Go straight to the biography of your choice by clicking on the appropriate link:
[Bob Page] [George Paget] [Roy Pain] [Ambrose Palmer] [Stuart Palmer] [Darrell Panizza] [Des Panizza] [Albert Pannam] [Charlie Pannam senior] [John Pannenburg] [Max Papley] [Tony Parentich] [Colin Parham] [Denis Parham] [Jim Park] [Greg Parke] [Max Parker] [Eric Parkes] [David Parkin] [John Parkinson] [Percy Parratt] [Bob Parsons] [Sydney Parsons senior] [Dick Parton] [Barry Pascoe] [Malcolm Pascoe] [Robert Pascoe] [Harold Pash] [Jeff Pash] [Norman Pash] [Ian Paton] [Stanley Patten] [Mike Patterson] [Keith Pattinson] [Burnet 'Burnie' Payne] [Charlie Payne] [William Payne] [John Paynter] [Travis Payze] [Brian Peake] [Charles Pearson] [Neil Pearson] [John Peck] [Stanley Penberthy] [Paul Peos] [Harold Perkins] [Val Perovic] [Ernie Perrett] [Bob Perry] [Charles Perry] [Michael Perry] [Ray Perry] [Gary Pert] [Victor Peters] [Noel Pettingill] [Gordon Phelan] [Peter Phillipou] [Brenton Phillips] [Bruce Phillips] [Fred 'Flops' Phillips] [Greg Phillips] [John Phillips] [Ron Phillips] [Dennis 'Fred' Phillis] [Wayne Phillis] [Bob Philp] [Clive Philp] [Peter Phipps] [Peter Pianto] [Martin Pike] [Glen Pill] [Jack Pimm] [Doug Pittard] [John Pitura] [John Platten] ['Mick' Pleass] [Bryan Ploenges] [Bill Plunkett] [Rod Podbury] [J. 'Snob' Polglaise] [Tony Polinelli] [Max Pontifex] [Ted Pool] [Reg Poole] [Allan Poore] [Horrie Pope] [Rodney Pope] [Roy Porter] [Jeff Potter] [Ted Potter] [Barry Potts] [William 'Tiger' Potts] [Joe Poulter] [Mike Poulter] [Ray Poulter] [Dennis Powell] [Bill Power] [Stephen Power] [Bob Pratt] [Alan Preen] [Barry Price] [Wally Price] [Matthew Primus] [George Prince] [Joe Prince] [Fred Pringle] [Don Prior] [Darrin Pritchard] [Kevin Pritchard] [Allen Prosser] [William Proudfoot] [Ross Prunster] [Fred Puddey] [Andrew Purser] [Charlie Pyatt] [Len 'Apples' Pye] [Don Pyke] [Frank Pyke] [Ricky Quade] [John Quarrell] [Alan Quartermaine] [Bernie Quinlan] [Bob Quinn] [Jack Quinn] [Tom Quinn] [Bryan Quirk]
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| A tough, bullocking ruck-rover who was deceptively pacy, and a fine kick, Perth's Bob Page made a crucial contribution to the club's dominance of the WANFL during the mid to late 1960s. Page it was who did much of the hard work clearing space for the likes of Cable, Dalton, Brehaut and Jenzen to show off their skills. He made his league debut in 1965, and played a total of 132 games over seven seasons. He was a key member of Perth's 1966 and 1967 premiership teams, but missed the winning grand final of 1968 after sustaining an injury during the pre-match warm-up. He later played in the losing grand final of 1970 against South Fremantle. Bob Page represented Western Australia 8 times, including 2 of the state's 4 games at the 1966 Hobart carnival. Perth's 1966-7-8 premiership coach Mal Atwell felt that Page was unfortunate not to be selected in the club's official 'Team of the Century'. |
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George Paget (South Melbourne, Wynnum, Brisbane) by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| A
half back flanker cum rover who was fast, skilful and elusive and renowned
for his work ethic, George Paget commenced his career in Queensland in the
first game of the twentieth century, at the Botanical Gardens on 18 June
1904. He started his career at South
Melbourne before playing senior representative football in Adelaide
and Broken Hill. After a golden era in the 1880s in which there were
over 300 clubs in Queensland the sport faded, only to resurface with Paget
as a star player prior to World War One. He was part of the
successful Wynnum Gordon’s 1909 premiership, and also spent time at the
Brisbane and Ipswich clubs. Paget was a member of Queensland’s first
interstate team of the new era in 1904, and went on to play for the state
every season through until 1912, except 1911 as there were no interstate
games that year. He was vice-captain of
Queensland from 1905-09, and captained the state in 1910. In 1912,
he was part of a Brisbane representative team that played a series of
matches against Central Queensland and Mount Morgan. He received a
gold medal as best player of this series and his stellar play had Central
Queensland rugby enthusiasts lamenting … “We regretted George was not
a member of the rugby union – his pace, dash and judgement would earn
him a place in any rugby team in Queensland.”
George Paget was born on the Port Louis Island of Mauritius in 1871. His father was English, and his mother French Mauritian. His move to Queensland was precipitated by his employment as a drover. He drove cattle from South Australia up the Birdsville track to places such as Thargomindah, Windorah, Bedourie and Victoria River Downs. When at home he played for various Queensland clubs. He ultimately settled in Queensland, and started farming on the gold coast. |
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| An energetic and tenacious half forward flanker, Roy Pain often came to the fore when the going was at its most strenuous. His effectiveness was sometimes undermined by erratic kicking, but when on song he could be a highly damaging player. When West Torrens broke through for an inaugural league premiership with an 8 point challenge final victory over Sturt in 1924 (match briefly reviewed here), Roy Pain was among the victors' most noteworthy contributors. Although his career at the top level was only brief, he did achieve interstate selection for South Australia on one occasion. |
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| Best known as a boxer, in which he won Australian titles in three weight divisions, Ambrose Palmer was nevertheless a serviceable footballer as well, who would almost certainly have played more than the 83 VFL games he managed between 1933 and 1943 had his pugilistic commitments not frequently intervened. A tough, courageous rover, Palmer was not surprisingly often the target for 'special treatment' on the part of opponents, but he never rose to the bait. Richmond legend Jack Dyer described Palmer as one of Footscray's most dedicated players. |
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Stuart Palmer (South Adelaide)
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| South
Adelaide's games record
holder with 337 appearances, Stuart Palmer was rarely in the headlines,
but often in the best player lists, during his seventeen season stint with the
under-achieving Panthers.
Born in the northern English town of Nelson, Palmer moved with his family to Australia when aged 5, and made his South Adelaide debut in April 1969, shortly before his 18th birthday, when he came off the bench in the 2nd term to register a goal with his first kick in League football. The fact that South's opponents that day were Port Adelaide, and the venue Alberton, made the achievement even more meritorious, and when Palmer booted 4 goals from centre half forward the following week he was immediately hailed as a star in the making. At season's end, he won a media award for the best first year player in the SANFL. "I would have preferred to make an honest start and build a reputation," he later confided (see footnote 1), recalling how his career subsequently stalled for a few years before, under the astute coaching of Haydn Bunton junior, Palmer, along with South Adelaide, re-emerged as a force during the second half of the 1970s. Under Bunton, the 193cm, 85.5kg Palmer demonstrated his versatility, playing in a number of positions, including full back in the 1979 grand final, one of only two premiership play offs contested by the Panthers since the 2nd World War. A spectacular high mark and excellent reader of the play, Palmer was a regular member of South Australian interstate training squads during the late 1970s and early '80s, but made just 1 appearance, against Queensland in 1980. He was South Adelaide's skipper for three seasons, from 1982 to 1984. |
Footnotes1. 'SANFL Football Budget', volume 54, number 30, 29/9/79, page 11. Return to Main Text |
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Darrell Panizza (Claremont & Woodville)
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| Darrell Panizza was a fine servant of the Claremont Football Club in a club record 274 league games between 1979 and 1986 and from 1990 to 1995. He spent the 1987-8-9 seasons with SANFL club Woodville, for whom he played 74 senior games. Originally from Albany Royals, he played as a wingman for much of his career before converting into a fine, rebound defender. A triple fairest and best award winner with the Tigers, Panizza also represented the Western Australia with distinction 6 times. He was a member of Claremont’s grand final winning teams of 1981, 1991 and 1993, and coached the Tigers to their most recent flag in 1996. He later returned home to Albany to coach his original club, Royals. |
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| Ruckman Des Panizza played 145 senior games and kicked 100 goals for South Adelaide between 1950 and 1956 and from 1960 to 1962. He won the club's best and fairest award in 1960 and topped the club's goal kicking list the same year. He also represented South Australia 7 times, kicking 2 goals. According to the late Jeff Pash he was "perhaps the cleverest player of them all - that is to say clever with the biggest range of movements" (see footnote 1). Shorter than most opposition ruckman, he nevertheless won more than his share of hit-outs thanks to his unstinting aggressive energy and prodigious leaping ability. |
Footnotes1. The Pash Papers by Jeff Pash, page 171. Return to Main Text |
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Albert Pannam (Collingwood, Richmond, Oakleigh)
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| One
of the finest rovers of his generation, Alby Pannam was a product of
Abbotsford, one of Collingwood's most
fruitful recruiting grounds. He made his VFL debut with the Magpies
in 1933, and had played 181 senior games and booted 453 goals for the club
by the time he finished in 1945. Particularly renowned for his
adeptness near goal, he topped Collingwood's goal kicking list on three
occasions, and his best afield performance in the winning grand final of
1936 against South Melbourne was capped
with 5 of his team's 11 goals. Pannam also played in the premiership
win of 1935 against the same opposition, and in the losing grand finals of
1937 and 1938. Extremely small and light at 168cm and 63.5 kg, he
dodged and weaved brilliantly, but at the same time was not shy of 'mixing
it' whenever the need arose. Sometimes accused of his selfishness,
his value to the 'Woods was nevertheless considerable as he was always in
the thick of the action, and if he sometimes attempted to do too much this
was counterbalanced by his consistent effectiveness in negating the impact
of his direct opponent. A VFL interstate representative in both 1941
and 1945, Pannam won a Copeland Trophy as club best and fairest in 1942,
and served as skipper of the side in his final league season. In
1946 he crossed to Richmond as captain-coach of
the reserves, but he made a brief, 2 game senior comeback in 1947.
Between 1959 and 1963 he served as non-playing coach of Oakleigh
in the VFA, steering the side to its fifth senior flag in 1960.
Alby Pannam was the son of Charles Pannam senior, and the brother of Charles Pannam junior, both of whom also played league football for Collingwood. |
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Charlie Pannam senior (Collingwood, Richmond, Preston)
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| Charlie
Pannam senior was one of the chief architects of Collingwood's
famed short game - known as 'the system' - which was honed on a club trip
to Tasmania in 1902, and which centred on a newly invented kick, the stab
pass. Pannam was a master of this kick, but his pace, skill and
general nouse gave him plenty of other strings to his bow. He played
mainly as a wingman, but was also dangerous near goal, and in 1905 he
topped the VFL goal kicking list with 38 goals.
Pannam commenced his career with the Woods during the club's time in the VFA, and was heavily instrumental in the 6.9 to 5.10 premiership play-off victory of 1896 against South Melbourne (reviewed here). In 1907, Pannam joined VFA side Richmond, and helped that club gain admission to the league the following year. However, in 1909 he was passed over for the coaching job, and left in disgust. Pannam spent the 1909 season as captain-coach of VFA under-achievers Preston, before eventually returning to Richmond as non-playing coach in 1912. Charlie Pannam senior's sons, Charlie junior and Alby, both represented Collingwood with distinction between the wars (and, in Alby's case, also during World War Two), and the dynasty continued into a third generation with grand sons Ron and Lou Richards. |
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John Pannenburg (West Adelaide)
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| Dutch-born John Pannenburg was a solidly built 183cm, 85.5kg on-baller who gave West Adelaide good service in 107 league games between 1966 and 1974, booting 177 goals in the process. Strong overhead, and tough in the clinches, he was sometimes let down by poor disposal early in his career but this improved the longer he played. Pannenburg, who originally joined West from Mount Gambier, represented South Australia at the 1969 Adelaide carnival. |
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Max Papley (Moorabbin, South Melbourne, Williamstown)
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| Max
Papley's ostensibly lethargic approach masked a prodigious football
talent. Much of his best football was played during a 98 game stint
with Moorabbin which culminated in a 19.16
(130) to 9.12 (66) grand final trouncing of Sandringham.
Papley skippered the victors and was best afield with a 6 goal performance
from centre half forward. The following year he crossed to VFL club South
Melbourne where, playing mainly on the half forward line or across
centre, he enjoyed an auspicious but fleeting 59 game league career.
He also booted 66 goals, represented the VFL, and won South's 1966 best
and fairest award, but in 1968 he decided to return to the VFA as
captain-coach of 2nd division Williamstown.
Under Papley's command the Seagulls made the 1968 2nd division grand
final, but lost a high scoring thriller to Geelong
West by 2 goals. The following season, however, with Papley 'on
fire' as a ruck-rover, Williamstown made amends with a 15.14 (104) to
12.12 (84) grand final defeat of Sunshine.
The club's good form continued in 1970 in 1st division, and it ended the
year as the first ever club to reach the grand final the season after
securing promotion. The Seagulls were confident, having got to
within a goal of grand final opponent Prahran in
the 2nd semi final, but when the chips were down it was the Two Blues who
rose to the occasion, ultimately pulling away to win by a deceptively
comfortable margin of 50 points.
Max Papley's significance in the history of the Williamstown Football Club was emphasised in May 2003 when he was selected as centreman in the Seagulls' official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
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Tony Parentich (South Fremantle)
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| Tony
Parentich made his debut for South
Fremantle in 1952 and at the end of the season was one of the best
players afield as South came from 5 goals down at half time to beat West
Perth 12.19 (91) to 10.10 (70) in the WANFL grand final. Twelve
months later, against the same opponent, Parentich's display was equally
auspicious in a somewhat more convincing 59 point win. Earlier that
same season, at the Adelaide carnival,
he had made the first of an eventual half a dozen interstate appearances
for Western Australia, the last two of which came at the
Melbourne centenary carnival five years later.
Pacy, purposeful and abundantly skilled, Parentich was beyond question one of the finest centremen to play league football during the 1950s. Besides the aforementioned 1953 and 1954 premiership teams, he played in the 78 point grand final annihilation of arch rivals East Fremantle, and in the losing grand final of 1956 against East Perth when he was again one of South's best. In addition to centre, Parentich was an equally fine wingman or half forward flanker. Winner of his club's fairest and best trophy in 1957, he had played a total of 162 official senior games by the time he retired in 1959. He had also played a fair number of 'unofficial' senior games for South, mainly against teams from interstate. In one such game, against a South Australian number 2 state side on the Adelaide Oval in 1954, Parentich's flawless display in the centre was the main difference between the teams, with South proving their status as arguably the finest club team in Australia at the time by winning by 7 points. |
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| Whilst probably not quite in the very top bracket among Port Adelaide footballers of the Fos Williams era, Colin Parham was nevertheless a highly accomplished player who was capable of bursts of genuine, eye-catching brilliance. Playing mainly on a half back flank, he combined ultra reliability with an adventurous spirit that often saw him embark on prolonged, surging runs downfield. Parham was a member of two Magpie grand final-winning teams - against North Adelaide in 1951, and against West Adelaide three years later - and was named high in the best player lists after both games. He played a total of 115 SANFL games between 1948 and 1957, and was perhaps a touch unfortunate not to achieve state selection. |
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| Denis Parham was a hard working, energetic footballer who gave South Adelaide sound service in 149 league games between 1952 and 1961. He booted 68 goals. Two years after his retirement as a player he shared the South Adelaide coaching with Bill Sutherland, laying the foundations for the team that was to secure a premiership under Neil Kerley in 1964. |
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| Heftily built, Carlton defender Jim Park was nevertheless quick, surprisingly agile, and excellent in the air. He is probably best remembered for his dogged display in the 1938 VFL grand final when he restricted champion Collingwood forward Ron Todd to just 3 goals, thereby making a significant contribution to the Blues' eventual 15 point win. Park played a total of 128 senior games for Carlton between 1932 and 1940, and was a VFL interstate representative in 1938. He died in action during World War Two. |
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Greg Parke (Melbourne, Footscray, Norwood, Fitzroy)
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| Hailing from Bentleigh, Greg Parke joined Melbourne in 1968, and soon developed into a fine centre half forward. Especially renowned for his superlative high marking, he led the VFL in marks taken in 1970 with 238, which at the time was a record for that particular statistic since reliable records had begun in 1965, and would remain so until 1980, when narrowly overhauled by Gary Dempsey, who took 241. Parke topped Melbourne's goal kicking in 1972 with 62 goals, but began to struggle for consistency after that and was transferred to Footscray in 1974. He produced many fine performances for the Bulldogs and was a leading light in the club's 1974 finals campaign. Parke finished his career with a season at Norwood in 1976, followed by a season with Fitzroy. In all, he played a total of 189 league games, comprising 119 with Melbourne, 37 for Footscray, 18 at Norwood, and 15 for Fitzroy. |
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Max Parker (Footscray, Woodville, North Adelaide)
[Click to enlarge] The following profile appears on the excellent Legends Of SANFL website, and is reproduced here by kind permission of the site author and owner Peter McConnell. |
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Max Parker was one of the most inspirational players to pull on the Woodville guernsey. Originally
hailing from the Victorian country town of Parker's
size and mobility at centre half forward made him a handful for any
opponent. He eventually settled into a defensive role and it was
here that he was a stalwart for many years. He and Lindsay
Heaven held fast against rampaging attacks during the dark years of
the early 80s. Later in his career, he was a tireless ruckman. A
man of few words, and never one to mince them, he left Woodville after a
disagreement to join |
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Eric Parkes (Yarraville & North Melbourne)
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| Eric Parkes was a solid, imperturbable defender who, during the immediate post-war period, gave fine service to, first, Yarraville and later North Melbourne. During the VFL phase of his career he played a total of 74 senior games and kicked 3 goals between 1949 and 1955. |
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David Parkin (Hawthorn, Subiaco, Carlton, Fitzroy)
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| As
a footballer, Hawthorn's David Parkin
was a tough, no-nonsense, straight ahead back pocket player who, in many
ways, epitomised the approach of his coach, John
Kennedy, to the
game. Indeed, if Kennedy had a favoured disciple, it was Parkin, who
played a total of 211 VFL games for the Hawks between 1961 and 1974,
winning a best and fairest award in 1965. Between 1969 and 1973 he
captained the club, with his proudest moment coming when he led his side
to a 1971 grand final win over St Kilda,
putting in a near best afield performance to boot.
In 1975, David Parkin joined Subiaco as captain-coach, but endured an unsuccessful time, only managing to play 8 league games, and witnessing his charges finishing just one place off the bottom of the ladder. It must have been a useful education, however, for when he took over the coaching reins at Hawthorn a couple of years later he proved an immediate success, steering the Hawks to 3rd place in his debut season and a premiership the year after. Parkin's success at Hawthorn was perhaps attributable to a mixture of sameness and originality, for while he shared his predecessor Kennedy's passion for fitness and hard work, in terms of personality he was very different. Whereas Kennedy was very much the disciplinarian, whose word was law, Parkin adopted a much more modern, consensus based approach in which the views of players were always welcome. Ultimately, however, he may have been a little in advance of his time - either that, or he was still coming to grips with the formula - for Hawthorn struggled in 1979 and 1980 (10 wins each year) and when, at the end of the 1980 season, Parkin crossed to Carlton it was neither an entirely unexpected nor a particularly amicable divorce. Just by way of demonstrating that there was nothing wrong with his coaching methods, Parkin immediately took the Blues to back to back premierships, and he has since gone on to be prove himself one of the most highly respected and successful coaches in the game, winning a 4th senior flag in 1995, during his second stint with the Blues. Interspersed between his two spells at Carlton, Parkin spent the 1986-88 seasons at Fitzroy, where he further emphasised his credentials by getting the perennially underachieving Lions to a preliminary final in his debut year. Over the course of a twenty-three season, 518 game V/AFL coaching career that yielded a 59.3% success rate David Parkin's coaching style remained essentially the same, mirroring the disciplined, hard-working, industrious mentality that characterised David Parkin the player. Nowadays, meticulous preparation which incorporates detailed analyses of opposing teams' strengths and weaknesses is a taken for granted 'given' at every AFL club, but prior to Parkin things were typically handled much less assiduously; in a sense, he was the first V/AFL coach for whom the classroom became at least as important as the training track, and for that reason alone he is worthy of a prominent place in the annals of football history. |
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John Parkinson (Claremont & Collingwood)
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| Recruited
from a local junior competition, John 'Buzz' Parkinson made his league
debut with Claremont in 1963. A
slimly built, nimble rover, he was a prominent contributor to the
following year's 4 point grand final victory over East
Fremantle. His best season was 1967, when he tied with Bill
Walker of Swans for the Sandover
Medal, and was the winner of Claremont's fairest and best
trophy. He also topped the Tigers' goal kicking list for the first
of three times. Parkinson was particularly renowned for his goal kicking
prowess: he could snap goals from almost any angle, an ability honed under
the attentive tutelage of coach Jim
Conway, himself an acknowledged former master of the art.
In 1971, John Parkinson decided to try his luck with Collingwood, but a broken collarbone restricted him to just 3 senior VFL appearances. He returned to Claremont in 1972 and played two further seasons for a career total of 156 WANFL games. He also represented Western Australia 3 times, a total which would have been much higher had his career not coincided with those of such legendary rovers as Bill Walker and Barry Cable. |
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Percy Parratt (Fitzroy, Carlton, Geelong)
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| One
of Fitzroy's all time greats, Percy Parratt
was once memorably described as "the evocation of football
brains" (see footnote 1). He utilised those
brains to commendable effect as a player at the Maroons in 196 games over
14 seasons, and somewhat less effectively as a coach at three different
VFL clubs at various times between 1913 and 1935. Ironically, his
only actual success as a coach, at least in terms of premiership
procurement, came in the very first of those seasons as, in a desperately
fought challenge final, the Maroons just managed to hold off a fast
finishing St Kilda to edge home by 11
points. Playing on a half forward flank, Parratt was a conspicuous
motivational force, particularly during the frenetic dying minutes of the
game, and was listed high among Fitzroy's best players.
One of the most audaciously talented half forward specialists of his era, Parratt was notorious for playing wide of his opponent, and for using the ball impeccably. He played in another two premiership teams for Fitzroy during his career, kicking 3 goals against both Carlton and Collingwood in the grand finals of 1916 and 1922 respectively. He also played against Essendon in the losing grand final of 1923, his last game in a Maroon jumper. The following year saw him installed as coach of Carlton, but he lasted just one season after failing to inspire any improvement over the previous year's 7th place finish. Percy Parratt's last VFL appointment came eleven seasons later, and was similarly ineffective as he signally failed to get the best out of a talented Geelong combination which, with few changes in personnel, was to win a premiership just two seasons later. He may not have been a great coach, but he was certainly a committed and enthusiastic one, while as a player he was among the very finest of his era. He was also one of only a few Fitzroy players to play in three premiership teams. In 2002 he was selected on the interchange bench in the Lions' official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
Footnotes1. Un-sourced quote given in The Encyclopedia of League Footballers by Jim Main and Russell Holmesby, page 344. Return to Main Text |
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Bob Parsons (New Town/Glenorchy, Penguin, Clarence)
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| Known
as 'The mighty Atom' during his playing career, Bob Parsons gave
tremendous service to Tasmanian football as both a player and a coach for
the better part of three decades. He began with New
Town prior to World War Two before embarking on military service
abroad. After returning home in 1945 he joined forces with Jack
Rough and Bill Fox to provide New Town with one of the greatest ruck
combinations seen in Tasmanian football.
A member of premiership sides in 1948-9, Parsons played a total of 95 TANFL games with New Town. He later played with Clarence (6 games) and Penguin (70 games). A regular interstate and representative player, arguably the greatest achievement in Bob Parsons' career came when he topped the goal kicking at the 1950 Brisbane carnival. With 14 goals in 4 games, Parsons finished 2 ahead of Bill Hutchison of the VFL, while renowned full forward John Coleman could manage only 9 goals for the series. Had an All Australian team been selected after the championships there seems little doubt that Parsons would have been included. Parsons also represented Tasmania at the Adelaide carnival three years later, and it was there, in recognition of his alacrity, courage and verve, that the nickname of 'The Mighty Atom' was first conferred upon him. After his retirement as a player, Bob Parsons was a successful coach, with his greatest accomplishment coming in 1965 when he steered Glenorchy (see footnote 1) to both the TANFL and state premierships. He is a member of Penguin's official 'Team of the Century', but not, perhaps surprisingly, Glenorchy's. |
Footnotes1. New Town became Glenorchy in 1957. Return to Main Text |
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Sydney Parsons senior (Perth & East Fremantle)
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| Sydney Parsons senior was a talented centreman who began his senior career at Perth, where he played 15 WAFA games in 1904. He then moved to East Fremantle where he added 91 games from 1905 to 1912, as well as in 1915 and 1918. He was in the centre when Old Easts lost to Perth in the 1907 grand final, and again in 1908 and 1909 when the tables were turned. In 1910 he played for a representative WAFL combination against a visiting Port Adelaide team. His son, Sydney Parsons junior, played 24 league games for East Fremantle between 1924 and 1927. |
| A
classical centre half forward of the 'old school', Windsor's
Dick Parton was a superb aerialist and tremendous drop kick who acted as
the fulcrum of his entire team's forward line. In a war interrupted
career he was a member of no fewer than eight Windsor premiership teams and
was a virtual ever present in Queensland interstate teams between 1937 and
1952. On one famous occasion he booted 9 goals in an interstate
match against arch rivals New South Wales.
As Parton's career went on he simply got better, as evidenced by his 1949 Grogan Medal win. As a youngster he preferred rugby league, but that code's loss was football's gain, and it is doubtful if Queensland football has ever witnessed a more imposing on field presence. |
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Barry Pascoe (North Adelaide, North Melbourne, St Kilda)
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| Smaller than brother
Bob, Barry Pascoe
was a brilliant ruck-rover who could win kicks at will. After just
25 games for North Adelaide he
sought to follow his brother to VFL side North
Melbourne in 1966. The Roosters, not surprisingly, were
reluctant to release him after such scant service, but after standing out
of the game for twelve months he finally won a clearance.
Pascoe spent just a single season with the Kangaroos. At the end of the 1967 season his brother Bob was sacked following a pay dispute and transferred to St Kilda. Once again, Barry followed hard on his brother's heels, and in three seasons with the Saints he began to emerge as a genuinely formidable talent. Tragically, however, his career came to a peremptory conclusion after just 81 senior games (25 SANFL, 56 VFL) when he suffered a serious knee injury. |
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Malcolm Pascoe (Essendon & Hobart)
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| Still a few weeks short of his sixteenth birthday, Mal Pascoe joined Essendon from Essendon Bombers in 1949, and spent the next four seasons working his way through the club's junior ranks. In 1952 he starred in the Dons' 7.14 (56) to 4.5 (29) seconds grand final win over Collingwood. Strong overhead, and a prodigious drop kick, he played a total of 94 VFL games between 1953 and 1958, including the losing grand final of 1957 against Melbourne when he shared the ruck-roving duties with Hugh Mitchell. In 1959 he accepted the post of captain-coach of TANFL side Hobart, where he enjoyed a dream debut season that saw him represent the state, win the William Leitch Medal for best and fairest in the competition, top the league's goal kicking list with 75 goals, and steer his side to a 9.14 (68) to 2.9 (27) grand final defeat of New Norfolk. Shortly after the grand final he steered Hobart to its first and only state championship title courtesy of a 14.11 (95) to 9.14 (68) victory over Burnie. He led the Tigers to a second successive TANFL flag in 1960, and also topped the league's goal kicking list again, this time with 57 majors. A third local premiership followed three years later, and Pascoe stayed at the helm until the end of the 1965 season, making him Hobart's longest serving senior coach up to that point. He continued as a player under his successor John Watts, and his final tally of 177 TANFL games included a starring role in the Tigers' heart-stopping 10.14 (74) to 11.7 (73) grand final defeat of Glenorchy in 1966. In 1978 he returned to Hobart as non-playing coach and was in charge for two seasons. The importance of Mal Pascoe's contribution to Hobart was later recognised with his inclusion, as first ruckman, in the club's official 'Greatest Team 1947 to 2002'. |
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Robert Pascoe (North Adelaide, North Melbourne, St Kilda, Burnie)
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| Hefty, robust and imposing, Bob Pascoe
began his league career at North
Adelaide, and his 97 senior games for the club between 1959 and 1963
included membership of its winning grand final team
against Norwood in 1960. In 1962 he
was selected to represent South Australia, but was forced to miss out
after incurring a suspension.
Pascoe's best football was played during his time at North Melbourne between 1964 and 1967. During the early part of the 1966 season he was widely acknowledged as the 'form' big man in the VFL, and selection in the Big V carnival squad for Hobart followed. Just as four years earlier in his home state, however, Pascoe ended up missing out, this time after suffering a broken leg. When Pascoe returned to football in 1967 he quickly rediscovered his best form, ultimately running third in North's best and fairest voting. With brother Barry, newly arrived from North Adelaide, he gave the 'Roos a solid first ruck combination. However, at season's end he ran foul of the club's authorities and was sacked. The following year found both Pascoe brothers at St Kilda, with Bob overcoming a controversial start - he was suspended by the club for twelve weeks during his debut season - to give commendable service in 31 games over three years. The final phase of Bob Pascoe's career took place in Tasmania where he captain-coached NWFU side Burnie between 1971 and 1973. During that time he played a total of 44 club games, besides representing the NWFU every year, and captaining Tasmania against the VFL in Hobart in 1973. |
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| Harold Pash was an important contributor to North Adelaide's first ever 'glory era'. Playing initially mainly as a wingman, and later as a rover, he was quick, intelligent, and always picked up plenty of kicks. He appeared alongside his brother Norman in the club's 1900 and 1905 premiership teams, as well as in the losing grand final of 1906. Harold Pash was the uncle of North's 1939 Magarey Medallist, Jeff Pash. |
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[Click to enlarge] |
| Jeff Pash came from a football, and more
particularly a North Adelaide,
background, as both of his uncles, Norman and
Harold, played with
distinction for the club for over a decade, with Norman also representing South
Australia. After playing amateur football for a couple of
years, Jeff Pash followed in his uncles' footsteps by lining up with the
red and whites against Port Adelaide at
Alberton in the opening league match of the 1938 season. It was not
a winning start, as the Magpies edged home by 17 points, but the
twenty-two year old Pash served notice that he was destined for an
illustrious league career with a performance full of guile, vim and
adroitness. He went on to win North's best and fairest award that
year, a success he repeated after an even more auspicious 1939 season
which also saw him land South Australian football's most celebrated
individual award, the Magarey
Medal. Pash actually tied for the award in the first instance
with West Adelaide's Ray McArthur,
whereupon the SANFL conducted a poll among all of the field umpires who
had officiated in at least one match involving each player as a means of
determining the winner. That winner was Pash, but almost sixty years
later the SANFL awarded retrospective Magarey Medals to all players who
had originally lost either on a countback or by means of a vote of some
kind,
including McArthur.
Jeff Pash's league career was interrupted from 1941 to 1943 when he had to move to Port Augusta because of teaching commitments, but in 1944 he resumed with the Norwood-North Adelaide combined team that won that year's flag. The resumption of full-scale league football the following year saw Pash, playing mainly across half forward or on a wing, continuing where he had left off five years earlier, albeit in a team that tended to struggle. In 1948 it seemed his career was as good as over as, aged thirty-two, his form deteriorated and he was dropped to North's Association team (effectively its reserves). However, following the appointment of former team mate Ken Farmer as coach in 1949 Pash was given another chance, on which he seized with great tenacity and eagerness. In what proved to be a dream finale to his career, he played his best and most consistent football since his Magarey Medal win to help the club to its first flag for almost two decades. In the grand final against West Torrens he was moved from a half forward flank into the centre when the game still hung in the balance and provided a match-winning lift to his team that enabled it to pull away to win by a deceptively comfortable margin of 23 points. Jeff Pash, in his final game of league football, was most observers' choice as the best player afield, although in those days there was no Jack Oatey Medal with which to reward him. Once his football career - which included 4 interstate appearances for South Australia - was over Pash continued to provide sterling service to the sport he loved as a football writer for 'The News'. From 1950 to 1964 his eloquent and informed commentaries on the game delighted football supporters of all persuasions, and the summary of his writings that was recently published as The Pash Papers arguably constitutes the most important and certainly one of the most vividly evocative appraisals of the game in South Australia during that particular era. |
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| Speedy, clever and resourceful, Norman Pash was a key member of the North Adelaide teams which dominated South Australian football during the early years of the twentieth century. Most of his football was played as a wingman, but he was quite versatile, and was sometimes used in the forward lines to good effect. When North won their first ever premiership with a 4.3 (27) to 1.8 (14) grand final defeat of South Adelaide in 1900, Pash lined up at full forward. Two years later he was in his more accustomed position on a wing as the red and whites secured their second flag with another grand final victory over South, this time somewhat more comfortably, 9.14 (68) to 4.7 (31). In 1905, Pash was on a wing in North's third premiership-winning side, too, with Port Adelaide providing the opposition on that occasion. After an evenly fought opening term, North pulled away to win easily, 6.8 (44) to 1.6 (14), with Norm Pash capping off an excellent season with a typically energetic and damaging performance on right centre wing. During an era when South Australia's interstate opposition was most commonly provided by the VFA, Pash represented his state 4 times. His death in 1952 cast something of a shadow over an otherwise extremely memorable year for North Adelaide, which took out that season's premiership against Norwood by what, at the time, was a grand final record margin of 108 points. |
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Ian Paton (Hawthorn & South Launceston)
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| Hard working, resolute, and the consummate team player, ruckman Ian Paton gave Hawthorn ten years of reliable service which included involvement in two winning grand finals. He joined the Hawks from Scotch College in Tasmania and made his VFL debut in the premiership year of 1976. Paton was not selected for that season's grand final, but two years later he was a member of the team which downed North Melbourne in the premiership decider by 3 goals. After Don Scott retired at the end of the 1981 season, Paton assumed principal ruck duties for the team, and he was first ruckman when the Hawks annihilated Essendon by 83 points in the 1983 grand final. He also played in the losing grand fin al the next year against the same opposition. The last of Ian Paton's 155 VFL games came in 1985. He spent the 1986 season captaining Hawthorn's reserves, and in 1987 returned home to Tasmania where he was appointed captain-coach of South Launceston, which was about to commence its second season in the recently formed TFL Statewide competition. The Bulldogs were not particularly successful under Paton's coaching, but from the personal point of view his playing form was consistently superb, leading to club best and fairest trophies in 1987, 1988 and 1990. |
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| Stan Patten joined West Torrens from the Cornwall Football Club in 1913 and was a prominent league ruckman on either side of World War One. He also played for Torrens in the patriotic competition which ran between 1916 and 1918 when the SAFL went into recess owing to the war. In 1918 he captain-coached the side to a patriotic league premiership courtesy of a grand final win over West Adelaide. When full scale league football resumed in 1919 Patten continued as club captain under the coaching of his former pre-war team mate Bert Filsell, and the pair spent three seasons working together to lay the foundations of Torrens' first ever senior premiership in 1924. Always a commanding and assured on-field presence, Stan Patten was chosen to represent South Australia at the 1914 Sydney carnival, when it seems probable that he played in all 5 of the state's matches. (Unfortunately, however, this cannot be definitively proved as team sheets for the series are no longer extant.) |
|
Michael Patterson (Richmond, North Adelaide, St Kilda, Frankston)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Memorably
dubbed 'Swamp Fox' by Lou Richards, apparently because "he reckoned
that when I was in a pack there'd always be a couple of bodies strewn
beneath me" (see footnote 1), Mike Patterson was a
doggedly resolute ruckman who played 152 VFL games for Richmond
between 1959 and 1969. His finest two hours in a black and yellow
jumper came when he deputised to telling effect for suspended team mate
Neville Crow in the 1967 grand final against Geelong.
Opposed by legendary ruckman 'Polly'
Farmer, Patterson performed
heroically to stymie the 'Big Cat's' impact, and make a sterling
contribution to his team's 9 point victory.
In 1970, Patterson crossed to North Adelaide as captain-coach, and over the next couple of seasons he gradually introduced a heightened level of toughness to the Roosters' game, transforming them from flamboyantly talented but ultimately vulnerable flag contenders to back to back premiers in 1971-2. A VFL side in all but name, North also famously secured the Australian club championship under Patterson's guidance with a stirring 1 point win over Carlton in 1972 (reviewed here). After steering North Adelaide to a 7 point grand final loss against Glenelg in 1973 (click here for details), Patterson retired as a player, but stayed on as non-playing coach of the club for another two years. He was considerably less effective in this capacity, however, both at North, and later in the VFL with St Kilda (1978-80), in the VFA with Frankston (1981-3), and back in the VFL with Richmond (1984). In 2001, shortly before his premature death, Mike Patterson, the first Victorian to steer an SANFL club to a premiership, was selected as coach of North Adelaide's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
Footnotes1. Patterson quoted in North Adelaide's Greatest by the North Adelaide Football Club History Committee, page 61. Return to Main Text |
|
Keith Pattinson (Glenelg & Nightcliff)
[Click to enlarge] |
| After making his way through the grades at Glenelg, Keith Pattinson made his senior debut in 1965, but struggled for several years to maintain a regular place in the team. In 1969 he hit a purple patch to coincide with the Bays mounting their first realistic bid for premiership honours for almost two decades. A chunky, energetic rover, he picked up plenty of possessions, and usually used the ball intelligently. He made his only state appearance for South Australia at the 1969 Adelaide carnival when he was picked as first rover against Tasmania. Unfortunately, after the carnival his form dipped slightly, as did Glenelg's, and although the team ended up making the grand final, it lost heavily to Sturt. Over the last two years of his league career, Pattinson's form was cruelly undermined by injury, and he was never quite the same player again as he had been during the first half of the 1969 season. When he left Glenelg in 1971 he had played a total of 91 SANFL games, and kicked 109 goals. Included in those games was the losing grand final of 1970, once again against Sturt. Pattinson went on to play senior football for Nightcliff in the NTFL, captaining the side in 1972-3, and producing a fine display in the losing 1973-4 grand final against Waratahs. |
|
Burnet 'Burnie' Payne (Hobart & St Kilda)
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| Burnet
Thomas Payne - invariably referred to as 'Burnie' - was without doubt one
of the all time greats of the Hobart Football Club,
and indeed of Tasmanian football in general. He made his league
debut for the Tigers as a sixteen year old in 1956, and when he finally
retired in 1973 he had played a total of 253 league games, including 15 in
the VFL. His time at Hobart saw him participate in winning grand
finals in 1959, 1960, 1963 and 1966, win William
Leitch Medals in 1965 and 1966, and represent Tasmania on a club
record (held jointly with Trevor
Leo) 16 occasions, including games at the 1966
and 1969 carnivals.
The fact that he won only one club best and fairest award during his
career seems, on the face of it, rather surprising, but is really just an
indication of the abundance of talent present at Hobart during the 1950s,
'60s and '70s.
Clever, elusive and with pace to burn, there were few more eye-catching rovers than 'Burnie' Payne when he was on song. Many of his best performances came when the stakes were at their highest, such as his best afield displays in the 1963 and 1966 grand finals. (The above photograph, which shows Payne at the far left, was taken during the latter match.) In 1964 he transferred to the 'big time' with St Kilda and enjoyed a fine season, playing 15 VFL games and kicking 27 goals as well as earning frequent mention in dispatches. However, he was forced by family reasons to return home to Tasmania in 1965, thereby depriving the Saints of a potential star, whilst simultaneously giving Tasmanian football fans the rare opportunity of seeing one of the finest footballers in the country playing out his career in their own backyard. Once his TANFL career was over, 'Burnie' Payne spent three seasons as coach of Kingston, which at the time was a member of the Huon Football Association. His status as one of the greatest ever players in the history of the Hobart Football Club was emphasised just after the turn of the century with his inclusion as first rover in the Tigers' official 'Greatest Team 1947 to 2002'. |
|
Charlie Payne (Essendon & North Adelaide)
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| Originally
from Hampden Football League club Terang, Essendon's Charlie Payne
made his Essendon debut in 1962 as a seventeen year old. Initially
playing mainly on the forward lines, he topped the Bombers' goal kicking
list in his debut season with 39 goals, a feat he repeated the following
year (with 36). For the majority of his 184 game, 128 goal VFL
career, however, he played as either a follower or a defender, roles to
which his mobility, verve and toughness rendered him eminently suitable.
In 1962, when Essendon overcame Carlton by 32 points in the grand final, Payne contributed a couple of goals from full forward. Three years later, when St Kilda provided the Dons' victims, he played a sound game in a back pocket. He also played in two losing grand finals, one with the Bombers, and one with North Adelaide. Charlie Payne joined the reigning Australian champions North Adelaide in 1973 and, in what proved to be his final league season, added a further 18 senior games to give him a career total in excess of 200. |
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| William Payne gave great service to Carlton over 127 VFL games between 1904 and 1912, but ended up resigning prematurely from the club after alleging he had been treated unfairly. He spent the 1913 season playing in the country for Ararat. A pacy, strong marking, long kicking half back for most of his career, Payne was among the best players afield when the Blues thrashed Fitzroy by 49 points in the 1906 VFL grand final. He was also a member of the 1907-8 premiership teams, as well as the losing grand final teams of 1909-10. Quite what the ill treatment was that precipitated his departure from Carlton is unclear, but the fact that the Blues slumped from 3rd place, after a strong premiership challenge, in 1912 to a distant 6th the following year suggests that they, and not William Payne, were the major losers in the affair. |
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John Paynter (Glenelg & Sturt)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Playing mainly as a ruck-rover, John Paynter was always a tidy, even elegant footballer, who improved and became more influential as his long career went on. He joined Glenelg from Brighton High School and, after making his league debut in 1980, went on to become a regular in the side for three years. During that time he played 70 SANFL games, including the losing grand finals of 1981 and 1982, and kicked 82 goals. In 1983 he crossed to Sturt and was a key member of the team for the next ten years, playing 246 games and kicking 249 goals, winning three club best and fairest awards, and serving as captain in his last two seasons. He also represented the state on 6 occasions, and was undoubtedly one of the finest South Australian footballers of his generation not to cross to the VFL. |
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Travis Payze (St Kilda & Dandenong)
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| St Kilda's Travis 'Bongo' Payze made his VFL debut in 1966 as a full forward, but he struggled to make the grade, mainly because of his wayward kicking for goal. Only after he was converted to a ruck-rover in 1970 did he begin to hit his straps, and indeed for several years he was one of the finest on-ballers in the competition. Renowned for the ease with which he garnered possessions, Payze played for the victorious VFL team at the 1972 Perth carnival, and was rewarded for a series of excellent performances with All Australian selection. In 1975, after 127 games and 73 goals for St Kilda, he joined Dandenong as captain-coach, leading his new side to consecutive losing 1st Division grand finals. He later undertook a variety of administrative roles back at St Kilda, including president. |
|
Brian Peake (East Fremantle, Geelong, Perth)
|
| Brian
Peake made his East Fremantle debut on
29 April 1972 against Perth, and immediately
caught the eye as much for his mature temperament and toughness as for his
undoubted football ability.
Peake truly began to blossom as a player in 1973 when he made his interstate debut, and in the following season's winning grand final he was many observers' choice as best afield, although the Simpson Medal was split between team mate Gibellini and Pretty of Perth. Quick, tough, aggressive, and displaying tremendous endurance, Brian Peake was a dominant force for East Fremantle throughout the 1970s, winning the club's fairest and best award an incredible 5 times in succession between 1976 and 1980, as well as a Sandover Medal in 1977. He was a prominent contributor to the club's 1979 grand final defeat of arch rivals South Fremantle, and his performances for Western Australia were also of the highest order. In one game against Victoria in 1978 he had 23 kicks compared to 2 by his illustrious opponent, dual Brownlow Medallist Keith Greig. At the 1979 state of origin carnival in Perth Peake skippered the Western Australians to victory and was rewarded with a Tassie Medal and captaincy of the All Australian team. He was also named an All Australian after the 1980 Adelaide carnival. Persuaded by these achievements that Peake was the finest footballer in the land Geelong officials enticed him to Kardinia Park in 1981 where he would play 66 games over the next four seasons. Peake returned home in 1985 with plenty of football left in him, and immediately helped the Sharks to their first flag since 1979. The following year he was again chosen as skipper of the All Australian team after leading the Sandgropers to their sixth national title. A sixth Lynn Medal as East Fremantle's club champion in 1987 was the icing on the cake towards the end of a remarkable career, which ultimately finished in 1990 with a brief 10 game stint with Perth. |
| Described
as a 'human meteor', Essendon's champion
of the 1880s Charlie 'Commotion' Pearson was alleged to have developed a
new style of marking, whereby he "would sail over the heads of his
earth-bound opponents, arms outstretched in great feats of aerobatics, to
the dismay of old timers, and the fears of the public" (see
footnote 1). Prior to this, players had typically marked the
ball either on the chest, or with arms stretched out in front of the
body. Pearson's new method soon caught on, both among team
mates and opponents, and so the most distinctively spectacular feature of
the Australian game was born.
Pearson, who worked on an outback sheep station in Queensland, only played intermittently for the Same Old, and never trained. Despite this, his performances in 1886 were so consistently brilliant that he was voted Champion of the Colony. There was much more to Pearson's game than just high marking, and former Essendon player Alf Young, writing in the 1920s, described him as the best all round player he had seen, better even than Albert Thurgood. |
Footnotes1. Flying Higher by Michael Maplestone, page 31. Return to Main Text |
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| An effervescent and highly aggressive winger, Neil Pearson provided Hawthorn with ten seasons and 133 VFL games of first rate service. He was also a regular VFL representative player. Recruited from Brighton Technical School, Pearson debuted for the Hawks in 1945, and while still registered as a senior player in 1954 he coached the club's seconds. It was while he was serving in that capacity that he won the Gardiner Medal for the best and fairest player in the seconds competition. The sort of player who was always on the move, Pearson eschewed the 'prop and kick' style of play that was still somewhat fashionable during his career for a more dynamic, play-on approach. |
|
John Peck (Hawthorn & Port Melbourne)
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| Best
remembered as a full forward, Hawthorn's
John Peck was tried, with varying success, in several different positions
- ruck, centre half back, centre half forward - before finding his true
niche at the goal front. Powerful, intelligent, pacy and a thumping
kick, Peck topped Hawthorn's goal kicking list on every year between 1961
and 1966, and was the VFL's top goal kicker in 1963 with 75 goals, 1964
(68) and 1965 (56). Nicknamed 'Gregory' (after the actor Gregory
Peck), as much for his habit of staging exaggeratedly for frees as for the
obvious play on words, he showed great
courage in overcoming the handicap of asthma to play successfully at the
top level. In all, he played 213 VFL games and kicked 475 goals for
the Hawks, and was vice-captain of the historic 1961 premiership team, the
club's first. He also played interstate football for the VFL, and
after one match against South Australia in Adelaide in 1963 he found
himself at the centre of a controversy when his callous felling of Brian
Sawley incurred only a two week suspension at the hands of a sympathetic
VFL Tribunal which presumably considered that Peck had reacted to
extenuating circumstances.
In 1967 John Peck was cleared to Port Melbourne, where he played mainly as a ruckman. The last of his 19 games for the club was that year's losing VFA grand final against Dandenong. |
| Stan Penberthy was a tough, muscular follower who knew how to use his weight and strength to advantage, and visibly revelled in doing so. He commenced his league career in 1927 with Subiaco, and proved to be a worthy foil for the great Tom Outridge, then in the twilight of his career. Penberthy played 81 games in five seasons with the Maroons, besides which he played 7 times for the state, including matches at the 1930 Adelaide carnival. Between 1932 and 1937 he played in the VFL, initially for Footscray (75 games) and then briefly with Melbourne (11 games). His relentlessly vigorous approach made him an admired figure, and while there might have been a fair number of more spectacular and talented ruckmen than Stan Penberthy there were few who could match his capacity for hard work or all round impact on the game. |
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Paul Peos (East Perth, West Coast, Brisbane)
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| Originally from Manjimup, Paul Peos was recruited by East Perth after making a big impression as a member of Western Australia's Teal Cup team. He made his debut for the Royals in 1986, and at the end of the year, after being the only rookie in the league to play in all his team's matches for the season, was chosen in West Coast's inaugural VFL squad. Between 1987 and 1992 he alternated between the Eagles and Royals, earning plaudits for his strong marking, coolness under duress, and exemplary conversion rate when playing in the forward lines. At the end of the 1992 season he was traded to Brisbane where he played 33 games in two seasons, kicking 40 goals. Returning to Western Australia in 1995 he again divided his time between West Coast in the national and East Perth in the local competition. When the Eagles released him at the end of the of the 1995 season he had played a total of 55 V/AFL games and booted 33 goals for the club. In 1996, freed from his AFL commitments, he produced an excellent season of football in the WAFL, earning himself the Royals' fairest and best award. He continued with East Perth for one further season before hanging up his boots with 121 senior games and 59 goals to his name. He represented Western Australia once. |
|
by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| Harold 'Toby' Perkins was the best centre half back of his era and, with Dick Parton, the backbone of Windsor's magnificent five premierships in a row from 1936-40. He represented Queensland from 1934-40. His son, also nicknamed Toby, played 200 games for Wilston-Grange in the 1950s and 1960s, and his grandson also played with the Gorillas. |
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Val Perovic (St Kilda & Carlton)
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| Recruited from North Ballarat, Val Perovic commenced his VFL career with St Kilda in 1973 as a wingman, and was widely regarded as one of the recruits of the year. In subsequent years he developed into a tough, highly disciplined defender, representing Victoria at centre half back in 1978. After 77 league games for the Saints he moved to Carlton at the end of the 1979 season as part of the trade that saw Alex Jesaulenko moving in the opposite direction. While with the Blues he played some of the best football of his career, earning state selection once more, and playing in a back pocket in both the 1981 and 1982 premiership wins. In the 1982 grand final defeat of Richmond he was one of the best players afield. Perovic retired in 1985 after 97 VFL games for the Blues. |
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Ernie Perrett (Port Melbourne)
|
| Boasting the memorable nickname of 'Codger', Ernie Perrett gave stolid and sometimes spectacular service to Port Melbourne in 123 VFA games during the late 1920s and early 1930s. A follower during the early part of his career, he later became a successful defender. Arguably his most noteworthy performance came in the grand final of 1929, when his Herculean ruck performance was just about the only measurable resistance offered by the Borough to a display of consummate power and skill by Northcote. Sadly, Port's 42 point reversal in that game was the closest 'Codger' Perrett would come to participating in a premiership win. |
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Bob Perry (Moorabbin & Woodville)
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| A smooth mover, and a deft user of the ball, Bob Perry commenced his senior football career with Merino-Digby in Victoria's western Districts competition. In 1958, aged twenty, he played with Richmond, but, despite displaying consistently good form in the Seconds, failed to break into the senior team. He then moved to Moorabbin where he rapidly established himself as one of the finest centremen in the VFA. In six seasons with the Kangaroos he played more than 70 senior games and was a key figure in the club's rise to prominence during the early 1960s. He was in the centre in both the 1 point grand final loss to Sandringham in 1962, and in the revenge win by 64 points a year later. Perry joined Woodville in 1964 and was a stabilising influence in that club's debut season in the SANFL. He went on to play a total of 54 league games over three seasons before being appointed captain-coach of the seconds. Still a talented and highly influential player, he won the 1967 seconds Magarey Medal, and continued playing until 1969. |
| One
of a select band of Christian clergymen to have played top level football,
Charles 'Red Wing' Perry enjoyed a 58 game league career with Norwood
on either side of World War One. Boasting a thick crop of vibrant
red hair - hence his nickname - Perry, a Methodist minister, was an
ebullient, pacy player who was always in the thick of the action.
Capable of playing in a variety of positions, he marked and kicked
superbly, and was the consummate team player. In 1915 he tied for
the Magarey
Medal with South Adelaide's 'Dinky'
Barry and 'Shine'
Hosking of Port Adelaide, but as the
rules in force at the time allowed for only one winner, the SAFL field
umpires were called upon to adjudicate, and voted unanimously to confer
the award on the South player. Perry and Hosking were later awarded
retrospective Medals by the league.
During the Great War, Perry undertook military service in Europe, and in 1916 was one of many top footballers from all over Australia to take part in the famous AIF exhibition match at Queen's Park in London. Perry was appointed captain of the Combined Training Units team which, in front of a crowd estimated at 6,000, lost by 16 points to an AIF Third Division combination led by South Melbourne's Bruce Sloss. Perry resumed with Norwood after the war, but retired in 1920 without ever tasting premiership success. He represented South Australia on one occasion, and also served as vice-captain of the Redlegs for a time. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Mike Perry was a dashing, forceful footballer whose league career was unfortunately brought to a premature end by injury. He joined Richmond from VAFA club Old Scotch Collegians, and made his senior VFL debut in 1965. In 1967 he played at centre half back against Geelong in the Tigers' first grand final win since 1943. Two years later, having only just turned twenty-five, he was forced to quit the VFL scene owing to injury, although he continued to play useful football at a lower level for several years. His career with Richmond comprised 53 games, and he kicked 6 goals. After leaving the Tigers, he returned to the VAFA, initially with Power House, and later with Old Geelong. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Ray Perry was an outstanding ruckman and forward who played 150 WANFL games and kicked 164 goals for East Perth between 1945 and 1956. He won the Royals' fairest and best award in 1949 and 1951, and represented Western Australia in the interstate arena 11 times. Unfortunately for Perry, he was past his best as a player when East Perth broke through for a premiership in 1956, and he failed to gain selection in the grand final team. |
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Gary Pert (Fitzroy & Collingwood)
[Click to enlarge] |
| Gary Pert was a success from the time he first pulled on a Fitzroy jumper in 1982 at the age of sixteen. Powerful, highly skilled and a superb aerialist, he could hold down any key position, but the Lions tended to use him most often in defence. When he made his interstate debut for Victoria in 1984 he was, at eighteen, the youngest player to do so since Carl Ditterich twenty years earlier. The following year he achieved All Australian selection. Towards the end of his nine season, 163 game stint at Fitzroy Pert began to suffer from knee problems, but he still played well enough to secure the club's 1989 best and fairest award. Traded to Collingwood in 1991, he missed a year with injury, but came back strongly to play some excellent football in his final 70 league games between 1992 and 1995. In 2002 he was chosen on a half back flank in Fitzroy's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
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| Ruckman Vic Peters made his league debut with West Adelaide in 1920 and impressed straight away. Later that season he was chosen for his South Australian interstate debut against the VFL. A commanding on-field presence, Peters was named Westies' captain in 1921, and was vice-captain of South Australia at that season's Perth carnival. In 1922 he led the red and blacks to the grand final, but Norwood proved too strong. Internal turmoil at the club prior to the start of the 1923 season led to the chairman Bert Edwards being removed and Peters standing down as captain. In fact, he did not play at all in 1923. By 1924 affairs at the club had stabilised and Peters re-assumed the captaincy, a role he retained until the end of the following season when he retired after 66 SAFL games and 21 goals. He also played 7 interstate matches for South Australia. |
|
Noel Pettingill (Norwood & Sturt)
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| Best remembered for his prodigious kicking which somehow seemed even more gargantuan in the shrunken environs of the Parade, Noel Pettingill was one of the few bright lights for Norwood during what was an unusually grim time for the proud club. Recruited from Western Border League side North Gambier, he appeared likely for a time to end up at Port Adelaide, but eventually decided to throw in his lot with the Redlegs. In his debut season, as a seventeen year old, he vied with Barry Norsworthy of Central District as the SANFL's recruit of the year. He went on to play a total of 133 games for Norwood between 1969 and 1976, but his form and fitness had declined notably by the time the club began to re-emerge as a league power in the mid-1970s. Consequently, he missed the 1975 grand final, in which the Redlegs overcame Glenelg, and half way through the following year he transferred to Sturt. Unfortunately, however, a serious knee injury undermined him to such an extent that he managed just 20 games in three seasons at Unley before calling it a day. Those who saw him at his magnificent, long kicking best, however, will say they were privileged. |
|
by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher |
| Gordon 'Freckles' Phelan was a standout centreline player of his time with Kedron, and an automatic state team selection over a thirteen year period before and after the second World War. He was Queensland's best state player in 1946. A superbly skilled left-footer, he also had an astonishing vertical leap and was renowned for his freakish marking ability. Phelan chose Australian football over rugby league, and is regarded by many as Kedron's greatest ever player. |
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Peter Phillipou (West Torrens & Eastlake)
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| Peter Phillipou's class as a footballer is shown by his accomplishment in winning the 1974 Mulrooney Medal while playing with Eastlake, despite not commencing his season until June. Phillipou's 60 game, three season stint with Eastlake came in the middle of a career which also saw him play a total of 272 SANFL games for West Torrens between 1967 and 1973 and from 1977 to 1984. Eastlake's 1974 Annual Report described Phillipou as "an elusive mover" whose "main attributes were a high mark, plenty of pace and anticipation and an ability to kick to position accurately with either foot". A half forward flanker early in his career, Phillipou's mobility and canniness made him ideally suited to an on-ball role, which he occupied with distinction for most of the 1970s. An interstate representative for South Australia in 1970, he also played representative football for the ACT on every possible occasion during his three seasons in the capital. Peter Phillipou, who gloried in the nickname 'Flipper', captained both West Torrens and Eastlake, and was a member of the Eastlake team which trounced Manuka by 69 points to lift the 1976 ACTAFL premiership. When the all time ACT Legends team was announced in 1999, Phillipou was named in the centre. |
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Brenton Phillips (North Adelaide, Essendon, Brisbane, Sturt)
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| Brenton Phillips was named on the interchange bench in North Adelaide's official 'Team of the Century' on the strength of his fine contribution during two stints at the club from 1981 to 1985 and from 1992 to 1998. In between he played 10 games with Essendon, and 61 in five seasons at Brisbane. A relentlessly strong running footballer with excellent ball handling skills, he could play almost anywhere on the field, but was most normally used as a wingman, across half forward, or on the ball. His best and most consistent season came in 1993 at North Adelaide when, after playing for the majority of the year as a ruck-rover, he won both the Magarey Medal and his club's best and fairest award. He won a second best and fairest award in 1994. 'Sticks' Phillips played a total of 222 SANFL games for the Roosters. He represented South Australia once. In 2002 he was appointed non-playing coach of Sturt where he enjoyed immediate success, steering the Blues to their first flag since 2002. However, he failed to build on that achievement, and towards the end of the 2006 season he agreed to stand down. |
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| After failing to make the grade as a forward, St Kilda's Bruce Phillips was tried at full back in the last game of his third league season, and suddenly found his niche. He went on to play a total of 188 VFL games, winning his club's best and fairest award in 1950, and earning selection in the VFL interstate time. He also ran third in the Brownlow on one occasion, and was the recipient of the prestigious 'Herald' player of the year award. Prior to the start of what would have been his tenth league season in 1956, Phillips seriously injured a knee and his career came to a premature end. |
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Fred Phillips (St Kilda & Hawthorn)
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| Fred 'Flops' Phillips was an extremely versatile player who was strong both overhead and at ground level, and who possessed commendable pace and athleticism. A fine kick with either foot, he joined St Kilda from Scotch College in 1924 and went on to become one of the Saints' most renowned players for the better part of a decade. He won his club's best and fairest award in 1930, and represented the VFL in the interstate arena 5 times. In 1933 he crossed to Hawthorn as captain-coach but died tragically from blood poisoning before the start of the season. |
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Greg Phillips (Port Adelaide & Collingwood)
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| A defender who became increasingly solidly built the longer his career went on, Greg Phillips was also assured, assertive and courageous. He began his league career with Port Adelaide in 1976, and played in the club's 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1981 premiership teams. A regular South Australian interstate representative (20 appearances in all), he achieved All Australian selection after the 1980 state of origin carnival in Adelaide. In 1983 he crossed to Collingwood and gave the Magpies solid service in 84 games over the next four seasons. Returning to Port in 1987, he had the satisfaction of winning the 1988 best and fairest award and then appearing in another four premiership teams prior to his retirement at the end of the 1993 season after 338 SANFL games. Phillips captained the Magpies for his last three seasons as a player. During the 2000 season he was selected at centre half back in Port Adelaide's official 'Greatest Team 1870 to 2000'. |
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John Phillips (North Adelaide)
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| On
5 May 1974, a in round 5 match against Central
District, North Adelaide
wingman and on-baller John Phillips had the honour of gaining the first
mark at the SANFL's new headquarters at West Lakes, Football Park.
Sadly for 'Sticks', as he was somewhat predictably known, North ended up
losing the match.
A tough, hard working and supremely skilled footballer, Phillips gave the Roosters fine service in 178 games between 1964 and 1974, including the grand finals of 1971-2-3, the first two of which resulted in premierships to the red and whites. He also played 5 times for South Australia and, following his retirement as a player, acted as the senior side's runner, in which capacity he was still serving when he died suddenly at the tragically early age of thirty-nine, in 1983. |
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| Ron
Phillips is best remembered for a versatility which saw him win
consecutive Magarey Medals
while playing predominantly at opposite ends of the ground. In 1948
he won the Medal as a centre half back and the following year, when forced
by the needs of the team to relocate to centre half forward, he won it
again and, for good measure, topped North
Adelaide's goalkicking with 35 goals, a feat he was to repeat in each
of the next three seasons.
Phillips was far from being a two season wonder, however. In 188 appearances for the red and whites and 10 for South Australia his performances were typically characterised by verve, courage, aggression, pace and a superb high marking ability which belied the fact that, at only 175cm in height, he was continually outreached by opponents. Add to this a supreme versatility which saw him occupy every position on the field during his career except centre wing and full back and his value as a 'team player' should be obvious. He may have been neither the prettiest nor most celebrated footballer of his time (although it would be wrong to call him old fashioned, as he was an ardent advocate and exponent of the play on game) but every team needs players of the calibre and attitude of Ron Phillips. |
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Dennis 'Fred' Phillis (Glenelg)
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| After
beginning his league career with Glenelg as
a centre half back in 1966, 'Fred' Phillis was to develop into one of the
greatest full forwards in the history of the game, thanks partly to some
inspirational lateral thinking by Neil
Kerley, who took over as coach of the club in 1967. Aware that
Phillis was extremely quick for his size (187cm, 90.5kg), and was one of the best marks at the club, he
decided to try him at centre half forward, where he was moderately
successful, and later at full forward, where he frequently saw enough of
the ball to kick a swag of goals, but was profligate. His first
season at the goal front saw him top Glenelg's goal kicking list with 30
goals, but he missed at least as many, and during the close season coach
Kerley stipulated an intensive regime of goalkicking practice which, in
1969, was to bear fruit in the most unexpectedly spectacular way.
Given that his name today is synonymous with excellence at the king of winter sports, it is perhaps surprising to learn that Phillis owed his nickname to his prowess at cricket. As a youngster, Phillis fancied himself as a fast bowler, prompting his schoolmates to dub him 'Fred', after the most famous Test paceman of the day, 'Fiery Fred' Truman of Yorkshire and England. In 1969, the name 'Fred Phillis' was on the back pages of Adelaide newspapers, and the lips of footy supporters, more often than any other. While it would be misleading to suggest that he now kicked for goal with unerring accuracy - in the Australian championships in Adelaide that year he booted 12.12 for South Australia, for instance - overall he was registering nearly twice as many goals as points. Moreover, he was registering a lot of goals - a hundred by the end of July, and a league record 137 by the end of the Bays' losing grand final clash with Sturt. Even the umpires were full of admiration, collectively bestowing 18 Magarey Medal votes on the twenty-one year old architecture student to make him the first ever winner of the award to spend the season predominantly at full forward. Phillis went on to secure the elusive 'ton' on two further occasions, besides missing out by a single goal in 1971, and by two in 1976. Statistically, he is Glenelg's greatest ever goal kicker - no mean achievement when you consider that the club also boasts Jack Owens and Colin Churchett among its former champions. Phillis' career tally of 884 goals in 280 games places him third on the all time SANFL list, and included 'bags' of 10 or more goals on nine occasions. On one memorable afternoon at Glenelg Oval in 1975 he contributed 18 of his team's record-breaking 49 goals against Central District, but almost certainly the highlight of his career came in 1973 when he failed to trouble the scorers as the Bays defeated North Adelaide by 7 points in the last grand final to be played at the Adelaide Oval. When the Glenelg Football Club inaugurated its official 'Hall of Fame' in 2002, 'Freddie' Phillis was one of eight players included from the period 1961-76. |
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Wayne Phillis (Glenelg & Norwood)
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| The younger brother of 'Fred', Wayne Phillis made his league debut for Glenelg in 1967, and later that year was a member of the club's second eighteen premiership side. A powerful, assured and dynamic player, he was a close-checking centre half back during the early part of his career, but later developed into a fine ruckman. He was among the Bays' best players in their 7 point grand final defeat of North Adelaide in 1973 (reviewed here), and also played in the losing grand finals of 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975 and 1977 (as acting captain). After 223 games for Glenelg he moved to Norwood in 1978 where he had the immediate satisfaction of playing in that season's heart-stopping grand final win over Sturt (reviewed here). Phillis added 38 league games for the Redlegs before retiring at the end of the 1979 season. He represented South Australia 5 times. |
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| Powerfully built, and strong overhead, Port Adelaide ruckman Bob Philp should perhaps have achieved somewhat more than he did during the course of his 133 game SANFL career between 1958 and 1966 and in 1968. (He spent the 1967 season playing in Whyalla.) Philp represented South Australia once. Many of his best performances came when they were most needed, and he was close to best afield in the grand final wins of 1963 over North Adelaide and 1965 against Sturt. He was also a member of Port's 1962 premiership team. |
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| Versatile and highly consistent, Clive Philp was one of Hawthorn's finest players during a predominantly inauspicious era for the club (one of many such during its first three decades in the VFL). Between 1948 and 1925 he played a total of 112 VFL games, occupying a variety of positions including follower, centre half forward, centre half back, full back and full forward. He possessed all the skills of the game in abundance, and applied them with consummate tenacity and purpose. Philp played for the VFL on 3 occasions. |
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Peter Phipps (West Adelaide & East Launceston)
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| Tall, rangy and versatile, Peter Phipps made a highly commendable all round contribution to the West Adelaide cause in 86 SANFL games between 1954 and 1958 and in 1961 and 1962. Many of his best performances came at full forward, and he topped both West's and the league's goal kicking lists in 1958 with 90 goals. All told, he kicked a total of 186 goals during his SANFL career, plus 13 in 4 interstate matches for South Australia. His best goal tally in a match was 10, which he managed twice in consecutive weeks in 1957, against Sturt at Adelaide, and Glenelg at Kensington. In a one season break in his career with West in 1959 Peter Phipps coached NTFA side East Launceston. |
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Peter Pianto (Geelong & Claremont)
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| One of the finest rovers of the 1950s, Peter Pianto stepped straight into Geelong's senior side from Bendigo League team Eaglehawk. Combining with Neil Trezise he gave the Cats the greatest roving combination in the league. Pacy, slick, clever and courageous, he was a four quarter player who used the ball impeccably. His 121 VFL games between 1951 and 1957 included the winning grand finals of 1951 and 1952, and he represented the VFL in the interstate arena 9 times, winning All Australian selection after the 1956 Perth carnival. Geelong's best and fairest player in 1953, he spent the period from 1958 to 1960 as captain-coach of Polwarth Football League side Coragulac. In 1961 he returned to league football as captain-coach of Claremont where, in three seasons at the helm, he oversaw 6th, 7th and 8th place finishes and added 43 senior games to his tally. From 1966 to 1970 he returned to Geelong as non-playing coach; he got his side into the finals in all bar his last season, but the 1967 losing grand final against Richmond was the closest he came to masterminding a premiership. |
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Martin Pike (Norwood, Melbourne, Fitzroy, North Melbourne/Kangaroos, Brisbane)
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| Recruited from Ingle Farm, Martin Pike made his SANFL debut with Norwood in 1991 and spent two highly impressive seasons with the Redlegs before being drafted by Melbourne. After playing 24 AFL games for the Demons in 1993-4, without ever really impressing, he was traded to Fitzroy where he rapidly developed into one of the club's most consistently effective performers. Hard running, and strong at the ball, he collected numerous possessions for the Lions across half back, winning a best and fairest award in 1996, the club's last season. In 1997, after 36 games at Fitzroy, he found himself at North Melbourne, where he continued the renaissance shown at Fitzroy to become widely regarded as one of the competition's premier half backs. He played in the Kangaroos' losing grand final against Adelaide in 1998, and the following year was a member of the premiership team against Carlton. After 81 games with his third AFL club, Pike moved to Brisbane in 2001 where, in the Indian Summer of his career, he enjoyed participation in three successive grand final-winning teams. His best performance came in the 2003 defeat of Collingwood when he gathered 16 possessions on a wing in the Lions' emphatic 50 point win. Pike played in his sixth AFL grand final in 2004, but Brisbane lost to Port Adelaide. He carried on at the top level for one more season, bringing his total of games with the Lions to 106, and his final AFL tally to 247. |
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| Solidly built, forceful, and energetic, Glen Pill gave West Torrens solidly consistent, if often taken for granted, service during a time of increasing frustration and disappointment for the club. Between 1960 and 1973 he played a total of 252 SANFL games, only 5 of which were finals. Used mainly as a ruckman early in his career, he made light of his comparative lack of height (187cm) by a combination of formidable body strength and a prodigious leap. Somewhat inconsistent during the first half of his career, he later performed effectively in various key positions, most notably centre half back. His failure to gain interstate selection for South Australia was a trifle surprising and unfortunate. |
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| Excellent overhead, and extremely pacy for such a comparatively big man (183cm, 81.5kg), Jack Pimm commenced with Collingwood as a nineteen year old in 1940, but was then forced to put his football career on the back-burner for five years whilst undertaking military service. He resumed with the Magpies in 1946, and his consistently eye-catching form over the ensuing five seasons caused many to wonder what might have been had he not lost potentially his most effective years to the war. Playing mainly as a centre half forward, he topped Collingwood's goal kicking list in 1949 with 34 goals, and overall had booted 113 goals in 58 senior games by the time he retired the following year. |
| The
QA(N)FL's only ever triple League best and fairest winner, Doug Pittard
might easily have enjoyed even greater success had not his career been
interrupted by World War Two. After winning the De Little Medal in
1940 he moved interstate for a time, playing a few games for Footscray
reserves, but he carried on where he had left off on his return in 1946,
winning the league's new best and fairest award, the Grogan
Medal, in its first year. He followed this up with another win
in 1947 when he beat Yeronga's Fred Willets on a countback of 1st
preference votes. (In 1990, Willets was given a Medal
retrospectively.) In 1950, Pittard went within 1 vote of winning the
Medal again.
A tough, quick and highly skilled player, Doug Pittard was always extremely devoted to the game he loved, representing Queensland on more than 20 occasions, several times as captain. The highlight of his career probably came in 1952, when he steered his club to its first ever premiership success, an achievement repeated the following year. |
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John Pitura (South Melbourne, Richmond, North Shore, Kedron, Coorparoo)
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| John
Pitura is probably best remembered for a protracted clearance wrangle
which, in 1975, saw him crossing from South
Melbourne to Richmond in exchange for Brian
Roberts, Graham Teasdale and Francis Jackson. However, he deserves
to be remembered at least as much for his skills as a footballer which,
particularly prior to the transfer, were - perhaps surprisingly in view of
his background - considerable.
That background saw the Wagga-born Pitura devote most of his formative years to rugby league. "My superstar heroes were all rugby league players from Sydney when I was a kid," he recalled years later. "I used to be always able to kick the ball a mile and a couple of my mates turned around and said to me, you're mad. They said, you're playing the wrong game, why don't you come and play Australian Rules, which I regarded as a sissy's game. "I started to play Australian football and my mates gradually got me to play another game, then another game and soon I found that I liked it. My parents didn't like rugby league very much. "My father was Polish and he was a mad soccer fan. They preferred me to play Australian Rules." (See footnote 1) Spotted by South Melbourne coach Norm Smith while playing for Wagga in an inter-league match, Pitura was enticed to the Lake Oval as a 16 year old and, after overcoming home sickness and various other problems, quickly began to make his mark. One of those rare individuals who possess the natural skills necessary to succeed at virtually any ball game, Pitura was a polished left footer who became equally at home in the centre or across half forward. He earned a Big V jumper in 1973 and played precisely 100 games for South over six seasons. His relations with the club hierarchy were never entirely comfortable, however, and after the 1973 season he threatened to quit, saying he was tired of the committee reneging on its promises. After prolonged and often highly tense negotiations (he was even offered to Glenelg in a swap for Graham Cornes at one stage) Pitura returned to the team in July 1974, apparently on the condition that he be traded to Richmond at the end of the season. However, once again the South committee proved reluctant to fulfill its promise, and Pitura threatened to challenge the clearance rules in court. In the end, the clearance went through, albeit with much ill feeling on all sides, with perhaps the most damaged party being Pitura himself, who never again displayed his best form. After two and a half seasons and 40 games with the Tigers John Pitura returned to his home state of New South Wales as captain-coach of NSWAFL club North Shore which he immediately steered to a first premiership for twenty-six years. He later played for Kedron (finishing 2nd in the voting for the 1981 Grogan Medal) and Coorparoo in the QAFL. |
Footnotes1. Quoted in 'Inside Football', 22/5/86, page 20. Return to Main Text |
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John Platten (Central District & Hawthorn)
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| John
Patrick Platten was the first player born in Elizabeth to play for its
home town footy club, Central District.
During a two decade, 365 game career with both Centrals (107 games) and Hawthorn
(258), 'the Rat' proved himself one of the greatest rovers in the history
of the game. He was also one of football's most decorated and
consistently successful players, winning both the Magarey
and Brownlow Medals,
four club best and fairest awards (two at each club), four premiership medallions
(all with the Hawks), membership of 3 VFL/AFL night/pre-season
premiership teams, All
Australian selection on four occasions, AFL
All Australian selection three times, and a record (shared with Craig
Bradley) 15 state of origin appearances for South Australia.
The keys to his success were pace, ebullience, sure ball handling, effective disposal skills with both hand and foot, and an irrepressible, terrier-like ability to gain possession of the ball amidst, if the cliché can be excused, 'the heaviest of traffic'. Platten's exuberant style made him a firm favourite among fans in both his home and adopted states and his popularity among football supporters even extended to Ireland where he toured with Australia's successful International Rules side of 1984. Platten returned to South Australia in 1998 in the hope of fulfilling a childhood dream of participating in a Central District premiership. However, his career was cruelly cut short by injury and he had to content himself with cheering from the sidelines and joining in the post-match celebrations when the Bulldogs finally broke through for a first ever senior flag two years later. John Platten was included in both Central District's official 'Best All Time Team 1964 to 2003', and the official Hawthorn 'Team of the Century'. |
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G.V. 'Mick' Pleass (South Melbourne, Essendon, Boulder Stars)
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| 'Mick' Pleass was a talented follower who played 109 games for South Melbourne during the club's first eight VFL seasons, having begun his career with the club while it was still a member of the VFA. He was a star of South's losing VFA premiership play-off encounter with Collingwood (reviewed here). He combined great strength and authority with tremendous skill for a big man, and was 3 times selected to represent the VFL. Tireless and resolute, he frequently spent entire matches on the ball, and often seemed to get better as the going intensified. In 1902, he surprised both team mates and club officials when he decided to umpire rather than play, but after just five weeks he was back in the South Melbourne line-up. Two years later, he sought a transfer to Western Australia, but this was refused. Pleass' response was to refuse to play, and several weeks later a deal was done whereby he was cleared to play with Essendon. After just 4 games for the Same Old, however, Pleass headed west to join WA Goldfields league side Boulder Stars. After a promising start, however, his career was brought peremptorily to an end by injury during the 1906 season. |
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Bryan Ploenges (South Adelaide)
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| Blisteringly fast, and a smooth ball handler, Bryan Ploenges was a fine if underrated player for South Adelaide in 142 SANFL games between 1958 and 1968. After struggling to secure a regular senior place early in his career, he really blossomed after being tried on a wing, where his tremendous pace, excellent judgement, and neat disposal skills all came to the fore. He was one of South Adelaide's best players in the1964 grand final defeat of Port Adelaide, and he remained a key player for the club as it continued at the forefront of the game in South Australia for the ensuing couple of seasons. Ploenges played interstate football for South Australia twice. |
| Bill
Plunkett enjoyed outstanding success and an immense reputation in two
states. He began with Norwood in 1896,
and was one of four brothers to represent the club. In 1901 he
played with both Norwood and West Perth
and, forty years before Stan
Heal managed the same feat with Melbourne
and West Perth, he achieved premiership honours in two different states in
the same season.
After 1901, Bill Plunkett stayed in the west where he was regarded as one of the state's top footballers. In 1904, he was chosen to captain Western Australia's first interstate team on its eastern states tour, and the following year he led the Cardinals in their controversial premiership win over East Fremantle (click here for details). All told, he played 50 senior games for West Perth, plus 2 for Western Australia. It is unknown precisely how many games he played for Norwood, as the club did not commence maintaining such records until 1907, but it is known that he played twice for South Australia. When East Perth entered the Western Australian Football Association in 1906, Bill Plunkett was appointed as the fledgling club's inaugural coach, but only managed to steer the side to 1 win from 17 starts. |
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Rod Podbury (Bankstown & Campbelltown)
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| By some measure the most noteworthy and successful footballer in the Sydney competition during the 1980s, Rod Podbury won no fewer than four Phelan Medals, besides being runner-up once, and third twice. He commenced his career with the struggling Bankstown club, where his class shone to the extent that he won the first of his Phelan Medals in 1983 in a side that finished dead set last in a nine team competition. Perhaps not surprisingly, however, Podbury was keen to experience team success, and he did this in no small measure after joining Campbelltown. The Blues won every grand final between 1986 and 1989, and, playing either on the ball or in the centre, Rod Podbury made significant contributions to each victory. He also won his remaining three Phelan Medals, in 1986, 1987 and 1990. A New South Wales state representative on half a dozen occasions, he is the most recently retired footballer to be included in the Sydney AFL Hall of Fame. |
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J. 'Snob' Polglaise (Mines Rovers)
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| Glorying
in the nickname 'Snob', Polglaise was one of, if not the, finest ruckmen
on the goldfields for an entire decade prior to World War One. Tall
for the period, at 191cm, he was a knock ruckman par excellence, and was
seldom beaten over the course of a full game. In 1914-15 he was a
member of arguably the greatest goldfields club combination ever as, in an
extremely strong competition, Mines Rovers
went 'back to back'.
Polglaise was one of three Mines players selected to represent Western Australia at the inaugural Australasian championship series in Melbourne in 1908. |
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| Tony Polinelli joined Geelong from Maryborough and played his early top level football as a rover, a position to which his short, stocky build (170cm, 73kg) ostensibly suited him admirably. However, it was only after being given special sprint training and moved to a wing that he really came into his own. A fine ball handler, penetrating kick, and better than average mark for his size, he was almost universally acknowledged as one of the finest VFL wingmen of the 1960s. Polinelli, who famously enjoyed smoking his pipe during the half time interval of matches, played a total of 138 VFL games and kicked 63 goals for the Cats in 1961 and between 1963 and 1971. He was a reserve in the winning grand final of 1963 against Hawthorn and saw only a few minutes of action late in the final term; four years later, playing on a wing, he was one of the Cats' best in the 9 point grand final loss to Richmond. |
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Samuel 'Max' Pontifex (West Torrens & City-Launceston)
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| West
Torrens recruited Max Pontifex, then aged nineteen, from the
Commonwealth Bank Football Club in 1929, and he made a number of
appearances that year in the club's 'B' grade team. After commencing
the following season in 'B' grade, he made his senior debut in a round 6
loss to Port Adelaide at Thebarton, and
never looked back. A classy centreman, he won the 1932 Magarey
Medal, and the club's best and fairest award both that year and the
next. He was also a regular South Australian interstate
representative (10 games, 9 goals), often reserving his very best performances for games
against the VFL. In 1933 he was controversially suspended towards
the end of the season forcing him to miss Torrens' grand final win over Norwood.
In 1935 he was advised by his employer, the Commonwealth Bank, that he was shortly to be transferred, and so he elected not to strip for Torrens. In the event, he could easily have done so, because the transfer, to Launceston in Tasmania, was not ratified until the end of the year. From 1936 to 1938 he rounded off his senior football career as captain-coach of NTFA side City, ultimately going out in style with a club best and fairest win and a Tasman Shield Trophy in his last season. |
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Ted Pool (Kalgoorlie City & Hawthorn)
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| Boasting
the nickname 'Otto', Ted Pool (sometimes, as on the cigarette card
pictured above, mis-spelt 'Poole') made his GFA debut for Kalgoorlie
City, as a rover, in 1924. It was immediately obvious that here
was a precocious, rare talent, and in spite of his comparative
inexperience he was called upon to shoulder ever increasing amounts of
responsibility in what, at the time, was the weakest team in the
competition. Things were soon to improve, however: in 1925, the
Magpies, as they were then known, played off in the grand final, going
down to Boulder City, with the young Ted
Pool putting in a near best afield display for the losers.
In 1926 Pool moved to Victoria and lined up with Hawthorn, for whom he would go on to carve out an auspicious thirteen season, 200 game league career, becoming in the process the first West Australian born player to reach the double century. He also played 7 games for the VFL, and was universally acknowledged as one of the most energetic, determined and effective small men of his era. Former team mate Bert Mills described him as "the best rover I ever played with. He was a marvel, the way he kept going year after year." (See footnote 1) |
Footnotes1. Quoted in Gravel Rash by Les Everett, page 72. Return to Main Text |
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| A tough, hardy back pocket player, Reg Poole joined Hawthorn from Kew YCW, made his VFL debut in 1961, and was a member of the Hawks' first ever senior premiership team that same year. He missed the entire 1962 season in order to concentrate on his studies, but resumed in 1963 and went on to spend another six years at the club. When he retired in 1968, aged twenty-six, he had played 62 VFL games. |
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Allan Poore (Collingwood & Waverley)
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| Allan
Poore joined Collingwood from Mentone and
made his VFL debut in 1961. However, he proved unable to maintain a
regular place in the Magpies' powerful league line-up, and by the end of
the 1964 season had only played a total of 11 senior games. Prior to
the start of the 1965 season a quartet of Association clubs expressed
interest in procuring his services, and after receiving strong indications
from Collingwood that he did not feature in their future plans, Poore
elected to throw in his lot with Waverley.
All four VFA clubs had offered similar financial deals, but the deciding
factor for Poore was that the Panthers were keen to play him in the
centre, his favoured position.
Poore's form in 1965 was dazzling as he helped transform a side that had narrowly avoided relegation the previous season into surprise, but worthy premiers. On a personal front, Poore won both his club's best and fairest award, and the Liston Trophy for the best player in the competition. In 1966 he represented the VFA at the Hobart carnival, became the first ever dual winner of the Liston Trophy, and helped the Panthers reach another grand final, which they lost to Port Melbourne. Another club best and fairest award followed in 1967, and Poore's services were vigorously sought by Hawthorn. However, he elected to see out his career with the Panthers, for whom he ended up playing 124 senior games, affirming himself in the process as the greatest player ever to represent the club. |
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| Between 1905 and 1919, allowing for a three year break for the war, Horrie Pope was a more or less permanent feature of Port Adelaide's league teams. In 1920 he played 1 final senior game to give himself a career tally well in excess of 150, although given that player statistics were not assiduously maintained in 1910 and 1915 the precise number remains unknown. What is known is that he was a key member of Magpie premiership sides in 1910, 1913 and 1914, as well as of championship of Australia-winning combination in the same years. A defender for the majority of his career, Pope tended to get on with his work quietly and efficiently, rarely making mistakes, but seldom capturing the headlines either. Nevertheless, it is somewhat surprising to note that he was never selected to represent South Australia. Pope captained Port during the second half of the 1919 season after original skipper 'Bandy' McFarlane resigned. |
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Rodney Pope (West Adelaide & Norwood)
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| There have been many more spectacular footballers than Rod Pope, but few more dependable or consistent. His 314 game senior career began with West Adelaide in 1962, and ended with Norwood in 1979. In between, he undertook National Service which involved a tour of duty in Vietnam, while on the footy field he won two best and fairest awards with Westies and one with the Redlegs. Solidly built, tenacious and assured, Pope played most of his career, including his 10 interstate games for South Australia, as a half back flanker. After 209 games with West he moved to Norwood in 1974 out of a desire to play in a premiership team, and got his wish sooner than he might have dared hope when he was one of the best players afield in the Redlegs' 2 goal grand final defeat of Glenelg the following year. Pope's all round contribution to the flag was significant, and he continued in fine form in 1976 when he won the club's fairest and most brilliant award. |
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| Roy Porter was a fresh-faced, lightweight eighteen year old when he made his WANFL debut with West Perth in 1954, and it was frequently opined that he needed to 'bulk up' if he was truly to make his mark in the game. In that year's preliminary final he made his critics eat their words as he announced his arrival as a top class footballer with a near best afield performance as he out-rucked his much heavier and more experienced South Fremantle opponents, only to suffer the anguish of seeing his team mates squander opportunity after opportunity and go down by 24 points, despite managing 32 scoring shots to 26. Winner of the Cardinals' fairest and best award in 1956, Porter was always a significant threat to the opposition when resting in the forward lines, and indeed was sometimes called upon to play purely as a forward. His 179 league games between 1954 and 1964 included the winning grand final of 1960, when he booted 3 of the Cardinals' 17 goals in a 32 point victory over arch rival East Perth. Porter represented Western Australia at the 1958 Melbourne carnival when he played in the matches against the VFA and VFL. After retiring as a player, he maintained his association with West Perth by serving the club in a number of off-field roles. |
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| Rarely can the arrival at a club of an
unheralded seventeen year old have been more propitious than that of Mount
Gambier recruit Jeffrey Potter at Port Adelaide in 1959. The
previous year had seen the retirement of arguably the greatest Magpie, and
undoubtedly one of the greatest rovers, of all time in Foster
Neil Williams, but within a few games of the 1959 season it was clear
that, in Potter, Port had a ready-made replacement.
Quietly spoken and unassuming, Potter did not court publicity, but the consistent brilliance of his performances in both Port Adelaide and state jumpers over the ensuing twelve seasons inevitably attracted more than a modicum of attention. In 1964, South Fremantle tried to woo him away from Alberton, without success, and the following season Carlton went so far as to arrange a promotional photo shoot in which Potter was pictured wearing the club's number 1 playing jumper. They bred them loyal in those days, however, and Jeff Potter was having none of it. To look at him - chunky, almost rotund, deceptively slow - you would scarcely have thought of him as a league footballer, let alone one of the finest of his era. Once you saw him in motion, however, all doubt was erased. Like his contemporary Darrel Baldock, or Greg Williams in later years, speed of thought more than compensated for any apparent slowness over the ground. Blessed with the happy knack of knowing precisely where the ball was going to be, and arriving there ahead of it, once he gained possession he immediately made you aware of how that thickset frame and low centre of gravity could be turned to advantage, for try as they might, few opposition players were able to unsettle him. Beautifully balanced, he could run backwards out of a pack just as quickly as if he were running forwards, and few if any players could get the ball onto the boot with such rapidity. Four times a recipient of the Port Adelaide best and fairest award, only Russell Ebert (six wins) has won more. The fact that the first of Potter's awards was in 1961 and the last in 1969 demonstrates how he maintained his high standards throughout his career. In the interstate arena, he represented South Australia 23 times, kicking 26 goals. Often compared to Bob Quinn, with "his rolling gait and hands-on-hips attitude" (see footnote 1), Potter was perhaps less feted but ultimately no less important to the Magpie cause than the illustrious dual Magarey Medallist. |
Footnotes1. 100 Years With The Magpies by A.R. McLean, page 49. Return to Main Text |
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| Ted Potter joined Collingwood from Greensborough, playing a handful of Thirds games in 1961, and then an entire season at that level the following year. He made his senior VFL debut in the 5th round of the 1963 season against Melbourne, and thereafter, other than when injured, was an ever-present in the side for ten years. He quickly developed into one of the finest defenders in the league, being particularly renowned for his ability to shut down some of the biggest names in the game. St Kilda champion Darrel Baldock, for example, probably lowered his colours to Potter more often than against any other VFL defender. Equally at home in either key defensive position, Potter was strong overhead and tenacious and powerful at ground level. He boasted considerable pace, and his distribution skills were first rate - dual legacies, perhaps, of his many games as a rover while growing up in Rutherglen. He had the misfortune to play in three losing grand final teams with the Magpies - against Melbourne in 1964, St Kilda in 1966 and Carlton in 1970. (All three matches are reviewed in the Great Games section.) When he retired at the end of the 1972 season he had played a total of 182 VFL games. He also made 4 interstate appearances for the VFL. |
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| Rover Barry Potts only had a comparatively brief career at the top level, playing 65 games and kicking 71 goals for North Adelaide between 1958 and 1963. Nevertheless, he is well remembered owing to one particularly noteworthy feat: his 7 goal, best afield performance in the winning grand final of 1960 against Norwood. Potts, in fact, was the Roosters' only multiple goal kicker that afternoon. A tenacious, lively performer, he had the archetypal rover's resilience, and was a fine foot pass. |
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William 'Tiger' Potts (Norwood)
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| Originally
from Broken Hill, where he was better known as a boxer than a footballer,
'Tiger' Potts arrived at Norwood in 1921 and
went on to become one of that club's greatest ever servants. As
player, head trainer, and club icon, Potts spent forty-seven years at the
Parade, and it would not be exaggerating to suggest that he devoted his
life to the people and players of Norwood.
As a footballer, Potts played most of his 96 league games between 1921 and 1930 in the physically gruelling position of ruck shepherd. Fearless, authoritative and strong, he "would summon colossal power to hold milling bodies at bay to create opportunities for his fleet-footed, ball-winning colleagues" (see footnote 1). The same power was handsomely utilised in the interstate arena for South Australia on 9 occasions, including matches at the 1924 Hobart carnival. Always the quintessential team player, Potts never featured prominently in best and fairest counts, but his value to the club was immense, and he was a significant contributor to four Redlegs premierships during his career. After his retirement as a player, 'Tiger' Potts joined the club's training staff. In 1935 he was appointed head trainer, a position he retained until his death in July 1967. |
Footnotes1. Men Of Norwood: The Red And Blue Blooded by Mike Coward, page 159. Return to Main Text |
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Joe Poulter (Collingwood, South Melbourne, Brighton)
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| Joe Poulter was a tough, resilient ruckman who had plenty of pace for a big man, but whose kicking sometimes let him down. He was a safe mark, and remained unflinching in the face of often quite ruthless physical pressure. He made his VFL debut with Collingwood in 1923, and had played 83 senior games and kicked 32 goals for the club by the time he transferred to South Melbourne during the 1928 season. Poulter was second ruckman in Collingwood's losing challenge final team of 1926 against Melbourne, and again in the premiership decider a year later when the Magpies downed Richmond. After crossing to South Poulter continued to perform serviceably, adding another 31 VFL games and 24 goals in 1928-9 and 1937. During the interval between his two stints with the southerners he served as captain-coach of VFA club Brighton for a time. |
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Mike Poulter (Waratahs, Norwood, Darwin)
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| Mike
Poulter was arguably Waratahs' most
highly-rated playing product. After a successful junior career in the early
1960s and some promising senior performances as a forward in 1966/67 and
1967/68 Poulter joined Norwood in 1968 where
he went on to play 175 games, represent the state, win a best and fairest
award in 1970, and appear in the club's premiership winning team of 1975.
Prior to joining Norwood, in 1967, Poulter had represented the NTFL in its 69 point loss to a VFL All Stars side containing such players as Royce Hart, Hassa Mann, Barry Davis, Bob Skilton, John Nicholls and Stuart Magee, and he was also a member of the victorious Territory side which travelled to Brisbane to take on Queensland in 1974. A useful kick with either foot, pacy, and a sound mark, Poulter afforded the Norwood selectors plenty of options, as well as providing numerous headaches for opposition coaches. Equally at home on the ball or holding down a key position, he continued to perform to good effect when he returned home, representing both Darwin (where he also served as coach) and Waratahs until compelled by injury to retire in 1982. In 1990, when an independent panel of twenty judges was commissioned to select the twenty best NTFL footballers of the previous quarter of a century, Mike Poulter came in at number fifteen. |
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| Ray Poulter was a useful centre half forward whose lackadaisical approach perhaps prevented him from developing into a true champion. Nevertheless, he gave Richmond commendable service between 1946 and 1956, during the course of which he booted 351 goals. His tallies of 51 goals in 1949, 56 the following year and 49 in 1955 were good enough to top the Tigers' lists for those years. A VFL representative player in 1955, Poulter was strong overhead and was sometimes asked to take a turn in the ruck, which he almost invariably did to good effect. A left footer, he favoured the torpedo punt when shooting for goal, and was renowned for his ability to kick truly from considerable distances. |
| Dennis Powell was a fine ruckman who boasted considerable stamina and was an excellent palmer of the ball. He spent his entire fifteen season league career with the same club, Hobart, and his value is readily evidenced by his feat in winning no fewer than six club best and fairest awards during what was arguably the Tigers' greatest ever era. In the winning grand finals of 1959 against New Norfolk, 1960 against North Hobart, 1963 against Sandy Bay and 1966 against Glenorchy, Powell led the rucks, as he did in the state premiership victory over Burnie in 1959. His tally of 272 senior games for Hobart was, at the time of his retirement, a club record. He also represented Tasmania 5 times, and played 14 intrastate matches for the TFL. Hardly surprisingly, he was included in the first ruck in Hobart's official 'Best Team 1947 to 2002'. |
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| Equally effective on a wing or in the centre, Bill Power gave South Melbourne useful service in 51 VFL games between 1957 and 1961. He booted 27 goals, suggesting a liking for getting forward when the opportunity presented itself. |
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| Pacy and skilful, if sometimes underrated, utility Steve Power gave Footscray consistently fine service over more than a decade. He joined the club from St Kevins College, and made his senior VFL debut in 1969. Probably best suited to a half back flank or a wing, he was sufficiently adaptable to produce serviceable football in almost any position owing to his smooth, one grab style of play allied to exemplary courage and determination. At his peak during the mid-1970s, he finished second to all time great Gary Dempsey in the Bulldogs' 1974 best and fairest count. By the time he retired in 1979 he had played 177 VFL games and kicked 25 goals. |
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Bob Pratt (South Melbourne & Coburg)
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| Few
names in football resonate so compellingly down the decades as that of Bob
Pratt. His VFL record tally of 150 goals kicked in 1934 (later
equalled by Hawthorn's Peter
Hudson, albeit from more matches played) remains one of the most
iconic achievements in the game.
Originally from Mitcham, Pratt made his VFL debut with South Melbourne as a seventeen year old in 1930, and went on to play 158 games for the club between then and 1939 and in 1946, kicking 681 goals. He was South's leading goal kicker in a season in 1932 (71 goals), 1933 (109), 1934 (150), 1935 (103), 1936 (64) and 1938 (72). He topped the league's goal kicking list from 1933 to 1935. His best effort in a single game was 15 goals against Essendon in 1934. He also managed bags of 12 (once), 11 (three times), 10 (three times), 9 (four times) and 8 (six times). Best remembered for his shoulder-scraping marks Pratt would have been a thoroughgoing sensation had he played during the videotape era. Other VFL and VFA goalsneaks of the time - Titus, Mohr, Vallence, and Todd, for instance - may have kicked more goals than Pratt, but no one equalled his strike rate, and it is at least arguable to suggest that no one rivalled him as an all round player. He was a vital member of South Melbourne's 1933 premiership team, and it is arguable that his injury on the eve of the 1935 grand final, which forced him out of the game, cost the club another flag. In 1939, Pratt crossed to VFA club Coburg where, two years later, he established an Association record by kicking 183 goals for the season. (The record was later eclipsed by another former VFL star, Ron Todd, who had moved from Collingwood to Williamstown.) In a game against Sandringham in 1941, Pratt booted 22.4 out of Coburg's tally of 33.14 (212). However, on grand final day he was restricted to just 4 goals by Port Melbourne full back Lance Dobson as the Borough caused a boilover with their first win against Coburg since 1929. Bob Pratt returned to South Melbourne in 1946, but after booting 2 goals in his comeback match against Carlton he was seriously injured, and never played again. Erstwhile team mate Laurie Nash summed up the incomparable Pratt style by saying, "He was the greatest high mark I have ever seen. How he didn't kill himself in some of his marking efforts I will never know" (see footnote 1). Hardly surprisingly, Bob Pratt features in both the Sydney/South Melbourne and Coburg 'Teams of the Century'. |
Footnotes1. Quoted in Football's 50 Greatest by Greg Hobbs and Scot Palmer, page 37. Return to Main Text |
| One of East Fremantle's many shining lights during a 1950s decade that yielded rather less in the way of premiership success than might have been expected or hoped, Alan Preen could play with equal effectiveness at centre half forward or as a support ruckman. Between 1953 and 1959 he played a total of 122 WANFL games for the club, winning fairest and best awards in 1954 and 1958. He enjoyed a particularly auspicious year in 1954, scoring more than double the votes of his nearest contender in the fairest and best count. A near automatic selection for Western Australia for most of his career, Preen played a total of 15 state games, and was chosen in the 1958 All Australian team. He was one of the best players afield as Old Easts beat East Perth 10.18 (78) to 9.8 (62) in the 1957 grand final. In 1997 he was selected on a half forward flank in East Fremantle's official 'Team of the Century'. |
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Barry Price (Collingwood, Claremont, Prahran)
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| Recruited from Wimmera Football League club Ararat, Collingwood's Barry Price was a superb attacking centreman especially renowned for his impeccable disposal skills. Quick, decisive, and elusive, he made his VFL debut as a seventeen year old in 1966, and was soon teaming to telling effect with the Magpies' champion full forward, Peter McKenna. A Copeland Trophy winner in 1969, Price represented the VFL the following year, and was widely acknowledged as one of the pre-eminent centremen in the game. In 1976 he crossed to Claremont where he provided fine service in 49 games over the next three seasons. Returning to Collingwood in 1979, Price added only 1 senior game, bringing his final total with the Magpies to 158, before calling it a day as a player. In 1983 he coached VFA 1st division club Prahran. More than two decades later, Barry Price remains involved in football, and in 2005 was appointed senior coach of renowned VAFA club Old Scotch. |
| West Perth's Wally Price was a tough, tenacious and resolute back pocket specialist who played 256 games for the club between 1942 and 1954. He was many observers' choice as best afield in the Cardinals' grand final win over South Fremantle in 1951, although the Simpson Medal went to team mate Don Porter. Like many back pocket players, he tended to improve with age, and won the club's fairest and best award in 1952, his third to last league season. He made his interstate debut for Western Australia at the 1947 Hobart carnival, and went on to make a total of 10 state appearances. In October 2000, Wally Price was selected in the back pocket in West Perth's official 'Team of the Century'. |
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Matthew Primus (Norwood, Fitzroy, Port Adelaide)
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| Matthew Primus was a gargantuan ruckman whose contribution to the Port Adelaide cause was as immensely impressive as his 198cm, 106kg frame - which is somewhat ironic considering he commenced his senior league career with Port's long time SANFL rival Norwood. Primus, whose grand father was former Geelong legend Reg Hickey, joined the Redlegs in 1994 from Geelong Falcons, having also played a handful of games with Geelong reserves. He spent two seasons at Norwood, where he developed into an extremely hard-working knock ruckman of the old school, winning the club's best and fairest award in 1995. In 1996 he furthered his progress when he played 20 games with Fitzroy during that club's final season in the AFL. Although the Lions lost every game bar one that year, Primus proved to be a highly consistent and effective performer, running second in the club's best and fairest award. In 1997 he crossed to Port Adelaide and went on to become one of the key figures in the Power's first nine AFL seasons, albeit that his impact was all too frequently undermined by injury, particularly after the turn of the century. Ruggedly physical and team-orientated, at his best he was virtually unbeatable in one on one ruck contests, and he also became increasingly valuable around the ground as his career went on. Primus captained the Power from 2001 to 2005, but tragically for him missed the 2004 grand final when his team mates overcame Brisbane. He won the club's best and fairest award in 2002, and AFL All Australian selection for the second time the same year. After managing a total of just 10 games over the ensuing couple of seasons he enjoyed a more settled time in 2005, but nevertheless elected to retire at season's end, his 18 games for the year giving him a final tally of 157 with Port. |
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George Prince (East Fremantle)
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"Born to be a footballer, George Prince was probably the most versatile player to wear either a blue and white guernsey or the state colours. Equally at home in the ruck, at centre half forward or in goals, he was a champion wherever he played." (See footnote 1) A Lynn Medallist in 1947, Prince played 226 games for Old Easts, including a club record 158 in succession from 1945 to 1952, and represented Western Australia on 8 occasions. Among his total of 17 finals games for East Fremantle were the winning grand finals of 1945 against South Fremantle and 1946 against West Perth (see footnote 2). In 1997, George Prince was selected at centre half back in East Fremantle's official 'Team of the Century'. |
Footnotes1. Celebrating 100 Years of Tradition by Jack Lee, page 219. Return to Main Text 2. Statistical information kindly supplied by Steve Davies. Return to Main Text |
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Joe Prince (Preston, St Kilda, South Melbourne, Carlton)
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| Diminutive wingman Joe Prince played his early senior football with Preston before joining St Kilda in 1908. However, he failed to make his mark with the Saints, and after playing just a couple of VFL games he returned to Preston early in the 1909 season. In 1910 he made a second attempt to make it in the 'big time' when he joined South Melbourne, and on this occasion he proved to be a success, playing 103 league games between 1910 and 1915 and in 1917 and 1918. Quick and resourceful, he starred in South's losing grand final teams against Essendon in 1912 and Carlton two years later, but was sadly past his best by the time the club broke through for a flag in 1918, and did not achieve selection in the premiership side. In 1919 he crossed to Carlton where he played a final 10 VFL games. |
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Fred Pringle (Cananore & Carlton)
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| Fred
Pringle commenced his senior football career with Cananore
in 1915, while still only fifteen years of age. The TFL went into
abeyance the following year because of the war, and did not resume until
1920, when Pringle once again fronted up for the Canaries. An
accomplished all rounder, he was equally at home in the ruck or in any key
position. The Cananore team in which he played for most of the 1920s
was one of the strongest ever seen on the Apple Isle; besides Pringle, it
boasted, at various times, players of the calibre of Horrie
Gorringe, Jack
Charlesworth, Jack
Gardiner and Hec
Smith. Small wonder that it enjoyed almost
annual flirtation with the premiership, which it won on five occasions
between 1921 and 1927, rounding things off on each occasion with the state
title.
Late in the 1923 season, Pringle ventured to Victoria where he joined Carlton. He spent the entire 1924 season with the Blues, where his form was sufficiently eye-catching to procure interstate selection. He returned to Cananore in 1925, this time as captain-coach, and in one of the highlights of his career late in the season he steered the Canaries to an incredible 178 point victory over visiting South Australian team, Port Adelaide. The 1927 season saw Fred Pringle back on the mainland, but this time only briefly, as a member of Tasmania's Melbourne carnival side. At the end of the following year, while still in his prime as a player, he retired. |
| Ruckman Don Prior commenced his league career with Port Adelaide-West Torrens in the scaled down wartime competition that ran between 1942 and 1944, and when full scale football resumed in 1945 he lined up with Torrens. Renowned for his cleverness, and his indefatigable determination to get the ball to his rovers whatever the cost, he combined to great effect with fellow ruckman Jim Coverlid for the better part of a decade. Playing as first ruckman, Prior was close to best afield in the blue and golds' 13 point grand final defeat of Port Adelaide in 1945. He also played in the losing grand finals of 1948 against Norwood and 1949 against North Adelaide. Winner of Torrens' best and fairest player award in 1951, and an interstate player for South Australia on 1 occasion, he continued to produce excellent football until the end of his career in 1954, at which point he had donned the blue and gold jumper 144 times, kicking the commendable tally of 228 goals. His durability was emphasised with his fine four quarter performance in Torrens' 9.13 (67) to 8.12 (60) grand final defeat of Port Adelaide in 1953 (click here for match review), which meant that he ended his career having had the rare distinction of achieving premiership success at the expense of the redoubtable Magpies on two occasions. |
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Darrin Pritchard (Sandy Bay & Hawthorn)
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| Stepping
into Rodney
Eade's footsteps at Hawthorn was
another talented, pacy wingman from Tasmania in the shape of Sandy
Bay recruit Darrin Pritchard.. A member of the Hawks' 1988, 1989 and
1991 premiership sides Pritchard was arguably the most exciting wingman in
Australia at his peak. He represented both his home and adopted states at
state of origin level, skippering the former on three occasions, and was
named in the 1989 VFL Team of the Year. After sustaining a broken leg in
1995 he made a creditable comeback but was never quite the same player. He
retired after the 1997 season having played 211 VFL/AFL games.
In June 2004, AFL Tasmania named Pritchard on the interchange bench in the Tasmanian 'Team of the Century'. |
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| Strong overhead, versatile, and a fine kick, Kevin Pritchard was a key player for Preston during the decade immediately following World War Two. He played most of his football as a key position player, and was equally at home at either end of the ground; indeed, in his debut season of 1947, in a pattern that was by no means atypical, he played the first half of the year at centre half forward, and the second half at centre half back. He was a regular VFA representative player who played at the 1950 Brisbane carnival. He was signally unfortunate, however, in that he retired in 1954, after 133 senior games, having never played in a finals match, whereupon, in 1955, the Bullants qualified for their first finals series since 1941. |
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Allen Prosser (East Fremantle)
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| Originally from the famous South Bunbury Football Club, where he was a dual best and fairest award winner, East Fremantle's Allan Prosser was singularly unfortunate in that his entire league career coincided precisely with the eight season gap between his club's twenty-third and twenty-fourth premierships. Abundantly talented and perfectly balanced, he played a total of 119 senior games for Old Easts between 1966 and 1973, plus one game for Western Australia (against the VFL in 1971). One of the most skilful players of his generation, he played in a variety of positions, but was probably most effective across half back. His reputation today would undoubtedly be even higher had he managed to play at the top level for longer. When his league career with East Fremantle was over, Prosser returned to South Bunbury, where he played for three final seasons, captaining the side to the 1976 premiership in the last of them. |
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William Proudfoot (Collingwood)
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| One of the genuinely great figures in Collingwood's
illustrious history, Bill Proudfoot played in the club's very first VFA
match in May 1892 against Carlton, and
remained a key member of the side for fifteen seasons. He had begun
his senior career with Britannia, the club from which Collingwood would
derive most of its players and officials when it was formed prior to the
start of the 1892 football season.
Regarded at the time as a veritable 'man mountain' at 184cm and 101.5kg, Proudfoot was a formidable on-field presence as he combined enormous strength and power with considerable pace. He also marked and kicked well, and boasted, in abundance, the trademark Collingwood trait of immense passion and loyalty for his team. He served as club captain in 1898, part of the 1899 season, and 1901. At the MCG in 1894, Proudfoot was the first ever Collingwood player to represent Victoria, when he was part of a formidable backline that kept the visiting South Australians goalless. Most of his football was played on the last line of defence, and he was at full back in the VFL premiership deciding matches of 1901-2-3. In both 1902 against Essendon and 1903 against Fitzroy, the Magpies won, but in 1901 they went under to Essendon, with Proudfoot's departure from the fray owing to injury arguably the single most decisive factor in their loss. In 1905, Proudfoot was recalled to the Collingwood side for the challenge final clash with Fitzroy, despite having missed most of the season through work commitments; however, he could not prevent the Magpies from losing the match by 13 points. Nine years earlier, however, he had helped the club to its first ever flag, courtesy of a 6.9 to 5.10 (behinds not counting) victory over South Melbourne in a play-off, which had to be arranged after both teams finished level on points at the head of the ladder. This was the last VFA premiership to be contested prior to the breakaway of eight of the competition's wealthier and more ambitious clubs - of which Collingwood was one - to form the VFL. When he retired in 1906 Bill Proudfoot was estimated to have played in excess of 180 games, of which between 106 and 108 were in the VFL (see footnote 1). Based on his stature in the game and his contribution to it, one imagines that he must have been a strong candidate for inclusion in his club's official 'Team of The Century', but most V/AFL clubs, including Collingwood, tended for some reason not to include their early champions in these combinations. |
Footnotes1. There remains some uncertainty over whether or not Proudfoot took place in a couple of matches during the 1905 season. Return to Main Text |
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Ross Prunster (West Perth & Perth)
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| Ross
Prunster joined West Perth as a seventeen
year old in 1970, but after three seasons with the club he had failed to
advance beyond the reserves (and indeed was not even assured of weekly
selection at that level). Characterised as a 'battler', he decided to give
himself one final chance to make the grade, and during the summer break
between the 1972 and 1973 seasons he made a determined effort to get
himself as fit as possible. The results were spectacular: Prunster
was among the Cardinals' best players during the pre-season practice
matches, and for the opening WANFL fixture of the year against East
Perth found himself selected in the seniors. Thereafter, he
never looked back. Playing mainly as a ruck-rover, he averaged over
20 kicks per match, was frequently named among his team's best players,
and did not miss a game for the year. Rated the best rookie in the
competition by many observers, he was a key reason behind the Cardinals
making the 1973 grand final, which they lost to Subiaco.
Strong overhead, a good kick, and an admirable reader of the play, Prunster played a total of 159 WANFL games for West Perth between 1973 and 1979. The twin highlights of that time were his starring role in the club's 104 point grand final demolition of South Fremantle in 1975, and his fairest and best win in his final season. He crossed to Perth in 1980, and gave the club almost two years of fine service before being sidelined with an achilles tendon injury. For a time it looked as though his playing career might be over, but he managed to get himself sufficiently fit before the start of the 1984 season to have another stab at league football. However, he only managed to add a handful of games to his tally before conceding that the rigours of top level football were now beyond him. He had played a total of 36 games for the Demons. Earlier in his career he had also made 3 interstate appearances for Western Australia. |
| Fred Puddey was a highly skilful centreline player or half forward flanker who gave Perth some excellent service both before and after World War Two. His tally of 132 senior games might have been much closer to 200 had full scale league competition not been suspended between 1942 and 1944. Puddey also missed the entire 1941 and 1945 seasons because of wartime commitments. His form was particularly consistent during the late 1930s. He won the Redlegs’ fairest and best award in 1937, and played 4 times for Western Australia in 1938 and 1939. |
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Andrew Purser (East Fremantle, Footscray, West Perth)
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| A ruckman of the very highest order, Andrew Purser's name might well have been included among the bona fide all time greats of the game had he not elected to retire, aged just twenty-eight, when approaching the very finest form of his career. Purser began with East Fremantle in 1978, and his 85 games with the club included the 1979 winning grand final against South Fremantle, and yielded a fairest and best award in 1981. From 1983 to 1987 he played 112 VFL games for Footscray, where he impressed as a hard working, mobile and often dominant ruckman who always gave 100%. On his return to Western Australia he added 2 league games for West Perth to bring his final tally of WAFL appearances to - unlucky for some - 87. Earlier, Andrew Purser had represented Western Australia on three occasions at a time when the sandgropers possessed the finest interstate combination in the land. |
| Charlie Pyatt was a key member of the strong West Torrens sides of the late 1940s and early to mid 1950s. A hard working on-baller - effectively, a ruck-rover - with excellent defensive qualities, his 163 SANFL games included the losing grand finals of 1948 and 1949, and the premiership victory of 1953 against Port Adelaide (reviewed here), when he was one of Torrens' best. Pyatt was a member of South Australia's 1947 Hobart carnival squad, and represented his state a total of 7 times. In 1959 he was appointed as the first ever coach of the Central District Football Club which was just embarking on a five year apprenticeship in the SANFL seconds prior to its admittance to the full league competition. Pyatt spent two years coaching the Bulldogs, and in 1964 embarked on an eleven year stint as chairman of the club; in 1970, he was rewarded for his services with life membership of the club. He had earlier been made a life member of the West Torrens Football Club as well. |
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Len Pye (Northcote, North Hobart, Fitzroy, New Norfolk)
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| Memorably
nicknamed 'Apples', Tasmanian-born Len Pye actually commenced his senior
football career in the VFA with Northcote.
He returned to Tasmania in 1929, thereby missing the onset of the
Brickfielders' greatest ever era, which would yield a total of five premierships over the next
eight seasons. Not that flag success was
foreign to Pye: joining North Hobart, he
participated in that club's grand final wins over Lefroy
in 1929 and Cananore in 1932. In 1929,
the Robins also won the state
premiership with a 9 point win over Launceston.
Adept on the ground, formidable in the air, and a thumping kick, Pye won the 1932 Leitch Medal, and was a key performer for Tasmania at the 1933 Sydney carnival, where he came to the attention of a number of mainland clubs. The 1934 season found him at Fitzroy where he played a total of 16 VFL games and kicked 39 goals in two years. Back at North Hobart in 1936, Len Pye continued where he had left off, putting in a best afield performance for the Robins as they overcame Lefroy by 4 points in a nail-biting grand final. A 17 point defeat of Launceston in the state premiership play-off followed. Best afield again in the 1937 grand final, and this time with an official award, the Coronation Medal, to confirm it, Pye nevertheless suffered disappointment as North Hobart went down to Lefroy by 45 points. In winning the George Watt Memorial Medal in both 1937 and 1938, Len Pye became the first player to secure TFL best and fairest awards on three occasions. (Rex Garwood later emulated this feat.) Had the war not intervened, he might conceivably have won even more. A member of five North Hobart premiership teams and a winner of the club's best and fairest award in 1931 and 1936-7-8, Pye returned to the Robins when full scale football resumed in 1946. The following year, however, he joined TANFL debutants New Norfolk, where he played out the final two seasons of his league career. Len Pye's immense contribution to Tasmanian football was rewarded in 2004 with inclusion in the state's official 'Team of the Century'. |
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Don Pyke (Claremont, West Coast, Belconnen)
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| Born
in the United States, while his father, former Perth
star Frank Pyke, was living there, Don Pyke commenced his
league career with Claremont
in 1987, the year that the Western Australian football landscape changed
forever with the admission of the Perth-based West
Coast Eagles to the VFL. Pyke himself would soon have a
measurable impact on Australian football's elite competition, but not
before providing Claremont with sterling service over 54 games which
included the victorious 1987 and 1989 grand finals. After playing
the last of his 132 League games with West Coast in 1996, Pyke rounded off
his career in style by returning 'home' and featuring prominently in
Claremont's 2 point grand final victory over East
Perth, following which he retired.
Not blessed with a superabundance of pace or the classical ball handling skills of team mates like Chris Lewis and Peter Matera, Pyke was nevertheless at least as important to the Eagles as those players by virtue of his consistency, and ability to make light of pressure and duress, and get and use the ball effectively, time and time again. At his peak during the period between 1991 and 1994, Pyke was a prominent member of the Eagles' 'engine room' during their 1992 and 1994 premiership wins, and was voted club champion in 1993. He had earlier, in 1988, been accorded the same honour at Claremont. In 1999 Don Pyke returned to Claremont as senior coach, but after two seasons of modest success he was replaced by Mark Riley. |
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| Perth's Frank was a superbly adaptable footballer who could perform well in virtually any position, although many of his finest performances came on a half forward flank. That was the position he occupied in Perth's winning grand final of 1966 against East Perth, when he was one of the best players afield. Although he never managed to win a club fairest and best award, other than at Colts level (in 1958), Pyke ran third in the Sandover Medal voting in both 1962 and 1963, finishing just one vote adrift of winner Ray Sorrell of East Fremantle in the latter year. In 1963 he represented Western Australia against both Tasmania and the VFL at Subiaco. Frank Pyke played a total of 130 WANFL games for Perth between 1959 and 1966, and in 1972 and 1973. He spent the intervening six year period between stints studying in the USA, where his son Don was born. |
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Ricky Quade (South Melbourne/Sydney)
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| Recruited
from Ariah Park in New South Wales, Ricky Quade was an appropriate choice
as first coach for South Melbourne after
the club relocated to Sydney in 1982. In actual fact, Quade suffered
the indignity of being sacked by the club committee shortly after being
appointed, but he was later re-installed. He coached the Swans for
their first two and a half seasons in the Harbor City.
As a player, Ricky Quade represented South Melbourne in 164 VFL games between 1970 and 1980, kicking 111 goals. A highly talented ruck-rover, he won the club's best and fairest award in 1976. |
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| Footscray had to pay a hefty price in order to procure John Quarrell's clearance from Terang, but overall he failed to give full value for money. He began well, however, winning the Bulldogs' best first year player award after his debut season of 1957, but thereafter he produced his best form only intermittently. A pacy and skilful half forward flanker or wingman who kicked the ball well, Quarrell was among the Bulldogs' best in the losing grand final of 1961 against Hawthorn. He retired in 1962 after 53 VFL games. |
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Alan Quartermaine (East Perth)
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| He may not have been the greatest player ever to win Western Australian football's most prestigious individual award, the Sandover Medal, but to suggest, as some have done, that East Perth's Alan Quartermaine does not warrant a place among the game's elite is palpably unfair. Quartermaine, who played a total of 108 WANFL games and kicked 195 goals for the Royals between 1969 and 1979, was not always a first choice senior player, but performed consistently well in 1975 to win his Medal with 16 votes, two more than team mates Peter Spencer and Ross Glendinning, and Stan Nowotny of Swan Districts. A ruggedly aggressive performer, the biggest disappointment in Quartermaine's career came in 1972, when the WANFL Tribunal found him guilty of striking Claremont's Wayne Reynolds in that season's 2nd semi final, and he was suspended for three matches. This meant that he missed the 1972 grand final, in which the Royals won their first flag for thirteen years. The nearest he came to making amends was in the 1976 grand final against Perth, but a fine, 3 goal performance on a half forward flank was insufficient to prevent the Demons from winning comfortably. Somewhat ironically, when East Perth finally went top again in 1978, he played just one senior game for the year, preferring to concentrate on his University studies. Alan Quartermaine, who played most of his football either in the centre or across half forward, was chosen to represent Western Australia on 3 occasions. |
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Bernie Quinlan (Footscray & Fitzroy)
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| A superb kick and powerful mark, Bernie 'Superboot' Quinlan was one of the VFL's most exciting, if unpredictable, key position forwards of the 1970s and '80s. A prodigious kick of the football, he was also a powerful mark, and had impressive pace for a big man. Beginning with Footscray in 1969 he played 178 games and kicked 239 for the Bulldogs before crossing to Fitzroy in 1978. In nine seasons with the Lions, Quinlan produced the best and most consistent form of his career, playing another 189 VFL games as well as adding 565 goals, including centuries in both 1983 and 1984. The highlight of his illustrious career came in 1981 when, aged thirty, he tied for the Brownlow Medal with South Melbourne's Barry Round, who ironically happened to be a close personal friend of Quinlan's. Few people were surprised when, in 2002, Bernie Quinlan was handed the pivotal centre half forward position in Fitzroy's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
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| The
honour board at Alberton contains a greater number of illustrious names than most, but
none more celebrated than that of Robert Berriman Quinn who was without
doubt the most talented and highly renowned rover ever to don the famous
black and white of the Port Adelaide Football
Club. But for World
War Two, in which he served with distinction for five years, Quinn's record
might ultimately have rivalled even that of the most individually
decorated Magpie of them all, Russell
Ebert.
Voted Port Adelaide's best and fairest player four times and placed in the top three of the Magarey Medal count on four occasions (for two wins) it was nevertheless more in the intangible, unrecordable sphere that Quinn truly excelled. Never one to chase personal glory ahead of the needs of the team he epitomised the Port Adelaide philosophy even before it had been formally articulated by Fos Williams. Quinn made his league debut with the Magpies as an eighteen year old in 1933, and when he retired after the 1947 preliminary final he had played a total of 185 SANFL matches. He was also a fine player in the interstate sphere, representing South Australia 14 times, and kicking 27 goals. Quinn, a decorated 'Rat of Tobruk', died, aged ninety-three, in 2008. |
| Port Adelaide's captain in 1904 and 1905, and founder of the 'Quinn Dynasty', with sons Jack, Tom, dual Magarey Medallist Bob, and George all representing the club in later years. Jack Quinn was a talented forward who topped the SAFA's goal kicking list with 32 goals in 1907. In 1898 he spent a season playing for White Feather in the very strong WA Goldfields competition. |
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Tom Quinn (Port Adelaide & Geelong)
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Despite standing only 170cm in height, Tom Quinn weighed in at a muscular 80.5kg, and he used his formidable physique to great effect over the course of a 227 game league career which began at Port Adelaide in 1928. Tom's father Jack Quinn had been a fine forward with the Magpies prior to the Great War, and Tom was one of four brothers to follow in his footsteps. Tom Quinn enjoyed a great start to his league career when he played in a premiership under the coaching of former Port champion 'Shine' Hosking. The Magpies lost badly in a semi final against Norwood, managing just 3.2 (20) for the entire game, but as minor premiers they enjoyed right of challenge, and a fortnight later they comprehensively turned the tables on the Redlegs with a 15.14 (104) to 7.14 (56). Quinn spent three seasons with Port, playing a total of 59 games (plus 6 for the state), before seeking, and being granted, a clearance to Geelong. The Cats had been on Quinn's trail for some time, and when the tank-like rover put in a series of sparkling displays for South Australia at the 1930 Adelaide carnival they became convinced that he was just the sort of player that they needed to help them bring an end to Collingwood's four year reign at the top of the VFL ladder. In 1930, Geelong had only narrowly failed to scupper the Magpies, downing them convincingly in the final, only to crumble badly in the following week's challenge final. In order to win a flag, they needed players who thrived in torrid, strenuous, unforgiving conditions, and in Tom Quinn they believed they had acquired just such a player. Right from the outset, Quinn - known within the club as 'Maggie', in tribute to his origins - was a success. Tough, tenacious and highly skilled, he added bite and vigour to the packs and, together with skipper Ted Baker, gave the Cats the premier roving combination in the league. Just as with Port Adelaide, Quinn ended up savouring the thrill of a premiership in his debut season as Geelong pulled away from Richmond in the second half of a ferociously contested grand final to win by 20 points. When Ted Baker departed after the 1932 season, Tommy Quinn took on first roving duties with the Cats. Always wholehearted, he was a firm favourite with the Corio Oval faithful, and won club best and fairest awards in 1936 and '37. Immense durability was a feature of his game, and on one occasion he played precisely 100 consecutive games for the Cats. He was also a dangerous player when resting, and averaged a goal a game throughout his 168 match VFL career. After five seasons of mediocrity, the Cats returned as a force in 1937. Captain-coach Reg Hickey had his side playing a fast, exhilarating run-on brand of football that frequently left opponents gasping. This was seldom better exemplified than during the 1937 grand final, which at the time was popularly described as the greatest ever seen up to that point: for three quarters, Collingwood matched Geelong stride for stride, and at the final change scores were deadlocked, 80 points apiece. Then, with vice-captain Quinn at the forefront, the Cats turned up the heat, leaving the hapless Magpies in their wake. Geelong added 6.6 to 1.4 in a devastating last term display to end up winning by 32 points. For Tom Quinn, who was universally acclaimed as best afield after garnering 31 possessions and 6 marks in a performance described as 'completely error free', it was undoubtedly the pinnacle of an illustrious career. He carried on at Geelong until early in the 1940 season when, after a loss of form, he was dropped to the seconds. He promptly retired. Between 1946 and 1948 Tommy Quinn was non-playing coach of the Cats, but he failed to get them above 7th place on the ladder. In 2001 his importance in the history of the Geelong Football Club was officially recognised in some small measure when he was selected as an emergency in the club's 'Team of the Century'. |
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Bryan Quirk (Carlton & Oakleigh)
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| Bryan Quirk was a tall (185cm), long kicking wingman who gave Carlton good service, but was somewhat unfortunate with injury. He began his VFL career in 1965 as a half forward flanker, and indeed topped the Blues' goal kicking list that year with 29 goals, but it was after being switched to the wing that he truly excelled. He played in Carlton's 1968 premiership team, and was many people's choice as his team's best in the following season's grand final loss to Richmond. He missed both the 1970 and 1972 grand finals with injury, however, before being named on the bench in 1973 when the Blues again lost to Richmond. Bryan Quirk retired in 1975 after playing 167 VFL games and kicking 112 goals. From 1987 to 1989 he coached VFA club Oakleigh where he oversaw a 2nd division premiership win in his second season. He returned for a brief second stint when he replaced Russell Rowe during a disastrous 1992 season that saw the Devils manage just 1 win from 18 matches en route to the wooden spoon. |
