
Go straight to the biography of your choice by clicking on the appropriate link:
[Bob Snell] [Sid Snow] [Tony Solin] [Harold Solomon] [Silvio Soltoggio] [Ray Sorrell] [Geoff Southby] [Ronald Southee] [Arthur Sowden] [Frank Sparrow] [Valentine Sparrow] [Thomas 'Jock' Spencer] [Keith Spencer] [Peter Spencer] [Stuart Spencer] [Frank Spiel] [Stan Spinks] [Trevor Sprigg] [Geoff Spring] [William Spurling] [Alan Squire] [Damien Squire] [Keith Stackpole] [Charles Stanbridge] [Wally Steele] [Frank Stemper] [Bill Stephen] [Peter Stephen] [Guy Stephens] [Peter Stephens] [Victor Stephens] [Alan 'Ginty' Stevens] [Anthony Stevens] [George Stevens] [Harvey Stevens] [Phil Stevens] [Edward Stevenson] [Ted Stevenson] [Alan Steward] [Peter Steward] [Ian Stewart] [James Stewart] [Stuart Stewart] [Wayne Stewart] [Jimmy Stiff] [Greg Stockdale] [Albert Stokes] [Ray Stokes] [Alan Stoneham] [Barry Stoneham] [Doug Strang] [Gordon Strang] [William Strang] [Barry Strange] [Charles Streeter] [Steven Stretch] [William Strickland] [Barry Stringer] [Dean Stringer] [Kelly Stringer] [Wayne Stringer] [Frank Stubbs] [Colin Stutley] [Jim Stynes] [Harry Sullivan] [Tom Sullivan] [Peter Sumich] [William Sutherland] [Charlie Sutton] [Darryl Sutton] [Charles 'Dick' Sweetman] [Walter Sykes] [Jack Symons]
|
Bob Snell (East Perth, West Adelaide, New Town) [Click to enlarge] |
| Dashing,
poised and extraordinarily skilful - the editor of 'The SANFL Football
Budget' once opined that "Snell's skill has to be so often lauded
that one finds it difficult to describe" - Bob Snell enjoyed success
at the top level in three traditional football states. He took his
bows in 1923 with East Perth, having
travelled to the metropolis from Collie near Bunbury anxious to prove
himself in league football. It took a while, but he eventually
managed to do this, earning selection the following year in two West
Australian second choice eighteens which played the visiting Essendon
and North Adelaide club sides.
In 1925, after 26 senior games for the Royals, Snell sought a clearance to West Adelaide, but when this was refused he played instead in a variety of amateur and junior competitions. It was a similar story in 1926, but after two full years he was finally cleared to West in time for round one of the 1927 season. It did not prove to be an auspicious start: Snell missed the opening two rounds with influenza, and when he finally fronted up in round three against West Torrens he was given a proverbial 'bath' by opposing centreman Roy Brown. Gradually, however, he came good, and at season's end was a significant contributor to an unexpected, but thoroughly warranted, West Adelaide premiership victory. Snell's best season was 1929 when he landed the Magarey Medal. (He is pictured above receiving his Medal from league chairman Thomas O'Halloran on the Adelaide Oval; it was the first ever time that the Medallist had been publicly honoured in this way.) Money was tight, however, and two seasons later Bob Snell was lining up with New Town in the TANFL, where he was paid the princely sum of £5 a match - the equivalent of a week's wage for a skilled labourer. Returning to Adelaide, Snell finished his league career with a further two seasons at West Adelaide for an ultimate total of 84 senior games for the club. He represented South Australia 13 times. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Sid Snow was a resolute, authoritative and dependable full back and occasional back pocket who was a member of Subiaco premiership teams in 1912, 1913 and 1915, the last two as vice-captain. He was particularly noted for his ability to "kick off splendidly, always with long, well-judged shots" (see footnote 1). Snow played a total of 191 league games for Subiaco between 1908 and 1920, and represented Western Australia once. He was the Maroons' captain in 1916. |
Footnotes1. An unnamed source, quoted in Diehards 1896-1945 by Ken Spillman, page 45. Return to Main Text |
|
Tony Solin (South Fremantle, Swan Districts, East Fremantle, Subiaco) [Click to enlarge] |
| Tony Solin was a tough, hard-hitting
half back flanker who overcame a stuttering start to his league career to
achieve triple premiership success with Swan
Districts. Solin began his league career with South
Fremantle in 1975 but managed just 3 senior games in five seasons
before crossing to Swans, where he enjoyed a new lease of life under the
astute coaching of the like-minded John Todd. After his six season
stint at Swan Districts, Solin brought experience, steadiness and assurance to
the East Fremantle backline during 36 WAFL appearances in 1986-7.
He then made a brief return to Swans, adding 12 senior games in 1988 to
bring his final tally with that club to 119. He also played twice for
Western Australia.
In 1993-4 Tony Solin served as non-playing coach of Subiaco, steering his side to 3rd place in his first season and 4th the next. |
|
Harold Solomon (West Adelaide) [Click to enlarge] |
| One of a large crop of brilliant Broken Hill recruits to join West Adelaide during the 1920s, Harry Solomon gave the club sterling service in 119 games between 1926 and 1932, kicking 52 goals. Playing on a wing, he was a major contributor to West's 10.11 (71) to 8.10 (58) defeat of North Adelaide in the 1927 challenge final. Appointed club captain in 1920, Solomon retained the role until midway through the following season when he accepted a coaching position in the country. He returned to West for one last season in 1932. His 4 South Australian interstate appearances came at the 1930 Adelaide carnival. |
|
Silvio Soltoggio (East Fremantle) [Click to enlarge] |
| Silvio Soltoggio was a capable, hard working follower whose 81 game league career with East Fremantle included membership of the 1945 and 1946 premiership-winning combinations. He debuted in 1939, and took part in that year's grand final in which Old Easts went down to Claremont. He produced his best and most consistent football in 1945-6 when he was a virtual ever present in an extremely powerful side. Had the war not deprived him of a possible three seasons of football he would almost certainly have comfortably exceeded 100 senior league appearances. |
|
Ray Sorrell (East Fremantle & South Fremantle) [Click to enlarge] |
| During
his 177 game league career Ray Sorrell was regarded as one of, if not the, best centremen
in Australia. Essendon's Jack
Clarke, for example, rated Sorrell as his toughest opponent: "He
was fast, strong, intelligent in both attack and defence, elusive and a
powerful kick. I've played against him three times, and.....haven't
beaten him once." (See footnote 1)
Besides winning the 1963 Sandover
Medal and being awarded a retrospective
one for 1961, Sorrell was twice adjudged Old
Easts' fairest and best
player. A dual Simpson
Medallist, he represented WA 18 times and made the 1958 and 1961 All
Australian teams.
In 1964 South Fremantle recruited Sorrell as its captain-coach, paying what, for the time, was the outrageously extravagant sum of £1,250 for the privilege. It was less than a sound investment as South finished 7th and 8th in Sorrell's two seasons in charge. He later returned briefly to Old Easts, where he finished his playing career, claiming that he had never been fully accepted or made to feel welcome by the red and white fraternity. |
Footnotes1. High Mark edited by Jack Pollard, page 68. Return to Main Text |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Arguably the finest full back of his era, Geoff Southby proved to be an immediate success after joining Carlton in 1971 from Sandhurst, having earlier played in the VAFA with Power House, where he won a best and fairest award in 1969. Perfectly built for a key position defender at 188cm in height and 86kg in weight he won the Blues best and fairest award in both of his first two seasons in the VFL. Southby regularly represented the 'Big V', and was a member of Carlton premiership teams in 1972 and 1979. He was quick, strong, adaptable and extraordinarily dogged, and must rank as one of the hardest defenders to beat one-on-one in the history of the game. He played 268 games for the Blues between 1971 and 1984, and was included as a back pocket in Carlton's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
|
|
| Ronald Southee was a key player for Perth during the club's first truly auspicious era. In 1907 when the side won the premiership with a 2 point grand final defeat of East Fremantle he was in a back pocket, charged with the unenviable task of minding the formidable changing ruck pair of Albert Heinrichs and 'Dolly' Christy. The following season's saw grand final, once again against Old Easts, saw Southee lining up at centre half back, but he was unable to prevent a 29 point loss. Ron Southee played a total of 55 senior games for Perth between 1905 and 1911. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Arthur Sowden was a dashing, clever, smooth ball handling wingman who got better the longer his career went on. He played a total of 117 VFL games for Melbourne between 1899 and 1906, with his tally of just 13 goals indicative of the 'stay at home' nature of the typical wingman's role at the time. Sowden captained Melbourne in his final league season, and represented the VFL against South Australia in 1902. |
|
Frank Sparrow (East Perth, Swan Districts, West Perth) [Click to enlarge] |
| The
son of former East Perth champion Val
Sparrow, Frank Sparrow seemingly inherited much of his father's
ability. Equally at home in the centre or across half back, he was
one of the most outstanding Western Australian footballers of the
immediate post-World War Two period. Like his father, he began his
league career with the Royals, for whom he played 126 senior games,
winning club fairest and best awards in 1948 and 1952. He also
captained the side for part of the 1949 season, and the whole of 1951, and
was runner-up to South Fremantle's
Steve
Marsh in the voting for the 1952 Sandover
Medal.
The 1953 season found Frank Sparrow at Bassendean Oval as captain-coach of the team that had succumbed to the two previous wooden spoons, Swan Districts. Under Sparrow, Swans showed marginal improvement, finishing 6th, 7th and 6th during his three season stint in charge, but finals participation seemed as far away as ever. On a personal front, however, Frank Sparrow continued to play with great energy, purpose and no small amount of skill; indeed, the 1953 season was arguably his finest in football, as he not only secured Swan Districts' fairest and best player award, but earned All Australian selection at the Adelaide carnival as well. After 51 games with Swans Sparrow moved to West Perth as captain-coach in 1956, where he added a final half a dozen league games to his tally. He had also represented Western Australia 17 times. The Cardinals finished 5th in 1956, and the following year, with Sparrow now overseeing matters in an off-field capacity, they improved sufficiently to reach the finals, only to go down to eventual premier East Fremantle by 3 goals in the 1st semi. It was Frank Sparrow's last ever first-hand involvement in the game, but he continued to centre his life around football for another thirty-eight years as a highly successful and much-respected media commentator. |
| Among
the very finest of the prodigiously talented group of footballers who
fronted up for East Perth in the decade
following the end of the Great War, Val Sparrow enjoyed the enviable
record of appearing in the club's first seven league premiership teams, a
record shared only by Larry Duffy
and 'Staunch' Owens.
Sparrow had actually played the first of his eventual 213 senior games for
the Royals prior to the war, and so it is just conceivable that he might
have become football's first 300 game player had the demands of King and
country not intervened.
Pacy, clever and determined, Sparrow played for most of his career as a rover resting in the forward lines, although he was also used across half forward on occasion, to equally good effect. He represented Western Australia on 9 occasions, including games at the 1927 Melbourne carnival. In 1929 and 1930, his final seasons as a player, he captain-coached East Perth, but the club had temporarily fallen on hard times by then, and finished last and 5th (of seven). As non-playing coach in 1931 and 1932 he oversaw an improvement which yielded a 3rd place finish followed by a losing grand final against West Perth. Sparrow was a central figure when the Royals next contested a grand final in 1936, but it is to be hoped that he did not contribute in any legible way to their eventual narrow win over Claremont as he was there in the capacity of field umpire. He spent five seasons on the league's panel of umpires, but his final involvement in top level football was back at the club he loved, East Perth, where he served as non-playing coach in 1947 and 1948, steering the side to 5th place finishes in both years. Val Sparrow's son Frank Sparrow continued and further enhanced the family tradition by playing with distinction for three league clubs before spending the better part of four decades as a highly respected football commentator on both radio and television. |
|
Thomas 'Jock' Spencer (North Melbourne) [Click to enlarge] |
| In
the opinion of the selectors who picked the
Kangaroos' official 'Team of the 20th Century', 'Jock' Spencer was the
club's greatest ever full forward - no mean accolade when you consider
that Arden Street has also been home to the likes of John
Dugdale, Doug
Wade and Malcolm
Blight.
Recruited from North Kensington, Spencer made his VFL debut in 1948, and went on to play 153 games and boot 474 goals over the next ten seasons. Much of his career coincided with that of the legendary John Coleman, but his high status at the time is evidenced by the regularity with which he was selected to represent the VFL. Spencer donned the Big V jumper on 7 occasions, and was the top goal kicker, with 17 goals, at the 1956 Perth carnival. His omission from the All Australian team that year in favour of Western Australia's John Gerovich (who booted 13 goals) was treated with unmasked disdain by the Melbourne media. A spectacular and effective aerialist, combining a prodigious leap with a clamp-like grip that rarely relinquished control of the ball, Spencer was also a thumping if sometimes wayward kick, equally capable of registering full points from 55 metres out and missing everything from the edge of the goal square. He topped North's goal kicking list on seven occasions, and won the club's best and fairest award in 1951. After leaving the VFL at the end of the 1957 season he spent time with both his original club North Kensington and with City United in the Goulburn Valley Football League. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Port Adelaide's Keith Spencer was a lightly built, agile, high leaping ruckman who never quite seemed to fulfill his early promise. Originally from Broken Hill, he played 161 SANFL games for the Magpies between 1964 and 1974 but never had the satisfaction of playing in a premiership team. He was often on the fringes of state selection, but only actually represented South Australia once. |
|
Peter Spencer (East Perth, North Melbourne, Subiaco, Claremont)
|
| On his day one of the most exhilarating
players of his generation, Peter Spencer was stymied by recurrent injuries
from achieving his full potential. Nevertheless, not many players
manage to win two Sandover
Medals, which Spencer did in 1978 and 1984 during two separate stints with East
Perth.
Equally effective either in the centre or as a rover, the key to Spencer's success was his uncanny ball-winning ability. Time after time he was the highest possession gatherer on the field, and once he got his hands on the football he invariably used it to advantage. He was also deadly near goal, and twice finished as East Perth's leading goal kicker in a season. Spencer made his interstate debut against the VFL in 1976 and went on to play a total of 7 matches for West Australia. His tally would have been much higher but for injury, which also ruled him out of the 1978 grand final in which East Perth overcame Perth. The fact that this proved to be the only premiership won by the Royals during Spencer's time with them undoubtedly made it the biggest disappointment of his career. In 1981 and '82 Spencer played for North Melbourne but managed only 24 games as injury again undermined his effectiveness. On his return to East Perth in 1983 he promptly won the club's fairest and best award, his third, and maintained a comparatively injury-free run the following year when he tied with the Claremont pair of Steve Malaxos and Michael Mitchell for the Sandover. The 1985 season saw Spencer on the move to Haydn Bunton's Subiaco, where he spent the better part of two years before rounding off his WAFL career with a couple of games for Claremont. Peter Spencer's father, Jim Spencer, also played league football with East Perth, and won the club fairest and best award in 1953. The Spencers share with the Sidebottom family (Wally and Gary) the distinction of being the only father-son combinations to have won fairest and best trophies with the same WAFL club. In June 2006 Peter Spencer was named on a half forward flank in East Perth's official 'Team of the Century 1945 to 2005'. |
|
Stuart Spencer (Melbourne & Clarence) [Click to enlarge] |
| Originally
from Portland, with whom he won the Western
District Football League's best and fairest award in 1949, Stuart
Spencer was twenty-five years old when he arrived at Clarence,
a veteran of 122 VFL games with Melbourne
which included participation in the 1955 and 1956 premiership sides. He had
also played half a dozen interstate games for the VFL, gained selection in
the 1956 All Australian team,
and was a dual winner of the Demons' best and fairest award (no mean feat
when you consider that his team mates included players of the calibre of Ron
Barassi, John Beckwith,
Brian Dixon, Laurie Mithen and
Ian Ridley).
There is no doubt that, had he wished, he could have gone on playing in
the VFL for many more years, but for family and business reasons he
elected to relocate to Tasmania. With him he brought a
professionalism and an indefatigable resolve to succeed, which gradually
had a discernible impact on those under his tutelage.
He also continued to perform with distinction as a player, winning 'The Mercury' award for the best and fairest player in the TANFL in 1958 and 1960, representing Tasmania on 11 occasions, and procuring a second All Australian blazer after the 1958 centenary championships in Melbourne. When Tasmania broke through for a first ever victory over the Big V at York Park, Launceston in 1960, Stuart Spencer took great delight in captaining the victors. Not only that, he was most observers' choice as best afield, while the behind he kicked shortly before the end effectively sealed the result in that it put the Tasmanians 7 points in front. (Click here for a more detailed review of this match.) The only major disappointment of Spencer's senior football career, which ended after 161 TFL games for Clarence, was that he failed to steer the 'Roos to a flag, although having got them to their first ever grand final in 1962, his penultimate season, he definitely left them in a stronger position than they were in when he joined them. |
|
Frank Spiel (South Adelaide, Sturt, West Torrens, Woodville-West Torrens) [Click to enlarge] |
| Born in Kingaroy in 1954 Frank Spiel's preferred sport until his twenty-first year was hockey. However, in 1975 he commenced what was to develop into a perhaps surprisingly illustrious football career when he turned out for Meadows before joining Teachers' College in Adelaide the following season. Three years later he made his SANFL debut with South Adelaide, managing only 3 league appearances but winning the club's reserves best and fairest award. After 21 games with the Panthers he moved to Sturt, the club he had long aspired to join, in 1981. A resilient, combative ruckman, opponents underestimated Spiel at their peril. He represented South Australia in 1983 against Western Australia, was Sturt's best and fairest player in 1982, and played 141 games for the club before moving to West Torrens in 1988. After 47 games in two seasons with the Eagles he fronted up with the newly formed Woodville-West Torrens Football Club in its debut season of 1991, adding a final 25 league games for a career total of 234. |
|
Stan Spinks (Hawthorn & Camberwell) [Click to enlarge] |
| A fine wingman or centreman who hit the ground running when he arrived at Hawthorn from Auburn in 1931, Stan Spinks went on to amass 143 VFL games, and kick 19 goals, in almost a dozen seasons with the brown and gold. Combining pace, determination, toughness and skill in good measure, he was undoubtedly one of the Mayblooms' main shining lights during a bleak era for the club. A dual best and fairest winner, he also ran second in the Brownlow Medal voting on a couple of occasions, and played 4 interstate games for the VFL. After being dropped to the seconds for the first time in his career in 1941 he responded with a superb game, but when he was not restored to the seniors he quit the club in disgust. He ended up going to Camberwell in the VFA where he rounded off his career. One imagines that he must have been a strong contender for inclusion in Hawthorn's official 'Team of the Century', which was named in 2003, although the fact that his career with the club ended in somewhat acrimonious fashion would presumably not have helped his cause. |
|
Trevor Sprigg (East Fremantle & Glenorchy) [Click to enlarge] |
| Trevor
Sprigg was a confident, purposeful key position defender who played 149 WANFL games
with East Fremantle from 1965 to 1970
and in 1976-7. In his debut season, he was at full back as Old Easts
came from 21 points down at three quarter time to defeat Swan
Districts 18.18 (126) to 16.6 (102) in the grand final. He was
East Fremantle's fairest and best player in 1968, and represented Western
Australia 5 times. In 1971 he took over as captain-coach of Glenorchy
and transformed the Magpies into a highly competitive unit. He made
7 interstate appearances for Tasmania, including games at the 1972
Perth carnival. In 1975 he stood down as coach but continued as
a player under Peter
Hudson. He ended up playing some of the best football of his
career, earning the William
Leitch Medal, and starring in the Magpies' 39 point grand final defeat
of Sandy Bay. In 1976, after a total of
92 TANFL games, Sprigg returned home to Western Australia for two finals
seasons with Old Easts.
During the 2000 season Trevor Sprigg was named on a half back flank in the official Glenorchy 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
|
Geoff Spring (Williamstown & Richmond) [Click to enlarge] |
| True to his name, Geoff Spring had a magnificent leap, and was a fine mark. His kicking was also excellent, and he had the trademark pace and flair associated with his favoured position. He commenced his senior career with Williamstown, and was the best player afield as the Seagulls beat Port Melbourne in the 1945 grand final. He transferred to Richmond in 1948 where he played 147 games and booted 69 goals during the course of a ten season VFL career. Spring won his club's best and fairest award in 1949, and played interstate football for the VFL 4 times. |
|
|
| An accomplished all round performer who could hold down any key position (although his favourite spot was probably centre half forward), William Spurling was one of Footscray's most consistent performers during the club's initial decade in the VFL. Superb overhead, an excellent kick, and boasting plenty of leg speed, Spurling played a total of 81 VFL games for the Tricolours between 1928 and 1935, and booted 68 goals. He represented the VFL in the interstate arena twice. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| St Kilda recruited Alan Squire from Melbourne High School Old Boys and he proved to be a highly dependable follower and defender over 108 VFL games between 1948 and 1954. Strong overhead, and clever on the ground, he represented the VFL in 1951, and was always hard to beat. During the early part of his career he often rested in the forward pocket to damaging effect. |
|
Damien Squire (North Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Sturt)
|
| Since state league football became devalued by the emergence of the AFL as a proto-national competition, few footballers have enjoyed more illustrious careers in the SANFL than Damien Squire. He made his league debut for North Adelaide in 1991 and, after a slow start, developed into a key player for the Roosters. A quick moving, quick thinking half forward with good all round skills, he seemed like an AFL player in the making, an assessment endorsed by Port Adelaide's hierarchy in 1996 when they selected him as a member of the club's inaugural AFL squad. In 1997, Squire played 5 games and booted 4 goals for the Power, and seemed to do all that was required of him, but he was surprisingly delisted at the end of the season. The experience he gained stood him in good stead, however, and his form in the SANFL, initially with North, and later with Sturt, where he went in 1999, was consistently superb. In his first season with the Double Blues he won both the club's best and fairest award and the Magarey Medal. He added a second Magarey in 2000, and in 2002 was one of the best players afield as Sturt swept aside the challenge of Central District on grand final day to break a twenty-six year premiership drought. Squire continued to perform creditably, and in 2005, aged thirty-one, won his second club champion award. A South Australian state league representative on 7 occasions, Squire's SANFL career, which ended in 2006, comprised 113 games with Sturt and 145 with North Adelaide. He kicked 290 goals. |
|
Keith Stackpole (Collingwood, Fitzroy, Prahran) [Click to enlarge] |
| Collingwood
procured Keith Stackpole from Abbotsford, one of its most fruitful
recruiting sources, but in six seasons at the club he failed to break into
the senior side on a regular basis. He was 19th man in both the 1935
and 1936 premiership teams, but failed to make the losing grand final
sides of the ensuing three seasons. After 34 VFL games and 26 goals
for the Magpies between 1935 and the middle of the 1939 season he crossed
to Fitzroy where he really came into his own
as the club's second rover alongside Alan
Ruthven. Stackpole spent five and a half seasons with the
Maroons, playing another 94 VFL games and kicking 204 goals. His
final league match was the 1944 grand final, when he contributed a couple
of goals to the Roys' 15 point win over Richmond.
Keith Stackpole finished his top level career at Prahran
in the VFA, where he served as captain-coach from 1945 to 1947. In
his first season with the Two Blues his tally of 85 goals was good enough
to top the club's list, as well as being third best in the Association
that year.
Keith Stackpole's son, also named Keith, was a noteworthy test batsman who averaged 37.42 in 80 innings for Australia during the 1960s and '70s. |
|
Charles Stanbridge (Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, Williamstown) [Click to enlarge] |
| Charlie
Stanbridge made his VFA debut with Port
Melbourne in 1922, and was at centre half back that same year in the
Borough's 2 point grand final defeat of Footscray.
He also played at centre half back in the following season's premiership
decider when the Tricolours turned the tables.
In 1925, Stanbridge followed the well worn path from Port Melbourne to VFL 'big brother' South Melbourne, where he made an enormous impact in a comparatively brief league career. Voted South's best and fairest player in 1928, he captained the side the following year, and made a total of 7 interstate appearances for the VFL. Hefty and powerful, he was also deceptively quick, had good ground skills, kicked well, and was extremely hard to beat in the air. He played a total of 69 VFL games and kicked 11 goals for South between 1925 and 1929, before returning to South Melbourne as captain-coach in 1930. After 109 VFA games with the Borough, Stanbridge joined arch-rival Williamstown in 1932. His time with the Seagulls saw him produce some of the finest football of his career, earning him the both the Recorder Cup and VFA Medal (shared) in 1933. |
|
Wally Steele (Norwood, Subiaco, Perth, North Adelaide, Glenelg) [Click to enlarge] |
| Rover Wally Steele commenced his league career with Norwood, playing SAFL 35 games between 1910 and 1913. In 1914 he ventured across the Nullarbor, hoping to front up with Subiaco, but the South Australian authorities refused to sanction his clearance, and he was forced to spend a season on the sidelines. Once the clearance was granted a year later, however, it soon became evident that the Maroons had unearthed a gem, as Steele performed with consistent brilliance to captain the side to a flag. An inspirational footballer and a natural leader, he served as Subiaco captain-coach from 1917 to 1920, and again for part of the 1922 season. He was also the club's playing coach, but not captain, in 1921. As a player, he was renowned for his elusiveness and guile, and won a fairest and best award in 1920. If Wally Steele's coaching prowess was sometimes questioned, particularly later in his career, he was nevertheless without doubt one of the great figures in Subiaco's early history, playing 120 games between 1915 and 1923, most of them with great panache and effectiveness. He also played 4 state games for Western Australia, with the undoubted highlight coming when he kicked the match-sealing goal against his home state in the decisive match of the 1921 Perth carnival. In 1924 he crossed to Perth where he added 28 league games in two seasons before returning home to South Australia in 1926 as non-playing coach of North Adelaide. In his three season stint in charge he steered the side to 4th, 2nd and 4th place finishes. His final involvement in league football came in 1940 when he assumed the coaching reins at Glenelg, but after a dismal year that yielded just 3 wins from 17 matches he stood down in favour of Ray Curnow. |
|
Frank Stemper (Woodville & Norwood) [Click to enlarge] |
| After
emigrating from Germany as a youngster, Frank Stemper gave solid service
to two clubs during a twelve season, 214 game League career. Commencing
with Woodville in 1970, Stemper won two club
fairest and best awards before apparently retiring at the end of a 1978
season in which he had captained the club to its best performance up to
that point. Stemper had been warned by doctors that he risked
cracking his kneecap if he continued to play football but in 1980 he
surprised everyone by returning to the fray with a new club, Norwood.
Over the next three seasons Frank Stemper played some of the best football of his career. In 1980 he was one of the Redlegs' best players in their narrow grand final loss to Port Adelaide, while two seasons later he was again prominent as Norwood won the flag with a 62 point demolition of Glenelg. Having presumably now achieved his main football ambition, Stemper promptly retired, this time for good. For most of his career Frank Stemper played in the backlines where his pace and anticipation made him a quintessential rebound player. During the twilight years of his career he was a regular member of South Australian interstate training squads but was only once selected in the team. |
|
Bill Stephen (Fitzroy & Essendon) [Click to enlarge] |
| One of the finest defenders and indeed players of his era, back pocket specialist Bill Stephen won Fitzroy's best and fairest award in 1950 and 1954, and was an almost perennial 'Big V' representative player (14 appearances). He played a total of 163 VFL games for the Roys between 1947 and 1957, and was captain-coach for his final three seasons. After his retirement as a player he acquired a reputation as a first rate developer of young talent. He also had three separate stints as a non-playing VFL coach with Fitzroy (1965-70), Essendon (1976-7) and Fitzroy again (1979-80). |
|
Peter Stephen (East Fremantle) [Click to enlarge] |
| After joining East Fremantle from Albany, Peter Stephen had a pronounced immediate impact, earning selection in Western Australia's squad for the 1969 Adelaide carnival, and capping a marvellously consistent debut season by winning the Lynn Medal as his club's fairest and best player. Solidly built, and boasting good all round skills, he played for most of his league career as a half back flanker, but could also do a highly effective job as a holding centreman. In 1972, after just 62 WANFL games, plus half a dozen for the state, in four seasons, Stephen was forced to bring his highly promising playing career to a peremptory end after being transferred to the country by his employer. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| After playing mainly as a forward prior to World War One, Guy Stephens later became even more renowned as a solid, unostentatious defender who ended up giving Norwood fourteen seasons and 156 league games of staunch, usually reliable service. He arrived at the club in 1911 when it was in the doldrums, perennially flirting with the wooden spoon; when he retired in 1927 the Redlegs had been the pre-eminent force in South Australian football since the Great War, winning premierships, to which Stephens contributed, in 1922, 1923 and 1925. He represented South Australia in the interstate arena 7 times, and was his club's leading goal kicker with 19 goals in 1914 and 18 the following year. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Somewhat unusually, Geelong's Peter Stephens' two preferred positions were centre half back and rover. Moreover, he excelled in both. Combining solidity with tremendous dash, he was a great team player whose shepherding was especially effective. From 1902 to 1908 he played a total of 102 VFL games and kicked 22 goals. |
|
Victor Stephens (West Adelaide & Norwood) [Click to enlarge] |
| Vic
Stephens was one of half a dozen country recruits who helped West
Adelaide, under the coaching of 'Dinny'
Reedman, rise from 6th place in 1907 to a first ever league
premiership the following year. Hailing from Jamestown, Stephens was
on a half back flank as the red and blacks overcame Norwood
by 3 points in the challenge final, as well as when they downed Carlton
by 29 points in the championship
of Australia decider a week later. Solid, imperturbable and
ultra reliable, he again had the satisfaction of playing in a premiership
team in 1909, when West enjoyed a comfortable 7.17 (59) to 6.5 (41)
challenge final win over Port Adelaide.
In 1910, Stephens was one of several top players to leave Westies after the club was beset by major internal discord. He joined Norwood, where he rounded off his SANFL career with a final 56 games over six seasons to give him a career tally of 80 league games. |
|
Alan Stevens (Ainslie & St Kilda) [Click to enlarge] |
| Ainslie
born and bred, Alan 'Ginty' Stevens won the 1946 Mulrooney
Medal representing his local club, and was a regular member of
Canberra representative teams from 1940 onwards (with a gap for the War),
most notably at the 1947 Hobart
carnival when he was appointed skipper of the side. In 1948 he
joined St Kilda, playing a total of 21
senior games over the next three seasons, as well as representing the VFL;
because of his work as a meteorologist, Stevens was frequently out of town
when he would otherwise have been required to play for the Saints,
otherwise his total of VFL games would undoubtedly have been much greater.
After spending the 1951 season away from football, 'Ginty' Stevens
returned to his home stamping ground in 1952 when he was appointed
captain-coach of the Tricolours, who promptly
rewarded him with an undefeated premiership in what proved to be his last
full season as a player in senior football.
According to Barbara Marshall, Alan Stevens was "probably one of the best footballers produced in Canberra" (see footnote 1). A naturally gifted athlete, he was also an excellent cricketer, representing the ACT and playing 'A' grade cricket with St Kilda while in Melbourne. His time in the VFL taught him to be calm even under the most intense pressure, and he had that rare champions' ability of constantly managing to obtain possession of the ball wherever he was playing. As a coach, Stevens' career was comparatively brief - just two seasons at senior level - but how many coaches do you know with a 100% record of getting their teams into grand finals? This was 'Ginty's' accomplishment, imbuing his charges with the kind of 'play on' mentality which he had personally assimilated during his time in the VFL. In 1952, 'Ginty' Stevens' first season in charge, and with 'Ginty' himself playing a key role on the field as well as off, Ainslie won every single match for the season, culminating in a hard fought but thoroughly deserved 13.20 (98) to 12.12 (84) grand final defeat of Queanbeyan-Acton. The following season saw Stevens controlling affairs from the sidelines as the Tricolours once again played off for the flag against The Combine. In a hard fought, low scoring affair the lead changed hands several times during the closing minutes, with The Combine ultimately snatching a 5 point victory courtesy of a goal kicked after the final siren. Unfortunately for Ainslie, and for Canberra football in general, work commitments would prevent Stevens from taking any further part in senior football, although he did coach a junior representative team in 1954. |
Footnotes1. The National Game in the National Capital: 60 Years of Achievement by Barbara Marshall, page 57. Return to Main Text |
|
Anthony Stevens (North Melbourne/Kangaroos) [Click to enlarge] |
| Hailing from the Shepparton Football Club in the Goulburn Valley Football League, Anthony Stevens began his league career with North Melbourne in 1989 as a tough, no nonsense tagger before developing into one of the key playmakers in a Kangaroos side destined for greatness. An inspirational player who invariably came to the fore when the going was tough, Stevens was described by Essendon's Gary O'Donnell as "the lifeblood of the (North) side". He was one of the best players afield when the 'Roos beat Sydney by 43 points in the 1996 grand final, and also played in the 1999 premiership team against Carlton. A regular Victorian representative player during the mid-1990s, Anthony Stevens achieved AFL All Australian selection in 1998. He won the club's best and fairest award in 1997 and 1999. He retired at the end of the 2004 season having played 292 V/AFL games and kicked 127 goals. In 2003 he was chosen as first ruck-rover in the Kangaroos' official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
| Demonstrating the virtue and value of persistence, George Stevens began his senior league career with Queanbeyan in 1980, but did not cement a place in the team until fully six years later. Nevertheless, he went on to play in excess of 200 ACTAFL games, and is today regarded as one of the finest players ever to pull on a Tigers jumper. A member of Queanbeyan premiership teams in 1988-89 and 1991, Stevens is a life member of the club, and is included in its official Wall of Fame. |
|
Harvey Stevens (Collingwood & Footscray) [Click to enlarge] |
| Harvey Stevens was a useful player for Collingwood, mainly as a ruckman/forward, in 54 VFL games between 1948 and 1952, during which he kicked 56 goals. His last game for the Magpies was the losing grand final of 1952 against Geelong, when he played in the unaccustomed position of full forward and failed to kick a goal. During the ensuing summer he was released by the club, allegedly for being 'overweight'; however, Stevens had been recovering from a rib injury at the time, and had been unable to train. He moved on to Footscray and was soon producing the best football of his career, as evidenced by his winning his new club's best and fairest award in his debut season. First ruckman in the Bulldogs' inaugural VFL premiership team in 1954 (grand final reviewed here), he captained the club for part of the 1957 season, which proved to be his last in top level football. A powerful mark and a canny competitor in the ruck, he played a total of 72 senior games for Footscray, kicking 71 goals. In 1949 he had played for the VFL against New South Wales in Sydney. |
|
Phil Stevens (Geelong, St Kilda, Sandringham) [Click to enlarge] |
| Recruited from Hampden Football League club South Warrnambool, Phil Stevens played most of his early football at Geelong on a half forward flank, but it was after being shifted onto the half back line that he truly excelled. Strongly built at 183cm and 85.5kg he boasted plenty of pace, was a powerful mark, and kicked beautifully. He played 120 VFL games for the Cats between 1968 and 1975, and represented the VFL once. In 1976 he transferred to St Kilda where he added a final 41 games over the ensuing four seasons. Phil Stevens' final port of call was Sandringham where he served as captain-coach in 1982. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| One of the smallest men ever to represent Geelong, and indeed, at just 166cm and 57kg, among the most diminutive ever to play top level football anywhere, Edward Stevenson was nevertheless a tenacious and highly effective footballer. Originally from Chilwell, he made his senior VFL debut in 1922, and went on to play a total of 105 games, and kick 30 goals, over eight seasons. Extremely quick, both in terms of movement and of thought, he was a proficient ball winner, and his disposal skills were excellent. He played most of his football for the Cats on a wing, and was nicknamed 'Wingy' as a consequence. He was on a wing when Geelong clinched its first ever VFL premiership by beating Collingwood in the 1925 challenge final. Stevenson also occasionally played on the forward lines, and was an accurate kick for goal. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| One of three brothers to play for Footscray in the VFA during the early years of the twentieth century, Ted Stevenson's main claim to fame was his achievement in kicking a then record 10 goals against Essendon Town in 1904. Although the Tricolours did not manage to win a premiership during his five season stint with them, Stevenson was nevertheless heavily instrumental in helping the club mount a rebuilding programme that would eventually bear fruit in the shape of the 1908 flag. |
|
Alan Steward (Claremont-Cottesloe/Claremont) [Click to enlarge] |
| In 1926, Alan Steward journeyed some 200 kilometres from his home in Narrogin with the intention of trying out with fledgling WAFL club Claremont-Cottesloe. The league newcomers soon had reason to be grateful for this, as within weeks it was clear that they had unearthed, if not quite a champion, then certainly a player of some talent who would go on to provide them with a decade of fine service. Claremont-Cottesloe did not confer a fairest and best award in 1926, but there was a trophy, donated by a local jeweller, for the 'most gentlemanly player' of the season, and this was won by Steward, who also topped the club's goal kicking list with 27 goals. The following season saw the inauguration of an official fairest and best trophy, which Alan Steward duly won; he also finished equal third in the voting for that year's Sandover Medal. Small of stature, but quite strongly built, he played most of his football as a rover resting in the forward lines. Always a damaging player near goal, he was the leading goal kicker for his club on three occasions. He represented Western Australia against Canberra in 1928, and against New South Wales at the 1933 Sydney carnival. He also played for a Western Australian second team against the visiting Collingwood side in 1927. He continued with Claremont, as the club became known in 1935, until the 1936 season, playing a total of 179 senior WA(N)FL games. |
|
Peter Steward (North Melbourne & West Perth) [Click to enlarge] |
| Recruited
from Kerang as a forward, North Melbourne's
Peter Steward went on to spend the majority of his 126 game VFL career
between 1962 and 1970 in one or other of the key defensive
positions. Pacy, strong and consistent, he overcame the setback of a
serious knee injury which saw manage just one game in 1964-5 to become
arguably the league's pre-eminent defender. He represented the VFL
on half a dozen occasions, including games at the 1969
Adelaide carnival when he secured All
Australian selection. Steward captained North for a large part
of the 1970 season when regular skipper John
Dugdale was out injured, but at the end of the year he shocked club
officials by asking for a clearance to West
Perth. A tense wrangle ensued, but in the end Steward got his
way, and he went on to spend the last five seasons of his league career
with the Cardinals, playing in two premiership teams, and representing
Western Australia 5 times. He also captain-coached the club in
1972.
In 2003 Peter Steward was selected on the interchange bench in the Kangaroos' official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'. |
|
Ian Stewart (Hobart, St Kilda, Richmond) [Click to enlarge] |
| The
label 'legend' is bandied about quite indiscriminately these days but it
would be hard to disagree with its appropriateness in the case of Ian
Harlow Stewart. Born in the western Tasmanian mining settlement of
Queenstown, where footballers do not have the luxury of grass to cushion
their falls, Stewart is one of an elite band of just four players to have won
the coveted Brownlow
Medal on three separate occasions. Although neither strongly built
nor especially athletic looking he was enormously tough and resilient, and
his outward appearance belied enormous, some would say unique, native
ability. Indefatigably accurate when kicking with either foot,
Stewart was also deceptively strong overhead (in the 1966 season, for
instance, he took more marks than any other player in the VFL), and so
courageous that he frequently won possessions that logic told you he had
no right to. He was also extraordinarily elusive, seldom being
caught with the ball - small wonder that the umpires took note to the
extent of awarding him more Brownlow votes than any other player of his
era.
Ian Stewart's senior career began with Hobart in 1962 where he played 13 senior games and was selected in both of Tasmania's interstate games that year, against the VFA and the VFL. In the latter game, playing in the centre, he gave clear notice that he was a star in the making by outpointing his direct opponent on the day, Geelong's Alastair Lord, who later that season would win the Brownlow Medal. Wooed across the Bass Strait by St Kilda the following year he rapidly formulated an irresistible partnership with fellow Taswegian Darrel Baldock which was largely responsible in 1966 for steering the Saints to their first, and so far only, senior premiership. (Click here for a review of the 1966 grand final.) After seven seasons and 127 games with St Kilda Stewart's career looked to be waning but in 1971 he moved to Richmond and immediately won another Brownlow to add to the two won previously in 1965 and 1966. While at Punt Road he linked up to great effect with another high profile Tasmanian player in the shape of Royce Hart. Stewart's 78 games with the Tigers included the victorious grand final of 1973 and took his final VFL games tally to 205. He originally retired midway through the 1974 season only to make a handful of appearances the following year before finally calling it a day for good. Ian Stewart's selection as centreman in the official Tasmanian 'Team of the Century', which was announced in June 2004, was as inevitable as it was justified. Two years later he was inducted as an icon in Tasmanian Football's official Hall of Fame. |
|
James Stewart (North Melbourne, St Kilda, Carlton) [Click to enlarge] |
| Lightweight
and diminutive in stature, Jim Stewart was a fast, elusive footballer who
could be extremely damaging when playing in the forward lines. He
was a long, accurate kick and often described as unselfish and extremely
team orientated. He commenced his senior career with North
Melbourne, and was a key contributor, on a wing, to the side's 7.6
(48) to 3.9 (27) victory over Richmond in the
1903 VFA grand final. The following year saw North take out the
premiership again after challenge final opponents Richmond refused to take
the field under the umpire appointed by the Association, effectively
forfeiting the match. Stewart, who had played in both the 2 point
defeat of Richmond in a semi final, and the 17 point victory over Footscray
in the final, would almost certainly have lined up on a wing once more in
the challenge final had it gone ahead.
In 1905, St Kilda beat off opposition from Carlton to procure Stewart's signature, and, over the ensuing half a dozen seasons, he gave the club fine service, comprising 83 VFL games and 77 goals. The reason for the comparatively high goal tally was that he played a considerable number of games as a half forward flanker, from which position he topped his club's goal kicking ladder on two occasions (once jointly). In 1907 he kicked what was then a St Kilda record tally of 7 goals in an 11.16 (82) to 7.4 (46) defeat of Geelong at Corio Oval. Prior to that, the club's record individual tally in a game had been just 4 goals. After returning to North Melbourne in 1911 Jim Stewart had a second stab at league football the following year when he played a couple of games for Carlton. He finished his senior career back at North that same year. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Hard working, energetic and combative, the somewhat unfortunately-named Stuart Stewart was one of the best and most consistent players to represent Hawthorn during that club's inaugural decade in the VFL. Equally at home across half back or in the ruck, Stewart was particularly renowned for his ability to bring down sometimes prodigiously high-flying marks seemingly regardless of the risk. He was a regular VFL representative player, and played a total of 130 senior games for the Mayblooms between 1926 and 1935. |
|
Wayne Stewart (Mayne & Coorparoo) by Murray Bird and Peter Blucher [Click to enlarge] |
| Wayne
Stewart overcame serious injury to establish himself as one of the
foremost players of his generation. A redoubtable figure, he struck
fear into the hearts of many an opponent, but played for much of his
career with only one kidney, wearing a protective device to safeguard
himself from further injury.
Beginning with Mayne in the early '60s, Stewart was a key reason behind that club's emergence as a force. After playing in the Tigers 1966 and 1967 premiership teams, however, Stewart crossed to their main rivals, Coorparoo, as captain-coach, and had the immediate satisfaction of steering his charges to an 18.17 (125) to 12.14 (86) victory over his former team mates in the 1968 grand final. Equally at home on the ball as in a key defensive role, Stewart was a regular Queensland representative during the 1960s, and went on to play close to 300 club games. |
|
|
| Chosen in 2003 as one of ten inaugural members of the Sydney AFL's Hall of Fame, Jimmy Stiff was arguably the greatest player in the history of the South Sydney Football Club. A tenacious, skilful and extremely courageous rover, he was a member of five South Sydney grand final teams, earning premiership honours in 1934 and 1935. He was a New South Wales interstate representative on 9 occasions, including the national carnival of 1933, played on home soil, when he was voted New South Wales' best player. Something of a sporting all-rounder, Jimmy Stiff also played interstate cricket at schoolboy level, and first grade rugby league for South Sydney. |
|
Greg Stockdale (Essendon, Northcote, Coburg) [Click to enlarge] |
| Having
played with Kilmore in 1917-18 and Rushworth in
1919 Greg Stockdale joined
Essendon in 1920 and made his league
debut as a half back flanker the same year. Not overly tall at
178cm, but solidly built, the left-footed Stockdale performed well as a
half back, but it was not until he was transferred to the goal front in
the 1922 preliminary final that he truly found his niche. He went on
to boot 68 goals the following year to head the league goal kicking
ladder, while his tallies of 36 in 1926 and 39 in 1928 were good enough
for him to top Essendon's list. Stockdale landed the Dons' best and
fairest award in 1925, and represented the 'Big V' 8 times.
In 1929 he joined Northcote and was a member that same year of the club's inaugural VFA premiership-winning side. After three years with the Brickfielders he captain-coached Coburg in 1932-3 before rounding off his career at Fairfax. |
|
Albert Stokes (West Adelaide & West Torrens) [Click to enlarge] |
| One of a quintet of Broken Hill recruits to feature prominently in West Adelaide's 1927 premiership side, Albert 'Sonna' Stokes was a highly adaptable and talented footballer who gave the club great service in 106 SAFL games, kicking 62 goals, between 1926 and 1936. He spent the 1931 and 1932 seasons with West Torrens. A South Australian interstate representative on 3 occasions, his impact on the game would have been even greater had he not been such a frequent victim of injury. |
|
Ray Stokes (Burnie & Richmond) [Click to enlarge] |
| A dashing and skilful wingman or centreman, Ray Stokes began and ended his career in the NWFU with Burnie. In between he played 93 VFL games with Richmond between 1946 and 1951, some of them alongside his brother Jervis. He kicked 23 goals. He continued to play fine football after his return to Tasmania, and in 1954 was awarded the Wander Medal as the NWFU's top player of the season. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, he never won Burnie's best and fairest award. Stokes coached Burnie between 1952 and 1957, overseeing consecutive grand final appearances in 1954 (defeated Wynyard) and 1955 (lost to Ulverstone). His 7 interstate games for Tasmania included matches at both the 1953 Adelaide and 1956 Perth carnivals. |
|
Alan Stoneham (Sunshine, Footscray, Essendon) [Click to enlarge] |
| Alan Stoneham was aged just fifteen years and eleven months when he made his senior VFA debut for Sunshine in round 18 1971. He went on to play a total of 11 games for the Crows before crossing to Footscray during the 1972 season with several months to go before his seventeenth birthday. Great things were expected of the youngster, who obviously had copious amounts of talent, but although he managed 128 VFL games in eight seasons at the club, and represented Victoria twice, he never really established himself as a player of the highest quality. In 1980 he switched to Essendon, where he added 72 senior games in four seasons, as well as captaining the reserves side to the 1983 flag. Stoneham played mainly as a centreman or half forward flanker while with Footscray, whereas he was primarily used as a defender by the Dons. He kicked a total of 62 goals during his league career, 42 with the Bulldogs, and 20 with the Bombers. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| An extremely athletic player who was particularly strong in the air, Geelong's Barry Stoneham was a mainstay of the club for fifteen seasons, during which time he played 241 V/AFL games and kicked 223 goals. Recruited from St Joseph's, he made his Cats debut in 1986, and rapidly developed into the team's 'spare parts' player, capable of doing a job in any key position, or in the ruck. At his peak during the early 1990s, Stoneham won a club best and fairest award in 1990, and achieved AFL All Australian selection two years later. In 1994, however, he suffered a double leg fracture which kept him out of the game for eighteen months, and when he returned, although he was still a valuable player, some of the athleticism and verve had irretrievably gone. He struggled on heroically until the 2000 season, when he finally decided to call it a day. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Had
Doug Strang's kicking matched his aerial ability he might well be
remembered now as one of the greatest key position forwards in the history
of the game. As it was, he was merely in the 'very good' rather than
'bona fide champion' class.
Originally from East Albury, Strang made his VFL debut with Richmond, and went on to top his club's goal kicking list in each of his first three league seasons. In 1932 he booted 4 goals from full forward as the Tigers overcame Carlton by 9 points in the grand final, but the following year saw him suspended from the losing grand final team against South Melbourne's famous 'foreign legion' combination. After missing the 1934 grand final as well, it was clear that Doug Strang's VFL career was on the wane. He left Richmond a year later after 64 VFL games and 181 goals in five seasons, and returned home to New South Wales, where he joined the Ovens and Murray League's Tigers, Albury. In 1937, under the coaching of his former Richmond team mate Stan Judkins, Strang helped his new team to 46 point grand final win over Yarrawonga. He later captain-coached the side to further flags in 1939 and 1940, while as a player he 'topped the ton' in 1938 and 1939, and on one occasion booted 20 goals in a match. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| One of the classiest players of his era Strang arrived at Punt Road from Albury in 1931 and put in an outstanding debut season culminating in a fine game at centre half forward in Richmond’s losing grand final team of that year. Twelve months later he did even better with 4 goals and a best on ground performance – once again at centre half forward - in the Tigers’ 9 point grand final defeat of arch rivals Carlton. A strong, safe mark and an excellent kick Strang was frequently seen to best effect in big games. He was also highly versatile: two years on from the 1932 flag triumph he gave an equally adept display at centre half back as Richmond overcame its 1933 nemesis South Melbourne in a one-sided grand final. Nine appearances in a Big V jumper afford further evidence of his talent and ‘big game’ temperament. When his VFL career ended in 1938 after just 116 games Tigers fans would have been unanimous in feeling short-changed. |
|
William Strang (South Melbourne) [Click to enlarge] |
| William Strang was a fine aerialist who played the game hard but fair. He gave good service to South Melbourne as both a follower and a forward in 69 VFL games between 1904 and 1907 as well as in 1913. During the intervening time he played for Albury. William Strang's three sons Doug, Gordon and Alan all played VFL football. |
|
Barry Strange (New Town/Glenorchy & Penguin) [Click to enlarge] |
| Barry Strange was without doubt one of the foremost Tasmanian footballers of his era. He began and ended his senior career with New Town/Glenorchy, playing a total of 165 senior games for the club between 1952 and 1957 and from 1961 to 1965. He spent the intervening three year period captain-coaching Penguin in the NWFU. Highlights of Strange's career included involvement in four winning TANFL grand finals (1953, 1955-6, and 1965), 10 appearances for Tasmania, All Australian selection after the 1956 Perth carnival, membership of the famous Tasmanian interstate team that downed the 'Big V' at Launceston in 1960 (match reviewed here), and a couple of club best and fairest awards. Strange played the majority of his football at centre half back, and was chosen in that position in 2000 in Glenorchy's official 'Team of the Century'. |
|
[Click to enlarge] |
| Charles Streeter was a highly dependable defender who gave Melbourne fine service in 133 VFL games between 1920 and 1928. He represented the 'Big V' in 1921, and was a member of the Fuchsias team |