may in large part be
attributable to a tendency on the part of the state selectors to judge a
book on its cover rather than its contents. In any case, Ginever's
impact at Alberton was immeasurable, and his status there will no doubt
become, if it is not indeed already, correspondingly legendary. He
also afforded living proof that, as late as the 1990s at any rate, it was
not essential for a footballer to be playing in the AFL in order to enjoy
a high profile in the game.
Tim Ginever spent the 2005 season assisting Port Magpies senior coach Jack Cahill, and in 2006 he was installed as senior coach in his own right. |
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Don Glass (South Fremantle & Subiaco)
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| Don Glass commenced his senior WANFL career with South Fremantle's supremely powerful early 1950s combination, but he found it extremely hard to break into the side, and after just 14 games he crossed to Northam. In 1956, Subiaco invited him to have a second stab at league football, and he hit his straps immediately, proving himself over the next seven seasons and 136 games to be one of the competition's most versatile performers. Capable not only of filling, but of thriving in, virtually any position on the field, he was arguably Subiaco's most important and effective player of the late 1950s. Many of his best games were played at full forward, and he topped his club's goal kicking ladder on three occasions, with his tally of 83 in 1957 also good enough to head the league list. Voted Subiaco's fairest and best player in 1957 when he played mostly at the goal front, he repeated the achievement two years later as an archetypal 'spare parts' player, sometimes filling three or four different roles in the same match. Somewhat surprisingly for a footballer once described in 'The WANFL Football Budget' as "phenomenal", Don Glass was never selected to represent his state. |
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Eric Glass (East Fremantle, Melbourne, Williamstown)
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| Originally from Goomaling, Eric 'Tarzan' Glass combined a ferocious determination to win the ball with a touch of elegance when using it that often seems to typify left footers. He had boundless energy and enthusiasm, and was the sort of player who could turn a match almost single-handedly. He made his senior league debut with East Fremantle in 1927 and his 55 games with the club both that year and from 1930 to 1932 included the winning grand finals of 1930 (2 goals from full forward) and 1931 (2 goals from half forward right). Between 1933 and 1938 he played 78 VFL games and kicked 135 goals for Melbourne, topping the club's list with 56 goals in 1936. His final port of call was Williamstown, where he played with distinction, mainly as a follower, until after World War Two. He was a member of the Seagulls' 1939 and 1945 premiership combinations, played a total of 82 VFA games and kicked 54 goals, and in 2003 was included in the 1st ruck in the club's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'.. |
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Brian Gleeson (St Kilda & Coorparoo)
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| Brian
Gleeson's football career took him from the heights of ecstasy to the
depths of despair within the space of a few short months. In 1957,
his fourth season in the VFL, he produced displays of consistent all round
brilliance throughout the year to end up as an emphatic winner of both the
Brownlow Medal and
the St Kilda club champion award.
He also played 4 outstanding games for the VFL that year.
In 1958, St Kilda appointed the twenty-three year old Gleeson club captain, but in a pre-season practice match he injured a knee and never played VFL football again. Had he been able to continue, it is at least arguable that he would have developed into one of the football's all time greats as he was one of those rare players who appeared to have all the skills of the game at his disposal. A superb aerialist, he began his career as a strong marking centre half forward before developing into a first rate ruckman whose ability to direct his hit-outs to his rovers was second to none. Where he outshone most opposition ruckmen, however, was in his extraordinary, rover-like ability on the ground; small wonder the umpires latched onto him with such unanimity in his Brownlow year. < |
