OTHER NATIONALITIES TEAM OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Half Back Line

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Right Half Back Flank - Robert Loveday (West Adelaide)

Londoner Bob Loveday emigrated to Australia with his family when he was 12.  Having played soccer in England, he was naturally disposed to continue his involvement in that sport when he arrived in Adelaide, but found the atmosphere at local soccer clubs not to his taste.  Instead, he turned to football, a decision he never had cause to regret.  "I loved the environment, I loved the people and I loved the game," he would recall at the end of his playing career (see footnote 1).

The young Loveday soon began to demonstrate considerable prowess at his chosen game.  Fearless and resolute, he also possessed considerable pace, while his all round skills would continue to improve noticeably for most of his 21 year football career.

Despite being a North Adelaide supporter, Loveday, aged 16, was persuaded by a friend to try out with West Adelaide.  In 1962 he fronted up for West's Thirds team, playing mainly as a ruckman, and the following season he captained the side before breaking through for his debut League appearance towards the end of the year.  Then, however, Loveday's career stalled, and he spent the greater part of the next 3 seasons playing at full forward for the Seconds.

Bob Loveday's big break came in 1967 when coach Don Roach decided to give him a run on the half back line.  Loveday thrived.  In 1968 he played in both of South Australia's interstate matches for the year on a half back flank and the following year he was continuing to perform splendidly in West Adelaide's best side since the beginning of the decade when disaster struck; midway through the season, Loveday broke a leg, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the year.  His absence during the finals arguably cost West dear.

Loveday eventually recovered from his injury and in 1971 he was appointed club skipper.  All told, he captained West for a club record 7 seasons, as well as being playing coach in 1972.

During the final phase of his career, Loveday demonstrated his versatility by playing many games on the ball, while in 1973 and 1974 he topped the club goal kicking from full forward.  In 1974 and 1975 he won the Trabilsie Medal as West Adelaide's best and fairest player.

Despite 'retiring' at the end of a 1977 season which had seen West bow out in the preliminary final, Loveday, desperate to play in a premiership side, resumed the following year, only to suffer immense disappointment as his side won just 5 games (and drew 1) for the year to plummet to 9th.  This time Loveday's illustrious 16 season, 263 game career really was over.

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Centre Half Back - Bruce Winter (Sturt & Norwood - vice-captain)

When Port Moresby-born Bruce Winter began to stake a claim for a senior place in 1971 legendary Sturt coach Jack Oatey said of him, "He's strong, a good overhead mark, he's quick, he kicks well with his right foot, and he is more than useful with the left" (see footnote 2).  In other words, he already possessed all of the main attributes necessary to succeed as a league footballer, and over the course of the next 16 seasons Winter would demonstrate these traits with commendable consistency in 351 games with 2 clubs.  As his career wore on, he would add intelligence and strong qualities of leadership to the melting pot, characteristics he would later display to good effect as a League coach.

Hardly the most spectacular or eye-catching of players, Winter was the personification of dependability and assurance - the sort of qualities which win premierships.  During his career, Bruce Winter played in 3 SANFL premiership sides: 1974 with Sturt, and 1982 and 1984 with Norwood.  Arguably his best performance in a grand final came in 1978, however, when he was a member of the Sturt team cruelly beaten at the death by a Norwood side determined to celebrate the club's centenary season in style (for a full, blow by blow summary of the game, go here). Winter was obviously impressed by what he saw, because he moved to Norwood the following year, playing the final 178 games of his career with the Redlegs, as well as twice being selected to represent South Australia.

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Left Half Back Flank - Thomas O'Halloran (Richmond)

Possessed of great courage, and one of the best marks in the VFL at the time, New Zealander O’Halloran, who made his League debut in 1925, suffered the misfortune of playing in 4 losing grand finals before finally participating in a premiership win in 1932. After playing in yet another losing grand final the following season he finished his League career in the best possible fashion with another flag in 1934. A versatile player, O’Halloran was equally at home leading the rucks or holding down a position on the Tiger forward lines. Not the prettiest player to watch and a poorer than average kick, O’Halloran more than compensated for these deficiencies with his formidable high marking and his resolute determination to win the ball. He was Richmond’s best and fairest player in 1925 at the outset of a 142 game, 120 goal career which also saw him represent the VFL ‘B’ team twice.

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Footnotes

1.  Quoted in Blood, Sweat and Tears by Merv Agars, page 73.  Return to Main Text

2.  Quoted in True Blue by John Lysikatos, page 222.  Return to Main Text